Idaho 45 Vaquero
New member
Howdy All,
My main hunting rifle is a sporterized 1917 Eddystone. My father built the rifle and did excellent work: fancy stock, engraving, trimmed down action. He left it in the original .30-06 clambering. About minute of angle accuracy, with the right hand-loads.
I have taken 8 mule deer bucks with that rifle.
Now, for the interesting part. Through experience, my father found that my 1917 rifle as well as his 1917, and my uncles 1917, all shoot poorly with normal 30-06, (.308 diameter bullet). We instead hand-load with .311 bullets, such as the same bullets typically used for the .303 British cartridge. It is difficult to measure the groove to groove diameter with calipers because the 1917 Enfield's have an odd number of lands (5 If i'm remembering correctly).
Historically, the US was producing the .303 British P-14 rifle to supplement the British in WWI, prior to our formal entrance into the war. Once the US entered WWI, they modified the design slightly and chambered in it 30-06 for our US use. Did the US (Eddystone) just leave the barreling machines the same? Did the 1917 Eddystone really have a larger diameter of .311 such as the British .303? If you notice the 1917 has odd number of grooves (as done with many British rifles) as opposed to the usual even numbered (American) 4 grooves.
I know that some in World War I gave the opinion that the Springfield 03 was more accurate than the 1917 Enfield, and this never made sense to me. The Springfield is great, but they both have solid locking actions that are similar to a Mauser. Did the US government just have the wrong bore diameter for the .30-06 cartridge?
Sharpe in "The Rifle in America" commented on this slightly and seemed to give the impression that the .30-06 1917 was really .311 and not .308. Peter Pulling mentioned in a couple of his writings on sporting rifles that 1917 sporters shot more accurately when re-barreled. Julian Hatcher seemed to deny this idea of the US putting the wrong barrel diameter on 1917 Enfield in his book "Hatcher's Notebook. "
My main hunting rifle is a sporterized 1917 Eddystone. My father built the rifle and did excellent work: fancy stock, engraving, trimmed down action. He left it in the original .30-06 clambering. About minute of angle accuracy, with the right hand-loads.
I have taken 8 mule deer bucks with that rifle.
Now, for the interesting part. Through experience, my father found that my 1917 rifle as well as his 1917, and my uncles 1917, all shoot poorly with normal 30-06, (.308 diameter bullet). We instead hand-load with .311 bullets, such as the same bullets typically used for the .303 British cartridge. It is difficult to measure the groove to groove diameter with calipers because the 1917 Enfield's have an odd number of lands (5 If i'm remembering correctly).
Historically, the US was producing the .303 British P-14 rifle to supplement the British in WWI, prior to our formal entrance into the war. Once the US entered WWI, they modified the design slightly and chambered in it 30-06 for our US use. Did the US (Eddystone) just leave the barreling machines the same? Did the 1917 Eddystone really have a larger diameter of .311 such as the British .303? If you notice the 1917 has odd number of grooves (as done with many British rifles) as opposed to the usual even numbered (American) 4 grooves.
I know that some in World War I gave the opinion that the Springfield 03 was more accurate than the 1917 Enfield, and this never made sense to me. The Springfield is great, but they both have solid locking actions that are similar to a Mauser. Did the US government just have the wrong bore diameter for the .30-06 cartridge?
Sharpe in "The Rifle in America" commented on this slightly and seemed to give the impression that the .30-06 1917 was really .311 and not .308. Peter Pulling mentioned in a couple of his writings on sporting rifles that 1917 sporters shot more accurately when re-barreled. Julian Hatcher seemed to deny this idea of the US putting the wrong barrel diameter on 1917 Enfield in his book "Hatcher's Notebook. "