US Model 1917 Question

[Zeke Menuar]

After two weeks of suffering through one of the worst cases of the Ick in recent memory, I finally got around to looking over my M1917 sporter a little more closely. It looks to be an 1918 Eddystone reciever. According to an article on the CMP website, the two groove barrel was installed by Johnson Automatics during WWII. The gun has many parts from both Eddystone and Winchester. Make no mistake, this is a big overbuilt gun for 30-06. I suppose at some point I could convert it to a 458 Eargisplittenloudenboomer.
They don't make'm like this anymore, at least at prices that the everyday Joe can afford.
The scope is a classic old-school Weaver K4 on a one piece Redfield mount. The stock looks to be made of walnut? There is a bad finish job on it. On the inside are many signs of hand fitting and hand tool use. Maybe on off-the-shelf 90% finished stock? Beautiful grain and swirly stuff under the bad dye job. Whatever the stock is made of, it is a heavy hard wood. Real heavy. My milsurp Mauser stocks are lighter. The sandpaper and Tung Oil are waiting.

On a whim I purchased the cock-on-opening kit from Numrichs. Installation was a breeze. Instead of a heavy bolt effort and a 6 lb trigger. I now have a very short 2lb trigger and a much lighter bolt effort. A little polishing here and there should smooth things out even more. However the take-up I once had with the old set-up is now manifested as overtravel. Lots of overtravel.

What is the best way to install an overtravel adjustment to a stock M1917 trigger?

Thanks
ZM

 

[Jim K]

There are a couple of ways to limit overtravel on the M1917 trigger. Since you seem interested in trigger performance in general, the easiest approach might be to just install a Timney trigger (Brownells has them).

Jim

 

[Zeke Menuar]

I found the answer in my copy of Dunlaps gunsmithing book. He has a few pages about the M1917. Since the rear part of the trigger bar?(don't know the proper terminology) pivots down towards the stock, I glued a small piece of aluminum, about .050, to the stock just behind where the trigger goes through the stock. There is enough clearance between the reciever and the stock that a small piece of scrap metal, about the size of a dime, fits there and prevents overtravel. When I get around to finishing the stock proper I'll inlet and epoxy it in.

ZM