1917 Eddystone Rebuild?

[nksmfamjp]

Love this thread... if I ever see the 1917 that my dad sporterized, I'll have to do something cool with it. I'm thinking 9.3x62. Great medium bore round on a great rifle!

What do people do for triggers on these

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

I've done a lot of 1917 1914 customs. If you have an original action, there's collector value there today. New m1917 barrels can be had from criterion or I know there's another parts company out there now selling 17 barrels, but they need an extractor cut and all need headspacing.

A new stock is a different story. Originals are expensive and I'm not sure who's making repost today. If you can find the parts including stock hardware, it'll probably cost $5-600 to get it back to original.

Send me the action and $1,000, and you'll have a really nice sporter action to barrel and stock yet. I have not cut up an original untouched action in years. You can find actions that already have some of this work done. Sometimes the whole rifle for $2-300. Cheaper to start there than with an original.

There's more work to them than just making them look nice and removing metal.
-feeding
-new cocking piece
- new helix on bolt for cocking piece.
-new main spring
-milling and finishing outside
-straighteneing bolt handle
-straightening floor plate
-narrowing trigger loop
-squaring front ring
-filling rear hole if needed
-removing stripper clip guides
- modifying extractor to clip over cases
-polishing feed ramp
- shortening mag box
- lightening firing pin
-drill and tap for scope bases
- shave safety lever
-bending bolt stop spring
-lapping lugs (can't be true on lathe due to angle)
-lapping raceway.
-modifying follower to allow bolt close on empty
-new action screws and fitting
-timing new trigger and cocking piece.
-setting firing pin protrusion after new cocking piece installed.
-polish and reblue.

You can skip a few steps, but you won't end up with a top notch action. My actions are really slick and pretty easy bolt cycling.

Eddystone actions are plenty strong. A tad bit harder so people with big hammers tended to crack them much more often when trying to improperly remove the barrels. I've built magnums on eddystones with no issues. Use the proper tools to remove the barrel and you are fine. If I had a choice of which manufacture to use would be Win, Rem, then eddystone. Wins tend to slocken up easier, and Rems tend to not have the rear hole milled out although I have them all manufacturers without holes.

 

[clacka6mm]

my 6.5 06 is on a REM 1917 still COC and all sporterized stock to ears etc. i am either opening the bolt and doing something VERY intertaining in an unbelted 5.32 bolt face OR doing an RPM based wild cat for it in the std face cause the 6.5 barrel is TO SHORT TO slow and really isnt designed for my southpaw on the stock.... ( RH monte carlo )
so it needs a LH monte or something fun there too... BUT i see ZERO reason to convert to COO its 103 yrs old ( 4 didget SN ) and it WORKS FLAWLESS

 

[Doc Mach]

Of the 3 versions of Enfield actions, Remington, Winchester, and the Eddystone, the Eddystone was known to be the weakest and less desirable to build from.
First off in original issue state they cocked when closing the bolt which needs changing.
My father had an Eddystone modified at Sedgley in Philly in the late 40s, chambered in 06.
Never had any issues with it, but it isnt advisable to use them for the larger cartridges as they were known to have lug set back issues. On the other hand quite a few of the Rem and Win actions have been used for the larger cartridges.

My recollection is that Hatchers Notebook has the production numbers of Eddystone receivers with inadequate heat treatment and a poor choice for rechambering.

 

[shortgrass]

My recollection is that Hatchers Notebook has the production numbers of Eddystone receivers with inadequate heat treatment and a poor choice for rechambering.

Maybe look again, but I have a copy of "Hatchers' Notebook" here, and the only 'list' I find is production numbers per month, and then total production per manufacturer. More ERA produced than either Winchester or at the Remington Ilion plant.

 

[Apex Custom Rifles]

I browsed it the other day looking for some specific info on M1917's and don't recall reading about poor heat treatment on eddystones. 03's on the other hand......

 

[lyle2231]

Depends on many factors. My father was gifted a nicely sporterized action by his uncle when he was young and never got around to building on it, but the action was squared away and good to go. Later in life, a buddy traded him a nice Douglas 35 cal barrel chambered in 35 Whelen AI off of another rifle that had around 100 rounds through, for a knife my father made. A couple years later, he had a good smith that worked for weatherby for a long time and knew his way around these rifles, by the name of Franz Bryner, set back the threads and rechamber it for this action. Then, some 6 or 8 years later, my brother in law and myself went in on a nice Richards Microfit stock for it, and I put in the elbow grease to finish it for him and surprise him with it for a christmas gift.

It is a very nice rifle, as well as sentimental rifle, and all he has into it is a knife he made, around $200 gunsmith fee to install the barrel, and my bro in law and myself have around $200 into the stock, plus my time finishing it. They certainly can make a fine classic rifle, but may or may not be worth the effort, that is for you to decide. View attachment 200385View attachment 200386View attachment 200387View attachment 200391

Beautiful work!

 

[pacowboy]

Per my serial number, mine must have been made later because it is not in any of the lists I can find.