Model 1917 the American Enfield

[SLewis]

Here's an Eddystone 1917 American Enfield, made in November of 1918, that belonged to my grandfather.

[19_A_CPT]

I have a sporterized 1917 with a build date of 1918. It has been rebarreled and the walnut stock has been carved with a ram on a rock coming out of the right side of the butt stock, a bull elk carved in just below the action and a cougar extruding out on both sides of the forearm. The sights had been ground off prior to me getting it. Very smooth gun with a Timney trigger and spring. I set the scope off of a bench and the gun is a tack driver. Has layed waste to many a deer in Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.

[Jdbl14]

A coworker of mine knew I was interested in picking up an all around bolt action .308 and just told me he has a friend looking to sell a sporterized 1917. I don't know much about 30-06 vs .308 or the 1917 rifle. My coworkers friend wants to sell him the rifle with a scope for $200. He said he'd buy it and sell it to me at no extra cost if I want it, or else he is going to try and sell it for a more at the local gun show.

For 200 with scope it seems like a good deal to me. I have wanted a decent bolt action for a while now and was looking at getting a low cost 308, mainly for "fun" target shooting out to 600 yards(farthest range to shoot locally). From what I have read the 1917 is a pretty decent rifle(besides a crapy ejector, that can easily be fixed).

What should I look for to make sure this one is good to go? Will I regret getting a 30-06? Is it an obsolete round, as some have told me?

[Deputy Dan]

30-06 isn't obsolete by any stretch.

The rifles action cocks on closing the bolt, you may or may not care about that.

If the rifle has the original barrel and it is toast you might want to pass... M1917s had their barrels installed with pneumatic tools and it can be a real bastard to get the barrel off. If the barrel has to come off a relief cut has to made in the barrel near the receiver face... if a relief cut isn't made you can crack the receiver ring and now you have a paperweight.

As to the rest, tough to say without additional information about the rifle.

[Vic303]

What should I look for to make sure this one is good to go? Will I regret getting a 30-06? Is it an obsolete round, as some have told me?

I'd look to see condition of the bore and action. then I'd see how bad or good a chop job was done in the sporterizing. It can bring tears to your eyes if the old rifle was butchered by some hack with a dremel...but if it looks decent and is in good condition, it sounds like a steal at $200, even sporterized.

[HackerF15E]

If the rifle has the original barrel and it is toast you might want to pass... M1917s had their barrels installed with pneumatic tools and it can be a real bastard to get the barrel off. If the barrel has to come off a relief cut has to made in the barrel near the receiver face... if a relief cut isn't made you can crack the receiver ring and now you have a paperweight.

Just for clarity here, this does not apply to ALL M1917s.

Eddystone installed their barrels with hydraulic machinery which supposedly created a tight enough fit which has resulted in some receiver cracks when rebarreling.

It is not a widespread phenomenon, and it is only with Eddystones.

[Deputy Dan]

Actually, the documents in the national archives relating to the manufacture of the M1917 states that pneudraulic tools were used... Pneumatic vices (designed at Eddystone) held the barrel in place while the receiver was screwed in place..."enabled 5 men to do the work formerly required of 10 men" The machines had an air clutch.

Not arguing the point, just following the evidence.

There is an Ordnance Supply Letter of 14 May 1947 to Chief of Ordnance discussing cracked receivers... referencing shooter complaints through the DCM that their M1917 receivers were cracked "especially" Eddystone receivers... but the phenomena was not confined to Eddystone.

The determination of the issue was that the barrels were installed incorrectly, most likely because the barrel register mark was placed incorrectly.

[kaltesherz]

Here's a Pakistani DIY made M1917 we captured in Afghanistan back in 2008. It's kinda hard to see from the crappy pic but they copied the markings but got a few things off, and added "Made In Germany" on the other side of the receiver. I wish I would've taken more pictures but I was on overwatch as our SDM and they called me over as the "gun guy" 'cause they had no idea what it was...