Sporter 1917

[milsurp mike]

I just bought a Sporter 1917 and got it Yesterday and i'm new to 1917's.Can I load this rifle as a new 30-06 or should i download them a bit?The bore is as Pretty as my Browning A Boltin 30-06 which I already load for.The horns have been machined off and it is Tapped and Drilled and has a scope mounted on it.Where can I get a real nice sporter stock for it in a Left Hand model?Thx for the Help.Mike

[TNsailorman]

I think you will find that the 1917 is plenty strong for about any 30-06 load that fall within the SAAMI maximum. Certainly any load that would be listed in the major reloading manuals. You might want to get the headspace checked to make sure it us within industry limits. I have owned several 1917's in sporter form and they all seemed to like a Speer 150 grain JSP bullet, 57.5 grains of IMR 4350 powder, a Federal 210 primer, and R-P or LC cases. That has always been an accurate load for all the 30-06's regardless of make that I have I owned/still own. On the stock, the last 2 1917's I stocked were done so using the Boyd's JRS sporter stock but they were right handed. I always glassbed them with a full floating barrel. I don't know about left handed from Boyd's. as I am right handed. I wish I still had all the 1917's I once had, but alas, I have always had a bad habit of getting something to shoot good and then selling it to try something else. I guess I'm just one of those people who are constantly chasing the "perfect" rifle and don't recognize a "great one" when it is sitting right in their hands. By the way, at one time there was a lot of good info on the CMP site about the 1917. James

[Hardcast416taylor]

Just a quick heads-up. Check to be sure that when the ears were removed and the rear of the action was drilled and tapped for a scope mount that the ring height is the same with the front. A friend found out the hard way that his `17 wasn`t equal in height and after only 100 rounds or so wrecked his Weaver scope by torquing it when the rifle fired. He got shims from Brownells and a new scope and the problem went away.Robert

[44fanatic]

I have a model 1917 that has basically had the barrel cut down a bit and some work to the stock (want to do some more work to it once the time and money permits)...had no problems w/ factory ammo going down the barrel.

[atr]

I have a 1917 in 30-06 and it has always handled max loads without a problem....
for maximum jacket bullets I generally use IMR 4350 with good results...
I have not tried any 110gr or 120 gr bullets in this rifle, but it handles everything from 150gr to 220 with no problem and with good accuracy

[milsurp mike]

Thanks guy's i will try it tomorrow at the Range with my 180 gr. Balistic tips and see how she does.According to the Fellow i got it from it's headspace is dead on.I have dealt with him in the past and he is Honest.Anyhow I still want to put a nice Stock on it if anyone know of one for Sale.THX again Mike

[Multigunner]

I just bought a Sporter 1917 and got it Yesterday and i'm new to 1917's.Can I load this rifle as a new 30-06 or should i download them a bit?The bore is as Pretty as my Browning A Boltin 30-06 which I already load for.The horns have been machined off and it is Tapped and Drilled and has a scope mounted on it.Where can I get a real nice sporter stock for it in a Left Hand model?Thx for the Help.Mike

Thats agood find, a pre sporterized M1917 takes away any hesitations and regrets about sporterizing one yourself.

Many times if a M1917 doesn't shoot modern loads well they will shoot loads that duplicate the original .30/06 government load with great accuracy, 150 gr bullet at 2,700 fps.

Townsend Whelen wrote that many of these rifles had .310 bores, but others of the same general level of expertise say they never ran across an oversized bore, so the .310 bore must be very rare.

Whelen found .310 bores were still highly accurate, and deeper grooves give longer bore life anyway.

Near as I can tell from my experiance with the .303 Enfields a ten inch twist will handle any bullet weight within reason. You just have to hit on the right load.

Two Lee Enfield shooters I know well are lefties, the low comb of the military stofck and rear ward bolt knob position seem to make left handed manipulation a lot easier.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I have several M17s and one P14 (I have owned a lot of P14s in the past). A couple of Remingtons and the rest Eddystones. I'm still hanging out for a Winchester. Two are original milsup M17s (Remingtons), one is an original P14 fat boy (Eddystone) a few are target rifles in 308 and one is a sporter described below

I load pretty healthy loads in mine and have fired a lot of milsup as well.

You will find them converted to all sorts of things, including elephant and buffalo cartridges.

I have one sporterised one which belonged to an olg guy, who bought it in the late 50s, put an after market stock on it and used it as his only centrefire hunting rifle until retiring from hunting because he was just too old to go afield a few years ago. He loaded 150gn jacketed bullets and his load was a couple of grains heavier than mine (and mine wern't shy either), so they will handle a diet of hot loads. The rifling is plumb shot away after approximately 50years of shooting deer, pigs and goats and a couple of buffalos and crocidiles. It is a reasoonable looking rifle and carries a 4x scope in Weaver mounts.

The cost of rebarrling it is probably as much as buying a new rifle. I feel that I should keep the old girl alive though. The rifle is too heavy for a 30-06 and the stock is too tight in the wrist for a big boomer. No doubt one day I will be cashed up and splash out on a new barrel for it.

I feel though if hotrodding the 3006 in the M17 is your aim, you are on the wrong track and need to upgrade to a 300Win Mag in one of the new, cheap (but good) rifles that abound nowadays, such as the Marlin, Savage, Stevens, Mossberg, etc).


These rifle are like Chinese food, shortly after you get one you feel like more!

Let us know how it goes.

[Three44s]

Sage advice:


"These rifle are like Chinese food, shortly after you get one you feel like more!"

I own exactly one (a sporterized one at that) ........ and I get all misty eyed about finding another good deal on one!

Spot on FourFingers ......... !


Three 44s

[milsurp mike]

Took it to the range this morning and fired Greek 30-06 and 180 gr. ballistic tips and it shot fine.I'm not trying to hot rod this rifle I was just making sure it the actions are strong enough to handle commercial temperature loads since this is the first p 17 i have ever shot or owned.I collect Mosin Nagants and I am not familiar with these Rifles.Thx again Mike

[Four Fingers of Death]

I'm glad it worked out for you. These are big ol' gals and plain to boot, but generally good shooters.