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So, last year my husband and I got two Beretta NEOS for each other as "Christmas gifts". Okay, okay...we got them in October and used the Christmas thing as an excuse. Anyway, this year we said we weren't getting each other anything and we would just squirrel away some money to use for our "gun fund" later.

Well, we got a deal that was too good to pass up on Thursday. We were at Guns and Knives (in McKinney, SE corner of 75 & 380) and my husband spotted a Remington 700 and a Springfield 1903 A3. He was interested in both, and I suggested that we could afford them both since my sister had told me she was giving us cash for Christmas. He asked the clerk what kind of deal they could make us for a cash purchase.

The Remington was tagged at $599 and the Springfield was tagged at $225. He came back with an offer of $550 out the door for both. Did you have to read that again? Because we sure had to ask him to repeat that offer just to make sure! I told my husband that we were headed to the bank and that he could "consider" the deal on the way there. We pulled out what we needed and went straight back to buy them.

Now, here's where the story takes a turn: after we got home and started looking up the 1903, we determined that what we bought was NOT the genuine Springfield version of the 1903 A3. Actually, Springfield only made the A1 and A2; Remington would have made the A3. Anyway, ours was produced by Santa Fe from surplus parts and was assembled after production of genuine A3s had ceased. Some Santa Fe receivers and barrels were cast by the company, but the serial number on ours is so close to the end serials of the genuine Remington A3s that we suspect ours is made from surplus parts.

My husband was kind of upset that we didn't buy what we thought we were buying...but found that the gun is still more valuable than the sticker price at the store. We're going to get the headspace checked before trying to fire it, though, since we read that the Santa Fe 1903 replicas can be "off" and cause blowback of brass into the shooter's face. He's no longer as upset since the action is smooth and, if the headspace checks out, the gun will be quite functional for our purposes.

Anyway, we got a great deal on both guns (even though the Springfield is a Santa Fe) and we ended up getting Christmas presents anyway. Our families just shook their heads and pondered aloud why we need "more guns!"

Congratulations.

The Santa Fe "03-A3 Springfield" sell for $250-$400 genuine 03-A3s go for $700 up. Does your rifle have "Santa Fe" on the receiver ring or, the name of a WWII contractor? If Santa Fe, have the rifle checked thoroughly before shooting it. Headspace, steel hardness and, you might want to have it magnafluxed for cracks and x=rayed for voids. Back in the day, Santa Fe "springfields" were considered junk.

MoJo wrote:The Santa Fe "03-A3 Springfield" sell for $250-$400 genuine 03-A3s go for $700 up. Does your rifle have "Santa Fe" on the receiver ring or, the name of a WWII contractor? If Santa Fe, have the rifle checked thoroughly before shooting it. Headspace, steel hardness and, you might want to have it magnafluxed for cracks and x=rayed for voids. Back in the day, Santa Fe "springfields" were considered junk.

It says Santa Fe on the receiver. We were comparing it to genuine WWII 1903s and while it looks similar, it's definitely not a Remington or Springfield. We're aware of the problems they often have, so are taking the time and expense to ensure it's not going to cause injury should we want to use it.

Since we essentially got it for free, we figure it doesn't matter that it's not a genuine 1903 because if it checks out to be unusable, we may be able to sell it to someone who just wants a "collector" piece. Nah, we'll probably just mount it on the wall for show.

Be careful, I'd hate to read about you or your hubby being injured or worse from a defective gun.

Pls keep us posted on the 03 I would like to know what you all find out.

Nah, we'll probably just mount it on the wall for show.

It can be the red herring so the thieves think they scored and won't look any farther!

Okay, so two and half weeks later the store called back.
Good news: they tested the Santa Fe.
Bad news: it's VERY unsafe to fire. Failed every test they tried, says the clerk.

Got our money back for it, no hard feelings...but you've gotta know that the owner was glad that WE were the ones who bought the gun and not someone who didn't look it up. Someone else may have gone, shot it, had brass blow back in their face, and come back with a lawsuit. Hello, I now own your store.

Anyway, the owner was very apologetic and expressed his thankfulness that we were on the ball about researching it lest something bad happen. We will be back to the store, but we will also follow our own personal rule that we broke this time: ALWAYS TAKE 24 HOURS TO THINK ABOUT IT. It gives us time to do research on the guns and decide if we really want to buy. In this case, it may not have helped since we probably wouldn't have known it wasn't a genuine A3 until we got it home due to the nature of the markings and other identifying features. Still, it's a good lesson - do your research and make sure your used weapon is safe to fire!

That is a great lesson learned. Thankfully not at your own risk or expense.