Advice needed on Siamese 303

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basicbill

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Interior BC
A local dealer has a Siamese 303 in stock for $399.
The original wood is beautiful...numbers match except non original magazine and non original bayo.

I see some frosting on the barrel lands.

I did a quick barrel check with a 303 round as per www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsNCqqWgZZA

At the crown there was about 1/4 of the bullet showing and at the other end the round fell into the breech completely.

Is that a good indication of high barrel wear?
Is $399 a reasonable price?

I'm looking to buy a shooting 303 not a showcase one.

Your experience and advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Couple things to keep in mind.......

Siamese SMLEs were perhaps 2/10 of 1% of production.

They were used for 40 years in the worst climate in the world (for a gun), with a war thrown in just for fun.

Survival rate in anything better than "relic" condition was not high.

I just paid $80 for a regular SMLE bayonet (NOT Siamese) so that makes it a $319 rifle.

Bore condition you describe ought to give a shooter; there are a hundred things which can be done to make these sit up and perform. Get the rifle and come back here and we'll work through them together.

Hope this helps.
 
just about any full wood no1 is going for $350+ and the bayos for at least $80. if you like that way it looks get it. but if your worried about it then pass. there is tons of shooters out there. $399 isent a good deal its a regular price. + tax is another $52.
i think u can make the call yourself better because you know the condition.
 
Good info JTF. Thanks for the advice everyone.
My biggest concern is the drop in cartridge to check the chamber. If the youtube vid is to be believed, then the cartridge should give a bit of resistance as the bullet contacts the rifling. On this rifle...it drops right in. However checking the barrel....it shows that there is still some life.

I'll have a closer look and get a better idea.

I'll double check the numbers and if they really match, I'm going to go for it. If I do....I'll post some pics!
 
If you are using a completed cartridge to 'drop in' it won't tell you anything I don't think because it should be short enough to not quite contact the lands. I really wouldn't worry about that. The fact it's a Siamese as Smellie said means buy it or you'll regret it later. That is a very good deal. One was on the EE not that long ago for about $800 if I remember correctly, no bayo either.

And in my opinion they all deserve to be shot, just perhaps more carefully if they are collector pieces.
 
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basicbill said:
A local dealer has a Siamese 303 in stock for $399.
The original wood is beautiful...numbers match except non original magazine and non original bayo.

I see some frosting on the barrel lands.

I did a quick barrel check with a 303 round as per www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsNCqqWgZZA

At the crown there was about 1/4 of the bullet showing and at the other end the round fell into the breech completely.

Is that a good indication of high barrel wear?
Is $399 a reasonable price?

I'm looking to buy a shooting 303 not a showcase one.

Your experience and advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

condition is everything-they are rare-but were deployed in appalling conditions...
 
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