Preservation forum, please no altered military surplus rifles or discussions on altering in this forum. Please read the rules at the top of each forum.
Gauge .30-06 springfield.
Chamber Semi Auto.
Barrel 24" S-A-3-52 date code.
Weight 11 LBS 2 OZ.
Trigger Single.
Stock Correct walnut with MRT 1-52 Cheek piece.
Stock Dimensions 13" LOP.
Fore End Single piece front and single piece top hand guard.
Butt Checkered steel with trapdoor.
Metal Condition Very good.
Wood Condition Very good.
Bore Condition Bright and shiny.
Manufacture Date SA-52 on the top back of the receiver.
Sights Standard military and M 82 scope.
The SA-52 date stamp on the receiver and 3-52 on barrel are correct. The flash suppresser is a correct Hider flash M2 from Hart. The scope is a correct Telescope M82 with a single post. Rifle does have few Beretta components and Fed Ord import marks on reciever. All in all a great and hard to find Springfield M1C sniper rifle. If you are a collector of military firearms this is your chance to get a great rifle.
I actually saw one of these on GB today and i think it was cheaper then that but my memory for guns i am not buying is bad. Is this the one on GB?
The commerce which maybe carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowledge of these people important ~Thomas Jefferson~ (to- Lewis and Clark)
I got to hold it Sunday, but about dropped it when I flipped the tag over. I've checked on GB and though I can't find the exact model, similar pieces are a bit lower priced than this one. I'm not sure if there's something about it that makes it more valuable or not.
The statement about having Baretta components made me nervous.
IMHO there are way too many fakes and way to much money to be made doing so, for me to invest my money in one. That said, if you have a reputable person that is selling it, then I say go for it. For me, there is a local guy that I would not think twice about buying stuff from. I may pay a bit more, but I know it's the real thing. That is where I got my O3A3 from. Good luck.
Good advice Jumper. I trust the guys I deal with at Cabelas, but since these guns come in from all over the States, ultimately I am trusting some unknown buyer in some other store.
The commerce which maybe carried on with the people inhabiting the line you will pursue renders a knowledge of these people important ~Thomas Jefferson~ (to- Lewis and Clark)
Cliff, the scope mount should be serial numbered to the rifle. Underneath the scope in white paint should be the rifles serial # as well. However the SA-52 on the reciever is attributed to USMC rifles, both snipers and to regular M1's. I think it is a "re-snipered" M1C, see if you can get a pic of the top of the mount with the scope removed. And a pic of the scope from the bottom. The scope may be a later production scope, not original to that rifle. The scope is also missing the eye cup and sunshade. If you can get these questions answered and she is all original, $4,000 would not be out of line. If its a put together with original parts, something around $2,800 to $3,200 would be more appropriate. If its a repro mount and scope, @ $1,500 would be fair.
Semper Fi, Rob
My Mosin-Nagant arsenal.........is growing again
1938 Tula
1943 Izhevsk M91/30 PU Sniper
BTW, many of these saw service with the Danes, the Italians, and the Israelis, where it was not uncommon to use Beretta or Breda parts for repair work.
Semper Fi, Rob
My Mosin-Nagant arsenal.........is growing again
1938 Tula
1943 Izhevsk M91/30 PU Sniper
Brad, thanks for the comparison. Interesting site!
Rob, thanks for the thorough input. I am going back on Wednesday and I'll look as suggested. I'll take the camera too in case I see something in question. They brought in 16 Garands from an estate collection recently are putting them on the rack as they get them prepped. I hate jumping into something I know nothing about. Though there were many things about this one that got my attention, there were a couple of things that didn't seem right. I'll pass at any price if there is a single thing not original on it. For $5K, it better come with the soldier it was originally issued to.
Very interesting. I hope it works out for you, either getting it or passing. Cabelas sure gets a lot of nice stuff, but the guys I have called and spoken with just seemed like run of the mill salesmen and not very helpful/knowledgable. Good luck!
You see in this world there are two kinds of people my friend, those with loaded guns... and those who dig. You dig.
There Is no way I am going to recommend that you spend five large an a rifle on any recommendation from me unless I have that rifle in hand and can go over it point by point. If I said it looks great, you buy it, and it turns out to be a fake piece of shit you are going to come looking for me with a jar of honey and a bag of angry bees. Listen to Rob, ask a lot of questions, then ask some more, think on it, and then if it's something you are looking at on the internet and not face to face forget about it.
"To be honest, I am hoping you all say it's a reproduction, a fake, or that it's way over priced"
If you get this feeling when looking the rifle over then listen to it, and walk away, especially if it's a sight unseen purchase from someone you will never see again. $500 you take a risk on, $4000-$5000 you deal only with the most reputable of people. If Dennis at Empire certified that this was the 100% real deal I would go for it because I know Dennis backs up everything he sells and would have had an expert crawl all over that rifle before it was ever listed. Some schmuck on GB I never met, or some small gunshop owner and they better have Bruce Canfield, or Scott Duff standing right next to them to certify authenticity.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Dennis can be wrong, but he has a reputation for standing behind what he sells and will take back something if a buyer isn't satisfied. For the average GB seller you know nothing at all about them except what feedback tells you and that could be 10 of his best friends shilling for him, and most will vanish into the night after a few sales. I had some dealings with Dennis, good stuff, no complaints, my other favorite was Matt Askins from the now gone Tombstone Arms. I did a lot of business with Matt, sometimes buying four rifles at a time, if he said something was this or that then you could take it to the bank that it was, or he would take it back.
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
Cliff, as JYD mentions about spending that cash, even if you get the pics I need to see, I would ask that you actually do email them to Scott Duff. His opinion would be authoritive, where mine is based on what I have learned from him, Bruce Canfield, and Peter Senich. Along with a couple others. Scott Duff has a website and has for me been quicker to respond to questions then Canfield. If that fails I know an old Marine sniper who used to run another forum who may be able to help as well.
Semper Fi, Rob
My Mosin-Nagant arsenal.........is growing again
1938 Tula
1943 Izhevsk M91/30 PU Sniper
Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.
Don't hit at all if it is honorably possible to avoid hitting; but never hit soft.
Theodore Roosevelt
MN Fan wrote:I hate to ask for you input with only basic upfront info, but is this worth pursuing in the $4K to $5K range?
Its 10 times more than I swore I'd ever pay for a rifle, but its speaking loudly. I am more comfortable at $1 to $2K, but I am a noob too
Any suggestions?
To be honest, I am hoping you all say it's a reproduction, a fake, or that it's way over priced.
Hi all,
I am knew this forum, but i have been collecting Garands for years. I have the M1 D and the M1 C. As far as paying the $$$ that you are talking about on an M1 C, yes, they are worth it......if you buy them from the ,CMP. The CMP give you the proper documentaion and proof of purchase. Please keep in mind something, you are seeing and witnessing something that is very rare and extremely finite. That is the actuallsale of the M1 C's from the CMP. There were only 8-9k M1 C's ever in existance. If you told me last year that the CMP would be selling these.......and that I would own one......I would ask what drugs you are on. These rifles are not going to be available forever from the CMP. By you buying one, it will be an investment. You will not go wrong. They will not depreciate. Is it worth the $3k to get the best? Yes. I have a correct M1 C with all the other accessories with it. But even if you didnt get the scope, the mount, the cheeckpad and the flash hider, if you stuck the think in your safe and 10 yrs from now you wanna sell, at a minimum, you would make a small profit. Get one from the CMP, YOU WON'T GO WRONG!!
Hi Mike and welcome to the forum. Thank you for your input. I couldn't agree with you more and I feel that your speculations are value estimates are right on target. This particular rifle is at a local sporting goods store. It is used and they are asking $5K. Though I could think of so many ways to justify buying the rifle, this particular deal just isn't going to happen. That's a lot of cash to tie up in one rifle when there are so many others I already want.
I did go look at it again and got to hold it for a bit. For now, that's going to have to suffice.
Congrats on your purchase! I look forward to your photos
Thank you for your response. I am new to collecting the MN and I own three. I have a 1942 Finnish Sako and a 1930 Tula, never taken out of the box still in cosmoline. They have been sitting for 2 yrs. I got bit with the 91/30 sniper bug and bought one from SOG. I am in the midst of trying to free float it and shim it to improve its groupings. That is how I stumbled upon this forum.
As far as the M1C goes, you can get them at the CMP for a lot les than 5k. The rifle it self with the base is what you would be getting. Getting all the other accoutrements is another story. That is where you will have to fork out the $$$. An M82 scope these days goes for well over $1k. The Griffen and Howe mount.....well over $1k. Not to mention any where of about $ 6-700.00 for the cheekpad and the flash hider. I was fortunate to have had some of the stuff. I also found a Lyman Alaskan "B series" scope. These are techincally correct for the M1C. I drove to the CMP North store (Camp Perry) and picked out a numbers matching serial numbered base and receiver. The rifle looks like it sat in a vat of grease for 50 yrs. It is basically NOS. I have the Griffen and Howe scope mount. Mine is not numbers matching, but is a real Griffen and Howe mount. If you did have a numbers matching base, mount and receiver, expect to pay between $10-$12k. I was able to find a K-line cheekpad and the GI issue flash suppresor.
A s far as buying anything from Cabelas, like a collectable rifle such as this, I wouldn't. You are paying way to much. As I stated, go the CMP route. Even if you buy a rack grade M1C for $1500, it is documented and will only increase in value. Guns do not lose their value. I will post pics of mine.
