Very late Eddystone Model 1917

Serial #1,345,xxx. December 1918 barrel stamp.
According to Ferris and Stratton, within the last 9 thousand Eddys manufactured.

All Eddystone parts except a W marked upper hand guard.
Raritan Arsenal stamp RA-P. No other arsenal or rebuild stamps.
Stock shows only minor handling marks.

Rifling is crisp and it has proven to be a great shooter.

Bought another ladder sight leaf from Springfield Sporters and added a 100 yard notch and setting for more accurate shooting at 100 yards (see last pic).

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...l1917Ant-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...del1917B-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...1917ERSC-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...del1917L-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...del1917R-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...del1917S-1.jpg

Nice rifle. Looks new.

Mike D

Very nice rifle! A real beauty. Thanks for the great pictures.

Looks mint. Nice keeper, for sure. I just checked my late '17. It is SN#1,326,xxx. The barrel date is 11-18. Overall this rifle is near mint, but not as nice as the photo spread rifle. More then likely neither rifle was sent to France and probably went from Eddystone directly into war reserve. Nice finds and nice keepers.

Chuck, Mike, Scott & Steve,
glad you like the pics of my Eddy.

As far as cutting a 100 yard notch in the edge of the sight ladder, reducing the outer radius of the peep just a tad so the sight slide could be lowered a touch, and engraving a "1" for reference, I hope you don't find that bit of amateur gun smithing sacrilegious.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...del1917S-1.jpg

I did save the original ladder, and it does help out with accuracy at 100 yards as I don't have to guesstimate hold-under now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Calif-Steve

Looks mint. Nice keeper, for sure. I just checked my late '17. It is SN#1,326,xxx. The barrel date is 11-18. Overall this rifle is near mint, but not as nice as the photo spread rifle. More then likely neither rifle was sent to France and probably went from Eddystone directly into war reserve. Nice finds and nice keepers.

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Steve, that's what I'm thinking too... that some of the late model 1917s made as the War ended went from the factory direct to the arsenal and remained so until released to the public by the DCM in the late 50s and 60s.

A little over a million were shipped out to England as the German invasion of France ended. The Brits evacuated their Army from Dunkirk and left most arms behind. We shipped all of Springfield's inventory, but none from Rock Island went to England. Mint/near mint '17's are not that common.

Eldowerks,
Could you please post some good closeups of your bolt sleeve showing the markings if any in the top groove and the "E" on the side?
Thanks.

Outstanding photos and your rifle looks brand new! Wow!

Scott, I can discern no markings on either the ring nor the sight relief groove of the bolt sleeve. I'll have to disassemble the bolt to see if the shaft of the bolt sleeve is marked.

cafdfw, thank you for the kind remark, but she is far from brand new and on close examination shows her age:
https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...17Barrel-1.jpg

Eldowerks - The part that I'm referring to is the bolt sleeve which is the exposed blued part at the very end of the bolt and is visable in the rear view picture of your rifle above.

Here is an example of a bolt sleeve.

Imageshack - cmpforum111809a.jpg https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...m111809a-1.jpg[/URL]