1917 Enfield in .30-06

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matthunt101

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I have the opportunity to buy a 1917 US manufacture Enfield in .30-06, and I am wondering how much the rifle is actually worth. I don't have any pictures unfortunately, but I know that it has been sporterized, and overall condition is 7 out of 10. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again.
:cheers:
 
matthunt101 said:
I have the opportunity to buy a 1917 US manufacture Enfield in .30-06, and I am wondering how much the rifle is actually worth. I don't have any pictures unfortunately, but I know that it has been sporterized, and overall condition is 7 out of 10. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again.
:cheers:
Click to expand...

Sporterizing mean a $150 rifle. If the sights are intacts, and barrel not shortened, the rifle can be restored to military configuration with time to source all the needed parts.

Joce
 
yah i tend to agree, as long as bubba hasn't butchered the rifle to bad it can be restored... i wouldn't spend more then $200 max!!...and thats being generous. get lots of pictures if possible before you commit to anything.
 
Ask seller to throw some light down the bore and take some pics. Pics of the the action with the bolt removed would help you as well. Based on the pic provided i would say you might need to give it a new coat of blueing but that is not a huge surprise as the gun is damn old. Keep eye out for rust in action and in bore, last thing you want is to spend $150 -$200 bucks on a piece of junk.
 
Ok, lets get real here. Restoring one of these old war horses to military correct garb is not cheap. IMHO you can buy a complete rifle in VG to Excellent condition for around $500. If that rifle has a perfect bore it is worth around $150, no more. If the exterior is excellent as well, $200 at most.

It would only be worth restoring if the rifle is in close to Excellent condition.

Many here wail and wring their hands at such a prognosis but reality has to kick in somewhere.

If you have the time and patience, parts are available out of the US or maybe from a CGNer. You will not be able to walk into most gunshops and find them.

By the time you pay shipping/brokerage/different money rate etc the rifle will cost you close to $750C to put together in its original glory and that is only if you do the work. If you have to hire it out, maybe twice that much. Decent surplus take off stocks are getting very difficult to find. Boyds makes a new replacement stock, or at least they did. Of course, if you are a purist there are no history stamps on these but they are very pretty when sanded/fitted/oiled up.

Your choice.

If you decide to leave it as is, they make fine hunting rifles albeit a bit heavy and often, if the bore is excellent are very accurate with select ammunition.

I am in the process of restoring two of them right now. It has taken me over 5 years to source acceptable stocks and metal bits. Take this into account before you decide to purchase this rifle.

There is almost zero surplus 30-06 ammo available in Canada. The stuff in the US is often unreliable but good to pull apart for components. It isn't available for export as far as I know. There are ways around this but if you get caught the consequences are not desirable.

Milsurps are great. I have had an ongoing love affair going with many various types and models for close to 50 years. Like restoring old cars, it is a labor of love. If you decide to sell and break even on the transaction lady luck is smiling on you.
 
bearhunter said:
Ok, lets get real here.

...

By the time you pay shipping/brokerage/different money rate etc the rifle will cost you close to $750C to put together in its original glory and that is only if you do the work. If you have to hire it out, maybe twice that much. Decent surplus take off stocks are getting very difficult to find. Boyds makes a new replacement stock, or at least they did. Of course, if you are a purist there are no history stamps on these but they are very pretty when sanded/fitted/oiled up.

...
Click to expand...

100% truth. Parts come from three sources - takeoffs, never-installed-spares and reproductions. For rifles made a hundred years ago it is false hope to find a treasure trove of gun parts lying there just waiting for YOU to discover them. At a certain point, the owner has to get his money out of inventory. I suggest you find a complete rifle and pay the price the seller asks. Strip the sporterized rifle for parts to sell into the rebuilders' market.
 
Maybe I missed it, what manufacturer as Winchester, Remington and Eddystone made the rifle. Winchester was considered the top end and Eddystone the low end of the scale. Mine is a Full config Remington and shoots great. Some of them have been around the world and back. Mine spent sometime in Greenland and was appafrently picked for its accuracy.

http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1020212-m1917-question
 
bearhunter said:
Ok, lets get real here. Restoring one of these old war horses to military correct garb is not cheap. IMHO you can buy a complete rifle in VG to Excellent condition for around $500. If that rifle has a perfect bore it is worth around $150, no more. If the exterior is excellent as well, $200 at most.

It would only be worth restoring if the rifle is in close to Excellent condition.

Many here wail and wring their hands at such a prognosis but reality has to kick in somewhere.

If you have the time and patience, parts are available out of the US or maybe from a CGNer. You will not be able to walk into most gunshops and find them.

By the time you pay shipping/brokerage/different money rate etc the rifle will cost you close to $750C to put together in its original glory and that is only if you do the work. If you have to hire it out, maybe twice that much. Decent surplus take off stocks are getting very difficult to find. Boyds makes a new replacement stock, or at least they did. Of course, if you are a purist there are no history stamps on these but they are very pretty when sanded/fitted/oiled up.

Your choice.

If you decide to leave it as is, they make fine hunting rifles albeit a bit heavy and often, if the bore is excellent are very accurate with select ammunition.

I am in the process of restoring two of them right now. It has taken me over 5 years to source acceptable stocks and metal bits. Take this into account before you decide to purchase this rifle.

There is almost zero surplus 30-06 ammo available in Canada. The stuff in the US is often unreliable but good to pull apart for components. It isn't available for export as far as I know. There are ways around this but if you get caught the consequences are not desirable.

Milsurps are great. I have had an ongoing love affair going with many various types and models for close to 50 years. Like restoring old cars, it is a labor of love. If you decide to sell and break even on the transaction lady luck is smiling on you.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. I think I'll see if I can get it for a decent price, otherwise I won't bother. Doing a full restoration is not something I'm interested in or able to do at this time, but is definitely something I'd consider for the future. I kinda just thought it was a neat piece of history, that would look good added to my slowly growing collection of Milsurp firearms.
Thanks again for all the information and advice.
 
A little more price info for others facing this dilemna. About a year ago I bought an absolutely mint Model1917 (Eddystone) from a very knowledgable collector (in other words, no bargain) for $600.00. It appeared unused but has been verified as original and its bore and all metal surfaces are pristine. At $600.00 I felt I overpayed but the guy was friend- probably could have walked away with it for $500.00. I suspect with patience you could find a good quality, all matching example for $400.00. De-sporterizing one will cost you more and it won't have the inherent value when you go to sell it. Unless the restoration part is what you enjoy, look for an original.

milsurpo
 
A few additional points:


(1) Model 1917 receivers are hard, in that they have a reputation for being less than easy to "drill & tap" for scoping purposes.



(2) "Desporterized" [mix-master] 1917's presently (21/12/2014) easily go for $500 on the E&E.



(3) Commercial .30-06 can be cheaper than commercial .303, thanks to the volume of .30-06 produced by our American friends.


(4) Coming full-circle, the "action" of the Model 1917 is pretty strong indeed.


(5) If you're looking to buy a sporter 1917, try to find one that has had good "work" done to it already (i.e. someone bothered to properly drill & tap it, etc.). It's cheaper to buy a sporter with the work done to it, than to buy and pay for further work yourself.


(6) Remember recoil. Depending on how poorly a 1903 or 1917 is sporterized, the .30-06 cartridge could potentially land-up being a punishing recoil experience.
 
That a brake I see? Reduces the value significantly if it is.
'Mint' means unfired and exactly as it came out of the factory.
 
Look closer: appears NOT to be a Brake, but something UNDER the barrel. Blow the pic and check: you can see the front sight, ears and muzzle.

Good point: you can scope these critters with a no-gunsmithing scope. I prefer the S&K because it is rock-solid.

S&K mount will cost you roughly 100 clams BUT saves you an $80 drill-and-tap job plus weaver mounts or whatever. As well, the original rifle is NOT damaged, can be put back to milspec by removing the mount and replacing the rear sight.

These rifles are American-made but they have 5-groove Enfield rifling in them. Use them with FLATBASE bullets for best accuracy. Think of it as "5R" except that it is left-handed! With a bit of care, the barrel will outlast YOU! If you like cheap ammo, the Harris Load presents almost ZERO barrel wear, costs 12 cents a shot and is good out to 300. Mild recoil, too.

Are they any good? I have 3 here that will go 1-MOA or very close, any time you want to try them.
 
i dont think you are going to find these around with a prestine bore matching barrel ,receiver and rear site for 150 if you do then good find and great rifles as smellie can attest to
 
I found one (a P14 303) under the bunk of a herring packer I was on one season.

Could have kept it but I left it on the boat at the end of the season.
 
The ammo it shot was always corrosive. It only takes one occasion for it to not be cleaned properly and the barrel would rust. I have seen a lot of these rifles with poor barrels. Take a look at the inside before buying. A poor barrel is a deal breaker.
 
smellie said:
Look closer: appears NOT to be a Brake, but something UNDER the barrel. Blow the pic and check: you can see the front sight, ears and muzzle.

Good point: you can scope these critters with a no-gunsmithing scope. I prefer the S&K because it is rock-solid.

S&K mount will cost you roughly 100 clams BUT saves you an $80 drill-and-tap job plus weaver mounts or whatever. As well, the original rifle is NOT damaged, can be put back to milspec by removing the mount and replacing the rear sight.

These rifles are American-made but they have 5-groove Enfield rifling in them. Use them with FLATBASE bullets for best accuracy. Think of it as "5R" except that it is left-handed! With a bit of care, the barrel will outlast YOU! If you like cheap ammo, the Harris Load presents almost ZERO barrel wear, costs 12 cents a shot and is good out to 300. Mild recoil, too.

Are they any good? I have 3 here that will go 1-MOA or very close, any time you want to try them.
Click to expand...


I should have remembered that, seeing as how I just ordered a no-gunsmithing mount for my own 1917 just a couple of months ago.


Sigh, the job is beginning to get to me...
 
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