P17 Winchester

[DanM]

A friend has offered me a really nice P1917 Winchester. He wanted to know its value, and without seeing it I told him maybe $4-600 depending on condition. Looked at it yesterday and it is on the high end of VG. The metal looks dark parkerized, and all the finish is there. The wood may be refinished, with a shiny varnish, but does not look obviously sanded. There are a few small dings. Bore looks sharp edged but dirty, may be VG-excellent when cleaned, but hard to be sure. What kind of finish should be on the wood? He is not in a hurry to sell, and will hold it for me until I can come up with the $400 he wants. I think I am gonna go for it.....

[MtGun44]

Wood should be a dull oil finish, not shiny varnish. I think $400 for a good bore is not
a bargain, but not bad. If it was me, I'd strip the varnish with chemical stripper and re-oil the stock,
then just leave it alone.

Bill

[doubs43]

The "US Rifle, Model of 1917" is getting hard to find in original decent condition. IMO, $400 for a 1917 Winchester rifle in the condition you describe isn't bad at all. The Winchester rifles always command a premium so you'll be getting the most desirable of the makers.

[azrednek]

I saw an original Winnie 1917 Enfield with bayonet at a pawn shop for 695.00 a couple months ago. I was there about 2 weeks ago and it was gone. I never looked at it close because I thought the price was way out of line but apparently somebody thought it was worth it. I've dickered numerous times at that particular pawn shop and the best they will do is eat the sales tax if one pays cash. Lay-aways no discount and they add a 19.95 service fee for 90days and a little less for 60.

[DanM]

So how well do they shoot cast? If it shoots as well as my Enfield I will be happy. Oh yeah, it comes with the bayonette, but no sling. What sling would be correct?

[Adk Mike]

They shoot great ! Mine is a Remington . I shoot 180 grain cast GB 311041 sized to .311. I use 13 of Unique. No recoil and very acurate. Mike

[madsenshooter]

SARCO sells a replica of the sling used on the 1917s. They're very good quality leather. They're longer than the 1907 slings used on the Springfields and Krags, brass hooks, and marked Hoyt, 1917. Might have to give them a call, I don't see them on their website. When I got mine they were selling on ebay under the name of Ocras. I found out they were longer because I bought one to use on my Krag. I'd have had to take it down some to get it to draw up. Luckily, the added length works good on my K31 though. There's also these replicas of the Kerr sling sold on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/Long-WWI-Kerr-N0-Buckl-Sling-M1917-Enfield-/230596404590?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b09de56e

[Buckshot]

.............If the barrel is in any kind of shape they generally shoot very well. With the barrel having 5 lands and grooves, and with them being equal width they shoot bore riders well. Due to the width of the lands the bore tends to be 'Tighter' then a barrel with Mauser or Springfield type rifling, ie: 4 narrow lands representing I believe 1/5th the bore circumfence. The M1917's lands are 1/2 the barrel circumfrence.

http://www.fototime.com/36BEAF825B756E0/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/25E47382292E8CD/standard.jpghttp://www.fototime.com/F5226DB777ABAE7/standard.jpg

My M1917 has a Remington action and an Eddystone barrel. It has a few other small Eddystone parts mixed in also.

http://www.fototime.com/93DB8DC18E87281/standard.jpg
Group fired at Winnemucca, NV (NCBS). Very first 'For Effect' group fired with new rifle. Load 23.0grs H4198 + Dacron, Lyman 311284. Fired at 50 yards, 1.050". I'd just gotten the rifle not long before and had only fire formed 100 cases, then used my favorite load for my -'03A1 Springfield. It liked it too:grin:

.................Buckshot

[doubs43]

FWIW, Hatcher states flatly that the 1917's had the best battle sights of all rifles used in WW1. The 1917 was issued to US troops in far greater numbers than the 1903. The British P-14's used the same sights as the 1917 - graduated for the .303 cartridge - but were not issued to front line troops that I'm aware of.

[218bee]

$400 is a good price in my opinion.
I guess my old age makes me seem cheap when I say "I remember when....they were cheap" but I have to realize ya just cant buy stuff anymore for same price as 10,20,30yrs ago. So for $400 it sounds like a buy to me. They aint gonna get any cheaper.

[Multigunner]

The Winchester built P-14 was considered the most accurate of the breed, possibly the most accurate rifle of WW1, and when fitted with a fine adjustable sight was intended for sniper work. I don't know for sure of any significant number going to the front, but Hesketh Pritchard wrote a good deal about it in his book "Sniping in France", and it was available as a sharpshooter rifle.
After WW1 many degraded in storage and were sold off. A few were converted into scoped sniper rifles and used in the early stages of WW2 until the No.4 (T) was developed, and for some time afterwards.

I would expect the Winchester M1917 would be a very fine rifle to own.

[DanM]

Thanks guys, I saw my friend again this morning, and he has no problem holding the rifle for me. He even asked if $400 was too much! Will post pictures after we do the deal....

[doubs43]

Dan, possibly the best book on your rifle is by Ian Skennerton and titled "The U.S. Enfield". Be forewarned though; if you're lucky enough to find a copy, it won't be cheap. I just searched Abe Books and the best price was from England; about $85 including shipping to the US. Then it gets really silly with one reaching nearly $200.