Looking to pick up a nice REM 1903-A3 to add to my collection.

This rifle will be an occasional shooter.  I‘m currently looking at a Remington in the high serial range through a private sale.  

The guy that is selling it says its 100% correct but I have yet to put hands on it and fully inspect it.  He doesn’t have gauges to measure throat or muzzle erosion but states that the bore is like new and shoots awesome.  

He is asking $1,200 as some guy from the CMP told him $1,500 would not be out of the question on this rifle according to the story.  

I think $1,200 is very high and I don’t want to get taken.  

What do you guys think is a reasonable asking price for this rifle?

Many thanks,

Pictures attached below:

I think $1,200 for that rifle is high.

The stock at least has been through a rebuild based on the markings on the left side and the proof P in a square.

Not $1,200.  It's a nice enough A3 but A3's are not $1,200 rifles.  At least not yet.  Maybe, if I had money to burn and really wanted an A3 I could see $900.  I would prefer to see $800.  

I really don't see anything remarkable about that rifle.  Augusta Arsenal rebuild (or more likely inspection), probably came out of the CMP ten years ago.  Nice condition but not unusually so.  For what its worth A3's generally are found in nicer shape.  Correct parts is also more common on the A3's.  They just didn't get used enough to require much rebuilding.

Agreed.  Certainly not a $1500 or $1200 rifle.  Not even a $1000 rifle.  Former CMP M1903A3 arsenal rebuilt M1903A3s are running $700-$800 or so.

Also, there's not really any such thing as a "high serial number" Remington M1903A3.  They had figured out the heat treating issue over 20 years before the M1903A3 was produced and before Remington began producing any M1903s whatsoever, so all A3s and all Remingtons are safe to shoot.  "Low" vs. "High" serial number is only a concern on the earlier, original M1903s produced prior to mid-1918 by Springfield and Rock Island.

That rifle is in a scant stock.  The data I've seen says that no factory M1903A3 rifles were built with scant stocks.  It has been through at least one rebuild.  If it were all correct and original, it would be in a Remington straight stock, not a scant stock.

Also, that 2 groove bore looks a little crusty.  There is a nicer one than that sitting at the LGS for $695.

I have an honest to God correct and original Remington M1903, and I doubt I would get $1500 for it.

For $1,200 I would pass.

Matt

Really appreciate the feedback guys thats what I initially thought.

So am I to assume the Springfield 1903's depending on condition/serial number range tend to pull more of a premium than the A3's?

A 03-A3 didn't sell in the EE for $750.  Condition looked very similar.

$500 tops ( being generous ) with that rough of a bore, overall condition and arsenal replacement stock.

There are tons of 03A3's out there so be patient and wait for the right one with a EXCELLENT bore.

For $1200 you should get a minty 60s DCM rifle with papers and box and a can of M2 ball to shoot through it.

I'll keep looking guys.

I gave the seller a reasonable counter offer based on the points we discussed and he told me I needed to keep doing my research as I didn't know what I was talking about.  

Said my remarks about the rifle were stupid, that I was probably a mosin nagant type of guy "whatever the hell that is " and thanked me for wasting his time.  Really classy that one.

I told him good luck with his sale.

Doesn't sound like the kind of guy you should bother dealing with, even if he was willing to come down on his price.  You made the right decision to move along.

$550.00 -$600.00

Mine is nicer, paid much less than this recently. It came with 200 rounds.  I still haven't fired it.

Now that's a sweet deal for sure.

I paid $760 for one far nicer than this a few months ago.
Since this guy is so smart, send him the link to this discussion.

I traded for a rifle nicer than that two weeks ago for $450. I replaced a cocking piece and safety selector from numrich to make it a more correct rifle.

I picked up an RRAD rebuilt 03-A3 that was completely correct and had what was very likely the original barrel with 0/1 readings for $560.  This was late last year and the rifle is almost flawless.  You should be able to pick up a nice example for around $700 without too much trouble.

Yeah, this, it definitely isn't factory original, it went through a re-work, as shown by the stock stamping....the stock probably isn't original to the gun...

Guy doesn't know as much as he thinks....

The rifle wouldn't have left the factory with a square "P" proof either, I think they were only used on replacement stocks after rebuild....

Don't like the looks of that bore either. $500 around here with signs of rebuild and that condition.

Never buy a rifle with a corroded bore like that, its all about condition . There are better and cheaper examples out there.

With that bore that rifle is a basket case.  For $300 I might buy something like it and put a criterion or a new surplus barrel on it and a C stock and use it as a shooter.  For a shooter that bore is sketchy for the cast bullets I like to play with. It might work ok for jacketed.   I am not impressed with the sample target either.  

The seller is either extremely ignorant or a con artist.  Steer well clear of him like you thought.   I saw a decent Smith Corona in some kind of replacement stock, IIRC it was other than USGI type C stock, selling for around $800.  I thought that was a touch high and it was in much much better shape than that scant stocked dog he's trying to pawn off on a rube.  Glad you weren't the rube.

That bore looks like a veteran's group return to CMP,  The VFW and American Legions had them for years and shot blanks in them for funerals and ceremonies and many never cleaned them.  They pitted up just like that with caked on fouling to absorb and hold moisture.    The gun probably sold for $350 or so from CMP.