Expected accuracy?

[sfoster]

All this is great advice. To it, all I can add is to think about your ammo. If you reload, try as many reloading manual "starting loads" as you have components for. These are the first loads listed in most manuals; least powerful.

If you do not reload, buy some "managed recoil" hunting ammo, from Remington, or maybe others. This will have a lighter bullet (125 gr) at a slightly slower speed than the old military standard.


The "US Rifle, Model 1917" was the first firearm I bought for myself, on my 18th birthday. In my late teens and early 20's, it was fun seeing just how loud I could load it and how much recoil I could get it to generate, while still being "safe" and not blowing primers. Now in my mid 40's, I don't reload like that anymore. To shoot a rifle to its, and my potential, at 100 yards or less, full power ammo is certainly not needed. And recoil hurts more than it used too. It is much more interesting, pleasant, and rewarding to work on reloads (out of the 30-06)that are realistically closer to 30-40 Krag or .303 British ballistics and see how accurate I can load and shoot. And they would still be plenty for any game animal I might encounter, at peep sight range, within 1000 miles of my home.

Take care, and be safe.

[sfoster]

Another "field expedient" trick is to cover the rear aperature with electrical tape. Then using a needle, make a small hole in the tape. This will give you a nice, small aperature.

It is not the elegant long term solution Patrick detailed, but a quick and dirty field method you can use to get a good idea of what size you want your aperature to eventually have. Endless experimentation is possible, right on the shooting bench, with nothing more complicated than a small roll of electric tape, a razor or knife, needle, and maybe a pair of pliers and a Bick lighter to heat the needle so you can vary the hole size with the hot needle.

Have fun.

P.S. Chose a shooting bench position AWAY from the black powder shooters!

[Patrick Chadwick]

Thanks for the kind words, sfoster, but I'm also all in favor of "quick and dirty" in order to evaluate whether or not a rifle has potential, before wasting time on doing a proper job on a dud that is never going to repay your efforts. In fact, here comes another Q&D trick right now:

(Purist collectors of a nervous disposition should stop reading at this point)
I am not good at aiming with open sights, and even an aperture backsight with a blade foresight tests my eyes rather than the rifle. So before accepting the M1917 (I'm trying to purify my language and avoid that cutesy Eddy/Winnie business) I used impact adhesive to temporarily fix an Anschütz ring foresight onto the foresight "ears" of the M1917. It didn't matter where the shots landed on the target, as long as they grouped. This Q&D trick showed that the rifle could group, and I then removed the ring and continued as described in a previous posting.

(Martini-Henry collectors switch off now)
I used this trick on others, such as the Lee Enfields and the Argentine Engineers Carbine. The Martini Henry required a bit more. The best M-H shot I know (possibly the best in Europe) described the sighting as "looking at the Great Pyramid through a railway cutting". So I turned a bushing to fit the Enfield "ears" onto the M-H front end, glued an Anschütz aperture onto that, and then fitted a Parker-Hale back backsight from a P14 on two arms attached to a long bolt through the hole for the sling swivel screw. The result looked like a Khyber Pass match rifle, but it worked well enough to show that the M-H was just fine.

So quick & dirty as an aid to decision making - yes, go to it!

Patrick

"P.S: Chose a shooting bench position AWAY from the black powder shooters!"
Not good enough, it merely takes a bit longer for the smoke to get to you. You have to be upwind! Or time your shots to be between clouds!

[jamie5070]

I have one of the 1891 argentine carbines. When I get ready to fire I think "Wheres the rear sight notch!" It is not made for older eyes.
john

[Patrick Chadwick]

Exactly my problem as well! So for the Argentine 1891 Carbine I have another Q&D trick:

The screw-in peephole from a Lyman tang-mounted sight can be fitted into the slot of the backsight slider. Either the glue trick or (I was lucky) screwed fast with a 1/4"x40 tpi (better check that first) bushing out of the "it'll come in handy one day" draw. Now apply the Anchütz (or Lyman) foresight ring glued onto the protector ears, as previously described, and voilà - a carbine with ring foresight and backsight! Looks odd - works well.

That plus using the long Hornady round-nose bullet was the only way I could get a group at 100 meters.

Patrick

P.S: the 1891 Argentine carbine was the shortest ex-factory Mauser ever. And the sighting radius is only 14". Hardly any better than a long-barrelled target pistol. So it is not surprising that aiming it at 100 meters is a strain on Grandpa's eyes.

[303Nut]

Several weeks ago, I took my Eddy to the range and with the Greek ammo I was able to get 2.5" groups two times at 100yds. I have reloaded several loads with 150 and 168gr. bullets and will be trying them soon to see what my Eddy likes.

This is my first M1917 and has the orginal barrel on it, but somewhere after Canada it came back to the US with a winchester bolt in it. Everything else is marked E and it seems like it wants to shoot good. Now I would like to get a P14 in .303.

[Patrick Chadwick]

That sounds very good for surplus ammo. Try reloading with the bullet set to be about 20 thou off the lands (if bullet length and magazine permit that)*. And good luck with finding a P14. All the examples I have seen were shot-out, DPs, or both!

Patrick

P.S: *and for best results - neck-sizing only!

[303Nut]

Thanks Patrick

I did measure how far I could seat the bullet out, went about 30 thou to be safe and they will feed from magazine and I do neck size. You're right about finding a good P14.

[rich v]

first make sure all of your screws are tight, sounds like you were a little 'pumped-up' forgeting your spotting scope, trying a little to hard maybe? you will be able to shoot 1 3/4 inch groups i'm confident after you warm up a little....