Old BSA .303

You're a lucky man, John Sukey. I very nearly had to learn how to use a jackhammer to get the rust off mine!

Gee, I'll bet your bore is a bit under .320", too!

BTW, what would YOU call a fair price today for a decent Siamese Smellie with a mismatched bolt? I'm at a complete loss with something like this today.
 
Rifles sell in the range of a regular SMLE, valuable Item is the bayonet with its steel bodied siamese modified scabbard.
 
If the rifles are selling for the same price as the 17 million that were NOT of the Siamese contract, then they are very much underpriced.

Time to grab one... if you can find one.

BTW, Iraqi LEs are also very darned rare. BSA, 22,000 rifles, half in 1936, half in 1938, built with cutoffs. There is a picture of one (not very good) on the 1971 1-riyal silver piece.
 
Last edited:
buffdog said:
NEVER BET WITH SMELLIE; YOU WILL LOSE. George majored in History, wrote his Thesis on Small Arms from 1812 to Battle of Second Ypres, and was a newspaper editor.

Add to that, a mind like a computer, a good library, an interesting array of firearms, and, he makes fairly good coffee.


,
Click to expand...

and he likes the Ross.
 
"If the rifles are selling for the same price as the 17 million that were NOT of the Siamese contract, then they are very much underpriced. "

Its a question of interest for potential buyers, since most bolts are mismatched and they are usually quite pitted under the wood the average shooter passes them over. Last one I had in stock, remained for sale for over six month at around $600.00 with the proper Smiling Tiger bayonet. On the other hand, a Canadian marked SMLE will fly off the site in a couple of days. Ok back to pricing, a decent Siamese will sell for between $300.00 to $400.00 to the right buyer.
 
Rare, but not in Ontario Canada. Got 5 mismatched,sporter wood etc. and in poor to fair cond.
Matching,and in good cond, with bayo. Now that is rare.
 
Rare, but not in Ontario....

Yes, very right. Most of them, it seems, got dumped here. WE have pretty much the world supply. Same thing with the CHILEAN-marked 1911 Steyr pistols. The rest of the world calls them the 1912 and hardly anyone has seen one. WE got most of them.... but the Romanian and Bulgarian models are hard to find here. Bulgarian, for example: I haven't seen one yet and the things were built, as were the Bulgarian Lugers.

What about the CANADIAN Test Luger(s)? How many? Where?

So much depends on which surplus dealer dumped which load of junk where. A lot of the really yummy stuff was never released here because it all went to the States.

I ran into a hundred Werndls in one shop in Denmark, 30 years ago, still can't find one here.... but they were sold here.... just not very many. Hunter's Lodge sold a pile of them in the States, though. I would have brought a couple from Silkeborg, but they were all welded up! I STILL wanta cry over that!

But it all depends on who unloaded what and where.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom