What Should I Do With This Enfield?

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coop923

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-Or What Would You Do With This Enfield?

I got this rifle from one of my grandpa's buddies years ago before he passed. I'm guessing it was sporterized in the 50s and is chambered in .30-06. It shoots good and wears a Lyman Alaskan 2.5x scope on Buhler mounts. It's heavier than my 98 Mauser .30-06/Redfield Widefield 3x9 setup, so I haven't even shot it in at least 8 years. Would you/should I:

1) upgrade the scope and maybe get a composite stock to cut the weight?
2) sell it and buy something I'd shoot more?
3) let it maintain that space in the back corner of the safe for another 8 years and make a decision then?

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I inherited my grandfather's, and I had to make a similar choice. He had put a different stock on it, but other than that, it was largely intact. I had to decide, should I keep it intact out of respect, or make it the rifle I would love to use for everything? I decided my grandfather would rather see it used than preserved, if he were still here, he would be carrying it through the Rockies every October. So I found a no-drill, no-tap mount that sits in the rear sight base. Yours is already fitted with a mount, so I would scope it as desired and enjoy it.

I will also probably look at a Bell and Carlson composite stock and a Timney trigger.
 
Nice rifle. They are a little heavy to pack around compared to todays rifles. Many were fine shooters and had strong actions, smooth bolt travel and good accuracy.

I hate to sell any guns that I own and I would keep it, shoot it and maybe hunt with it.

Lots of hunters ride to their stands and ride back. Very little walking around with a rifle so weight wouldn't be an issue to them.
 
I think I'd put a brighter scope on it and hunt with it as is. Those are pretty darn good rifles. If you wanted to mess around with it and makes some changes you could easily put a better trigger in or swap the stock. You could also make a 300 mag out of it cheap and easy.
 
That's a rifle made for using. The Alaskan scope by itself is kind of a valuable collectible now. If it was mine, I might sell the scope and get a brighter, newer scope, and a better sling, and maybe clean up the old finish on the stock, then shoot the heck out of it.
 
I would not change a thing. If that is a converted M1917 or the Remington commercial (the modle escapes me) is is a piece from years past. I would shoot it like it is (but then I have a lot of rifles that are over 60 years old).
 
'17 Enfield...

Coop 923--Fine-looking rifle you've got there--And you will never see a rifle with a stronger action. Back in the day the Enfield was preferred for converting to a big magnum for that reason. (I'd leave it a .30-'06, though--nothing short of Africa or a huge bear, needs any more gun than that.) First thing I'd do is to replace the military trigger with a Timney. Looks like the magazine has already been cut down from the original 10-rounder. As suggested above I'd consider selling the 'scope to a collector and getting a more modern unit. If you wanted to do still more you might consider replacing the stock, but what you have is already a nice piece of walnut.

Handloading will bring out her inherent accuracy, and you have a nice rifle you can be proud of. I'd leave it at that.

Now, you asked for opinions. It's YOUR rifle. YOU have to make the final decision, and live with the result.

Please keep us posted, as to what you do with the old girl!
 
Personally, I'd leave it like it is, just clean it up and rub some tung oil on the stock. Maybe replace the scope if I didn't get along with it. But I'm not a hunter either, so I wouldn't be toting it anywhere except from the truck to the bench to shoot targets with.
 
As has been noted, the scope is valuable. It could be particularly valuable to owners of M1D rifles who may be looking for a 7/8" scope that is less expensive than the M84 repro.
 
It has a place in history as these were "affordable" conversions after the War. But, I think I'd do some upgrades, as in step on the caliber pedal. It will go all the way to 375 H&H with the right smithing.

As it is, it's maybe a $300~$400 rifle and a bit heavy for daily packing. Upgraded to something between 338 and 375, the weight makes a whole lot of sense. In one of the bigger calibers it will fill a niche in your battery that's probably vacant? And, it will fetch a bit more on the price - like maybe $800~$1000, if in 375 H&H :)

Point being that you can keep the action and furniture and even the scope - all period correct - AND have a cool "old school" heavy hitter :evil:
 
Upgraded to something between 338 and 375, the weight makes a whole lot of sense

I'll offer a hearty second to this excellent post. Justify the little extra weight and magnum-ize that baby!
 
if i wanted to hunt with it i would put a newer 2-7 or 3-9 leaupold or burris scope on it and use it like that.if i wanted it for nostalgia i would leave it alone that is one beautiful rifle that cant be replaced very easily!
 
The British version Pattern 14 (#3mk1) are much easier to convert to .300 or .338, because the bolt head is already larger for the .303 British round than the M1917 in 30.06. The bolt does not have to be altered. I have a friend with a .300 Rem Mag he had built from a Pattern 14.

Remington did make a commercial version of the M1917, but there is not enough detail in the pics to tell if this is a factory rifle or a conversion. Conversion required the removal of the heavy rear sight ears and charger bridge. Origional mag on the Pattern 14 and M1917 were 5 rounds, with the action being a Mauser controlled feed non-rotating extractor. It is sweet!

BTW, I choose #3.
 
i would refinish the rifle but keep the classic sporter look.
rasp the comb down flat, reshape the cheekpeice to an oval, replace the plastic forend with ebony, a new silvers style pad followed by checkering the stock and rust bluing the metal.
then hunt it till its time for it to be passed down again
 
The British version Pattern 14 (#3mk1) are much easier to convert to .300 or .338, because the bolt head is already larger for the .303 British round than the M1917 in 30.06. The bolt does not have to be altered. I have a friend with a .300 Rem Mag he had built from a Pattern 14.

Remington did make a commercial version of the M1917, but there is not enough detail in the pics to tell if this is a factory rifle or a conversion. Conversion required the removal of the heavy rear sight ears and charger bridge. Origional mag on the Pattern 14 and M1917 were 5 rounds, with the action being a Mauser controlled feed non-rotating extractor. It is sweet!

BTW, I choose #3.
How do you tell if it's a factory rifle or if it's converted. The barrel or receiver have no stamping or names anywhere, so I assumed it was a sporterized military model.
 
Coop, I have that exact same rifle with a 4x redfield scope. I bought it for $200 from a friends grandpa. you really should take it out and shoot it. Mine will shoot beter than 1MOA out to 200 yards (no longer distance at the gun range). The downside is the barrel heats up quick. The first 3 shots might be touching eachother, but 5 and 6 spread out an inch. It may not be the right gun for you, but it could be a great deer rifle for somebody.
 
That is a 1917 Enfield rifle converted from the military. Also known as the Pattern 17 (P17) The original magazine capacity was 6 rds of 30-06 or 5 rds of Brit 303.
The rifles have an extremely strong action, controlled feed, ala Mauser and are well respected for their accuracy and rugged dependability. They tend to be a bit heavy, but the weight helps ease the recoil.
Remington made the rifles in their Eddystone arsenal & they are known as Eddystone Enfields, Winchester also made the rifles but in smaller quantitys.
After the war, (1st) Remington used the P17 tooling to produce a civilian sporting rifle, their model 30, with changes to suit sporting use.
Many of the surplus rifles were sporterized to various levels. From removal of the sight protection ears and cutting down the GI stock to full custom rifles in assorted magnum chamberings. Your rifle is in that group. Looks as if it has a nice stock, the receiver cut down properly, straigtened magazine floor plate but little other metal work.
Brownells offers two trigger updates, one from Timney, one from Dayton Traister. The Dayton Traister trigger offers a cock on opening option which, like it sounds, cocks on opening instead of closing the action. The Dayton Traister trigger is fully adjustable for pull weight, overtravel & sear engagement. The Timney, I believe, does also.
I spent almost a year reworking a P17 into a nice accurate sporter that looks great and shoots even better. With a little cleanup work, your rifle will be the same.

Roger
 
-Or What Would You Do With This Enfield?

I got this rifle from one of my grandpa's buddies years ago before he passed. I'm guessing it was sporterized in the 50s and is chambered in .30-06. It shoots good and wears a Lyman Alaskan 2.5x scope on Buhler mounts. It's heavier than my 98 Mauser .30-06/Redfield Widefield 3x9 setup, so I haven't even shot it in at least 8 years. Would you/should I:

1) upgrade the scope and maybe get a composite stock to cut the weight?
2) sell it and buy something I'd shoot more?
3) let it maintain that space in the back corner of the safe for another 8 years and make a decision then?

IMG_2612.jpg

IMG_2614.jpg

IMG_2616.jpg
Technically it is not a Enfield, it`s a "United States Rifle, cal .30, Model of 1917", she`s a horse if you are not going to use it & don`t want to keep it, SELL IT.........
 
That is a well done sporterizing of a 1917 Enfield, there was never a Pattern 17 Enfield. Leave it as is. It has probably taken more game than you can count. I have a custom Mauser with a similar scope, a steel tube Weaver 3x, that I have been hunting with for 45 years. If the rifle is too heavy for you, join a gym, or sell it to someone that will appreciate a classic rifle. Have you shot the rifle? You may be surprised how accurate it may be. You don't need a minute of angle rifle to hunt big game with, no matter what people on the internet say. My rifle only does 3 inches at 100 yards and I have brought home plenty of deer with it....chris3
 
That is a well done sporterizing of a 1917 Enfield, there was never a Pattern 17 Enfield. Leave it as is. It has probably taken more game than you can count. I have a custom Mauser with a similar scope, a steel tube Weaver 3x, that I have been hunting with for 45 years. If the rifle is too heavy for you, join a gym, or sell it to someone that will appreciate a classic rifle. Have you shot the rifle? You may be surprised how accurate it may be. You don't need a minute of angle rifle to hunt big game with, no matter what people on the internet say. My rifle only does 3 inches at 100 yards and I have brought home plenty of deer with it....chris3
Yeah, I've shot it and thought it shot well. It's actually nice to shoot with the weight and soft pad. The main reason I haven't hunted with it is that I have a sporterized 98 Mauser (also .30-06) with a big bright scope that shoots really well; I grab that without thinking much about it. If I want to go nostalgic, I hunt with my grandpa's Model 8 Remington (at least the same weight as the Enfield with open sights).

I think it's a nice looking gun and although I don't know too much about the customizing of these Pattern 17s, it looks to me like it was well done. I've never shot the military version of this gun, but the trigger on this one is the two-stage variety, but nice. Once you take up the slack, it can't break at more than 3lbs.

I worked up some good shooting loads for my 98, but just never put the time into doing that for this one. I don't know the rate of twist in this barrel, but I would guess it would like longer bullets better. When I shot it last, I probably shot 180gr factory loads.

My grandpa's buddy told me he shot a lot of deer with it. I never asked him how he came to own it, or when he got it. The things you never think to ask...
 
Also known as the Pattern 17 (P17)
I could be wrong but there is no P17 or Pattern 17 rifle. "P" is a British designation not American. The American designation would have been M1917. I know it is splitting hairs...

Still very nice rifle. Put a new scope on it and use the heck out of it. Or send it to me. I promise I'll play with it everyday ;)
 
I would upgrade the scope, check to see if the barrel is floated and if not I would float it, then glass bed the recoil lug area. Then shoot it. If it isn't very accurate, I would have it rebarrelled to an interesting caliber like 6.5x284. Assuming you have a regular huntin rifle already, and redo the glass bedding. Or just shoot it as is and see what happens...it's a nice lookin gun!
 
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