US Model of 1917 Winchester Enfield

[jd5340t]

I am in the process of updating this gun. It has been sporterized and all military sights have been removed. It has been drilled and tapped for a scope. I am in the process of purchasing a Boyd Bros. JRS classic stock and upgrading from a 3-9X40 scope to a 4-16X50 scope. My question is this...Can the P17 enfield be fitted with a box magazine? If so, where can I get one? Thanks in advance for the help.
Quentin

 

[MrMurphy]

Why did you ruin that fine piece, unless it was already sporterized when you got it?



To answer your question, without serious gunsmithing, no a detachable magazine can't be attached. It already HAS a box magazine, the internal one.

With a new floorplate and a custom made magazine, you could make a larger capacity fixed magazine. In WW1, the Germans did this to the Mauser 98 (a 25 round "Trench magazine" non-removable for normal use, and fed by normal stripper clips). I believe we did the same thing to our Springfields, and probably our Enfields (seeing as more Enfields were used than Springfields).

 

[Jim K]

If by "box magazine" you mean a detachable box magazine, I would say it would not be feasible and keep the .30-'06 caliber. The action is about at its limit just with the internal magazine and there isn't really room for the extra metal of the magazine. It might be possible to rebarrel to .308 and use a magazine like the M14 or FAL magazine, but that would require a lot of work.

One problem with converting conventional bolt guns to magazine use is that the feed lips are already built into the receiver rails. To make room for the feed lips of the magazine, the rails have to be partly cut away, and that can result in all kinds of problems. It has been done, but it is quite costly and tricky and it is easy to ruin the action.

The extended magazines for the Mauser and the "air service" magazines for the Model 1903 (both have been reproduced) are a different story. The magazine does not fit into the rifle and is not detachable as we usually understand that word. It is welded to a new floorplate which is only a frame. This latches on the rifle in the normal way. The magazine does not extend upward beyond the floorplate, but the long spring forces the follower up through the internal magazine to feed cartridges to the bolt. The magazine is loaded in the normal way from clips. I know of no reason a similar setup could not be made for the Model 1917 by using a spare floorplate and a BAR magazine.

Jim