1917 Enfield or Remington 700ADL

To some people this may be a no brainier, but I have been offered a 1917 Enfield in .303 British and and 1873 Trapdoor, MFG 1891 chambered in .45-70.

I have a .22-250 Remington 700ADL made in the mid 70's I recently purchased.

I really want to get the Enfield and Springfield but I am not sure how to convince my wife besides selling the Remington I just bought.

The Enfield has been varnished at some point in it's life, but the Trapdoor is original.

I'm am not counting on another stimulus check, and I have an uncle that has been hounding me to sell him the Remington since I bought it.

Should I dump the Remington and put a down payment on the Enfield and Trapdoor or am I better off holding onto the Remington and maybe buying one or the other?

troy fairweather said:

Should be a p14 Enfield
Do you like the Remington, if not there's not much reason to own it.
And depends what they want for the 303 and 45/70.

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They are asking $1200 total. $300 for the Enfield, $900 for the Springfield.

I love the trigger on the Remington, but I don't shoot it much. I take it coyote hunting and that's about it.

Creed Bennett said:

Hmmm, keep the Remington and buy the other two. Is there a limit on the number of guns you can own at a time? I’m confused.

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There isn't a limit, just an unhappy wife if I go home and tell her I am buying 2 more guns.

troy fairweather said:

Well go get that Enfield if it's not sporterized it's a deal.

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It is not sporterized. It has a varnished stock though

troy fairweather said:

That can be stripped

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If I were to strip it, what would I use for the correct finish?

troy fairweather said:

Believe they were oil finished. Furniture stripper should get vanish off

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I have quite a few oils in my woodshop. Would a boiled linseed oil or Tung oil be appropriate?

troy fairweather said:

I've always used boiled linseed oil, real tung oil with out the dryer work but can take months.

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Thanks for the advice! Sorry for all the questions

Creed Bennett said:

Jbird45, thank the Lord I don’t have that problem. Mine asks what I bought and I show it to her. She either likes it and asks to see it or wrinkles up her nose and says it’s ugly.

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And I may be able to keep all 3, but if it came down to keep 2 lose 1 I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were. I am assuming the Remington is the least desireble of the group, but maybe there was something I was missing. I also didn't know being the Enfield was refinished at one point if that was a deal breaker.

doubleh said:

Personally I would keep the Remington but then I've never had a fascination for old military rifles. Heavy, clunky, and ugly guns have never appealed to me and most military arms are just that. You know what is said about opinions and that is mine.

I agree with Creed Bennett that the Remington of old isn't the same as today's. Again it's personal opinion but they surpass any of today's offerings in the 700.

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The trigger pull on the Remington I have is amazing. It is also very accurate.

I don't use it much though. The thing is a screamer and I use it sparingly hoping to preserve the barrel as long as I can.

I can't say I have a huge passion for military rifles, but I really do like the Trapdoor. I think it's really cool. And someone else pointed out that the Enfield is a good deal. And I do like the look of the Enfield.

I will have to covertly acquire all 3 I guess

Speedo66 said:

What's your main interest in firearms? Are you an antique collector, military collector? If you answered yes to either of those questions, grab them both while you can.

If you just have an all around interest, maybe one would suffice. But sometimes opportunities present themselves and you will later regret not acting on them. While your .22=250 sounds like a nice gun, it is certainly replaceable.

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I am not a military collector, but I do really like firearms from the 1800's. I have one shotgun from the 1800's and a few modern guns that are designs from that period. That's why the Springfield really appeals to me.

The Enfield is cool too. I like picking up old guns and thinking about what it could have been through. The Enfield is 1917 so it could have been used in battle or sat in a warehouse. Who knows.

The .22-250 doesn't have a ton of sentimental value, but it is a very accurate gun and has a beautiful trigger. I really only use it for coyote hunting which realistically I could use my .223 for.

Seeing I bought the .22-250 this year, if my wife made me do a pick 2 sell one situation what my best choice would be