1917 Eddystone

K

Kevinw

Moderator
I picked up an Eddystone 1917 today From Layaway. I have a coupel questions. First of all Did I get a good deal at $400.00
The metal is in 95%+ condition. The wood is 80-90 percent. The reciver is marked as follows.
--
U.S.
Model of 1917
Eddystone
2912
--

on the left side of the top of the reciver(next to the bolt) there are two eagle heads. One has K5 under it and the other has A5. On the side of the reciver is something that looks like a circle with a wing coming off the left side.
On the barrel there is a W uder the W there is a circle with flams coming out of the top and under this it says 2-19.
Finally on the bottom of the barell there is the following mark
P1917 30.06cal CDI SWAN VT.

Well those are the only marks I could fine. Anyone know anything About this weapon. It is a beautiful piece of work. ANd with such a low seial number I figure it was worth the money. Am I wrong? Thanks in advance.
 
The receiver is a very early Eddystone. It was a Remington Arms affiliate near Philadelphia, PA during WW1. The barrel if marked with a W is a Winchester barrel. P1917 30.06cal CDI SWAN VT. is the recent importers mark. The eagle heads are WW1 acceptance marks.

These actions are very, very strong. During WW1 2 US doughboys carried US Enfields (Model of 1917) for every one with a Springfield M1903.

$400 sounds a bit high around here in VA for a mixed parts re-import, but if it is in nice condition it will appreciate and they can be excellent shooters. With US martial arms, there is only a too high price right now if you want to re-sell it. In a few years it will sound cheap. In the 1960's they were $17.00. Don't worry about the price, just enjoy.
 
one other question guys. Is there anything I should watch for on this gun. Any quirks in the design. Anything speacial I should do in cleaning. Ammo to avoid? Thanks a lot.
 
KevinW & Stoic,
First, it's not a P-17, it's an M1917. The original rifle it's based on was a P-14 (P is for Pattern, 14 for 1914), made under contract for Great Britain (.303 calibre). The rifles are almost identical; most of the parts are interchangeable. When WWI broke out, the US manufacturers converted to manufacturing a .30-06 version of the P-14. When the US adopted the .30-06 version, it was officially designated the M1917 (the US doesn't use the British P designation). There is no such thing as a P-17.

BTW, I'm not picking on you, just trying to inform you - I just learned this a few months ago.

$400 may be a little high, but not much. If it's in good shape, you didn't get ripped off. The M1917 is propably the stoutest rifle that the US ever adopted & it has been very popular for building custom rifles out of some serious calibres, like 7mm magnum, .375 magnum, etc. It's the only rifle that completely passed the burst test, where they plug the barrel and fire a live round behind it. All other rifles either split or burst, but the M1917 just bulged a bit - it would have still functioned. I wouldn't lose sleep worrying about what ammo you put through it. Since it's been rebarreled, check the receiver closely for cracks (happened sometimes).

The only ones I've seen with yellow bands on the original stocks were demilled P-14's. I've seen some US rifles with numbers on them, though - I think they were rifles designated for basic training units.
 
Some stock parts and small action parts interchange. The bolts, front and rear sights, bolt releases do not.

Yellow bands were for Drill Purpose (DP) and generally not to be shot. Some were de-milled to prevent shooting. During the great re-import of the early 1980s/1990s, the big importers would rebuild rifles by putting a good stock on a decent action. If it had a band, sometime the band was sanded off, sometimes not.

The rifle was originally designed by the Royal Ordnance Factory Enfield in .276 caliber. Known as the P-13, the round was highly erosive to the bore. It was modified by the British into the P-14. True P-13s are very, very rare (1,251 P-13 and 6 P-13 Improved were made). Later P-14 parts are mostly NOT interchangable. P-13s have been counterfeited.

You will also find Model of 1917s with a red band on the forearm behind the bayonet mount. This was put on US rifles by the British when we sent them to the UK in early WW2 under Lend-Lease. It was to identify the fact that the rifle was in .30-06 not .303 since they look the same, except for small details.

P-14 (later identified as the No3Mk1 and No3Mk1*) and Model of 1917 bayonets will have two grooves across the handles to quickly identify them as being for the US Enfield as they called the P-14 and not the SMLE (Short Magazine Lee Enfield).

Quirks? None really. If you are not used to it, the cock on closing bolt may seem strange. Gun Parts used to sell a cock on opening conversion that did NOT involve permanent modifications. Not worth is for a military gun.

Eddystone receivers were said to be more brittle than Winchester or Remington and could crack when rebarreled. An old gunsmith told me this came from improper removal by civilian gunsmiths during between the wars sporterizing projects.
 
Mine did have the red band. It is gone now. I refinished the stick to get that and a few other marks out. ANd I could make out what I assumed was 30-06. thanks for all the info.
 
When Remington first came out with the Model 721, fore-runner of the 700, they compared the relative strength with a Springfield, a Model 70 and the 1917.

The final test was between the 1917 & the 721. A case full of IMR with a 220-grain bullet was loaded--with THREE 220-grain bullets ahead of the cartridge. The 1917 did not blow up. (On the 721, the bolt opened normally.)

In other words, it's hell for stout.

My first '06 was a 1917. When I got it, I weighed around 125 pounds. That steel butt plate liked to beat me to death! So, sporterizing time. I ground the ears off, mounted a K2.5, and finished out a Bishop stock with the softest butt-pad I could find. Installed a Dayton-Traister trigger. My eyes being a lot better, 50 years ago, I could hold five-shot, one-inch groups from the benchrest...

Great old guns.

:), Art
 
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