Bay Area
Nice run o the mill war mfg period (Sept 43 for that serial #) but pristine looking A3. Furniture looks to be blue not park'd. Buttplate blue? Triggerguard? Park'g has that wonderful "original" green patina to it. Hmmmm.
Value to pay for it? Hmmmm.
Did you get a good look down the bore? With a good light? 2 or 4 groove? Hmmmmm
Isn't there an "asking" price or are you bidding or buying from a friend or family member or do you have to come up with an initial offer? (Not really germaine or any of my business, actually just nosy and stalling, see hagglin below)
With box and DCM(?) papers, if furniture is all blue, proper R stamps and was never refurbed post war (if so it has a tad bit more value for some collectors than a refurb will hold)... Hmmmm
Sling is used and set up right, so someone knew something about it once upon a time. If newly issued would typically be a web M1 variety. Hmmmm
Todays crazy market, if it were mine to sell, I'd take the sling off and put it in the box and I'd be "asking" $1500ish and let someone who knew more than me about such things talk me down to maybe $1200ish, "if" it had never been refurbed. If it did go thru the refurb process, I'd be asking $1000ish and let them with more smarts than moi, talk me down to maybe $800ish. But they'd have to be doing some sweet talking to get the price down.
So, conversely, if I were buying and got to haggle
, (hagglin' is expected, almost required in some circles and I dropped off a lot of clues for you to use should you get to be so lucky as to get into a good hagglin' purchase... rare indeed today) I'd come with some Benjamins to show, a few for backup stashed somewhere else, but start throwing numbers out around $760-800 (pre frenzy kinda number) and see where the hagglin' (AKA negotiations) went from there. Assume refurbed, shot out/replaced barrel, an old war horse relic of a rifle looking good sure but unloved and needing a new home, a good days worth of getting that "junk" off it... let "them" sell you on it's good points (it has several) even if it's not a MkI or an A4 you have your heart set on... etc.
IF... big "if" here... If it is fresh from factory, never issued or shot in wartime, (hey they exist) never refurbed, never shot post war, all original... will you shoot it or keep it as is? You don't need to answer that, but it is something to ponder. (Chances of it being truly pristine are slim and none and slim's walking out the door as I type)
brinker, if you're shooting a 600,XXX SA 1903, you're a braver man than I am.
ETA, by the way Bay Area, welcome to TFL. Hope you stick around and chat for a spell.