Hello fine folk, I was wondering if you guys had any advice for acquiring a stock to restore a M1917? I've heard mixed reviews about prestigious wood stocks and their M1917 is significantly more expensive than the P14 stock.
Any advice would be appreciated
Hello, Peachy - it has been a hobby of mine for a few years to play with the M1917 and the similar P14. I would suggest that you decide what you want - there was three factories in USA in WWI - Remington, Eddystone, Winchester - not all their parts were 100% drop in replacements for each other. Every part (except screws and coil springs) "should" have been stamped by the maker - "E", "R" or "W" - a P14 has full six digit serial number in four places, the M1917 has six digit serial number in two places. The M1917 should also have an eagle head inspection mark on each "stamped" part. That I know of, there were TWO versions of the P14 - a Mark 1 and a Mark 1* version - different bolt faces, different barrel faces - but that I know of there was only one version of M1917, although each of those rifles was made by three separate factories. But there is decently documented instances were both the maker stamp and the inspection stamp were "missed" - I am not sure if that was for hours or for days - is many parts here that have NO stamps on them - in many cases is no way that I can tell if they are a P14 part or an M1917 part. There are circa 80 parts in those rifles. Both versions underwent "re-build" programs at the onset of WWII - so you might have various assemblies. Some people want it to "work" and do not care about details like maker's marks. Some want it to "look" a certain way. And some of us would like it assembled as it emerged from the factory - before the various militaries got them. Not likely the only reference available, but I have been relying on a book "Pattern 1914 and U.S. Model of 1917" by Charles R. Stratton (2nd Edition, Revised).
As far as sourcing a stock - my one and only experience with a stock from Prestigious is for a Model 1894 Swede Mauser - not a single cut or milling in that stock is a "drop in" fit to the metal - all has to be scraped, filed or re-drilled to fit - it might have been done like that deliberately. But I also have a number of "pre-used" military stocks that were installed on rifles at one time - most of the time, those are virtually "drop in", although I usually get some epoxy bedding under the front of the action, if I can. There are likely various "old guys" who bought an original mil-surp stock 60 years ago for about nothing - is three or four here that were likely from that - most definitely, they cost more than "peanuts" to buy today, though.
The P14 and the M1917 stocks were not inletted precisely the same - but "close enough" that you will see M1917 rifles with a P14 stock, or the other way around. Mostly, you will see the difference in the fit at the front end of the magazine bottom metal, although there were other markings and stampings - especially on the P14 wood. The various holes drilled into the butt stock - under the metal butt plate - are different M1917 to P14 - was different stuff stowed in there. The M1917 never had volley sights - so the stocks will not have that inletting, but it will have the offset sling swivels, as if it did have volley fire sights on it - I understand that part of the blueprint was never altered. However, a contractor in Scotland made circa 11,000 stocks for Britain for their P14 rifles during WWII - they were NOT inletted for volley sights, either. I still do not know how to visually differentiate between the front hand guard for P14 versus M1917 - the rivet position is usually the "tell" for the rear hand guard, so far as I know.
