Sportco
Encyclopedia
Sportco was an Australian manufacturer of rifles and shotguns in Adelaide
, South Australia
, from 1947 until the early 1980s. Founded by Jack Warne, also known by its full name Sporting Arms Limited, began by manufacturing single shot 22LR rifles. Sportco purchased ex military Martini Cadet
rifles from the Australian Government and converted them to both rimfire and centrefire calibres as well as rebarrelling
Lee Enfield rifles to .303/22
and .303/25
.
Soon they began producing their own designs of bolt action and 'Sportomatic' semi-automatic rifles
as well as single shot shotguns followed by semi-automatic shotguns
and pump action rifles. They also started to export to Great Britain
, Rhodesia
, Borneo
, South Africa
, Canada
, New Zealand
and the United States of America.
Sportco supplied the British military with a blow-back action self-loading training rifle with a ten round capacity. Sold in Australia as the Model 71S the British dubbed it Rifle,L29A2. An example is to be found in the Enfield
Pattern Room collection. Sportco also supplied Winchester with actions for their Model 320 10 shot bolt action repeater and Model 310 single shot.
Sportco also sold ammunition under its own brand name that was manufactured by Riverbrand and Winchester
Australia.
Their longest lasting model was the Model 44 target rifle which would later would be known as the Omark Model 44
and would be produced by MAB Engineering when Sportco would close its doors.
Sportco was sold to Omark Industries and shut its doors in the early 1980s.
Jack Warne would later leave Australia for the United States and found
Kimber
of Oregon.
Calibre .22 Hornet
, .222 Remington
, .222 Rimmed
Shotguns
7.62mm Target Rifles
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, from 1947 until the early 1980s. Founded by Jack Warne, also known by its full name Sporting Arms Limited, began by manufacturing single shot 22LR rifles. Sportco purchased ex military Martini Cadet
Martini Cadet
The Martini Cadet is a centrefire single shot rifle produced in the United Kingdom by BSA and W.W. Greener for the use of Australian military Cadets. Based on a miniature version of the Martini-Henry it was internally different...
rifles from the Australian Government and converted them to both rimfire and centrefire calibres as well as rebarrelling
Gun barrel
A gun barrel is the tube, usually metal, through which a controlled explosion or rapid expansion of gases are released in order to propel a projectile out of the end at a high velocity....
Lee Enfield rifles to .303/22
.303/22
The .303/22, sometimes known as the .22/303 is a wildcat centrefire rifle cartridge, based on the .303 British, necked down to fire a .224 projectile, originating in Australia in the 1930s as a cartridge for sporterised rifles, particularly on the Lee Enfield action, similar versions also appeared...
and .303/25
.303/25
The .303/25, sometimes known as the .25/303 is a wildcat centrefire rifle cartridge, based on the .303 British, necked down to fire a .257 projectile, originating in Australia in the 1940s as a cartridge for sporterised rifles, particularly on the Lee Enfield action, similar versions also appeared...
.
Soon they began producing their own designs of bolt action and 'Sportomatic' semi-automatic rifles
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
as well as single shot shotguns followed by semi-automatic shotguns
Semi-automatic shotgun
A semi-automatic shotgun is a form of shotgun that is able to fire a cartridge after every trigger squeeze, without any manual chambering of another round being required...
and pump action rifles. They also started to export to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and the United States of America.
Sportco supplied the British military with a blow-back action self-loading training rifle with a ten round capacity. Sold in Australia as the Model 71S the British dubbed it Rifle,L29A2. An example is to be found in the Enfield
Royal Small Arms Factory
The Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
Pattern Room collection. Sportco also supplied Winchester with actions for their Model 320 10 shot bolt action repeater and Model 310 single shot.
Sportco also sold ammunition under its own brand name that was manufactured by Riverbrand and Winchester
Winchester Repeating Arms Company
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company was a prominent American maker of repeating firearms, located in New Haven, Connecticut. The Winchester brand is today used under license by two subsidiaries of the Herstal Group, Fabrique Nationale of Belgium and the Browning Arms Company of Morgan, Utah.-...
Australia.
Their longest lasting model was the Model 44 target rifle which would later would be known as the Omark Model 44
Omark Model 44
The Omark Model 44 is a bolt action single shot target rifle made in Australia. First released in 1968 as the Sportco Model 44 produced in Sportco's Adelaide factory, production was taken over by Omark in the 1970s, then by MAB Engineering in Brisbane in 1984....
and would be produced by MAB Engineering when Sportco would close its doors.
Sportco was sold to Omark Industries and shut its doors in the early 1980s.
Jack Warne would later leave Australia for the United States and found
Kimber
Kimber Manufacturing
Kimber Manufacturing is an American company that designs, manufactures, and distributes small arms such as M1911 pistols, Solo pistols and rifles. The USA Shooting Team, Marines assigned to Special Operations Command, and the LAPD SWAT team use Kimber pistols....
of Oregon.
Models
Caliber .22 l.r.- Sportco MartiniMartini CadetThe Martini Cadet is a centrefire single shot rifle produced in the United Kingdom by BSA and W.W. Greener for the use of Australian military Cadets. Based on a miniature version of the Martini-Henry it was internally different...
- Sportco 2A semi automatic box magazine
- Sportco 10A bolt action box magazine
- Sportco 15 bolt action tube magazine
- Sportco 43 bolt action single shot
- Sportco 46 bolt action single shot
- Sportco 62S bolt action box magazine
- Sportco 63A bolt action box magazine deluxe
- Sportco 71S semi automatic box magazine
- Sportco 73A semi automatic box magazine deluxe
- Sportco 87A semi automatic tube magazine
- Sportco 93A pump action tube magazine
- Sportco carbine semi automatic box magazine
- Sportco MartiniMartini-HenryThe Martini-Henry was a breech-loading single-shot lever-actuated rifle adopted by the British, combining an action worked on by Friedrich von Martini , with the rifled barrel designed by Scotsman Alexander Henry...
Clubmaster single shot target rifle
Calibre .22 Hornet
.22 Hornet
The .22 Hornet is a low-end vermin, small-game and predator centerfire rifle cartridge. It is considerably more powerful than the .22 WMR and the .17 HMR, achieving higher velocity with a bullet twice the weight. The Hornet also differs very significantly from these in that it is not a rimfire...
, .222 Remington
.222 Remington
The .222 Remington aka the Triple Deuce/Triple Two/Treble Two is a centerfire rifle cartridge introduced in 1950, and was the first commercial rimless .22 cartridge made in the United States...
, .222 Rimmed
.222 Rimmed
The .222 Rimmed is a centrefire rifle cartridge, originating in Australia in the 1960s as a cartridge for single shot rifles, particularly the Martini Cadet action...
- Sportco Hornet bolt action box magazine
- Sportco 33 bolt action box magazine
- Sportco MartiniMartini CadetThe Martini Cadet is a centrefire single shot rifle produced in the United Kingdom by BSA and W.W. Greener for the use of Australian military Cadets. Based on a miniature version of the Martini-Henry it was internally different...
Shotguns
- Sportco 55 single shot
- Sportco 80 single shot
- Sportco 81 bolt action box magazine
- Sportco 88 semi automatic
- Sportco 103 semi automatic
- Sportco 103 type 4 semi automatic deluxe
7.62mm Target Rifles
- Sportco Model 44Omark Model 44The Omark Model 44 is a bolt action single shot target rifle made in Australia. First released in 1968 as the Sportco Model 44 produced in Sportco's Adelaide factory, production was taken over by Omark in the 1970s, then by MAB Engineering in Brisbane in 1984....
bolt action single shot