Pacific Miniseries 03A3

[mercman]

Well, since YOU don't know how many rounds have been fired through the rifle in its life time, how will ANYONE else know...

Mine does not have the pedigre yours does so it's going to the range often..

Thanks for sharing your prize with us..

Yup, it's definitely not a new rifle, but I want to keep it in 'as purchased' condition with all the tags intact. In speaking with some knowledgable collectors it sounds like this could be a very good investment as long as it remains intact with all the provenance and paper trail. I have other 03's and 03A3's that I can use as shooters. Sigh, doesn't take away the urge to play with it though.

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[Calfed]

Mercman, that is a nice looking, nice shooting rifle. Not knowing what SARCO charges for these rifles, it is difficult to judge whether they were a good deal or not.

It is also difficult to handi-cap what its provenance as a rifle from the miniseries will add in value. If "The Pacific" becomes a classic like "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers", it will probably add a fair amount.

I recently won a similar rifle (S-C receiver with the remainder RA parts) that has an incredible bore but that I have not yet fired.

Two new Smith Coronas

I have not discovered anything to indicate that it is a recovered drill rifle.

[Calif-Steve]

I avoid SCARCO. They have been cutting USGI 2 groove RA barrels into 4 groove barrels and keeping it very quiet. Would you pay real money for a Kar98k that was used in the TV series"Combat"? So what? I am not so sure this miniseries adds up to anything, sorry. Honestly, march it down to your local pawnshop and get a price quote. That will give you a real world value.

[Harlan (Deceased)]

Calfed,

Here's a link -
The Pacific Movie - 1903A3 PACKAGE # 2


I'd have to agree with Calif-Steve on these. They're ex-drill rifles with replacement barrels, stocks, etc so they have little collector value as a rifle alone.
I'm afraid the providence of only being used as a prop in a movie will ever make up for the large premium being charged by Sarco.

If a prop is used by a big star of a very famous movie it could get a big premium, but just to be a general prop doesn't usually get a big premium when reselling.
(Who ever knows though - stranger things have become valuable)

Regardless, I don't think that taking it out and shooting it would hurt the resale value.
I think mercman should enjoy it and shoot it.
(Just my opinion)
~ Harlan

[mercman]

cafdfw,

I agree a reactivated drill rifle in and of itself is obviously not in the same value league as an untouched all original 03 or 03A3 to collectors. I think that the key with these rifles is in their long term investment value. They will not bring a premium to hard core 03/03A3 collectors but I believe that as a piece of movie history they will be a sought after item as long as the documentation trail is kept intact. That's the key, of the 100 rifles, how many will be maintained in their advertised state. I also think that the purchasers of these kind of items will be larger group than the few military rifle collectors that exist. I guess only time will tell. The good part is that this wasn't a large investment for me to make and maybe it will do better than my 401K's and 457's. Who knows, only time will tell.

[Calif-Steve]

These things are not investment grade guns. Find yourself a nice 1933 NM '03 Springfield. Or perhaps a Pedersen Devise. Sorry, have to pass on these.

[Aragorn243]

I weigh in at this could be a good investment. It's a gamble like everything else but there are a lot of strange things out there that you can see on a weekly basis on the TV. New program, probably on the History Channel as that's one that I tend to check periodically. The guy runs an auction house that deals exclusively with stuff like this.

In that there are a hundred of these, it's never going to be something you're going to put your kids through college on but you could get many times what you invested into it after a sufficient period of time has passed.

The paper trail is key of course, discovering who it was that carried the rifle in the series would also be a big help. This guy checks the individual frames to match up markings. Unless it has some significant marks on it, that may or may not be possible. The series also has to become a success. From what I've seen and heard, it's no "Band of Brothers". I personally haven't been able to get that interested in it in the same manner. But that doesn't mean a whole lot either, even cult films can get mega-bucks for their props.

Another drawback is that they are documented and already listed as collectible. From personal experience, if it's collectible when you get into it, it isn't that collectible. It's the things you get before everyone else considers it collectible that makes it valuable. Once collectible, everyone saves it in mint condition, etc.

A positive is that it's a rifle from a war movie, lots of guys love them and boys must have their toys, sometimes no matter what the cost.

The price isn't "terrible", not bank breaking so if you have the money to spend and don't need to buy food or clothing with it, why not. You are paying for the movie aspect of it not the value of the rifle itself.