Value guide
What is my military surplus rifles worth?
Almost every estate that holds guns at all holds at least one military rifle, usually described as something a relative brought back. They’re the category where value varies most wildly and where the difference is decided by details that mean nothing to someone outside the subject.
No page can price your gun, and any page that offers to is guessing. What this one does is show you the things that decide the number, so you can look at what you have and know whether you’re holding something ordinary or something worth a proper look.
Matching numbers, and whether it has been sporterized
Military rifles were assembled with serial numbers applied to several parts — receiver, bolt, barrel, stock, sometimes the magazine floorplate. Rifles that still carry the same number on all of them are called 'all matching' and are worth substantially more than rifles assembled from mixed parts, which is what most surplus became after decades of arsenal rebuilds. The second question is whether someone has cut the stock down, drilled the receiver for a scope or otherwise turned it into a hunting rifle. That was normal and sensible in 1955, and it removes most of the collector value today.
The models that turn up, and what they mean
| Model | Made | What it means for value |
|---|---|---|
| M1 Garand | 1936–1957 | American service rifle. Maker, serial range and whether parts are correct for the period all matter. |
| M1903 / 1903A3 Springfield | 1903–1940s | Early low-serial-number receivers are a known subject and need identifying carefully. |
| Mauser K98k and variants | 1935–1945 | German wartime production, with maker codes and dates stamped on the receiver that determine a lot. |
| Mosin-Nagant | 1891–1960s | Made in enormous numbers and mostly modest money — with specific factories, dates and configurations as exceptions. |
| Lee-Enfield | 1895–1950s | British service rifles across many marks. Matching and unaltered examples are increasingly uncommon. |
| M1 Carbine | 1942–1945 | Several wartime manufacturers, and correct-for-period parts matter a lot to collectors. |
What to check before anybody makes you an offer
- Whether the serial numbers on the receiver, bolt, barrel and stock match one another.
- Whether the stock is full-length military or has been cut down, and whether the receiver has been drilled and tapped.
- Any maker marks, arsenal stamps, cartouches or acceptance marks on the receiver and stock.
- Import marks, usually stamped on the barrel, which affect value on some rifles.
And the two rules that apply to every gun on this page:don’t clean it, and keep the box and papers. Removing original finish is permanent, and on the right gun the packaging is a real fraction of the total.
"Grandad brought it back from the war, so it's valuable"
It’s true of an enormous number of rifles and it adds nothing on its own. A story isn’t provenance. What does add value is documentation — capture papers, unit paperwork, a photograph of the person with the rifle — and what determines the number in the absence of that’s condition, matching parts and whether the rifle is still configured as it was issued.
It has been sporterized. Is it worth anything at all?
Yes, usually as a hunting rifle instead of as a collectible, and that’s a real number rather than nothing. The important thing isn’t to spend money trying to return it to military configuration — reproduction parts rarely recover the value, and it’s generally worth more sold honestly as what it now is.
Model by model
- What is my M1 Garand worth? (1936–1957)
- What is my M1 Carbine worth? (1942–1945)
- What is my Mauser K98k worth? (1935–1945)
- What is my Mosin-Nagant worth? (1891–1960s)
- What is my M1903 Springfield worth? (1903–1940s)
- What is my Luger P08 worth? (1900–1945)
Getting an actual number
Condition, originality and configuration decide it, and none of the three can be judged from a description. Send photos and we’ll make you an offer, wherever you are in the country. It comes itemized, showing what we’ll pay for each firearm, so you can see how the number is built instead of being handed one figure for the pile.
Related: what determines value on any gun ·how to sell a collection ·you inherited firearms
Worth reading alongside this
Police trade-in guns — department markings and what they do to the value. Engraved guns — factory grade or added later, and why the difference is most of the money. What determines value on any firearm.
Other makers
Winchester, Remington, Colt, Smith & Wesson, Marlin, Browning, Ruger, Glock, Beretta, Intratec, Savage, Mossberg, Ithaca, Walther and SIG Sauer.