M1917/P-17 break in new barrel?

[arlon]

I just acquired a P-17 for cheap that has what appears to be a new and unfired barrel on it. This is a 1-12 barrel marked P. Findley. Maybe a Douglas barrel? I'd like to get this thing running for cast bullets and just curious how you would break in a barrel like this? Break in with jacketed bullets? Run it the way I plan to shoot it?

Will the 1-12 twist be enough for lower velocity 200gr cast? Only 30cal mould I have right now is 311291 but might like something a little heavier in the future.

Rifle is set as a single shot at the moment. I don't think the stock is tall enough to fit the factory magazine box. Single shot is ok by be for it's intended purpose. Also needs a safety if anyone has a spare M 1917 safety laying around for sale..

[RustyReel]

Can't answer your questions, but that a NICE lookin rifle.

[gnoahhh]

Just shoot it. I have new Criterion barrels installed on a couple of U.S. milsurps I have sworn to only shoot cast through (Krag sporter and M1903A1) and I simply started shooting them with no break-in with jacketed bullets, lapping, polishing, or any other alchemy- and they perform just fine.

1-12" twist should be fine for your purposes. May not be too good for heavier than 200 grains, but there's one sure-fire way to find out!

[Char-Gar]

You have a fine rifle. R. Findley was a Houston gunsmith in days gone by. The rifle as made up as a target rifle and should be good at that job. The "standard" 1-10 barrel for the 30-06 was a hold over from the Krag rifle and it's long heavy bullets. In all truth a 1-12 twist in a better all around twist and will allow high velocity with accuracy from most weight 30 caliber cast bullets. It will give you no trouble with 200 grain cast bullets.

It could be a Douglas, Hart, Shilen or any of the other barrel makers of the time. You can rest assured that Mr. Findley did not use a bad barrel blank on his rifles.

If it were my rifle, I would just load and shoot cast bullets and forget about any break-in. If less that acceptable accuracy is found, it it not too late to do the break end.

You have an excellent rifle. Good find!!

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Numrich have the safety, cunningly classified under US military, at $6.85.

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/USMilitary-33541/Rifles-42386/Enfield1917-40098/PartsList-36103.htm?page=2

You're wise not to replace with a trigger safety, since it is one of the best safeties on any firearm. It may need some hand fitting, especially if it was made by a different one of the three factories, Remington, Eddystone and Winchester. I replaced the trigger and cocking-piece with the Dayton Traister cock-on-opening conversion - not so much to eliminate cock-on-closing as for the faster lock time. I found that the original safety wouldn't engage with the little hook-shaped slot in the new cocking-piece, so I used a diamond burr to remove a little metal from the edge of the slot, so tiny that I still get goose-pimples thinking about it.

I got the safety to engage and disengage totally silently, instead of the very low click the original made, and it still lifted the cocking-piece the tiny amount off the sear which is essential for safety. If it is the other way around, pulling the trigger will deposit the cocking-piece on the safety, ready to go off whenever the safety is disengaged. People do talk.

There. Don't let anybody tell you the Dremel is good for nothing.

That stock,, an extremely nice one, doesn't look overly shallow. A lot of people think the separate sheet metal magazine box is less elegant than a one-piece bottom metal. But it is easy to trim the box to your depth of stock, and chance how many cartridges that will accommodate.

[bouncer50]

Breaking in a barrel. I you first shoot JB you may get some copper fouling that need to be clean out before you shoot cast bullets. Like breaking in a car motor ??

[CHeatermk3]

Run a tight-fitting patch thru the bore--if it feels smooth, you're good to go. Barrel "break in" may be necessary for a (comparatively) rough finished bore,( as on a mass-produced firearm) but a nice custom barrel from one of the better makers will not require "break-in" to be plenty smooth.

[tomme boy]

On a new custom barrel, you are not breaking in the barrel. You are actually breaking in the throat.

[Multigunner]

In extensive testing using cast boolits it was found that the slicker the bore was finished the greater the drag on the boolit and lower the velocity. Best results were from bores lightly pitted by many years of use. Globules of bullet lubricants gathered in pits and imperfections acting like tiny ball bearings under pressure.

[arlon]

Well, then I think I'll just shoot the thing and not worry about it. I may try a few match Kings just see what they do but for the most part this is just planned to be a cast bullet shooter. It will be 1 of 2 rifles I own that will have a scope on it. Now I need to find a nice old Weaver K-8 to put on it. My other scoped gun is a Danish Krag rechambered to 45-70 set up with a forward LER scope scout style. Now that is one quirky rifle! (-:}

Thanks for the answers. Much appreciated.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

I think all you have to do to break in a good commercial barrel is to use it normally, but not in a way that gets it very hot. Then to get the best use of it after the breakin, all you have to do is use it normally, but not in a way that gets it very hot.

[arlon]

Luck day. I got the complete safety assy. off the auction site. When it gets here, the safety is polished and blued, not parkerized! I may be the only guy in the world needing a blued blued rather than parkerized safety. And an Eddystone part.. Maybe I should get a lottery ticket tonight. (-:}

[TNsailorman]

I know why the military parkerized the rebuilt 1903's, and Model 1917's but I liked the blue much better. I have never been a big fan of Parkerizing. I have owned at least 5 of the 17's over the years and never had one that wouldn't shoot well. I also had a Remington 30R(Remington's civilian version o f the 17) which was my all time favorite 30-06. My grandson has it now. I think the 17/30/720 safety was the best one ever put on a bolt gun. james

[arlon]

I love the old blue guns. Don't see many of them. Seems everything got rebuilt and parked at some point. I have gotten a few small parts from time to time to complete rifles and this is the first time I got a blued part. They are always parked it seems. Almost always.

[arlon]

Got the complete magazine box in. Took a little fiddling and trimming the box a bit but it now has more than a styrofoam block for a magazine. Now I need to find that old Weaver K10 or K8 or something similar.. Glass is going to end up costing me more than the gun unless I use one of the old 3x9 scopes I already have.. I think it deserves more than an old 3x9 Simmons scope though. I'll have this one at the range pretty soon I think.

[Multigunner]

I just remembered a story posted by a member of another board about an experience when he was in a marksman unit of some sort, USMC IIRC. They were using magnum caliber long range rifles and a new shipment came in. An armorer read the instructions that said the barrels required a sixty round break in period before they delivered match grade accuracy. He misunderstood and took the rifles out and fired sixty rounds through each as fast as he could work the bolts and reload. That many hot loaded magnum rounds fired that quickly ate up the throats enough that all those rifles were sent back to be re barreled before they could be used effectively in competition.

[arlon]

Finally getting it closer for the break in to have meaning. I found a nice Weaver K-10 with target reticle for the old Model 1917. The old Weaver looks like it belongs there. Have some cast reloads, have optics, need time to sight in.. Maybe early next week I can go give it a test run.

[Blanket]

I would clean the heck out of it then start on cast

[Teddy (punchie)]

nice looking rifle just about ready to play.

[arlon]

It is turning out to be a decent shooter. I did shoot some factory Federal Match ammo in it just to see what it might do. Only cast so far has been the little Lee 309-113-rf bullet with 10 grains of red dot (no fillers) in LC match brass. Awesome little plinker load. I'm sure I'll find some better accuracy loads. Got some old molds back that I had loaned out a few years ago so have much more variety available now.

10 shot group at 50 yards (200 yd zero for the Federal Match ammo).

[woodbutcher]

:) Hi Arlon.Very nice sir.Keep us posted as you are able.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[guicksylver]

That gun is so pretty and the 1-12 twist is such a winner with cast that IMHO it would even be worth it to put a Lyman Targetspot on it OR if you could find a Lyman 25X LWBR ( light weight bench rest) scope on it even better..one just sold on e-bay for around $250.00 ..excellent scopes especially with the fine cross hairs and dot.....congrats...Weaver T16's are great too ..oh and....

BTW...has it been change to cock on opening?

[arlon]

BTW...has it been change to cock on opening?

No it hasn't been changed but it does have an awesome Timney trigger in it.

[guicksylver]

No it hasn't been changed but it does have an awesome Timney trigger in it.

A-H-H...well it sounds like you got taken...when you get bored with it I'll take it off your hands for what you've got into it..:mrgreen:

[arlon]

A-H-H...well it sounds like you got taken...when you get bored with it I'll take it off your hands for what you've got into it..:mrgreen:

Might want to reconsider that. I'm getting close to having $300 in it with the scope.. (-:}