M1917 enfield sporter

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Dreamcast270mhz

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I got a 1917 Enfield, sporterized with a Clearfield scope for $100. The year 1917 is visible below the scope base, which I have not removed, but that tells me this is the .30-06 version and not .303. Best buy I have made in a while.

The stock is cut down and the peep sight is gone, in favor of a scope. There is a replacement front and rear sight on it. Will report on how it shoots soon.

You can count on an auctioneer's ignorance, there was a p14 there too, it went for $130 and neither required paperwork as they believed them to be obsolete, haha.

The auctioneer is William F Durham, and he gets a lot of guns that he misidentifies and that go cheap. Look him up.
 
Sounds like a better than excellent buy. Do you have any pics of it? I have a P14 sporter that was done by BSA in the UK & I know they also did them on the M17. I'd be interested to know if it was one of these or simply a cut down version, not that theres too much the matter with these if done properly, many a fine sporter has been made on these actions & the original barrels had a nice profile for a sporter if they were in good condition. The BSA ones normally had a BSA stamp where the rear receiver bridge had been reprofiled & would now be under the rear scope mount.
Steve.
 
Good deal :)

Have a few of these as project rifles. Friends have them too. Waiting on pictures. fun rifles and great basis for "built" rifles :)
 
Dreamcast270mhz said:
No, this is not a british P14, but a US M1917. These (mostly) never left the US arsenal.
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Maybe mostly but not all. At the beginning of WW2 when Britain was short of just about anything after the Dunkirk evacuation, some (several thousands I would think) M17s were released by the US to Britain. AFAIK they were mainly used by the Home Guard. They had a red band painted around the butt, some sources say forend, to signify that they used 30-06 not 303 ammo. Post war some at least of these were converted by BSA into sporters.
Steve.
 
I beg to differ, the 1917 Enfield was more widely used by US forces than the 1903 Springfield in the early part of the war! It was our primary battle rifle at the beginning of the war and fought all through France. Remington and Winchester got so far behind in producing the 1917 that Remington opened its Eddystone Rifle Plant in Eddystone Pa. to supplement production. It used the production site and operations people from the Baldwin Locomotive plant located there to produce them quickly.

WWI hero Sgt. Alvin C. York was armed with the 1917 Enfield.
 
I have a 1917 Enfield rifle that I have been working on for almost a year to sporterize it. It was originally a thoroughly Bubba'ed rifle so I am not desecrating a historic weapon. It is currently off a shop to be polished and blued. The rifle is accurate as in 1 1/4" groups with no load development, just ammo loaded for my Garand. Stock trigger replaced with Dayton Traister with cock on opening. Barrel shortened 1 1/4" to just behind military sight dovetails & target crowned. Photos taken before being sent to smith for blueing. I used no power tools in this project, all hand files, saws & sanding.
Enfield003.jpg
Enfieldrifle001.jpg
 
Nice! But I like Cock on close, so that wont be happening. Mine has a cut down stock on it, some spots of rust but it is sure a pretty thing. Might refinish the stock and give it a walnut stain, the current stain is pretty fugly. Other than that, maybe some rust removal here an there.
 
Dreamcast;
Agreed, the cock on opening vs on closing is a personal thing. Some like chocolate ice cream, some like strawberry. The Dayton Traister trigger from Bownells is truly a worthy item though (they are separate from the cocking method) Trigger is adjustable from ounces up through 3 1/2 lbs, clean, crisp. no overtravel. Easily worth the price and easy to install.
Have fun with your Enfield, they're great shooters.

Roger
 
Love these projects. I have two in the mill for later. Working on some Arisaka's right now. Have a few of these 1917 buuba's and BIL has an original issued to his Dad in WW-II and somehow never returned :)

Velocette, that's a beauty - be proud of that one :)

Hoping Dcast270 will post pictures of his?
 
Glad to know that Dayton-Traister is still around. One of the first things my gunsmithing uncle did with my 1917 was install one. Much improvement on the trigger pull, for sure. That was sixty years ago. :)
 
You guys are starting to get me thinking about keeping an eye out for a sporterized 1917 for a winter project. :)
 
Great deal! The U.S.Cal.30 M1917 is my no.1 bolt rifle
Heavy,long,steady and accurate. Some call this rifle a 4x4 fencepost with an heavy iron pipe on top.... Perfect for me!
 
Hrm. Local GM has a Century marked 1917 sporter in .300 Magnum for $350. It's been there awhile too. I have no interest in that cartridge, but I do get evil thoughts about buying it an sticking an .30-06 barrel back on it. Maybe even .308?
 
wlewisiii said:
Hrm. Local GM has a Century marked 1917 sporter in .300 Magnum for $350. It's been there awhile too. I have no interest in that cartridge, but I do get evil thoughts about buying it an sticking an .30-06 barrel back on it. Maybe even .308?
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You would almost certainly need a new bolt for that project as well, the original M17 bolt will have had its bolt face opened out for the larger base diameter of the 300 Magnum. That said, I don't imagine bolts are too hard to come by from one of the surplus/gun parts dealers.
Steve.
 
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