Enfield 1917 Eddystone

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I just bought a pretty clean Eddystone 1917, barrel looked and gauged good... paid $450. I just WANTED it! Has a serial #508466. Started digging around on net to try and find out more info on this gun. Wanted to know when it was manufactured. Can anybody lead me to a website where I can find that info?
 

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1918
Production was only 1917-1919.
The punchmark may indicate it was rebarrelled. What is the barrel marking, if any?
 
Sounds like you did really good on the purchase.
Need to see more pics, it's winter so it's nice to have things to looks at besides snow.
 
The gun was made at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone Pennsylvania.

Eddystone itself was an odd offshoot of Remington (pretty much the pass through sub set up in Delaware) Baldwin put the plant, staffed and setup the machinery together and made the gun (also the British Patten 14 3093 caliber that preceded it)

The punch mark is an oddity, will dig up what I can fine on it. No one really knows, it shows up on a few and not on vast majority. One report is that he saw 3. Random hardness test?

Remington and Winchester also made the P14 as well as the 1917 with some miner difference in fit and finish of the metal and stocks but parts interchange.

If the barrel is an E, it should have the date on it as well top of barrel behind the sight. If not a WWII replacement or a civilian redo.

More pictures and note if there is an E, R or W on the front of the stock on the flat below the sight.

Receiver is a mid run so March/April 2018 - no exact date. they made over a million of them by 1919 with some overun
 
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Sounds like you did really good on the purchase.
Need to see more pics, it's winter so it's nice to have things to looks at besides snow.
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Well it was 37 her today and spring has sprung. ND is far worse than AK me thinks.
 
I might be inclined to suspect that it was re-arsenalled for WWII. The pic seems to show a ruther rough Parkerizing finish. Mine has the smooth shiny blued look.
 
Very nice!

P1917s still see service with Denmark's 'Sirius Sledge Patrol' (SSP) units in the arctic regions of Greenland.

The SSP command has refused offers to be re-equipped with newer semi-auto rifles in favor of keeping these old-but-reliable '06 Mil bolt-guns. Articles about SSP units have noted they occasionally encounter aggressive polar bears.

I'm sure these rifles have had to re-barrel them from time to time, but that's to be expected of a 100+yr old weapon.
 
I might be inclined to suspect that it was re-arsenalled for WWII. The pic seems to show a ruther rough Parkerizing finish. Mine has the smooth shiny blued look.
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My thoughts as well. As the barrel seems not to have a date on it, it could be a JA, HS or RI WWII made barrel.
 
P1917s still see service with Denmark's 'Sirius Sledge Patrol' (SSP) units in the arctic regions of Greenland.
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Always seemed odd to me as much as I like the 1917. Its more awkward due to length, the bolt action is anything but slick. They may have fixed the e4jecor but that was a weak point.

1903s and the Mausers had no reliable issues either and both actions are smoother than a 1917 - the rear sight could be a major plus as maybe is the square front sight as well.

All that is pretty easioly changed on any rifle.
 
Thanks guys, as always lots of good info here. I'm out of town today but when I get back this eve I will post a few more pics of this rifle. If I remember correctly (and lately THAT is always a crap-shoot!), at the muzzle of the barrel right behind the front sight it had 4-17 stamped. I assumed that meant at least the barrel was made April 1917. As for it being re-barreled... it does shoot .303 British, not 30-06. More info when I get back to my computer this evening.
 
Lol. And here we were giving you the lowdown on the 1917 when you actually have a P14. There is still some 80's production .303 ammo floating around made by the MEN folks in German. I suspect I'd personally be leery of any other .303 surplus ammo. I don't remember what it was, but the last surplus .303 I shot was very erratic with hangfires and split necks.
 
Well sounds like it's a basket case if it shoots .303 British. The reciever picture is obviously a 1917, but I suppose it could have a P14 barrel and bolt. If that's the case, $450 would be the high end of what the rifle is worth IMO. For me it would be an easy pass on the purchase.
 
What you have is a modified Model of 1917.

A Pattern 14 Eddystone would be Marked ERA and the SN

Why someone would re-barrel a 1917 to a 303 is ?

The Receiver was made in 1918 and the barrel would be off the P-14 contract.

It should have an E, R or W on it with that date (could be any) I think that is right but not in depth on 303 barrels markings.

The threads on the two should be the same, you would need a 303 bolt and not sure on the followers.

While the 1917 was a commonly used for a custom of a non 30-06 caliber, it was for a more capable caliber not an inferior on. Not that a 303 won't do the job, it is less velocity and impact than an 06.
 
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Gun store guy was wrong, it IS 30-06

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So... after taylorce1's post... I got to thinking... does this Eddystone REALLY shoot .303 Brit like the gun store said? So I put a 30-06 into it, and it slid right down where it should be into the breech, and the bolt closed on it fine. Since the 30-06 shoulder is a good bit higher than the .303 Brit shoulder, if it really is .303 that round shouldn't go all the way in, correct? Contrary to the yellow tag that was on the gun, and contrary to the gun store guy telling me it shoots .303 British, I indeed think I DO have a 1917 Eddystone 30-06 rifle... no?
 

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It would still help to have more pics of this rifle, a lot of assumption from one pic of a receiver/chamber. If it truly is a .303 "brit" caliber, the OP could easily reload rounds to a lower pressure to shoot it. How is it marked for .303, could a M-1917 have been rechambered for .303 Savage after the fact---------two very different rounds. Many of these guns became hunter projects when they became surplus. More pics would help.
 
More pics...

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I'm going to take it back to the GS I got it from and see what he says... but a 30-06 being longer, won't fit into a .303 chamber, so this must be mis-labeled and is not a .303.
 
Date on the barrel is 4-18 not 4-17. Its an E.

Ergo its a 30-06.

It all makes sense other than barrel date tended to be a month to three off.

Accurate information and pictures for context.
 
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