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P17 Caliber Conversion
- Thread starter Roscoe54
- Start date
The M1917 Enfield rifle (there is no such thing as a P-17) is plenty strong for any commercial cartridge you can get to fit the magazine. This will include everything from 22-250 up to 460 Weatherby. Conversions are neither easy nor cheap, so unless you really want a converted Enfield, you would be money ahead looking at a Remington, Ruger, Winchester, TC, etc.
If you decide that no, this is your true love, then you will need to:
1- Remove the military barrel. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
2- Remove the sight ears. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
3- New barrel, chamber and crown. You may need to rework the bolt face if the cartridge you choose does not have a standard bolt face. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
4- New trigger. There are several aftermarket option, but you will likely wind up with a Timney trigger.
5- Modify the magazine to eliminate the belly. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
6- Drill and tap for scope bases or sights. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
7- Polish and blue. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
8- Find and fit a stock. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
9- Finish the stock, checker if desired.
If you decide that no, this is your true love, then you will need to:
1- Remove the military barrel. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
2- Remove the sight ears. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
3- New barrel, chamber and crown. You may need to rework the bolt face if the cartridge you choose does not have a standard bolt face. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
4- New trigger. There are several aftermarket option, but you will likely wind up with a Timney trigger.
5- Modify the magazine to eliminate the belly. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
6- Drill and tap for scope bases or sights. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
7- Polish and blue. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
8- Find and fit a stock. You will likely need a gunsmith to do this.
9- Finish the stock, checker if desired.
You dont have to destroy the barrel to get it off take a hack saw and just in front of the reciver about a 1/32" cut a slot all the way around the barrel about an 1/8" to 3/32" deep. I usaually turn them in a lathe but you can do it buy hand. If done close enough to the reciver you can almost unscrew it buy hand. If your talking about rechambering that thing without pulling the barrel man thats one hell of a lot of hand turning. Good luck
Bob
Bob
The easiest conversion with just a chambering reamer is to .300 Win Mag. About anything else will require action work, a new barrel or a barrel setback.
You will have to alter the bolt, using a P14 bolt will NOT work unless you alter the breeching.
What I don't understand is why, with all that knowledge, and years of experience as a gunsmith, you are asking on a web site about a simple job.
Jim
You will have to alter the bolt, using a P14 bolt will NOT work unless you alter the breeching.
What I don't understand is why, with all that knowledge, and years of experience as a gunsmith, you are asking on a web site about a simple job.
Jim
then there is the 308 Norma Mag., open the bolt face or as James K said, use the P14 bolt, the bolt face on the M1917 has a cone, the P14 bolt face is flat, The P14 bolt has a small protrusion on the left side (opposite the extractor) that requires removal.
Then there should be the question "if one barrel has a cone face and the other has a flat face, how is it both fit?
F. Guffey
Then there should be the question "if one barrel has a cone face and the other has a flat face, how is it both fit?
F. Guffey
Good question, but what I actually said is that the P14 bolt won't fit unless the breeching is changed. The scoop is that the P14 was made for the rimmed .303 British so the barrel breech is flat as normal with rimmed cartridges and the bolt is made accordingly. When the rifle was adapted to the U.S. .30-'06, Army Ordnance insisted that a cone breech be set up like that on the M1903, and the bolt had to be modified accordingly.
So for a given rifle, both types of bolts won't fit. The M1917 bolt can't be used in the P14 or vice versa. But the P14 bolt can be made to fit the M1917 if a new or set back barrel is used and fitted up to use the P14 bolt.
It would be much easier to just use the M1917 bolt and a cone breech, and open up the bolt face to accommodate the larger base of the belted case.
I didn't mention the .308 Norma Magnum since not many gunsmiths are familiar with it today, but it was designed specifically to allow "magnumizing" of M1903 and M1917 rifles, being of the right overall length so that the only magazine work needed was some alteration of the magazine rails. When Winchester came out with the .300 Win Mag, the nearly identical .308 Norma Magnum, which had no rifle manufacturer base, faded into the background and is now considered obsolete.
Jim
So for a given rifle, both types of bolts won't fit. The M1917 bolt can't be used in the P14 or vice versa. But the P14 bolt can be made to fit the M1917 if a new or set back barrel is used and fitted up to use the P14 bolt.
It would be much easier to just use the M1917 bolt and a cone breech, and open up the bolt face to accommodate the larger base of the belted case.
I didn't mention the .308 Norma Magnum since not many gunsmiths are familiar with it today, but it was designed specifically to allow "magnumizing" of M1903 and M1917 rifles, being of the right overall length so that the only magazine work needed was some alteration of the magazine rails. When Winchester came out with the .300 Win Mag, the nearly identical .308 Norma Magnum, which had no rifle manufacturer base, faded into the background and is now considered obsolete.
Jim