S-C Help Needed

[Dick Hosmer]

From another board - I intend to respond, though am in need of some quick schooling - I'm guessing that, "personal" issues/opinions aside, there are a LOT of problems with this? Comments please.


"I also have a smith and corona 03a3 30.06. it is in mint condition. and I mean mint. has probably only been shot 8 times.my grand father was a colonel in wwII. he always told us to keep it close because it was a very special rifle. this smith has no Remington parts in it. none. and is a 6 groove barrel. I have the 18in bayonet and sling with it. had it appraised at $2500. I would never sell. recoil is nothing for that 12 pound beast. that is truly American rifle making at its finest."


Thanks for your help.

[jonnyo55]

Seems like a case of somebody that knows just enough to be dangerous. He knows that Remington parts are somehow not correct on a Smith Corona (and it's Smith AND Wesson, not Corona...), yet clearly has no realistic notion of it's worth. Of course, that appraisal MAY include the solid gold parts that contribute to the 12 lb. weight...

Hardly American rifle making at it's finest, either. He should take a look at a mint pre-WW1 M1903 to get a feeling for what THAT looks like!

I'll bet that his grandfather's initials were BA (or RIA, SAA,RA, etc.) and that's why they're stamped there in the stock.

[Dick Hosmer]

I was going to say almost exactly that, but didn't want to be too sarcastic!!!!

What I really wanted to know about was the little technical things like the 6-groove barrel and 18" bayonet - really?

I'd nominate a Krag (often described as 'sculpture in steel') over even an early '03, but you and I are definitely of like mind.

Guy has to be fairly young, and given the parkerized/teflon/plastic/sloppy fit crap of today, I guess anything with walnut impresses the hell out of him.

[Kurt]

The six groove barrel could well be correct for a Smith. The 18" bayonet is probably an interpretation of a 1918 stamp on it.

Jonnyo55, too darn funny!!!

Kurt

[m1903rifle]

The M1905 bayonets had a 16" blade.

[Johnny P]

Seems like a case of somebody that knows just enough to be dangerous. He knows that Remington parts are somehow not correct on a Smith Corona (and it's Smith AND Wesson, not Corona...), yet clearly has no realistic notion of it's worth. Of course, that appraisal MAY include the solid gold parts that contribute to the 12 lb. weight...

Hardly American rifle making at it's finest, either. He should take a look at a mint pre-WW1 M1903 to get a feeling for what THAT looks like!

I'll bet that his grandfather's initials were BA (or RIA, SAA,RA, etc.) and that's why they're stamped there in the stock.

It really is SMITH-CORONA.

[Rick the Librarian]

I had a gentleman contact me about a low numbered M1903 he had - he had it listed on one of the forums (or maybe Gunbroker) for something like $5000. He said he had been offered $3000 at a fairly prominent gunstore for it. We emailed back and forth and I figured out he was just a nice guy that didn't know much about M1903s. He sent me some pictures and it turned out to be a fairly nice WWI rebuild, maybe worth $800-1000. I told him to go back to the gun store, take the $3000 and RUN!! He decided to keep it, as he said it had some family "history".

As usual, ask the guy for pictures and pass them along.

[Allen Humphrey]

His father may well have been a Colonel in WWII. He may well have owned a SC that he loved and kept near. But if he is implying that he kept a SC near his side during the war, still has/had it, and it is in "mint" condition, he must have been a very careful fellow indeed.

The rifle might weigh 12lbs with the 16" bayonet attached. While recoil is not abusive or unmanageable, it is hardly "nothing".

[PhillipM]

His father may well have been a Colonel in WWII. He may well have owned a SC that he loved and kept near. But if he is implying that he kept a SC near his side during the war, still has/had it, and it is in "mint" condition, he must have been a very careful fellow indeed.

The rifle might weigh 12lbs with the 16" bayonet attached. While recoil is not abusive or unmanageable, it is hardly "nothing".

Who said the Colonel ever saw combat? He may have never left the US during the war.