bolt, reciever matching numbers

[jamie5070]

It has been my impression that the british were the ones that stamped the serial numbers onto the bolts. I have two winchesters with the red band on the stocks. Bothe have winny bolts. One has the bolt serial numbered to the rifle. The other does not but has Canadian markings on the stock.
john

[Promo]

The front sights were changed to cylindrical pins by the home guard what resulted in increased scores at the shooting matches. I have one of those, this is the rifle with a matching S/N in the rear of the stock. My second Danish M1917 also has a S/N on the stock (but not matching), this was the reason why I was assuming these numbers were added by the Danish.

Denmark was being given 38.395 M1917s by Canada in 1953 and 1954 plus additional 10.000 in 1956 and 13.000 in 1959 by Norway. The M1917s from Norway can be easily identified by their additional notches for usage with a special stripper clip adaptor which is tied by the sight spring screw.
2000 of the Danish M1917s were converted to a single shot .22lr Trainer for use with the Danish Home Guard. They were using feed barrels and blocked the magazine. Additional 1500 rifles were converted by Danish gunsmiths to a fixed iron sight which was placed in a dovetail profile cut into the barrel, additional the "ears" were cut of and there was a slot added in the rear handguard for this fixed rear sight. These rifles were converted according to an order by the Royal Greenland Trading Company and were used with the Sirius sledge patrol. They are still in use but are being sold little by little.

I still need to find out who did the Greenland conversions and when they were done. The number of 1500 was an estimate I was being given but it sounds realistic to me. I'm still trying to get one of the Norway strip clip adaptors as they weren't passed on the the Danish with the rifles. It's a simple construction being built only by folding thin iron plates.

€dit: Just in case you're interested - Norway received 23.713 P'14 and 24.992 M1917s from England, this is where they originally came from. Not sure where the Norway put the P'14s ...

[lgo]

Promo, unfortunately I don't know any details regarding the danish M1917's. I have a danish manual so I'll see if I can find it. Maybe it has some info regarding the sling. Mine had a webbing sling when I bought it and the seller also gave me an additional M1907 sling to go with it (a replica I think, no markings).

There's no serial nunmber on the stock, no norwegian notch, nor the british red band on my M1917. It also has the original sights.
I believe that one of the reasons for changing the front sight was that many (older) people had problems focusing with the original thin blade. I was also under the impression that the greenland conversions with no ears were locally made because the local hunters preferred a V-shaped notch instead of the diopter. The diopter was difficult to keep free from snow and ice and a blocked sight would not bring any meat to the table.
I may be wrong though - just what I've heard from other people.

[Promo]

Sounds reasonable to me that the diopter sight wasn't the greatest invention for snow. But anyway, it's kind of irritating that nowadays there's still a (military) troop that has to hunt it's own food. 100 years of service is something you don't find that often, especially with rifles. I guess the M1917 did quite well then

I'm still waiting for my M60 .22lr conversion of the M1917 but will publish all information I have on these rifles together with pictures. If I may ask some further questions: is the webbing sling the Enfield sling or is it the Garand webbing sling (or the Kerr NoBuckl)?

[emmagee1917]

A-Square's post on your other thread shows 2 '17s with Kerrs over one with a British sling .
Chris

[lgo]

Promo, I've asked my danish colleagues on Nordisk Våbenforum Boardindeks (a danish forum for hunting, shooting, weapons, etc.) and found out a little more about the danish M1917s. BTW the correct designation for the M1917 in the danish army/home guard was "M/53 (17)".

The danish M/53 (17) was issued with the british web sling. This must be the pattern 1908 I believe.

I've also been told that the rear end of the follower on the danish rifles were cut at an angle so that the bolt could be closed when the magazine was empty without having to press down the follower.
The reason was to be able to continue using the same drill exercises as had been used for ages with the old Krag-Jørgensen M/89 rifle. I don't know if all or only some of the danish M/53 (17)s were converted this way.

The M/53 (17) was indeed used by the Sirius Patrol in Greenland for many years and it is AFAIK still being used on "Station Nord" (the most northern military station on Greenland) where they are hanging in every building with a clip of ammo next to it - just in case a polar bear needs to be scared away.
Since the Sirius Patrol is part of the danish army I believe they used the standard issued M/53 (17) including their "ears", but honestly I don't know for sure.
The Greenland modification, cutting off the ears, is as far as I know a civilian conversion made on request by the local hunters in Greenland. I guess these are the 1500 rifles you say were converted on order from the Royal Greenland Trading Company - probably surplus military rifles sold off from the army and then after conversion being sold on the civilian market in Greenland.

[A square 10]

my eddystone Pattern 14 has the british sling the other two are M1917s , the remington [light one] is canadian marked , the bolt was not marked with the serial number ,

[Promo]

lgo, thanks for the reply. I definately know that the cut in the receiver has been done for a special stripper clip used by the Norwegian Army (as the guys on the linked forum seem to discuss on that topic). This stripper clip was fixed by the same screw that holds the spring which fixes the sight in the upward position:


ALL of the Norwegian M1917s were "equipped" with this cut.

ATB,

Georg

PS: Just an interesting note - Norway had aswell 23.713 P'14 rifles which they received together with 24.992 M1917s from England (source: "Norske militaergevaerer etter 1867" from Karl Egil Hanevik).

[Chuckindenver]

any other special markings on those Norski 1917,s?