has anyone seen any "good" 1903 .303 enfields floating around at $100 apiece?

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briandg

New member
Guy came onto a facebook group I follow, spent a page complaining about the prices that people set up, and complaining that people aren't selling their "used" guns at prices that collectors could afford. His benchmark was the enfield, and he said that he can go to all of the area stores and pick them up for $100.

Frankly, I've not seen any enfields around, recently, and for that matter, I haven't seen anything with a stock selling for $100 or less, not even the fold open single shots.

Am I missing something, or am I just living in the wrong area? I'm in the same area code as he is? He suggested to his critics that they should just call around and ask for one, and every shop we call would probably have one.

My personal belief is that he's off his meds, and that I should avoid doing any sort of business with him...
 
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briandg

New member
This isn't just a gripe about a facebook troll, I'm seriously asking, does anyone walk into a shop and walk out with ANYTHING for $100 or less, or even $200? What sort of gun shop would sell on such a low margin? Most of the places I know wouldn't even put something like that on the racks.
 
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Blindstitch

New member
What area code are you in. I might have to come and visit. Under the $200 mark you can probably pick up a variety of 22lr rifles but that's about it.

Besides that I bought a nice mislabeled Type 38 Arisaka for $175 before tax at Cabelas. For anything 303 you're probably looking at spending at least $300.
 
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fourbore

New member
Not for 100, No way. I did see a nice looking Enfield jungle carbine recently. It looked in very good condition. I though the price was ok, but I am very sorry the old sponge is not what it used to be. They had, ugly full length Enfields and some ok looking Swedish Mausers. Maybe 400 range?

Since my memory is so bad, I just looked on gun broker. I saw carbines marked "santa fe" same as I was looking at locally. Those were 300 to 500 on gb. I would guess my lgs was probably closer to hiend. And the regular pos rifle were lower. The carbine is a cool gun.

Not to hijack, but: what is up with all these clean looking Santa Fe Jungle Carbines?

edit:

I did a google. From what I gather these Santa Fe were built up from parts and are not original and the parts used varied from gun to gun. The one I saw looked a heck of a lot nicer than the presumably original full length clunker. I am not a collector and this shows you better know what you are doing if you buy for investment vs shooting.
 
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damienph

New member
I haven't seen $100 Lee Enfields since the late '80s. I do wish that I had bought more of all of the different surplus rifles available back then. Plus ammunition for all of them.
 
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tahunua001

New member
uh.... I haven't seen a mosin nagant sell for $100 lately, no less an enfield and darned sure not a springfield. one thing I notice about people that make those claims is that they'll gripe about gas being $2 a gallon and 223 ammo that costs more than 5 cents a round. their brains are stuck in 1995 and any sense of economic inflation is inhibited by thoughts of "that's not reasonable"
 
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briandg

New member
Keep in mind that he said "good". I'm having a hard time imagining a century old allied combat rifle selling for less than $100 unless it came as a box of loose parts.

No point in Arguing with such a pinhead.
 
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Gunplummer

New member
Stripped receivers are advertised at $150 plus. Last week I got a notice from this Facebook crap. I was never on it, but someone I know was trying to contact me. I don't get it. I just don't get the theory behind it. A bunch of people just get on there and rattle away about things nobody cares about. No conversation, just oratory. I don't need that crap. That is why I got divorced years ago. I think I can do without it.
 
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lockedcj7

New member
I bought an Enfield for $60 back in April but it was missing the safety and magazine. I don't expect to find another one for that price, ever.

A lot of people remember when milsurps were plentiful and cheap but they don't realize that things have changed and that was a long time ago. If anyone can actually locate good Enfields for $100, just let me know. I'll buy a crate or two.
 
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Scorch

New member
One of my customers bought a No1 Mk III in so-so condition, no magazine and bore thoroughly wasted, for $250 about a month ago. New mag is $50, used barrel is $150, so he really paid $450 for it. He asked me to parkerize it, refinish the wood, and rebarrel it, so it will end up costing him well over $1000 by the time its done. And he's happy!
 
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Gunplummer

New member
Have to agree there. It is the little stuff that bumps the price up. Magazines that were $15-$20 a year ago jumped to $40 plus. The only good thing I see is people refusing to buy at inflated prices. Lot of auctions on Gunbroker ends with no bids.
 
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eastbank

New member
i have sold quite a few enfields from my collection over the last year, most were FTR,ed and i,m here to tell you decent ones sold for 275.00+ and all matching very good ones sold for 325.00+, ones with cut wood, but metal original sold for 150.00+. i have kept the very,very, nice all matching ones. as i have a ton of .311-312 dia 174gr bullets that i use in 7.7x58 japanese, 762x54r russian-finn , .303 british and 7.65 argentine, rifles i,ll be shooting the .311-312 milsurps for quite awhile. eastbank.
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
The guy know the difference between a Long Lee-Enfield, an SMLE and a Springfield?
No No. 1 Mk III's in 1903 anyway. The No. 1 Mk I was introduced in 1902. No Mk III's until 1907.
Not a chance in Hades you'd find any Lee-Enfield in 'Good' condition for $100. Unless the guy has no idea what it is other than "an old Army rifle".
 
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briandg

New member
I really wanted to tell him that he was a fool, but I resisted my darker impulses. Was there even a time that you could get a "good" mosin nagant, at retail, at a gun shop, for $100? Maybe a junker, maybe if you were really lucky, maybe at a garage sale, but from a shop that was trying to make a profit on the items they sold, Right. Gimme a break. I'm not going to find a car for $1,000, either. The days of picking up a used car for $500 bucks at a dealer are OVER.
 
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T. O'Heir

New member
"...Was there even a time..." Yep, but not recently. At the time, that being about 35 or so years ago, the only option for ammo, up here anyway, was Norma. Stuff was expensive even then.
"...used car for $500 bucks..." Bought a '68 Beetle for $575Cdn 'certified'(as in a mechanic said it was safe to drive) around 1978. Private sale though. snicker.
 
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Gunplummer

New member
Yes, when Russian bolt guns were first imported. I remember seeing huge crates of them at $60 a piece. I remember crates of SKS rifles in the grease for under $100 a piece. I had special ordered a case of soft point ammo(Copper washed steel with a soft point stuck in it). It was Russian junk, but cheap soft point was nonexistant at the time. I took it to a show and traded it to a dealer for 6 Arisakas. I'm sure he made out well, so we were both happy.
 
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reddog81

New member
I was at a local auction last week and saw a couple Enfields sell for $350 to $400. Welcome to the 21st Century...

If I lived in a place where I could walk into a store and buy something for $100 and then turn around and sell it on the internet for $350 I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be starting a business. The dude hasn't been paying attention to firearm prices for at least a decade.
 
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