I am inheriting an M1917 Eddystone.  My brother recently picked it up from my uncle and I should be getting it from him within the next week or so.  I have a little background information on this rifle from researching on the web a little.  I am just wondering if anyone out there has any information they would like to share.  I don't know if this will be shooter or safe queen yet.  I would like to know anything that you have to offer, accuracy, fit and function of the rifle, possible value, pics etc.  Thanks for looking.

Check out the c&r section for some good info right now.

They are super actions for building big bores on. Ed

Quoted: They are super actions for building big bores on. Ed

You're suggesting he bubbafies an inherited rifle?

You cant honestly be serious...

I personally don't like the action.

I like how the K98 cocks when the bolt handle is rotating. The Eddystone cocks while you're pushing the bolt forward.

Just a personal preference that I don't like.

WIZZO

Quoted: Quoted: They are super actions for building big bores on. Ed You're suggesting he bubbafies an inherited rifle? You cant honestly be serious...

+100000000000000000000000


It's a piece of history thats getting harder and harder to find, bubba has done enough damage already!

Quoted: I am inheriting an M1917 Eddystone.  My brother recently picked it up from my uncle and I should be getting it from him within the next week or so.  I have a little background information on this rifle from researching on the web a little.  I am just wondering if anyone out there has any information they would like to share.  I don't know if this will be shooter or safe queen yet.  I would like to know anything that you have to offer, accuracy, fit and function of the rifle, possible value, pics etc.  Thanks for looking.

For starters, read this.

Quoted: They are super actions for building big bores on. Ed

Quoted: Quoted: They are super actions for building big bores on. Ed

Double .  I'm just curious about these damn .  I'm sure some are DU's, but this guy seems like a gun guy.  Do some ARFCOMMERS have multiple accounts just to fuck with each other ?  I don't have enough spare time to play with a account.

BTW- That sounds like a great piece.  I would like to purchase one some day.  It has to be more comfortable than my Gibbs .308 Jungle Carbine.  

All troll accusations aside, they ARE very good actions and well suited for big bore rifles. A-Square was doin' it a few years back with several rounds whose names started with a 4 or a 5. Very stout, strong actions.

That said, anyone who did that to a 1917 in military configuration nowadays oughtta be bitch slapped.

I didn't say for the man do that,I just said they are
good for bigbores...I have 6 of them. one is still
shooting as 303 P-14.  One is wildcat 458HE, one is
wildcat 550Magnum, one is wildcat 585HE.Other two are
spare actions only. These are my small bores.Ed Hubel

Quoted: That said, anyone who did that to a 1917 in military configuration nowadays oughtta be bitch slapped.

Anybody who did that at any time to a 1917 should be bitch slapped.  Didn't people realize these things would be worth some money some day.

Quoted: Quoted: That said, anyone who did that to a 1917 in military configuration nowadays oughtta be bitch slapped. Anybody who did that at any time to a 1917 should be bitch slapped.  Didn't people realize these things would be worth some money some day.

Uh, let's see, no they didn't. The collecting/accumulating of guns simply for enjoyment and wannabe investments is pretty frivilous when you get down to it.When these rifles were commonly available, most people were more concerned with small stuff like putting enough food on the table and getting by than preservin "history" for the future or what their gun collection was worth (Gee, let's see, single shot .22, three dollars. Single shot 16 gauge seven dollars. Damn, Ma, we're rich!) If they needed a cheap deer rifle, bought a '17 out of a barrell somewhere for twenty bucks then modified it to their liking, oh well. More power to them.Collecting and apprecriating historic items is something you don't see too much until people reach the level of having more money than they need and more free time than they need.

Besides, if a lot of them hadn't been hacked, our beloved M1917s wouldn't be worth anything, they would be a dime a dozen like a Lee Enfied or Mosin and we wouldn't give them a second thought.

I understand the thrill of collecting something in
original good condition.And my 303 was that. The
rest were just actions.But there is also a real
exiting heart pounding feeling in firing a wildcat
cartridge that gets 9,000, 10,000, 11,000 ft lbs
of energy and these big actions allow men of modest means
to do it.Ed Hubel.

I would keep it as is.  This rifle has a lot of history behind it.  Before the U.S. entered WWI, these rifles were made for England by American companies.  When we entered WWI it was easier to make thee than the manufacutre large quantities of '03 Springfields becasue the factories would not have to retool.   More of these were used by Amercian troops than '03 Springfields in WWI.  Sgt. York was carrying one when he won his CMH.  

If you got to:

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/

you can get more information on these rifles.  This site is mainly dedicated to old milsurps of various countries.

Doing a bubba job is a good way to turn a $700 rifle into a $170 rifle.

Check the bore real good before you shoot it. I've looked at quite a few of them over the last 25 years and all but several had corroded bores.

Thanks for all the input guys.  I plan on keeping the rifle as is.  I haven't seen it yet so restoring it may be an option.  I haven't even decided if I will make a shooter out of it or just leave it in the safe.  If I decide to shoot it I will have a smith take a look at it for receiver cracks and head spacing.  I am sure it is in decent shape because my uncle is good about that kind of stuff.  It is always nice to inheret things (especially guns) without anyone passing away.  I should be getting it this weekend so I will give an update and possibly pics then.

While you didn't mention anything about customizing it in your original post, some others have commented here about converting it to a big bore.  I just wanted to add some comments to that arguement.

I heard a story today about a guy in South Africa who customized a Singer-made 1911 pistol.  He had dovetails cut in the slide for Novak sights and had it chrome plated before he realized the collector value of the pistol.  

The lesson here is: Check out the value of old weapons before you take out the hacksaw and do something foolish.  There probably aren't many 1917s with the value of a Singer pistol, but it might be worth more than a new rifle in the caliber/configuration that you want.  If it's clean and original, somebody out there wants it that way.

Since you're inheriting it, you might also want to learn about its history.  It might have sentimental value worth even more than the collector value to someone in your family.  Maybe it's the rifle your uncle's father took with him to France in 1918?  You should ask some questions.

The 1917s keep going up in price.  I've been looking for a clean one for several years and I've passed up a couple that I wish I had bought.  I've haven't seen much below $350 and some as high as $600 for a real clean gun.  

The 1917 action is one of the strongest ever made. (Which is why they are good for converting to big bores.)  I went to the range with a friend who himself had just inherited an original 1917 and a Marlin lever action chambered for .35 Remington.  After firing five or six shots, I heard him cuss and moan because he couldn't get the 1917 to print on the target at 50 yards.  I walked over to his bench to see if I could help him zero his rifle.  That's when I noticed he had a box of .35 Rem out and open on the bench.   He had managed to chamber and fire 5 or 6 rounds of .35 Rem through that 1917.  It was no wonder he couldn't hit the target at 50 yards.  After handing him the right ammo and steping back away from his bench he started putting 30-06 rounds into the center of the target.  Moving back to 100 yards, he was printing 3" groups.  I can't imagine what kind of chamber pressures were developed by shoving a .35 bullet down that .308 diameter bore, but I was impressed that there was no apparent damage to the rifle.

Good luck with your rifle.  It's a damn fine weapon.

sarco or numrich has cock on opening conversions in the last shotgun news i looked at, (jan 10, i think) for around $25

i put a similar unit in my winchester 15yrs or so ago,
easy conversion, just replace the striker assy,
(IIRC, been a long time!)
just keep the old part incase you want to change it back