Bad Flashback

[Kent Fowler]

I was reading the little Dillon catalog for December and came across the article about the 03-A3's. Got a paragraph down the page and had the most horrible flashback. I was back standing in the Austin Oshmans Sporting Goods in 1972 with one of my best friends. The store had a big armory rack full of good looking Smith Corona 03-A3's that had just came in. I didn't want to put out the $54.50 it took to buy one, as I had spied a new fangled Lyman .357 carbide sizing die they just came out with that was mis-marked for $5.00. I opted for the die and left the Smith Corona standing in the rack. Came back later and all were gone. I blame this one on Lyman..............

[phonejack]

I remember when they were priced like that.

[Rufus Krile]

In 1970, a lgs in El Paso had 'em for $55/ea... or $300 for a case of six still in the crate. As a private E-2 I made $92/mo and had a lot of other interesting uses for that money...

[Nueces]

Here's another Austin Oshman's flashback story, from about the same time period. It had been announced that Smith was to discontinue the Model 16 K-32. A buddy flew down to Oshman's and bought the only two they had at retail. Then waved them under my nose for 20 years.

[Kraschenbirn]

The mention of a Texas Oshman's triggered a flashback for me. September, 1977, was in Houston for a job interview, did a walk-thru of Oshman's at the Galleria: New Navy Arms Siamese Mauser .45-70s for $139. Promised myself to go back and get one after my follow-up interview with Personnel later that day. Job didn't pan out and I didn't go back to Oshman's.

Bill

[HABCAN]

1947. Andy Little's Scope Sales Ltd., Ottawa, Ontario. Lee Enfield No. 1 Mk. III's, CDN$5.00, No. 10 Ross's and No. 4 Mk. I's, CDN. $9.00, P14's, CDN$10.00. Yeah!

[opos]

Anyone besides me old enough to recall the American Rifleman magazine special offer (think it was about 1962) for O3A3's for $19.95 if you subscribed for a year (may have been to join the NRA for a year...not for sure...whatever it was I ended up with several (opted for the ad special and had my Wife and a couple of relatives also take part for me...those were the years of making "deer rifles" out of Milsurp rifles....lots of beautiful rifles got cut up and carried into the mountains (in Colorado) to hunt with....I hunted with a 1917 Enfield that was "sporterized", an 03A3 and a 97 Winchester (think I paid $25 for the old '97)...fed a very young family well on game from the mountains and plains of Colorado.

[AllanD]

Anyone besides me old enough to recall the American Rifleman magazine special offer (think it was about 1962) for O3A3's for $19.95 if you subscribed for a year (may have been to join the NRA for a year...not for sure...whatever it was I ended up with several (opted for the ad special and had my Wife and a couple of relatives also take part for me...those were the years of making "deer rifles" out of Milsurp rifles....lots of beautiful rifles got cut up and carried into the mountains (in Colorado) to hunt with....I hunted with a 1917 Enfield that was "sporterized", an 03A3 and a 97 Winchester (think I paid $25 for the old '97)...fed a very young family well on game from the mountains and plains of Colorado.

Subscribing to American Rifleman and joining the NRA have pretty much been the same thing for Decades

[Kraschenbirn]

Anyone besides me old enough to recall the American Rifleman magazine special offer (think it was about 1962) for O3A3's for $19.95 if you subscribed for a year (may have been to join the NRA for a year...not for sure...whatever it was I ended up with several (opted for the ad special and had my Wife and a couple of relatives also take part for me...those were the years of making "deer rifles" out of Milsurp rifles....lots of beautiful rifles got cut up and carried into the mountains (in Colorado) to hunt with....I hunted with a 1917 Enfield that was "sporterized", an 03A3 and a 97 Winchester (think I paid $25 for the old '97)...fed a very young family well on game from the mountains and plains of Colorado.

Don't recall that particular ad but around that same time I was shooting on a Boy Scout/Explorer team and we (the team) were able to buy Springfields for something around $15 from the old DCM through (IIRC) the NRA. I know, for certain, that we also obtained surplus M2 Ball (out-of-date for active service issue and tagged "for training purposes only") through DCM, as well. Shot a lot of that through the rearsenaled (replacement barrel and parkerized finish) 1903 Mk1 that was my 'team gun.'

Bill

[bensonwe]

I was about 7 or 8 and dad took me to Woolworth as he needed something from the sporting goods counter. I remember turning around and looking at a bunch of rifles in a wooden rain barrel for $25.00. I asked dad what they were and he said they were "just like the one he used in the army". They were m1 .30/06. Even that young I knew that was a good price.

[Finster101]

In 1970, a lgs in El Paso had 'em for $55/ea... or $300 for a case of six still in the crate. As a private E-2 I made $92/mo and had a lot of other interesting uses for that money...

I missed out. In 1970 I was 10 years old.

[bob208]

a few years back I picked up a nra 03a3 still in the box never put together. it is still in the box just the way it was shipped from Letterkenny in 62.

[AllanD]

Back about 1988 I was in the Navy Arms showroom and was offered a CASE of M1 Carbines, including Rockolas and IBM and One Winchester for $800 for the case of ten rifles and I still kick myself for not taking them.

[woodbutcher]

Back in the early 70`s,I was in the local FW Woolworth store.Bought 8 1893 and 1 1898 Mausers and 1 K31 Swiss for $12.00 each.The 98 Mauser was a 1918 build and mint, as was the K31.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[mold maker]

I don't imagine today's youth will ever see guns at reasonable prices sold OTC. And today's ventage surplus military rifles will never come to pass again.

[mrrch]

Hindsight is 20/20 and will it piss you off lol!

[David2011]

I was in a Gibson's in the late '70s and saw a long rack of M1 Carbines at $99.00 each, probably 20 feet of them standing like little soldiers. Couldn't imagine why anyone would want one of those underpowered pieces of garbage. Wish now I had bought an armload of them.

[jimlj]

I was reading the little Dillon catalog for December and came across the article about the 03-A3's. Got a paragraph down the page and had the most horrible flashback. I was back standing in the Austin Oshmans Sporting Goods in 1972 with one of my best friends. The store had a big armory rack full of good looking Smith Corona 03-A3's that had just came in. I didn't want to put out the $54.50 it took to buy one, as I had spied a new fangled Lyman .357 carbide sizing die they just came out with that was mis-marked for $5.00. I opted for the die and left the Smith Corona standing in the rack. Came back later and all were gone. I blame this one on Lyman..............

That $54.50 rifle would cost you about $320 in todays dollars. You paid about $30 of todays dollars for that sizing die. The rifle would have been a better investment. If I could spend todays money for the "cheap" guns I passed up in the 70's I'd do it in a heart beat. It's easier to come up with $300 today than it was $50 in the 70's. I suppose todays 20 year olds will be whining in 40 years they could have bought a whole truck load of AR-15's for $600 each.

[myg30]

That $54.50 rifle would cost you about $320 in todays dollars. You paid about $30 of todays dollars for that sizing die. The rifle would have been a better investment. If I could spend todays money for the "cheap" guns I passed up in the 70's I'd do it in a heart beat. It's easier to come up with $300 today than it was $50 in the 70's. I suppose todays 20 year olds will be whining in 40 years they could have bought a whole truck load of AR-15's for $600 each.

I wish I’d be around in 40 years but guessing not likely. They will be shooting cool laser hand helds like something from Star Trek, and wondering why we spent so much time playing with this stuff that was bad for your health. Needed care and maintenance. Ha, manual labor be almost gone by then ! Who knows.
A barrel of Russian SKS’s at $54-$60 was something I passed up on when looking for a hunting rifle. Like everyone else 20/20 hind sight, wish I bought all I could carry.

Mike