Need help on the value of an old custom bolt gun

[mustang85]

I have a gun from the 60's that has an action from a original Mauser, it has the barrel off a
Remington 03-a3 and its in a custom Bishop stock. can someone please give me a rough estimate on the value of this rifle.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=138081d45983bca7&attid=0.1&disp=attd&safe=1&zw
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=138081d45983bca7&attid=0.4&disp=attd&safe=1&zw
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=138081d45983bca7&attid=0.3&disp=attd&safe=1&zw
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/s/?view=att&th=138081d45983bca7&attid=0.2&disp=attd&safe=1&zw

[gunnut284]

Your pictures aren't working for me but in general sporterized military rifles don't command much value. Generally $200-$400 at best and sometimes not even that (this is for Mausers, Springfields and 1914/1917 Enfields, not Mosins and Lee Enfields). A well done full custom rifle using a military action will generally be more valuable but even those often are relatively low priced unless it was done by a well known smith.

[mustang85]

Alright, Thanks for giving me a good price range. I just don't know much about old guns, I'm gonna deer hunt with this one. But Thanks for giving me an idea on the price.

[Bruce in WV]

It may be worth a LOT more depending on who did the work, fit and finish, etc. Get the pictures working and let others weigh in.

[xrayoneone]

It may be worth a LOT more depending on who did the work, fit and finish, etc. Get the pictures working and let others weigh in.

+1 on this. The above price range is generally correct but like Bruce said if the work was done by one of the famous old custom houses it could be worth more.

[Deputy Dan]

Not to rain on the parade, but with an 03-A3 barrel the probability is low that it was built by a renown smith. Doesn't make it a bad rifle.

[ralph]

Not to rain on the parade, but with an 03-A3 barrel the probability is low that it was built by a renown smith. Doesn't make it a bad rifle.

No, it dosen't..I'm guessing that somebody probably bought a surplus Mauser, and stumbled across a '03A3 barrel cheap, and bought a bishop stock, then had some 'smith cobble it together..They probably ended up with a decent hunting rifle, for less than half what a new one cost then..This was a pretty common practice back in the 60's, Alot of good 'smiths made a good living back then, doing this.

[okie john]

I'm kind of obsessed by old rifles like this, but they are often not what they seem. After WWII, a lot of guys who were gun plumbers during the war became gunsmiths. Others used the GI Bill to take gunsmith courses by correspondence. Their work is usually serviceable and can even be very good, but it's rarely standard, and occasionally it can get you killed.

My questions start with the barrel. To use a 1903 barrel on a Mauser, you have to cut off the threads (and the last inch or so of the chamber) and rethread it, so the barrel has definitely been rechambered. I've seen them in 300 Savage, 308 Winchester, 30/06 Ackley Improved, 30 Gibbs, 300 Win Mag, and 308 Norma Magnum. To know for sure, and to make sure the chamber isn't damaged, have a gunsmith cast the chamber.

Also have your gunsmith inspect it generally to ensure that it's safe to fire: check the headspace, make sure that the lugs haven't set back, make sure that the sear/trigger/safety engagements are correct, and that the barrel isn't bulged or otherwise damaged.

Once you find out what cartridge it fires, find out how well it feeds. Mauser feed rails are part of the action. They were designed and built to function with one cartridge, usually one of the military Mauser cartridges. Few US cartridges have the same body angles, few original Mausers were made in 30/06, and few shade-tree gunsmiths ever bothered to adjust the feed rails, so these rifles rarely go through a full magazine (5 shots) without tying up somehow.

None of this is meant to cast aspersions on your rifle. Assuming it passes a few basic tests, it should kill game for as long as you can get ammo for it. Of course, if it was made by one of the better gunmakers of that era, it could work fine AND be worth a lot of money. Does it have any names stamped on the barrel? The names that matter most are A. O. Sedgley, P. O. Ackley, W. A. Sukalle, A. O. Niedner, Griffin & Howe, Hoffman Arms, R. G. Owen, or Al Biesen.


Okie John

[mustang85]

http://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?fid=Inbox&mid=2_0_0_1_2781_AECliGIAAAJvT%2BQYSwhYIUvMSGo&pid=2&tnef=&YY=1340985485745&file_name=IMG_20120619_230531.jpg&appid=YahooMailNeohttp://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?fid=Inbox&mid=2_0_0_1_2781_AECliGIAAAJvT%2BQYSwhYIUvMSGo&pid=4&tnef=&YY=1340985485746&file_name=IMG_20120619_230416.jpg&appid=YahooMailNeohttp://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?fid=Inbox&mid=2_0_0_1_2781_AECliGIAAAJvT%2BQYSwhYIUvMSGo&pid=5&tnef=&YY=1340985485746&file_name=IMG_20120619_230401.jpg&appid=YahooMailNeohttp://us.mg4.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?fid=Inbox&mid=2_0_0_1_2781_AECliGIAAAJvT%2BQYSwhYIUvMSGo&pid=3&tnef=&YY=1340985485746&file_name=IMG_20120619_230441.jpg&appid=YahooMailNeo
It wont let me upload pictures on here. Is there any other way to let y'all see them?

[mustang85]

I'm kind of obsessed by old rifles like this, but they are often not what they seem. After WWII, a lot of guys who were gun plumbers during the war became gunsmiths. Others used the GI Bill to take gunsmith courses by correspondence. Their work is usually serviceable and can even be very good, but it's rarely standard, and occasionally it can get you killed.

My questions start with the barrel. To use a 1903 barrel on a Mauser, you have to cut off the threads (and the last inch or so of the chamber) and rethread it, so the barrel has definitely been rechambered. I've seen them in 300 Savage, 308 Winchester, 30/06 Ackley Improved, 30 Gibbs, 300 Win Mag, and 308 Norma Magnum. To know for sure, and to make sure the chamber isn't damaged, have a gunsmith cast the chamber.

Also have your gunsmith inspect it generally to ensure that it's safe to fire: check the headspace, make sure that the lugs haven't set back, make sure that the sear/trigger/safety engagements are correct, and that the barrel isn't bulged or otherwise damaged.

Once you find out what cartridge it fires, find out how well it feeds. Mauser feed rails are part of the action. They were designed and built to function with one cartridge, usually one of the military Mauser cartridges. Few US cartridges have the same body angles, few original Mausers were made in 30/06, and few shade-tree gunsmiths ever bothered to adjust the feed rails, so these rifles rarely go through a full magazine (5 shots) without tying up somehow.

None of this is meant to cast aspersions on your rifle. Assuming it passes a few basic tests, it should kill game for as long as you can get ammo for it. Of course, if it was made by one of the better gunmakers of that era, it could work fine AND be worth a lot of money. Does it have any names stamped on the barrel? The names that matter most are A. O. Sedgley, P. O. Ackley, W. A. Sukalle, A. O. Niedner, Griffin & Howe, Hoffman Arms, R. G. Owen, or Al Biesen.


Okie John

I've fired several full magazines through it and its never got jammed or failed. To be honest the gun actually shoots really good one of my friends has a Winchester model 70 in 243 and this gun shoots as good as it does inside 100-150 yards(would be farther but it has an old Bushnell 4x scope on it). It's chambered in 30-06 Springfield.

[donwalk]

i would definitely take it to a smith who knew the older 'custom' rifles.

i read about a soldier who brought home an Arasaka from WWII and re-chambered it to 30-06 and hunted with it for years before finally discovering that he should have also changed the barrel. :confused:

it was said that the only reason it did not blow up in his face is the strength of the Arasaka action. :secret:

my point? check with an expert.