What are our surplus guns worth?

[Joe Boleo]

I thought I had a pretty good idea of what surplus arms are worth after collecting them for a few decades. Now I am not so sure. Those of us that started acquiring surplus arms many years ago remember the good old days when the supply of military guns was very high and prices were dirt cheap. Those days are long gone.

I was in a gun shop last evening getting my hunting licenses and saw a 1903-A3 Springfield that just came in. The exterior metal was beautiful and the G.I. stock had lovely cartouches. When I removed the bolt my heart sank because the bore was ruined from what was probably the use of corrosive ammo and improper cleaning. The hand tag price was $600.00 and it sold while I was buying my hunting licenses.

Guess I am glad I got what I have when I got them and need to revise the value of my surplus stuff. Take care...
Joe