IN a horse trade today I ended up with 2 older rifles that have been sporterized . They came from a recent estate sale after another one of the million local retirees passed away.



One was a 1903 Springfield that had been sporterized with a Fajen Stock, and the barrel was cut down to 20 inches.



The Bluing is real good shape and the serial number is in the 330,000 range, and it was made at the Rock Island Arsenal.



It is not an 03 A 3. It is a straight 1903. Anyone that can give me an idea of what this rifle might be worth? I wanted one of the Springfield actions for my minor collection of older military or sporterized military actions. I have no intention of selling it..



Would appreciate any info some of you historians or gunsmiths can give on this rifle.



thank you very much

cheers and Good shooting

seafire

When sporterized their value drops. The Rock Island ones above SN 285,000 are safe earlier ones are not.I would use it as I do my Mark I.

Well you might get something for the parts. The bolt and trigger guard, bolt and other small parts well have value. the action isn't worth anything to someone that knows about them. I would not feel good about selling one. The heat treating is wrong on them and could cause failure.

I love springfields... so I am biased.

fi the action is reasonably whole, and can just be tig'ed up to fill, you can rework to a nice representation of a 1903...

it's worth, at least, 250, even though it's a low number.

Jeffe

Sportered Springfields (high #'s) start around $175 down here (NorCal), and go up from there depending on the quality of the conversion. I've seen asking prices as high as $450 on nicely done coversions. Not long ago I saw a low # sporter at a gun show and the guy was only asking $150, lots of lookers but no takers due to the low #.

Gentlemen,

I have to plead guilty to a typo on the above post. The serial number of the rifle I received was 330,000 range, NOT the 33000 Range that I had typed.

Boy, what a difference one little key stroke can make huh???

Thanks for the Info on this rifle that I have received so far.
I have about the equivalent of $175.00 in on it. So I don't feel raped. The Mauser mentioned I have about $200.00 into it.

The Mauser will see a lot of varmint shooting use.

The Springfield will probably be restored up to an example of a 1950s sporterized rifle. I have a 1955 Leupold 4 X scope that will go nicely on it, and I will get a Stock out of Boyd's, probably a Walnut. I have some 1950s vintage Redfield Bases and Rings to make the combo go together.

The shop also had a military version in 1903 A 3, that was in perfect military shape. I am sure it is almost one that was not issued and sold surplus.. The price on it is about $900.00. I am sure it is worth much more, to the right guys.

The metal on the receiver is in Military Greenish Olive Drab, as is the barrel.

Thanks for the updates.
Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

Unsporterized is worth $400 to $600.

Adding a $500 deluxe sporterizing job will bring the value down to $150.

Yes that typo makes a BIG difference !! The color is of course that of Parkerizing.

yep, the typo certainly goes from wall hanger to shooter.

at least 250... anyone that thinks it's worth just 150, please let me know where i can buy those some may have passed on.

jeffe

If it is drilled and tapped and the bolt handle bent it is worth a couple of hundred if not. Then what ever you can get out of it. I payed 110 for my last springfeild sporter with lyman peepsite and ramp front. I just don't think they are worth much more when you can buy a new ruger stainless for 375 or so. then you don't have to spent hundreds of dollars sporterizeing it. The actions are stronger better steel.

The old millitary suff dosen't do a thing for me when there are so much better rifles being made now days.

PDS:

I have to honor your tastes, but give me a rifle with a history to it anyday, over a rifle I can buy down at WaLMart as new.

Just personal preferences. Of course I'd be happier driving a 1950 Buick with a Straight 8, over a New Cadillac any day.

One Man's trash is another man's treasure I guess.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

Seafire just remember that 03 was new one day to. After the first hunt all rifles have history.

I guess I have shot enough of the old ones springfeilds,enfeilds,mausers,grands and older sporters.
Shoot I have been doing most of my deer hunting with a savage 99 made in the late 40s the last few seasons.

What would trill me would be a 99 with a Ti. reciver and stainless barrel and syt. stocks at about 6lbs with scope.

Enjoy your 03 they work just fine I used mine to shoot a bear 4 years ago hasn't been out of the safe (expect to oil it.) sence. The 18.5 inch barrel with 220grers at 2200 was just the ticket for a hound hunt.


My newer ruger mkII went to Ak last fall worked well.

Take care enjoy your shooting I like to shoot them all.

My father got a marksmanship badge in WW2 with a 1903.
When the war was over, he bought one for $39.95 at Sears [two weeks unemployment check].

Later he would later design a number of guns like the M107 for the US army.

He tells me that the Garrand was clumsy. I have shot the old man's 1903 that he loves, but I like my Garrands better. The 1903 takes too long to aquire a target in those 1903 sights for my tastes and I think the butt plate is sadistic.

For bolt actions, I like the 1898 Mauser, but I am not a gun designer.

I got this rifle home today. It has a 1950s vintage Fajen Stock on it, and was drilled and tapped for weaver bases.

In my parts drawer, I had some 1950s vintage Weaver rings and a 1955 :Leupold 4 X Mountaineer Scope.

I put it together this evening. The value of this rifle is NOW, priceless, as the mastercard commercials say.

This looks like a well taken care of veteran, of a 1950s sporterized military classic rifle. I don't know about other guys, but that stuff motivates me. Like a having a 1950 Chevy pickup to drive to go hunting in. Something out of a Terry Redlin painting.

These rifles are what is left from many of us older guys youths, that our parents and grand parents carried in the field.

All of the old Winchester Model 94s & Marlin's that Grand Pa let us hunt with, when Grandma made him take us kids with them, are now gone. or priced so sky high, thanks to the popularity of cowboy action shooting.

The next thing left to get popular is these old bolt actions. Those that understand the appeal of Terry Redlin's art, may understand what I am talking about.

I also managed to purchase a Weaver Steel Tubed 4 X scope with a Post and Crosswire for $40.00. Find me another set of Weaver old steel rings, or some Redfield, and this scope is going on a 1917 Enfield sporterized rifle, or a 99 Savage in 30/30 that I have my eye on.

This Nostalgia stuff is addictive until everyone and his brother gets into it, like happened to the old lever actions. I want to get on with the things I want before the old bolt actions follow suit. None of this stuff ever gets cheaper, and I live in an area with tons of retirees that die off every year and tons of this stuff is taken down to the local shops to get rid of by the widow. So I am going to take full advantage of it.

Cheers and Good shooting
seafire

Damn those laws that keep me from buying guns in Oregon gun shows!

I could have got there at opening and got to that Weaver with post first.

Clark,

You want that scope that bad? I can work out something, there are a lot of those floating around down here.

seafire

I am a compulsive gun person:

I spend alot of time on the internet reading about guns.

I spend a little time handloading, shooting at the range, and buying my 50th beat up deer rifle project, and no time deer hunting. That's right, 50 deer rifle projects and I have never been deer hunting.

The compulsive scope buying has ~25 scopes in a box, mostly Weaver K-4s I got for $20each 5 years ago.



What does it all mean?

Computers are easy.

Buying stuff is kinda easy.

Hunting is hard.



I will go to the Puyallup gun show Saturday with 20,000 other guys, who mostly have bought alot of deer rifles since the last time they went hunting.

Many moons ago when I was very young, I used to borrow Ab Riggs old Springfield, Ab was a retired Texas Ranger and he swabbed out the cross hairs of his Weaver 4x one time while cleaning his scope!! , but he knew where the center of the scope was and damn he shot it well and I had no trouble shooting mule deer with it, none what so ever......It taught me one thing that I have never forgotten, we can do very well with what we got when we have to....

That old Springfield like all the others I have played with was slick as glass, fed 10% of the time and the the two groove barrels seemed to all be very accurate...I like the Springfield, but whats not to like about a Mauser knockoff..

That old Springfield like all the others I have played with was slick as glass, fed 10% of the time

Ray

I assume that the 10% of the time is a typo error. After owning at least a dozen different Springfields I have never had one that fed that bad. Did you mean 100%?