I just came into a Remington model 03-A3 RA Flaming Bomb 11-43 that has been handed down. Attached are some pics that may be helpful in assessing what I truly have in front of me. I have no idea about assessing something this old. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Remington Model 03-A3 value
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Col. Harrumph
Member
Looks like a really nice 03-A3. I think I paid something like $600 for its twin, ohmaybe 10 years ago. When I wonder about going prices I like to use gunbroker's advanced search for completed auctions. Use the search filter 'sort by' for 'bid count high to low'. (No use looking at guns that no one bid on.)
Update: I did notice the bottom metal was not correct but didn't comment on that. My bad. My own Remington 03-A3 has Smith Corona bottom metal, but I'm not concerned about that... probably an arsenal rebuild.
Update: I did notice the bottom metal was not correct but didn't comment on that. My bad. My own Remington 03-A3 has Smith Corona bottom metal, but I'm not concerned about that... probably an arsenal rebuild.
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Jim Watson
Member
I don't think Remington buffed and blued trigger guards.
What does the rest of the rifle look like.
What does the rest of the rifle look like.
Mfg. date shows 1943 so barrel probably original. https://www.remingtonsociety.org/1903-and-1903a3-production-and-serial-no-table/ I'd guess 2 groove??? They shoot as well as the 4 groove IME. Trigger guard/floor plate not GI from what I can see. Looks like aftermarket hinged bottom metal, original was stamped. Last one I bought in the 90's was $225 but, not today!
Regards,
hps
Regards,
hps
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Need more pics. Anything less than 100% original GI parts and finish will drastically lower the value on an A3.
It does look like the bottom metal has been replaced- not good. Does the wood stock extend pretty much all the way to the end of the barrel? Also need to see the metal bands securing the stock to the barrel, and the butt-plate area.
Under the best circumstances, an A3 is worth right around a grand, but if its been "sporterized" at all, it can be as little as $300.
Oh, and welcome to the forum! We love looking at old rifles, so thanks for that!
It does look like the bottom metal has been replaced- not good. Does the wood stock extend pretty much all the way to the end of the barrel? Also need to see the metal bands securing the stock to the barrel, and the butt-plate area.
Under the best circumstances, an A3 is worth right around a grand, but if its been "sporterized" at all, it can be as little as $300.
Oh, and welcome to the forum! We love looking at old rifles, so thanks for that!
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AlexanderA
Member
Yes, we need the all-important overall picture. I voted around $700 for the value, in spite of the obviously refinished and incorrect trigger guard. (That can be fairly easily replaced.) "Correct" 03A3's were selling for $700 at gun shows around here (northern Virginia) before the pandemic, and prices have gone up since then. But a $1,000 value is totally unrealistic for this gun.
shooter1niner
Member
As others have said trigger guard is not correct. IIRC the TG should be stamped sheetmetal and not hinged. Stock may have been inletted for that TG so an original could be too small to cover modification. Bolt shroud and most other parts should have a small " R " stamped on them for Remington. Really need more pictures but in my area an all original would go for around $800+/- depending on the manufacturer. Concerning the value, I suppose some would pay $1000+ but not me. I could however see a collector paying crazy money for an absolutely perfect, all original specimen.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Well, at a local show or shop, here in SW FL, you wont see an all original GI '03 or A3 (or M1 Carbine for that matter), with less than a G on the sticker. Of course, what it sells for is a matter of negotiation......
AlexanderA
Member
Yes, I've seen that here as well, but usually that's the seller's opening bid and not what he expects to get on the sale. (In other words, it's understood that the price is open to negotiation.)
But at gun shows, you sometimes run into another phenomenon: Sellers that price their items too high, having no intention to actually sell. What the motive is for this varies. Some "sellers" just like to go to gun shows and socialize with their friends, and setting up a table just gives them an excuse to do so. Others have promised someone (their wife?) that they will sell some or all of their guns, and setting up a gun show table gives them proof that they made "a good faith effort" but that the fish simply weren't biting. So this person goes home with all his guns but keeps his wife happy. Win-win.
This second scenario also explains some of the "unrealistic" listings you see on Gunbroker.
.Of course, sometimes lightning will strike and some newbie or someone with more money than brains will pay the inflated price. The "seller" will be disappointed, but at least he can console himself with the monetary windfall.
Bwana John
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The trigger guard is such a red flag for me that it would have to be pretty inexpensive for me to bite.
What else is wrong.... Drill rifle redo? barrel or bolt or receiver rewatted dewatt? Ect...
What else is wrong.... Drill rifle redo? barrel or bolt or receiver rewatted dewatt? Ect...
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CapnMac
Member
Decent 03A3 are running about $800 at gun shows around here.
Remington marked maybe adds another hundred, maybe a buck-fifty to it.
But, this one has a some major subtractions for the non-military parts.
A correct magazine floor plate is not horrible expensive, but getting one might be interesting.
That's assuming that there are no new holes to put the hinged plate in, and that a military one is a drop-in.
If that stock is cut for the civilian floor plate, that's going to take a c-note off, easily. Stock looks a bit glossy to be original military finish, too.
Pull the bolt as we need to see that, too. Also photos of the magazine cut-off. The barrel band needs eyeballing as does the front cap.
Off the top of my head (ant's get to Canfield for having a sleeping dog on my foot), Remingtons will have milled parts until about '44 or so. Canfield would give us the receiver date if we had the first half of the s/n. Barrel date is only the barrel's date.
So, maybe it's $600 at a show, maybe not. Probably only $200-250 at a gun store or pawn shop. With some careful parts selection, it could be a $1200 arm. Or leave it as is as a family heirloom.
Remington marked maybe adds another hundred, maybe a buck-fifty to it.
But, this one has a some major subtractions for the non-military parts.
A correct magazine floor plate is not horrible expensive, but getting one might be interesting.
That's assuming that there are no new holes to put the hinged plate in, and that a military one is a drop-in.
If that stock is cut for the civilian floor plate, that's going to take a c-note off, easily. Stock looks a bit glossy to be original military finish, too.
Pull the bolt as we need to see that, too. Also photos of the magazine cut-off. The barrel band needs eyeballing as does the front cap.
Off the top of my head (ant's get to Canfield for having a sleeping dog on my foot), Remingtons will have milled parts until about '44 or so. Canfield would give us the receiver date if we had the first half of the s/n. Barrel date is only the barrel's date.
So, maybe it's $600 at a show, maybe not. Probably only $200-250 at a gun store or pawn shop. With some careful parts selection, it could be a $1200 arm. Or leave it as is as a family heirloom.
AlexanderA
Member
I don't understand what you're trying to say. The only makers of 03A3's were Remington and Smith-Corona. And the Smith-Coronas are rarer, and therefore more valuable, than the Remingtons. I've been looking for a decent Smith-Corona at a reasonable price for a number of years, without much luck.
P5 Guy
Member
Notice the two parts that are wrong for a mid1943 Remington 03A3?
The trigger guard (no it will not open to unload) is a later revision. And the stock has steel cross bolts not the correct brass pins.
A correct 1st issue 1903A3 has a mix of parked and blued parts. It is is all parkerized it has been rebuilt.
CapnMac
Member
I should have grabbed Canfield when the dog was off my foot.
From memory, SA build a couple thousand as proof of concept and patterns for outside manufacture. And, from memory (which could be flawed) SC made near 3x 03A3 as Remington. Also from memory, Remingtons were selected like 5-6X over SC to be made into 03A4.
And, I know I've seen far, far more SC at shows than Remingtons. Although, I want to remember CMP has always had more Rems than any other.
If I have that backwards, I'll need to revise the insurance evaluation on my '43 SC 03A3.
AlexanderA
Member
You have it backwards.
A quick Google search showed that Remington made 735,994 03A3's and A4's. Smith-Corona made 234,000. That is, S-C only made about 1/3 as many. (All A4's were Remingtons.)
That doesn't include the 348,085 regular 03's Remington made in 1942 prior to the changeover to the 03A3.
(These numbers could be a little off, as Internet numbers usually are. But you get the idea.)
Springfield Armory didn't make any 03A3's, not even as prototypes. The machinery was transferred from Rock Island to Remington, which began making regular 03's. Gradually simplification changes to the 03 were made, and then the wholesale change that resulted in the 03A3. All these developments were in-house at Remington.
A quick Google search showed that Remington made 735,994 03A3's and A4's. Smith-Corona made 234,000. That is, S-C only made about 1/3 as many. (All A4's were Remingtons.)
That doesn't include the 348,085 regular 03's Remington made in 1942 prior to the changeover to the 03A3.
(These numbers could be a little off, as Internet numbers usually are. But you get the idea.)
Springfield Armory didn't make any 03A3's, not even as prototypes. The machinery was transferred from Rock Island to Remington, which began making regular 03's. Gradually simplification changes to the 03 were made, and then the wholesale change that resulted in the 03A3. All these developments were in-house at Remington.
lionking
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More pics please, full left side, full right side, upper barrel pic around the front sight, hows the bore? More receiver pics would be helpful also. As long as it's not a drill rifle or National Ordnance put together than typically $800 to $1300 for a nice one.
I'm not a expert but do lurk at surplus rifles on sites, shows and gun stores enough to know typical price ranges , unless you find a private sale looking to unload them.
I'm not a expert but do lurk at surplus rifles on sites, shows and gun stores enough to know typical price ranges , unless you find a private sale looking to unload them.
Swampman
Old Fart
Needs more pics to for any realistic estimate of price/value.
Jeff olson
Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2019
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- 934
Just curious, does the same hold true for the SC 03A3? Are the cross pins brass as well?
Notice the two parts that are wrong for a mid1943 Remington 03A3?
The trigger guard (no it will not open to unload) is a later revision. And the stock has steel cross bolts not the correct brass pins.
A correct 1st issue 1903A3 has a mix of parked and blued parts. It is is all parkerized it has been rebuilt.
AlexanderA
Member
The consensus among collectors is that both Remington and Smith-Corona used pins (early) and cross bolts (late), with the changeover occurring at some point in their respective production. A positive way of identifying a S-C stock is by the recess for the band spring. A S-C stock would have the front end of this recess rounded, whereas on a Remington stock this would be square.
P5 Guy
Member
^
That is the answer.
That is the answer.
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