Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Winchester Enfield 1917 a good sporter?

Ran across a Winchester 1917 Enfield that has been sporterized. Nice looking gun, says that the bottom metal has been straightened....I assume this means that the "hump" on the bottom of the magazine has been flattened out...is that correct? Also has a Timney trigger installed and a new barrel.

Its a heavy gun but thats ok since it will be used exclusively for stand hunting, just wondering if these make good sporterized actions as the other 98 Mauser's do and if there's anything peculiar about it I should know about?

I did see a post somewhere that the action screws are really weird on these actions....is it likely that the orignial screws have been replaced on this gun or unlikely? Should they be? Etc, etc, etc

I respect most of the opinions expressed on here!

Thx,
Chris

Does it still have the dogleg bolt handle? Ears only the receiver?

These are great guns, particularly for building long magnums. The receiver is long enough for the 375 H&H and is the basis of the A Square Hannibal rifle IIRC

Yes, still had the dogleg.....don't understand "Ears only the receiver"?

Also, I see "IIRC", but don't know what it means.....thx!

Chris

IIRC=if i remember correctly

as for the ears, he means have the rear sight protectors been ground off or are they still there. i like the P17 action, prolly because i love its safety so much. they make for a heavy 30-06 though but you know that. ive had two of them and still have the one but its a remington made one and its been built into a 338-06. never had a Winchester but rumor has it they are supposed to be on average the most accurate of the 3 places that built them. main problem with P-17's is the ones made at Eddystone have their barrels screwed on VERY tight and if precautions arent taken your likely to crack the reciever unscrewing the original barrel

The 1917 Enfield is an excellent action. They are very heavy actions, but they�re hell for stout and you�ll have a hard time killing one in several lifetimes.

Any problem with it being cock on down?

What's involved in changing it to the more traditional cock on up? I know there are kits out there to do, but is it something I can do my self or does it need to be done by a smith?

Thx,
Chris

ive never veiwed it as enough of a problem to have one converted but i was always after a hunting rifle and have never had an issue with cock on closing, infact the only time i ever notice a difference is when slowly moving the bolt which doesnt usually happen in hunting conditions, i could see where it would be a pain with a target rifle or possibly a stand rifle like your planning. last i was quoted at having it changed by a smith was in the $60ish range IIRC

I purchased an Enfield P-14 (essentially the same as a 1917) Drill Purpose rifle for $75.00 and shipped it to Les Bauska for a new .450 Marlin barrel. Added a Pacific peep rear sight, and then had the metal blued and put in a walnut stock. Added a Timney trigger and a new floorplate and ended up with one fine big bore thumper! I have two more Enfields squirreled away for future projects. Get them while they are still cheap if you can.

The fun of guns is getting something and then seeing what happens. If you don't pay a lot and it functions then you know what your going to get going in. I had a P 17 sporter for my first real big game rifle and we did not get that good of a deal price wise. However the rifle was accurate. By the time mine was done it had a new stock and was fully sporterised. It was always too heavy however. Glad it's gone.

Have fun.

Here's a Win. made 1917 Enfield that's been sportarized.

I built two differant 338/06 rifles on those actions....and wish ID never sold them, they were slick/smooth and acurate rifles.
but each time I built one my buddies would start throwing money at me and before I knew it they had new owners.
heavy? yeah! but VERY ACCURATE and dependable and I like the way they soaked up recoil and after pollishing the actions were oiled glass on oiled glass smooth

Before the Winchester 70 appeared in 1936 if you wanted to build a .375H&H or .300H&H your choice of actions was either a scarily expensive magnum Mauser or a 1917 Enfield, preferably a Winchester or Remington, and some superb rifles were built on 1917s even into the 1950s. For an example, look at auctionarms.com, no. 7628527, a handsome .300 Improved Magnum by the topnotch Pfiefer Rifle Co. Looks like it might be Monte Kennedy stockwork to me. It was not sold and even if the action is a lamentable Eddystone it would be cheap at the starting price and a Win or Rem receiver could be found and substituted. The actions are still popular for building African dangerous game rifles where you want some extra weight anyway to eat some of the recoil.

Very good actions, just big and heavy as noted. My first 458 Lott was built on an enfield, and I built my 500 Jeffrey on an enfield.



It's still in the white, but I did get rid of the dogleg. That dogleg is nasty on a heavy kicker. I also need to put it in a real stock and finish the metal work.

Now that stock looks like it's been through the ringer...... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I have a Remington built M1917 that was sporterized "back in the day". Has had the military barrel turned to a nice sporting contour, was converted to cock on opening, straitened floorplate, ears milled off and reciever drilled and tapped, custom stock fitted, and given a nice deep bluing. I think it is one of the better looking rifles I own. Shoots about 1.40 MOA with just about any load I feed it. And actually just yesterday I swapped out the older style sling swivels for a set of Uncle Mikes QD type.

It is a bit heavy for lugging around the woods and mountains of north Idaho, but I did not give it a thought back in the UP.
Even if I do not lug it into the field much anymore, it is an excellent rifle for bench work when fiddling with load and bullet experiments. Besides, its another "Old Remington" in my accumulation!

If you can get a nice one at a price your willing to pay than go for it, but be careful cause a lot of sportered m1917's are the work of Bubba's in the garage, and will neeed a lot of work just to make nice again.

Good Luck, and Good Hunting,

Rob

Thanks for all the info, guys! I have bought the gun, although I don't have it in my dirty little hands yet. Its definately not "bubba'd". Its a Winchester 1917 that has a 27" Krieger barrel, beautiful benchrest stock, ears have been milled off, drilled and tapped for Redfield bases, Timney trigger and flattened bottom metal. Its still cock on close, and I'm not sure if I'm going to change it. Will wait and shoot it some first. It is a heavy bugger (14 lbs) as it was designed for benchrest/prarie dog hunting, which is ok with me as I will use it primarily for stationary hunting and punching holes. Thinking about having the barrel fluted to drop a little weight and jeweling the bolt to add to the "pretty". Might even lop an inch off the barrel to drop some more weight. I doubt if a 27" barrel will give me much more velocity than a 26". Going to top it off with an 8.5-25X50 scope so I can see.

Thanks again,
Chris

I've got one, getting done into a 416 Rigby.

I traded mine for a tang-safety Ruger when I was younger...........

I had a 1917 actioned 30-06, but sold it.
The safety on those actions is as good as it get, a hallmark, and one that I'd like to see on all of my rifles.
They are strong enough for any chambering you could want.
But, they are HEAVY, and rifles made up using them are HEAVY.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
My 30-06 was built 50 years ago. I bought an action, filed the ears off, put a Dayton Traister kit in it and stocked it a curly Maple stock. It was outfitted with iron sights.
Cool rifle but too much weight for me.

Don