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| Sporting Rifle | NRA Very Good = $20,000 NRA Excellent = $30,000 |
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Springfield made at least 100 sporting or special rifles for officers prior to the introduction of the M75 Officers Model. These arms are discussed at length in The .45-70 Springfield-Book II-1865-1893. Springfield made sporting rifles were normally half stocked M68 rifles or M69 cadet rifles because in the 1870s, big game hunters wanted half stock sporters with the thinner butt stock of the cadet rifle.
Along with sporting rifles that Springfield produced, there were many gunsmiths who were also sporterizing the M66, M68 and M69 Springfield rifles for buffalo hunters in the 1870s. Most of the sporters found today were commercially made for this purpose. In fact, a number of them may have been made for Fort Leavenworth so the fort had available sporting arms for dignitaries and congressmen when they came for a "Buffalo Hunt."