Elderly Milsurp rifles can SHOOT!

V

velocette

New member
I am the lucky owner of a US rifle of 1917, aka, 1917 Enfield in caliber 30 of 1906. Made by Remington's Eddystone arsenal in 1917.
I salvaged it from a rusty Bubba'd wreck. It could never have been returned to original, so I spent a year with hand tools only to make it a great sporting rifle. No plastic, no CNC, just blued steel and hand finished Walnut.
I did not expect a lot in the way of accuracy from it. Original GI barrel on it that had seen use with corrosive ammo.
Last week I proceeded to do ladder loads to find whatever the old warhorse liked.
Fed brass, TTL & flash hole reamed, Sierra 168 Match King bullets, IMR 4895 powder, Win primers, loaded out to maximum magazine length.
10 different loads, 5 rds each from starting to max in 0.5 grain increments. All fired from prone with bags front & rear & a 14x scope.
Only one of the loads grouped larger than 1" @100 yds. The best 4 were:
.78 x .52"; .39 x .75"; .48 x .51"; & finally, 4 rounds through the same hole 0.12 x 0.12 & one round bringing the group to 0.53x 0.28.
The rifle has been epoxy & pillar bedded, with a Dayton Traister trigger.
I am both surprised (pleasantly) and highly pleased that an almost 100 year old ex battle rifle can and does shoot with great accuracy.
Photo is of the muzzle end of barrel with the ordinance bomb, High Standard markings (the barrel maker) and the "P" proof mark.

Roger
 
technically, the term "enfield" is a misnomer. it is based on the pattern 14 enfields(which technically are not enfields either) made by remington on behalf of the british empire but there are a number of differences and these rifles were never made with the intention of being used by the british military. as such they were labeled US model of 1917, not ENFIELD model 1917.

then there was never a EDDYSTONE ARSENAL. Eddystone was a Remington FACTORY but as Remington was a civilian company, they did not have military arsenals.

with all that said, post some pictures, my mouth's watering over here!:D
 
Remington wasn't the only company who made the 1917, Winchester made them as well. I have a 1917 in .300 H&H made by Winchester, it was already sporterized when I bought it for $100. I finished it up as well, and invested about $600 more into the rifle sans scope, and mine shoots pretty well too!

300HH001-1.jpg
 
I'm not too surprised to learn this rifle can shoot this well, although it is surely a tremendous achievement to save her from the doom of rust. I have the the same rifle, still in full military configuration, no glass bedding or anything. I haven't done anything to accurize it, other than drifting the front size a bit to the left. I could easily shoot a 10-round group of less than 2MOA with the peep sight and HXP surplus ammunition. Good job!

-TL
 
Congratulations! Very nice restoration, or should I say resurrection of a fine old milsurp nearly destroyed by an assult from a Bubba.
This is the type of milsurp "project gun" I love to see.
 
I don't suppose you took a "before" picture, by any chance?

Nice restoration from the grave. :) The holes in the paper are, of course, the ultimate judge of success.
 
Pathdoc, that would have been cruel to photograph the before of an honorable abused relic before its "makeover".
 
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