1917 enfield and 303 British values?

[Tripplebeards]

I put a few rifles up for sale for $400 each and want to make sure I’m not giving them away.

Am I way off my rocker for prices or am I too cheap? Just listed them a few minutes ago. Figured I’d sell them and put the money towards a Ruger super Blackhawk 41 mag hunter, a 44 Bisley hunter, a 454, or a rifle I will use.

http://i.imgur.com/AiJLWAm.jpg

http://www.armslist.com/posts/9586427/la-crosse-wisconsin-antiques-for-sale--1917--enfield-and-two-303-british-for-sale


Hoping someone will chime in to give me advise. Forgot I have an Argentine Mauser in the same condition with a Williams peep sight as well.

[Winger Ed.]

Hard to say without shopping around and seeing what similar ones have recently sold for.

[TNsailorman]

Non original sportized military rifles sell different prices in different parts of the country. Around my neck of the woods you would be a good $100.00 high but I have seen 1917 models sell for that and a bit more in the Midwest and west. With todays 300 and 400 dollar new rifles by Ruger, Mossberg and others, its going to be a harder sell in the future. I do think you selling point is a good place to start though.

[obssd1958]

Local prices for those are running @ $250-$300.
All original, non-sporterized, are getting @ $100 more.

[Tripplebeards]

If they were original I would definitely want to hold on to them for the coolness value. Just would like something different.

[Wis Tom]

I just went and checked them out, probably a good starting point. I wondered where you were, as I'm farther south. Good luck with your selling. I have 2 303's already, but always looking.

[Bloodman14]

Around here, you might get $200/$250 for the Brits, maybe another $100 for the '17.

[john.k]

I see the top LE in the first pic has a complete volley sight.........this assy is worth up to $200 on its own,the front dial,pointer,plate and screw might fetch $200 as an assy on a good day.None of this stuff can be found any more..............the action also looks like it might be a MkI SMLE,no charger bridge..............if it has the sliding clip guide in the bolthead,the bolt is also worth money,maybe $100...........I suggest you give it a run on the Gunboards LE forum.

[Tripplebeards]

Thanks, I lowered them to $375 each today. Hopefully someone wants them all and I’ll do a bundled discount.

[Mr Peabody]

With the price of some new rifles in the same range as yours they wouldn't sell around here. I saw a matching # P14 at the last show for $400. I thought it was worth $500 but nobody was looking at it.

[Tripplebeards]

I dropped them to $350 ea and still no responses. I’ll keep dropping till I get bites.

Just dropped them to $300 ea. We will see what happens.

[john.k]

I see a SMLE Mk1**,as the top one was before cutting,sold a day ago on GB for $3000+..........

[Tripplebeards]

No bites yet, dropped to $275 each.

[lefty o]

i think your getting close to the price ballpark now. id guess 200-225.

[ascast]

Ditto - john.k that brit was a nice one, the volley fire sight is not seen much. Now, it needs sights and new full stock, like a million others. No offense, but you have deer rifles, and they all need a tad of tweaking, assuming the barrels are in good shape. Most folks would rather buy a new for same money or less: not realizing that these would last 10 lifetimes as deer rifles. Good luck.

[Hardcast416taylor]

A recent on line auction had a very badly `BUBBA`ED` 1917 that had lots of freckle rust, a butchered fore stock, a cut down barrel not square at muzzle with a Springfield sight. An after market scope mount where the rear sight used to be and a `jack knife` made cheek piece of pine. Final price was $185! Why it went that high for an Eddystone I can`t imagine.Robert

[Tripplebeards]

Just dropped to $250 each...somebody want a package deal?

[Wis Tom]

Wow, have to check the gun budget, might be up for a road trip north. Will think about this one.

[BigEyeBob]

I put a few rifles up for sale for $400 each and want to make sure I’m not giving them away.

Am I way off my rocker for prices or am I too cheap? Just listed them a few minutes ago. Figured I’d sell them and put the money towards a Ruger super Blackhawk 41 mag hunter, a 44 Bisley hunter, a 454, or a rifle I will use.

http://i.imgur.com/AiJLWAm.jpg

http://www.armslist.com/posts/9586427/la-crosse-wisconsin-antiques-for-sale--1917--enfield-and-two-303-british-for-sale


Hoping someone will chime in to give me advise. Forgot I have an Argentine Mauser in the same condition with a Williams peep sight as well.

The volley sight on the top one would get 200-300 here in Oz .Hard to find complete . Magazines go for 60-100 also. Im talking AU dollars of course .Collectors and restorers delight that top one .

[nekshot]

if you did not sell them by now I would hang on to them. They are inching upward in price as are others from the battlefield era.

[2152hq]

The top one is the MkI action (sliding charger guide, which is still in tact). Those were only made 1904 to 1907 when the MkIII with it's rivited into place one piece charger guide came to be.
The MkI (and MkI*, & ***) all had the volley sights. The MkI*** was an upgrade to the MkIII & Mk7 ammo so it lost it's unique MkI style lower handguard and complicated rear sight too. The upper handguard is a bit different as is the nose cap on the MkI rifles with it's curved in ears.
The magazine that's in the rifle now looks like it's from a #4 rifle from the looks of the side crimps. An orig MkI magazine or one from a MkI* would be a $150 item in itself. They are different from the later MkIII magazines.

There's some good restoration parts there for those putting the early MkI SMLE's back in orig shape. There's also a rough basis to a restoration itself with the rifle. You just have to put it in front of the right group that know what they are looking at.

I'd suggest logging in to the GunBoards Forum
https://forums.gunboards.com/

Then scrolling all the way down to the 'Lee Enfield Forum'
section (it's quite a way down).

Show them what you've got or ask some questions about it with some more pics. Ask age history value, ect.
You'll get lots of interest including some wanting to purchase no doubt.

JMO.

[Adam Helmer]

Triplebeards,

Your rifles represent an era circa the 1950s and up to 1968 when military surplus rifles were available everywhere and many folks hacksawed a full military rifle into woodshed sporters. I began collecting in 1958 and "sporterized" only one rifle back then, a No.4 Mk1 by sawing off the lower forward handguard. After a short time, I paid $3.50 for a replacement handguard, which matched, and restored my old .303.

Full military, as issued, rifles command top dollar these days. "Sporterized" rifles go for about parts guns prices at local gun shows.

Adam

[Tripplebeards]

Their still up for grabs. I’d like to sell all together as a group if anyone decides to make an offer.

My plan is to use the money for a new Ruger Bisley Blackhawk hunter 44 mag or the exact same in 41 mag, or maybe a nib, CZ 527 in 17 Remington if anyone want to work a trade.

[Tripplebeards]

I’d go $650 for all three plus actual shipping cost.

[Tripplebeards]

Think I'm going to keep the enfield. Its not drilled and tapped. Im pretty sure my buddy has the sights and trigger. The barrel hasn't been altered. All I need is a factory stock and its completely back to original.