Current Ballpark value of an unaltered, not put together 1903 Mark I?

[TDP0311]

wait... is that a BAR mag made to fit your 1903?

[Fred]

Surely you jest? No, it and the other are not BAR magazines. Here below is a photo of a WWII sniper with a 1903-A4 who wanted to have a little more readily available ammo for his rifle and so he had someone cut the bottom out of his sheet metal floor plate and had a BAR magazine brazed onto the trigger guard. His rifle wouldn't readily accept a WWI era 25 round extension magazine that can only be attached to a 1903 Springfield. That's what the two magazines are that I've pictured.
Also, here is another photo of WWI Imperial German infantry troops in the field. Two of them are shown with the German version of an extension magazine attached to their GEW 98 rifles. Another German soldier is wearing an experimental iron faceplate.

[Promo]

Yes it is mine. I do have an additional M1903 Mark I rifle which it came originally with.

[John Beard]

I value your rifle in the $1000-$1500 range.

The markings in the stock are believed to be Navy rack markings.

According to Brophy and Campbell, "E.H.D." is Elbert H. Dewey. Now you must choose who to believe!

Hope this helps.

J.B.

[Fred]

Well I sure do appreciate that information John! That price range is just what I was figuring it was and it's what I have in it. I didn't buy it to sell for a profit though and so I was happy and I still am to finally have an honest one. Heck, knowing the Navy association makes me want to keep it now. That bit of information finally explains why there's a small BB39 stamped into the heel just forward of the butt plate tang.
Nah... just kidding. I wonder though if the H is an indication of the ship it could've served on.


Using logic, I believe that I'll go with E.H. Donnelly.


Thanks again John!

[Rick the Librarian]

I've got a complete and correct Mark I (less the PD, of course!!) - I'll try to post some pictures, after I take some better ones than I currently have. Curiously, the only non-correct part is a CC (Commercial Controls) extractor. No inspection stamp on the stock, either, but I've been told that wasn't that unusual.

[Fred]

My Mk I is 4385 numbers off from yours Rick. My barrel date is 1-19. What is the date on yours?

[Rick the Librarian]

1-19 SA aussi!

[Fred]

Yep, the same month.

[TDP0311]

Fred, I had no idea that a 1903 mag ever existed... I'll have to do some reading about them.

[Fred]

I figure that was why I was able to buy the two that I did on Gun Broker for so little. Nobody else put a bid on them because most people might not know about them and the man selling them thought that they were reproductions on the advice of someone who was thinking about the current reproduction German Mauser extension magazines. I knew that nobody was or had ever been making new U.S. 1903 Extension magazines and so I was able to buy both of them together for $120.00
Because they were used on the U.S. Air Service Rifle, people have erroneously insisted on calling them exclusively an air service magazine. However they were meant to be used whenever the need presented itself. Trench warfare, sniping, picket duty too when a surprised picket guard under close attack might require a lot of ammunition to be readily available to fire until assistance could arrive. Anyway, you can find them under the various names of Springfield Extension Magazine, Trench Magazine, Air Service Magazine, 1903 Springfield 25 Round Magazine, even mistakenly as a 20r Round Extension Magazine. There is still one for sale on Gun Broker I believe going for $500.00. It's being called a U.S.1903 Springfield Air Service 25-rnd Magazine I believe. Here is the link... http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=379599358
I've seen them priced at $300.00 to $500.00 and if they come in the original white colored cardboard box, they can be seen priced for anywhere from $500.00 to $1,100.00.

[Rick the Librarian]

Here are some more pictures of my Mark I - not the greatest pictures, due to the dark day. The rifle doesn't have much finish, as you can tell. I did forget that it does have an inspection stamp, a DAL. It sports a J5 bolt.

[TDP0311]

Fred, very interesting, and a great find on your part! I'm surprised that magazines on main battle rifles didn't catch on with this, as I'm sure the troops that had them found them useful.

I'm going to keep me eyes open for them from here on out, thanks for sharing.

[Fred]

Tim, my guess as to why everybody didn't have one of the magazines is because they really make the rifle heavy when fully loaded and they also get in the way. It's tough to keep the rifle low to the ground in the prone position also when it has the magazine attached. I wouldn't use one myself. I think that they're just for looks and collectability.

[Fred]

Here are some more pictures of my Mark I - not the greatest pictures, due to the dark day. The rifle doesn't have much finish, as you can tell. I did forget that it does have an inspection stamp, a DAL. It sports a J5 bolt.

Rick, I just noticed that my follow up post to your pictures never went through! You've got a great looking and honest Mark I Rick! It's one of the very few that I've ever seen that is original as well as correct.