1863 springfield

[hvymech]

Today, while at my local gun shop, I saw a 1863 Springfield rifle,not a replica, no us on top of butt plate,us Springfield and
1863 clear on lock plate,1863 on top of barrel,no rust or pits on metal, inside the barrel looks OK,only real problem is a crack in the stock at wrist. Wants $800. Is this a good deal?, how much to replace the stock? TIA hvymech

[S.A. Boggs]

Why replace the stock, just fix it. $800, the value is up to you not so much the market unless you are buying it to resell. A question for me would be am I willing to buy a piece of American history?
Sam

[Vern Humphrey]

I can't find one on the internet for less than $1,000.

[Sunray]

How bad is the crack? A syringe style epoxy applicator and clamps might fix it.
A repro stock will lower the value, but these guys want $275 for one. When they have 'em. http://www.ssfirearms.com/proddetail.asp?prod=GS109&cat=88

[Major Tom]

Repair the stock! Preserve its history. $800 is a good price, maybe talk the seller down some because of the crack.

[mike9905]

If you buy it, go to the Garand section of the CMP forum and see if you can contact Rick Borecky. He goes by RickB and StockDoc and is a wizard at stock repair.

[Marty T.]

I would love to have one and if I had that much to spend would have one. If you get it, post some pics.

[JB White]

I agree with the above. When it comes to antiques, repairs (Good and correct repairs) are much more desirable than modern replacement parts. A repair may only downgrade a wee bit where a replacement could cause the value to plummet downward.
If all checks out, the $800 initial cost should allow for a nice repair. The value will then go up accordingly with the passage of time.

[Dan Shapiro]

Agree. Much better to fix the stock then replace it.

[Emri]

A repair may only downgrade a wee bit

A proper repair won't "downgrade" an antique any more than the defect being repaired already has.

FWIW,

Emri