Vintage Rifle Crate Identification - WWI ??

[barkerka]

I will try the acetone this weekend and post any news..

[browningautorifle]

Let's see what appears...

[fjruple]

I beleive it could be a packing chest for ten Enfields. The chest looks similar to this drawing of a packing chest for the Model of 1917 (Enfield) US Rifle.

Cheers,

--fjruple

Attachment 56868

[RT Ellis]

The drawing of the arms chest for rifle M1917 interesting, but confirms what I wrote previously that these crates or chests were deep enough to be double layered. The crate depicted in the original post is only deep enough for a single layer of rifles, and I doubt long enough to accommodate rifle M1917. A comparison of the the length dimension would be useful.

I erred in my previous post when I stated the crates were usually for 20 rifles, my bad. A review of documents at hand all list the arms chests as containing 10 rifles.

[Peter Laidler]

My friend, Terry Mitchell, the former chief mechanical engineer at the old MG works here in Abingdon built a large wooden building in his garden in the late 40's, and the external skin was made pretty well wholly from P'14 and 17 rifle chests that were left in the MG works for some reason at the end of the war. (He thought that they'd come with rifles to go through the degreasing plant ?) There were hundreds of them!!!! He positioned the main oak uprights so that the planks from the chests would mate up. The building was/is still standing and the wood is still in perfect condition. Underneath the creosote you can still see the old US markings and one I remember was from an Ordnance depot in Augusta although there were several different ones and dates. If he was still alive I'd show him this thread...

[barkerka]

Well, not much to report I am afraid.. maybe someone will know what it all means... The top line appears to be the case number, 146 of 164

The bottom line has me.. 68205 / 1914


Attachment 57271Attachment 57272Attachment 57273

[browningautorifle]

Well, at least it came off so you could see.

[barkerka]

Yes - and thanks for the tip on acetone ...

It is unlikely the crate would hold more than 5 weapons, there is just not enough space from the top of the rifle to lid. Just about the right amount to safely close on a rifle with optics and packing material.

The overall distance from inside to inside is 45-inches, so whatever was shipped was close to that length.

thanks again for all of the input ..

[barkerka]

I am still trying to track down what was shipped in this crate, if anyone has the over length of an Eddystone or Enfield could you please share it. I have checked with my local collectors club and no one has one to measure on this end.

[browningautorifle]

Do you mean the over all length of the rifles you mentioned? The M1917 or P14 should be 46 1/2" long and the #4 rifle should measure 44 1/2".