M1917 Rifle

[bloodandgutsmurphy]

I have been thinking about purchasing a M1917 rifle for a little while. I know a little about them but not everything. I would like to know if they are good shooters or should be safe queens, are the sights adjustable for windage and elevation, can surplus ammo be easily found for them, and what are they going for. Thanks

 

[K_W]

Isn't the m1917 a .30-06? Plenty of that around.

 

[Sgt7330]

Plenty of M2 .30 around (30-06), buy it by the case through CMP. I dont own one, yet, but I think if you look for one with a good bore it would make you a nice shooter. Plus they are neat history

 

[BigMoose]

It's a bolt gun, it can safely handle commercial 30-06 anyway. Mill Surp 30-06 will be dried up in a year and a half most likely.

 

[paintman]

As much as i think people on cmp can be jerks it is a good place to read up on info. Check out cmp forums. Any info u need could be found there.

 

[sloughfoot]

I have been thinking about purchasing a M1917 rifle for a little while. I know a little about them but not everything. I would like to know if they are good shooters or should be safe queens, are the sights adjustable for windage and elevation, can surplus ammo be easily found for them, and what are they going for. Thanks

They are usually good shooters.

The sights are easily adjusted for elevation, but windage requires drifting the front sight.

As the others have said, they will shoot any commercial or mil-surp 30.06 ammo,

They have a 1X10 left hand twist barrel that will unscrew your brush or jag from your cleaning rod.

I have a CIA sanitized rifle and love it. Good luck finding one at a reasonable price. Maybe I will post mine for sale in the classifieds......

The CMP has an article about them. I will look for it and post the link when I find it.


Here is the article..........http://www.odcmp.org/503/rifle.pdf

 

[jcwit]

As much as i think people on cmp can be jerks it is a good place to read up on info. Check out cmp forums. Any info u need could be found there.

Oh REALLY!

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Mill Surp 30-06 will be dried up in a year and a half most likely.

Didn't they bring in umpteen gazillion containers of Iranian .30-'06 a few months ago?

They will dribble this out of the bonded warehouses for years and years.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

I bought a few 1917s where the last batch came in in what '96? How they shot depended on the rifle. I would take it to a gunsmith to give it a once over. If it is what you are into, buy it and enjoy.

I traded my rifles off and gave one to the FNRA maybe 10 years ago.

I still have a bunch of that plastic bullet '06 ammo for them.

 

[Sgt7330]

Last I saw the CMP Cheif Exec said they are selling loose .30 cal in the ammo can now, but he said they still had the .30 in en blocs too, if I remember right it was in the millions of rounds. I think they have more than what one might think.

 

[ssblair]

M1917s are originally/normally in 30-06. In original configuration--as a poster above stated--they are adjustable for elevation with a fold-down, click adjustable, ladder sight. Windage is by drifting the front sight. When folded down, the "battle sight" I think is normally set for 500 or 550 yards, I want to say, but I could be mistaken.

They are very strong actions--I have heard of them being rechambered for 375H&H or other magnum rounds. Borrowing from the British P14 design that it is "based" on, the sights (front and rear) are well protected (as opposed to on the 1903 Springfield). The "cock on close" type of action I think is a nice vacation from the vanilla "cock on open" action that it seems everything else is.

The "weak link" is reputed to be the ejector spring, but I only picked that up from reading.

They are very good shooters. In the interwar years (1918-1930s) they were seriously considered to become the main or requisite rifle for the National Matches. I think the 1903 won out only because it had windage adjustment--the M1917 had a longer sight radius than the 1903. Today, M1917s routinely place at the top of the standings at the National Vintage Military Rifle match at Camp Perry, if occasionally sharing top honors with a Swiss K31.

Criterion (owned by Krieger) manufactures replacement GI contour barrels for the M1917 for just under $200, so even if you get one with a cruddy barrel, you can get it rebarrelled and still be eligible for the as-issued Vintage Military Rifle CMP matches (provided all else is in original configuration).

The CMP only sees a dribble of those anymore, so $500 would probably be a good price for one in decent shape, matched only by the CMP "if" they had one. I'm guessing that $800 or thereabouts might be par these days, but I haven't price shopped one for quite some time.

 

[totenkopf]

In addition to what the others here have said, I would just add two points that I didn't see mentioned earlier:

1) No World War I or World War II bolt action rifle collection is complete without one.

2) If you do decide to pick one of these up, don't be fooled into thinking that a Winchester made 1917 is worth the premium a lot of sellers will insist upon.

 

[Archaic_Entity]

They are very strong actions--I have heard of them being rechambered for 375H&H or other magnum rounds. Borrowing from the British P14 design that it is "based" on, the sights (front and rear) are well protected (as opposed to on the 1903 Springfield). The "cock on close" type of action I think is a nice vacation from the vanilla "cock on open" action that it seems everything else is.

If I remember correctly, [strike]the action of the M1917 is a Mauser style action, and is a "cock on open."[/strike] Of course, I could be wrong.

I was wrong. Just decided to verify.

 

[RTM15]

I agree 100% with the (1) quote. Also you can ask the seller if it head spaces. The last two I bought from the CMP had tags that say "headspace ok"

In addition to what the others here have said, I would just add two points that I didn't see mentioned earlier:

1) No World War I or World War II bolt action rifle collection is complete without one.

2) If you do decide to pick one of these up, don't be fooled into thinking that a Winchester made 1917 is worth the premium a lot of sellers will insist upon.

 

[rhslover]

They are great shooters and have sights that are adjustable for windage and elev. Good luck finding a good one with a good bore.

 

[timhixson]

I might be getting an M1917 Eddystone in a trade. What does it mean if one is sporterized or not?

 

[bstewrat3]

I have sporterized a couple with new barrels, stocks, triggers, straightened the drop belly bottom metal and shaved the ears. I had both done by George Perkins, one in 458 Win Mag and one in 264 win Mag. I wish I hadn't sold them off.

 

[tenring]

And the beat kept on going, Remington Model 30 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[timhixson]

And the beat kept on going, Remington Model 30 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That helps. Thank You. I am relativly new to Military style guns and had not heard that term before.

Thanks

 

[Indiana Ed]

P17 is a great military arm. My grandfather had 1. A Remington he bought at the American Legion.