Enfield P-17 Sporter....Comments?

[Zeke Menuar]

Just bought a Enfield pattern M1917 sporter in 30-06. It has the original 24" two groove barrel, nice shiny bore. It has a old-school (late 50's early 60's?) Weaver K4 on a one piece Redfield mount. Trigger is the original two-stage military. Trigger is just right.

The stock is a little bulky up front, the rear fits perfectly. Lines my eye up to the scope perfectly. Stock is an ugly red brown color. No dents or dings. Prime candidate for a strip and refinish.

Gun is built like a tank. Very good machining. Good smooth action. Better than my milsurp Mausers. The bluing is a bit worn. The bluing on the scope is a little worn as well. Looks like another winter restoration project.

Anyone have one of these? What do you think of them? Looks like a well built piece. Put down half yesterday. Pick it up on Friday.

Thanks
ZM

 

[only1asterisk]

The 1917 is a fine brute of a rifle, but a bit of a waste in 30-06. The action is large enough for the big boys. Think .505 Gibbs and bigger.


David

 

[Bwana John]

Are the "ears" ground off?

 

[longrifleman]

Talk about timing. I've been working on the load I've been using in the P17 that my boy uses most of the time. When I bought it it was in the original stock that had been cut down.

I installed a Timney trigger and bedded it in a Boyds stock. The first load I started with shot about 4" @ 100yd and since I didn't expect much more than that I didn't fool with it for a while. The group on the picture isn't too bad, but I think I can tweak it a little more. With a good barrel this is what you should expect.

It is a heavy rifle, but that has some advantages. The only problem I expect is that when my boy gets married next fall and moves out I think the rifle will probably go with him. Maybe he will let me visit it come deer season.

 

[Third_Rail]

My 1917 is fun to use as well, but I sure didn't know it would be a good base for larger calibers. Smooooooth action.

 

[Zeke Menuar]

Are the "ears" ground off?

Yes. No open sights of any kind. Just the old timey scope. Whoever did the work did a good job.

longrifleman

I have a two groove barrel. I was told to use long heavy bullets, 180gr and up for this kind of barrel. I am guessing maybe a slightly slower powder too. For now I have to use 165gr boat-tails and IMR 4064 or IMR 4350. Those are the components I have in hand at the moment.
If I get the chance I will get some 180gr BT's and try them.

ZM

 

[Art Eatman]

My first-ever centerfire was a 1917. I put a Bishop stock on it and a Weaver K 2.5 that my father gave me. My uncle cut the barrel back a bit to clean it up.

Shot great. One MOA critter.

I've always liked 4064 in the '06. While I use 3031 with the 110-grain varmint loads, 4064 works fine with 150-, 165- and 180-grain bullets. I've been able to get just inside one MOA at 500 yards with the 165s, out of my old Weatherby.

I recently loaded up a box of 180-grain Sierra SPBTs with H414, but haven't yet tried them from the bench...

Art

 

[RWMC]

Three months ago, I sold a really nice 1917. It was made by Remington in 1918 and was still in original military condition; stock, sights, sling swivels and so on. It still had the original barrel, with the barrel markings right behind the front sight. The markings were RA (Remington Arsenal) 4 - 18, (April, 1918) and the flaming arsenal bomb. Mine had at least 4 groove rifling in it. Check and see what year the barrel has on it. Many 1917 were rebarreled before and during WW2. The 1917 was always considered a secondary weapon and were not produced after WW1. The reason being had nothing to do with the weapons quality or the quantity of them available to the troops at that time. They were an excellent battle rifle, and over 3/4 of our troops in WW1 were armed with them instead of the 1903 Springfield. The 1917 was dropped from production after the war (WW1) because all of the 1917s were being produced at privately owned factories (Remington, Winchester and Eddystone, a Remington plant in Eddystone, PA.) The Springfield 1903 was produced at GOVERNMENT arsenals; Springfied and Rock Island. The govt, did not want to take the chance of labor disputes to disrupt production. Sadly, in my opinion, the better BATTLE RIFLE was put out to pasture. Didn't mean to carry on so long, but check your barrel date and let us know whats there.

 

[homeka45]

Didn't Sgt. Alvin York use a 1917 in part of his exploits? I'd like to add one to my collection one day, first I've got to stop buying M39s. Good score Zeke.

 

[critter]

The '17 was a true battle rifle. When you ran out of ammo, it was a heck of a handle for a bayonet and made a superb club! Good shooter too!

Didn't Remington keep making a sporter version of the rifle on into the '50's maybe? It looked like a '17 with the ears ground off with a kind of sporterized stock on it.

 

[cracked butt]

One of the nicest sporterizations I've ever seen was a 1917. I had a young man come to muy shooting bench last fall during our deer rifle clinic who had one. It shot really good for him, I could tell it was probably a 1917 because of the dogleg shaped bolt. I asked him "is that a 1917?" He replied "ya, enfield, I love this rifle"

 

[Art Eatman]

critter: The Rem Model 30A, made from 1921 to 1940. No ears, flat floorplate.

Art

 

[Clemson]

That rifle had to be rebarreled with an 03A3 barrel if it has two-groove rifling. I suspect that you will find that the barrel is not overly sensitive to bullet weight. !50's should be fine in it. That is what they were made to shoot.

Clemson

 

[molonlabe]

I have one in 30-06 and I use it as my hunting rifle. I think it is an original barrel as it has a lot of pitts in it probably from improper care and corrosive ammo. The only work I did on this sporter is a form of piller beding since the action screw could not be properly tightened. And the scope replaced that had horz and Vert reversed. I think that is why I got it for 100 bucks. After the work I shot it a 25 yards to sight it in and thought it was still all over the place then I realized it was punching through the same hole. For it’s age the lands are cut deep and look in good condition and it is a tack driver for a 100 year old rifle. I can only say they built them like bricks back then.

 

[Malamute]

A point of order, P-14 was the British designation for the .303 version, but P-17 was not used for the 1917.

Original barrel length was 26"

Great guns, only down side was the weight. I recently found an original stock to restore a gun that was mildly sporterized. The stock has most of the markings and cartuches, (no circled "P") but has never had an action in it. Should make a fun shooter when it's done.

 

[molonlabe]

When I took the scope off it said it was a 1917 Winchester. I think they are called 1917's

 

[longrifleman]

but P-17 was not used for the 1917.

Well, by Uncle Sugar. Everybody in the rest of the world doesn't seem to call them anything else.

Mine is a 1917 Winchester with two groove barrel also. If I remember the history I read at the CMP site most were rebarreled if they are parkerized. Trusting memory so I could be wrong.

Anybody have a pet load? I've been pleased with the performance of the Sierra 165 gr. for whitetails so have no real need to change, but could be persuaded. I have no really good reason for H4831 except that was what I had when I started with the rifle and didn't take the time to fiddle with it. 1.6 MOA for an almost 100 yr old hunting rifle isn't too bad.

 

[Lonestar.45]

Dad's got a 1917, he's had it since the early '70s. It was sporterized back in the '60s. The military stock has been cut down some, and it wears a Weaver K4 scope. I shot my first deer with it in '85. You're right, it is built like a tank. The inside of the barrel of Dad's looks like a sewer pipe, and it always has. I think this is due to someone shooting the old corrosive military ammo out of it in the early days and not cleaning it well. But it matters little, the gun shoots 2" or less at 100 yds all day long. It's a 30-06. We keep thinking about getting it rebarrelled into something else, but never do. It is HEAVY, like a rock, so I don't like to carry it often, but for sitting in a deer blind and taking shots at 200yds or less, there's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

[brickboy240]

The M1917 is the Volvo of the military surplus bolt rifle world.

(huh?...stick with me)

Well made, reliable, simple, safe, indestructable and built for long life. Some think they're not much in the looks dept., but if you value function over looks, they're beautiful. A much better rifle than the 03 Springfield, in my book.

-Brickboy240

 

[Zeke Menuar]

On spite of having a level 2 Ick, I managed to get to the gunstore and pick up the Enfield P17.

It has been sporterized. Even looks like the metal has been polished at some point. No markings other than the SN and two letter "E"'s. I assume that is a stamp from the Eddystone arsenal. Assuming it was made in Eddystone, the born on date is 1918 (http://m1903.com/sn/usmildates.htm ). It has a two groove barrel.

Is has a old school Weaver K4 on a one piece Redfield mount. The stock has some beautiful tiger striping under an ugly red brown stain/paint? Needs refinishing.
Barrel needs free floating. Shoot it first to make sure. The metal needs some oil, steel wool and some touch-up. Bottom metal needs bluing. Bubba did some work at the very end of the barrel. Will have to cut and crown the last 3/4" to make things look nice.

Very well built, make that overbuilt gun. They don't make'em like this anymore. Looks real good in the rack next to Grandads M99. At this rate my gun rack is going to look right at home in a 1960's hunting camp.

I have Hornady 165BT's and IMR-4064 on hand. The shopowner sold me a set of dies cut-rate. Got some 06 brass around here someplace. Saturday I'll load up on cough drops and cold medicine and head up to the hills and wring it out.

ZM

 

[Art Eatman]

I started out with Rem 9-1/2 primers, 150-grain bullets (Hornady, Rem Bronze Points, and now Sierra) and 52.5 grains of 4064. I've used Winchester LargeRifle/Magnum primers, and their newer LR primers.

Group sizes haven't varied in over 50 years, whether the old 1917 (one MOA) or my 1970-vintage Weatherby (just under one MOA). Probably, folks oughta start out at 50 grains and work up, of course.

With 4895 you can duplicate the old GI load. Given how many deer my father killed with that powder and the 150-grain Hornady flat-based bullet, Bambi can't tell the difference.

, Art

 

[dogngun]

This is one of the best bolt rifles made. They are heavy, but that absorbs some recoil and they are great shooters. They are exrtremely smooth actions. Remington made this action design into a series of commercial bolt rifles through the 1920s/1930's, and it became the model 700.

The USMC used the 1917 as target/match rifles well into the 1930's,out to 1000 yards.
There are still some accessories (triggers, etc) available for these rifles, and it's already Bubba'd, so make it like you want it.

There are still a lot of these "sporters" out there at a good price, and they are a real find, especially when scoped.

Enjoy it.


Mark

PS There is an as-issued 1917 Remington in excellent condition at a local shop - Just under $700.

 

[Third_Rail]

Smooth actions, proved again. 5 shots, 4 seconds, 100 yard hits all within 4" circle.


Now that's a rifle!

 

[charlesb_la]

The CMP has a great article on the M1917 at this LINK(PDF)

 

[Third_Rail]

Where can you get a bayonet for one?