M 1917 US 30-06 Rifle

Alfonso

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
53   0   0
Location
Okanagan
What is your opinion on the M1917 US rifle? Does it shoot well? Was it well made? Is it fun to shoot? Should I include one in my WWII surplus collection? How much should I pay for one?

Thanks
 
I would probably get one for a WW1 collection as it is was the principle rifle issued to American troops during WW1.

Based off the P14 which in itself is a hybrid of the Enfield and Mauser actions. I have never shot one before so I can't comment on that. I believe P17s are more common than their P14 cousins so price may reflect that.
 
What is your opinion on the M1917 US rifle? Does it shoot well? Was it well made? Is it fun to shoot? Should I include one in my WWII surplus collection? How much should I pay for one?

Thanks

A massively strong rifle built 1917-1919 by Winchester, Remington, and Eddystone. They are very well made and have provided the basis for many custom rifles chambering magnum rounds. Accuracy and price are largely determined by condition. One in VG condition should be in the $400-$600 range.
 
Medal of Honour winner Alvin York used one in WW1 and never kept the rifle. Someone has it and doesn't know it.
 
Without doubt the best rifle of the First World War, possibly barring the SMLE. This all depends on your definitions, though.

Rugged, rough, reliable, massively strong, excellent sights, this is the rifle the Americans are still trying to forget. A British design based on a German original, this rifle armed two-thirds of all American troops to see combat in the Great War.

After the war, it was the origin of the Remington Model 30, which started Remington to building modern bolt rifles. This makes it the origin of all Remington bolt rifle development since the Model 30. It also was the inspiration (with little change) for the Winchester Model 54, which is a slightly-remodelled M-1917. The pre-'64 Model 70 is a slightly- redesigned 54! This makes the 1917 the direct ancestor of ALL American-produced bolt action rifles since World War One.

During the Second World War, they were used extensively as training and guard rifles in the USA, Canada, Great Britain. As the original P-14 and as the M-1917 both, they continued in field service as sniping rifles when more modern equipment was not available ..... or perhaps not wanted. They can be superbly accurate and it is NOT a lot of work to get 1 MOA out of most of them..... if you can shoot and are careful.

They have exactly ONE failure point: the ejector spring. When one of these goes, the best solution is to install a new spring made from half of a ballpoint-pen spring. This (coil-spring) will last just about forever.
.
 
I've had a couple sportered M1917 .30-06 rifles both were great shooters.

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
My full wood p17 is incredibly accurate, with proper loads.
A very collectible gun as well. Depending on the variation you could pay as much for a bayonet as for the gun, bright finish blade $300, Scabbard with the metal frog (Krag bayonet scabbard style) will run about $200. The slings used in WW1 are basic, though there is a variant called the Kerr sling which came in two different lengths in WW1. Forget about trying to locate a WW1 action cover...it took me 10 years of active searching to locate one, the fellow had two...he sold me one and kept the 37th Division unit marked one.
They are an awesome gun with very strong action...if you can find one with a really good bore and full military wood...BUY IT!!!!!
 
I own a Remington M1917 in 30-06. It's barrel looks well used, but works great and the serial is in the early 200,000s. I haven't shot it enough to say how the accuracy is, but the main reason I even own it is as a WWI piece. Honestly though the rifle feels like a big heavy workhorse, and I'd trust it's reliability. I don't have enough experience with it to back it up however...

It's got a long bolt pull but it's also #### on close, so if your used to Enfield bolts that'll make things easier. Doesn't hurt to be accustomed to a Mauser as well since the rifle is basically a mix between the two. There's a few other companies than Remington that make the M1917 as well. Hope this helps your decision. Whatever it'll be.
 
Keep in mind that the Home Guard was issued M1917's in WW2. The P14 went to the regular army. Since the Home Guard wasn't going anywhere, supplying them with 30-06 ammo was not a problem. The RCAF also had M1917's for airfield defence. I have one of those.

Have to laugh at the conversion kits to make them #### on opening, Guess where the greatst leverage is, opening the bolt or shoving it forward.
 
What is your opinion on the M1917 US rifle? Does it shoot well? Was it well made? Is it fun to shoot? Should I include one in my WWII surplus collection? How much should I pay for one?

Get one. Lots of good advice here so far. Again, prices will vary but most good examples go for between $450 and $550, any more than that and it will have to be in exceptional shape for me to buy. I'll second Smellie's point about the ejector spring, it's not so much a spring as it is a bent piece of metal that easily loses tension over time. Good enough for a cheap and replaceable part, but you should get a spare, or better yet, an aftermarket piece with an actual coil spring installed.

Get a slip on recoil pad if you plan on shooting more than a few rounds at a time. After a session of 150 rounds or more, you will be glad you did.
 
Back
Top Bottom