I found a Remington 03a3 that still has cosmoline all over it. Metal looks good can’t really tell what the stock look like as it’s covered in the cosmoline. the last 4 digits of the serial number are on the side of the stock. It’s in the 3,8xx,xxx range. Any idea what a fair price would be. Looks to be all original.

The serial number on the stock would indicate to me it was issued and increases the likely hood it is not all original, without seeing it.

A really good condition A3 I would say fair is $800-900. If it was all matching, 900 on up depending on what it is. Mixmaster with refinished parts and decent barrel 650-750.

Online auctions seem to be bringing premium prices for sellers. If it is for sale locally, it will not likely bring as high as price as online auctions.

It’s for sale locally.   Thanks for the reply. I was thinking around the same thing.

Serialized stock makes it sound like one of the rifles from CMP returned from Greece
Until proven otherwise I would expect mismatched parts.

Don't let the mismatch scare you off. Chances are it's a CMP Greek return like this one, and they were very nice.
Attached File

Thanks it looks like the Greek cmp 03a3 in the picture except it’s covered in cosmoline.

I did a little more research. It definitely looks like a Greek return with the grey / green park.

Many of the Greeks were refinished with a darker shinier black finish.  That hurts the value a little, to some collectors.

But yeah, figure $800-$900 as a base for a M1903A3, with a little less or a little more depending on exact condition and other potential turnoffs (like Greek black finish).

Ah the good old days. Back in the 80’s or 90’s, my brother bought a handful of drill receivers for around $10 each.
Back then the old DCM while very limited on what you could buy rifle wise ( one M1 per lifetime and limited “lottery” draw purchases for small numbers of bolt actions or sniper M1D’s) they had piles of parts incredibly cheap ( things like 1903A3 barrels and bolts were under $5!) and he assembled mixmasters for my father him and I for under $100. My last 03-A3 a smith corona with a chopped up stock but thankfully good metal with no sporterizing done I bought about 8 years ago for under $300. Having bought spare parts from the DCM a d storing them all those years we had enough spare parts to return the rifle to correct military configuration with only a couple small parts not S-C. I sold the rifle a few years ago for double what I had into it and thought I did well, but the prices on these continue to escalate to levels unimaginable a decade ago.

Yup.  Sounds Greek.

My meter is probably off a bit but I got my 03A3 for about $785 out the door a couple of years ago, and a Greek return 03 right before the COVID lockdowns for $765 out the door.

For the Greek return, note the black parked receiver, pinned floor plate stamped with a beta "B", and the stamped/electropenciled digits on the stock and bolt handle (incidentally mine do not match the receiver serial).

For the A3, particularly note any rebuild cartouches, and whether or not the smaller parts/bolt are blued (original) or parked (rebuilt).

Did they ship from the cmp covered in cosmoline. It’s probably been sitting since it was returned.

Yes.  Took forever to clean mine.

Thanks for all the replies. I think I’m going to try to get it. If it works out I’ll update the thread.

Sounds like the Greek CMP 1903 I got, including cosmo slathered on/in everything.  Post pics if you get it.

My greek return M1903 was slathered in axle grease,  not cosmoline.  Still a mess to clean off that crap.

Whatever the grease was on my RIA Greek 1903, it was so heavily greased the firing pin fell in slow motion.  Instead of "Click", it went "thuuuuuuup".  I don't think I've taken the bolt apart yet to deal with that!  I had removed the external grease.

Rob