Smith Corona 1903a3 I have been offered - Please Help

[anton67]

Hello,
I was offered this SC 03A3 for $600.00.
I am going to look at it in person hopefully this week.
The seller is sending me more photos.
Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
I have not looked into these for a while, what is their price range?
How much does a shooter run?Corona_2_x.jpgCorona_4_x.jpgCorona1_l.jpgCorona3_l.jpg

[Parashooter]

. . . How much does a shooter run?

A good shooter with enough ammunition shouldn't have to run from anyone.

[bruce]

Nice clean rifle. Stock looks good. For $600 that is a very nice rifle. Be sure and check the muzzle for wear and the bore for erosion as a consequence of shooting corrosive ammunition. If the bore and muzzle are good this looks like a great rifle. If everything checks out good, I'd be reaching for my wallet! Sincerely. bruce.

[John Beard]

The rifle has been arsenal-overhauled, refinished, and re-assembled from mixed parts. Nevertheless, the rifle is easily worth $600 if it has a serviceable bore and no cracks in the stock.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

J.B.

[1563621]

The rifle has been arsenal-overhauled, refinished, and re-assembled from mixed parts. Nevertheless, the rifle is easily worth $600 if it has a serviceable bore and no cracks in the stock.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

J.B.

Looks good for 600

[anton67]

Thank you for your input.
How can you tell that the rifle has been arsenal-overhauled, refinished, and re-assembled from mixed parts?

[rebound]

Thank you for your input.
How can you tell that the rifle has been arsenal-overhauled, refinished, and re-assembled from mixed parts?

With age comes wisdom (in most cases that is ) And with JB he has seen and handled more 03 s than the average guy ever thought off.. So what he says you can take to the bank............

[John Beard]

Thank you for your input.
How can you tell that the rifle has been arsenal-overhauled, refinished, and re-assembled from mixed parts?

1. The bolt sleeve and cocking piece are replacements.
2. The bolt has been refinished.
3. The lower band appears refinished
4. The handguard retaining ring appears refinished
5. The trigger guard appears to be a replacement.
6. The stock is from a much later rifle.

Satisfied? Hope this helps.

J.B.

[anton67]

Thank you John.
It is not that I didnt believe you.
I wanted the info so I can tell the seller why he should give it to me for a better price (since it is not a collector rifle).
I will probably offer $500 if the bore looks good and no other issues.

[John Beard]

No offense taken. Happy to help.

Good Luck!

J.B.

[anton67]

Here are some more photos the guy sent me today.
Any other thoughts would be appreciated.
Also I was told there are certain serial numbered rifles you are supposed to stay away from, is this one of them?
Thank you again in advance.

[MikeS]

With This early of a reciever you should ask the barrel date. There is a possibility that it could be a 6 groove barrel which makes it a more desirable rifle.

[John Beard]

Anton67,

The photos appear to depict an early arsenal-overhauled Smith-Corona rifle in splendid condition. I see nothing wrong with the rifle. I further note that the original sling adds reasonable value. At $600, the rifle appears to be an excellent buy if the stock is not cracked and the bore is serviceable.

With respect to M'03-A3's, one should stay away from rifles in the S/N 5,000,000 range and above.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

J.B.

[anton67]

OK, I got the barrel date.
Is the barrel original to the receiver?
Is it a 6 grove?

[MikeS]

With a barrel date of 3/43 it appears to be original to the rifle but most likely it is a 4 groove barrel. If it were a 2/43 it would have a better chance of being a 6 groove. I am by far no expert, but from what I can recall the 6 groove barrels that SC obtained from Savage Arms with a waiver from the Ordinance Department were used up within the 1st 5000 rifles made in the first batch of serial numbers. The only way to tell is to look down the barrel from the muzzle with it being illuminated from the receiver/chamber end and count the lands and grooves. That is the only way to tell for sure. I will defer to JB on this as he is the resident expert in this area. If I am wrong please feel free to correct my errors.