It's not the barrel that cracks it's the receiver. Eddystone receivers to be exact.

Seems the boys at Eddystone really cranked them tight when the guns were first built. That and the heat treatment may have not been as good as today. Some receivers are known to develop cracks due to the stress of changing barrels. Some not all for sure.

My JA barreled Eddystone is just fine and shoots great. Lots of these around but not as collectable as a factory original barreled one.

YMMV

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Me too.  I have been looking for a while

I just sold an Eddystone over on Gunboards that was a lend lease to Canada, then saw some time with the Dutch before coming back Stateside.  

I have one of each manufacture.  Your purchase will all depend on what you're looking for.  Just a good shooter or a correct rifle?  They stamped every part on these rifles with a makers mark, and I mean almost everything.  A fully "correct" rifle will bring a premium over a mixmaster.  If it could be proven to be all completely original, well that's a whole nother story.  

I think they're heavy, but wonderful shooters.  I love that big wide front sight.

Abearir,

You are partially correct. The reasons the Eddystone's occasionally crack is that the barrels were put on wit the pneumatic tools at the Balwin locomotive plant. The nickel steel came from Middle, the problem was never with the heat treating or the metallurgy. The barrels were put on so tight that if tensioned cuts were not put in the barrel during re-barrelling it could crack the receiver. Usually this was done by gunsmiths who tried to cut corners and force the issue, rather than take the time and do it right. Read up on the gun, it is an awesome, over engineered piece of Americana (with British roots). I recommend Phillip Sharpe's book, but there are others that talk about it in depth (especially the production side of it). I studied Baldwin locomotive and Midvale as a case study regarding Frederic Taylor. Many of the standardizations and practices he was trying to get the National Armories to adopt were implemented by the culture he left behind in those companies (there were some family/friendship ties with both, and Midvale produced the steel up the tracks for Baldwin). Eddystone's are GTG. Mine is a family heirloom from a great great uncle that was in WWI. It's a tack driver.

Good luck in your search.  M1917s aren't the darlings of collectors like 1903's, so deals can be had - if you look hard enough.  Be aware that most barrels are pretty rough.  Not sure why, but I think I heard that after WWI, most of the 1917's were put directly into storage, without proper cleaning to remove the corrosive residue.  Whereas 1903's remained in service, after WW1, and so got maintained.  In any event, the result is that it's hard to find a 1917 with a good barrel.  Not a big deal, new BBL's are $200 from CMP.  

Truth to tell, I don't care for it as much as the 1903.  It's heavy, less attractive, no windage adjustment, and the peep is too large for the best accuracy.  The accuracy of mine is only so-so, due to a tore up barrel.  I'm going to replace the barrel sometime in April.

Hopefully the following isn't too far off topic:

Years ago there were 'demilled' P14s available for less than$70.  They were demilled by cross drilling the chamber.  Obviously ruined the barrel and the furniture too.  Good candidates for sporters.

I mention this as it may explain a sporter you may come across chambered for something other than 303 Brit or 30-06. Bubba didn't ruin the gun...the gummint did.  Not sure which gummint, tho...not USA.

Ray

If you're a big guy (long arms) you'll like the M1917.  They fit me much better than 03s.  The A3 and A4 have longer stocks and are okay, but the 03 is smaller all around than an M1917.  The M1917 has a longer butt stock and longer barrel.

Its not a target rifle so you won't be adjusting windage in the field anyway.  It's much more robust than an 03.  The front sight blade is protected by "ears" like the M1/M14 front sights (its also what you have to adjust for windage if your ammo shoots left or right of the POA.  The rear sight is protected by "ears" as well.  The receiver is tank tough.  One reason they were popular many years ago for custom magnum caliber rifles (and the length of the receiver, too).

The 03 bayonets won't fit them, it uses a different bayonet.  The US Army was still using a similar bayonet for riot shotguns when I was in back in the mid to late 70's.

I have a couple of Eddystones and a couple of Winchesters.  Just never ran across a good deal on a Remington though.

About 3 or 4 years ago I ran across a barreled action a guy said he found hanging on a wall in a barn he was paid to clean out.  Prettiest original barrel I'd ever seen, so I paid him $150 for the barrel, receiver and bolt (Eddystone) and bought the rest of the parts from ebay, Sarco and Numrich and got it shooting again.  I think its cool when you buy a bunch of parts from all over (no sights were on the barrel/receiver when I bought it) put them together and it hits dead on left/right and 3" high at 25 yds.

Here's the one I saved.  I took the leather sling off it.  I hate fighting those things on/off my arm when I'm sweaty.  I put a reproduction Kerr sling on it.  My old Winchester M1917 has an original Kerr sling on it and it worked pretty well.

Eddystone's were the only ones.  They can all be tight.  I rebarreled my Remington last Spring and had to relieve the barrel in order to get it to break free.  It was on TIGHT.  

Many of the M1917 that remained in the states went to the veteran organizations, VFW and American Legion, to use as parade/ceremony rifle. They fired blanks through them. They didn't clean the bbl. The bbl got ugly. That's why you see a bunch with sewer pipe bores. You will see the same thing in Krags and M1903s (and probably the M1s they have now).

The above is why I'm hanging on to my HS WWII replacement M1917 barrel. Its never been installed.


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You might be interested in this thread I started about my Eddystone . . .

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_6_14/339535_The_Eddystone_Curse___Is_this_what_I_m_afraid_it_is_.html