First post and question about an '03 purchase

This is my first post on here so please be patient with me. I've always wanted a 1903 and usually look for them whenever I visit a gunshop. One of my local shops has one and I can afford it right now so I'm debating on going back tomorrow and making a purchase. I was wondering if you folks could tell me a little about the gun and let me know what an acceptable price should be.

The receiver is a Springfield Armory with a serial number of 818264. From what I've gathered from this and other websites that means it was manufactured in 1918 and has a heat treated receiver meaning it is safe to shoot with factory ammo.

Here is a picture of the receiver:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...receiver-1.jpg

The stock is appears to be a "Scant" stock of the WWII variety. Here's a pic:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...03/scant-1.jpg

The barrel is marked "HS (bomb proof) 8 44"

I interpret this to mean the barrel is 1944 production and was probably added when the gun was rearsenaled probably the same time it got the scant stock. The gun appears to be clean and looks to be in the same condition as most CMP Service Grade Garands I've seen.

Am I correct in my assumptions about this gun? What would be a fair price for it as described?

I think opinions will vary a lot, but I think you could buy that gun on GunBroker for 600-800 most any time, and some times for a lot less, I have seen a similar gun go for 500.

I am sure a store is going to ask 800+, and it may be worth it to you, but I would not pay that much. It looks like a good shooter, but does not have any real collector value.

That's my .02 worth, I track GB 03 sales closley, and have for several years, and I stayed in a Holiday Inn yesterday :madsmile:

Tom

PS Welcome to the forum, nice people here, when you make a mistake, they are kind!

It is a WWII re-build. Just how nice is the bore? Compare it with a new rifle from the store. If the barrel is OK, no rust/pitting it would most likely be a $550.00 buy. The Scant Stock appears to be an early Springfield stock. It should be a nice shooter, but no collector value.

If that M1907 sling is original and comes with the rifle, it could add $100 to the total value, if in good condition.

Welcome to the forum. The rifle looks like a great shooter that would bring more enjoyment than most $500 to $600 purchases these days. The metal that can be seen appears to have a good finish though the bolt is in the white (popular, but not period correct for the collector guys). Correct milled trigger guard that appears to have a slight flat spot on the bottom. Won't affect function and very common. (also fixable if you desire). Presuming a previous civilian owner didn't shoot it a ton, the barrel could be quite good. As you noted, the serial number is just on the safe side of the heat treat change.