How many of you remember Springfield Sporters in Penn Run, PA? I stumbled upon one of their old catalogs this morning and took a stroll down memory lane. For those who are unfamiliar, Springfield Sporters was a large supplier of military surplus rifles and accoutrements. I had the pleasure of visiting the facility several times in the mid 1990's. The upper floor of a converted barn served as the main showroom where one could choose from dozens of various vintage military rifles - mostly bolt action models from the early 20th century. There were thousands more in crates occupying the multiple warehouses. On one particular visit, the owner's son Russell test fired a rifle from the open hay loft door. Of course, he politely announced Test Fire! to prepare the customers and staff. Given the unconcerned reaction of the woman behind the counter, I assume this was a common occurrence. Sadly, Springfield Sports is no more. Attached are some photos from their 1997 catalog.

I had that catalog. I ordered a CZ 24/52 rifle, Enfield, and Mauser parts from them years ago.

They once got a bunch of 30-06 from some where in South America. I don't remember the price or the details. But it was cheap enough and good enough for me to drive up there from Maryland. I ended up spending a lot more time and money there than I intended. I heard some where that Navy Arms bought them out. But I have no idea if that is true or not.

OMG that place really had some wild stuff! I grew up REALLY close to them and my uncle first took me there in the mid 60s when I was still in elementary school. He knew Bill Rogers pretty well and we used to go there frequently. The location on a back country dirt road is amazing. You actually have to LOOK for the place to find it unless you grew up there and "knew" about it. I swear, half of the local backwoodsman population used or still uses sporterized Springfields/Mausers of some sort for deer hunting up on that ridge and surrounding ridges.