Sporterising

Modifying for sporting use can involve the addition of a commercial, variable power telescopic sight, the shortening of the fore-end, and (in some cases) the fitting of a new stock.

SMLE Mk III rifles, in particular, were popular for sporterisation in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with many being converted to wildcat calibers such as .303/25 owing to both the difficulties of importing foreign-made rifles (due largely to economic factors), and also restrictions in the state of New South Wales on the ownership of firearms "of a military caliber", interpreted to mean the .303 British cartridge then in use by the British and Commonwealth militaries.

Even in states and countries where there were no such restrictions, many sporting shooters at the time found it expedient to cut down their ex-military SMLEs, in the interests of reducing weight or improving handling.

[citation needed] The term "sporterising" is also used by some to describe the practice by gun manufacturers of producing civilian models of military-style weapons by removing legally restricted features.

For example, a manufacturer might have replaced a pistol grip with a thumb-hole stock, or a flash suppressor with a muzzle brake, in order to comply with legislation such as the 1994-2004 US Federal Assault Weapons Ban.