Info on Winchester Model of 1917

[RPL3]

I have a custom built gun that is based on a Winchester Model 17 action. I was friends with the person who built the gun, and received it after he passed away. I am curious about the action itself. It has "U.S. Model of 1917 Winchester" stamped on the receiver (I hope that is the right term). It then has the number 8372. I have found quite a lot of info on the Model 17s, but everything I have found has much larger serial numbers. Is this a very early serial number or not a serial number at all? It has an aftermarket barrel, so there are no other identifying marks or numbers on it.

Thanks for any help

 

[Jim Watson]

More description = more help.
Pictures = lots of help.

Winchester made over 400,000 1917s starting with no 1. So you have no 8372. Somebody has no 8371, etc. They made 10,000 rifles the first full month of production, so yours was made in August, 1917.

 

[Jim K]

An interesting thing about the Model 1917 - all of the makers started with number 1, so there are/were three rifles with serial number 1. IIRC, Winchester No. 1 is still around; I don't know what happened to the others.

Jim

 

[MMCSRET]

I have a Winchester 1917 Enfield with all the same markings as yours including a low 5 digit serial number. Mine dates to very early 1918. I suspect yours would date to 1917. If I remember, I found a SN to date cross reference at Surplusrifles.com

 

[cryptomon]

Winchester 1917

I also have a Winchester 1917. It is a very low serial number rifle 11XX. What is odd is that everthing I can find on this production suggests that it was started in 8-17. My rifle barrel is dated 6-17. I did find a reference to a "pre-production" set of rifles. I wonder if my rifle is a part of that?

 

[Jim K]

I am sure there were some "pre-production" rifles but they would not have carried normal serial numbers; your is a low number and the first ones were marked just "W" instead of the full name. But as noted, all the makers started with 1. Barrel production was almost fully automated even in 1917 and barrel production always ran ahead of rifle production. So it is likely that while the "bugs" were being worked out of the receiver conversion (from the P-14), the barrel shop just went ahead and did their thing.

Jim