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Hi All,
I was at an auction this last Friday and bought a P17 Eddystone.
Have I read correctly that a notch in the receiver ring and a numbered bolt indicates a rifle from overseas?
The stock is new but poorly finished...Not smooth at all. Ser # 12904??
Any input to what/where this is?
Thanks
We had a thread about those, Danish I think. If you search through threads for M1917 rifles you can't help but find it.Quote:
Originally Posted by aspen80
For what it's worth, I ran an SRS on it and it was in a bunch that were with a Singapore Volunteer group, what ever they were.
Pics of this one?
Sure....Probably later today. 8/17
Interesting article about M1917s and notched receivers.
M1917 rifle in 21st-century Greenland wwiiafterwwii
BEAR (BDY)
Thanks for a great article! The Danes also stamped the rifle's serial number on the bottom of the stock between the grip and lower sling swivel. I acquired one of these rifles in pristine original blue that appears unissued and with the exception of the receiver notch, appears as it did when it left the Remington plant in December 1918. I was reluctant to shoot it but am happy that I did because it's very accurate with GI M2 ammo. I bought it for trading material and took it to a show but the more I looked at it, the better the idea of keeping it became.
When Greenland was first settled, the climate was much warmer and the colonists even had gardens. Hmm...
I just noticed today that the front sight is a roll pin!
How's that? The sight or the sight is held in place by a roll pin?Quote:
Originally Posted by aspen80
The sight itself.... If I can get my pics on imgur I will post a pic.
Love to see that...Quote:
Originally Posted by aspen80
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Eddystone Muzzle - Imgur
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Eddystone Open Receiver - Imgur
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Eddystone Stock Finish - Imgur
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
1917 Eddystone front sight - Imgur
Eddystone Rear Hand Guard - Imgur
Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet
Here's his pic for those of you... I have a hard time believing that's original from the military that used these? Anyone else seen this? We've had these here before and no one even mentioned them.
That's this very same rifle...posted back in '09, now how could I have missed that?
There is no such animal as a P17.
We all know what he was talking about. You notice the rest spoke of it as an M1917? I guess you read the first post and thought this was a useful addition to this discussion from mid last year?Quote:
Originally Posted by Detmer
What he said.
---------- Post added at 09:06 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:01 AM ----------
It looks like the block sight was cut off, then drilled and a roll pin inserted.
It would be an easy thing to adjust the height for someone who did not know or wanted the battle sight to be at a XXX yard zero that was different than the (400?) of the 1917.
Never saw one like it.
I have one sight that someone cut the battle peep into a V.
Was a common enough act by some when these were available. They take a triangle file and get at it...60 seconds later, that troublesome old "Peep" was gone.Quote:
Originally Posted by RC20
Good Post on the Sirius Patrol.
I do think the information on the chamber to 303 and then and re-chamber of the 30-06 is wrong.
While its possible, it requires a new barrel and the feed end is wrong.
303s stayed themselves as did the 30-06.
I had a Danish return that had Canada broad arrow and then all the hallmarks of Danish service. It went to a person who had Danish heritage and wanted that connection.
Canada got a lot of the P17s and the P14s were out there from WWI as well.
Yes, they're a whole different rifle...Quote:
Originally Posted by RC20
I got back to my most finish worn 1917, one I will keep I suspect. Pulled of 1.5 inches at 90 yards (about the most I can see well enough with the iron sights )
Pretty tickled with that. I had lost the load I had for it and took a bit of digging to find it.
The K-31 so far will do a bit under 1 MOA, not bad company.
---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:53 AM ----------
The information indicates they re-chambered them. Understood they are two different guns but that's not what the article says.Quote:
Yes, they're a whole different rifle...
Clearly the P14 and 1917 were different calibers and some difference in parts, stock. Same basic rifle though.
I think you better read some of our threads about that. It sounds like you've never seen one before...to say that. I suspect the writer of the article was misunderstanding what had been said or done...Quote:
Originally Posted by RC20
Here is a well written downloadable article on the history and development of the American Enfields.
http://www.vgca.net/education/TheUKP...2014-09-17.pdf
It reads like the solid front sight base pin has been replaced by a roll pin.
---------- Post added at 07:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:31 PM ----------
The proper nomenclature is U.S. M1917. I throw this out in jest as I got reamed by an anal U.S. martial arms collector many years ago for calling them P'17's and I never forgot it.
Actually, the use of a roll pin for a front sight blade is not a bad idea. If the Danes re-barreled or modified their M1917 Enfields the front blade would have to be adjusted to zero the rifle for elevation. Traditionally, on the Paterrn 1914 and M1917, the armorer would select a front blade for the appropriate height. The Danes made it easy by machining off the blade and place a roll pin in place of the front sight blade and then file down the roll pin until the rifle is zeroed. One of the problems with the WWII rebuild programs was that at some US arsenals little or no attention was given to correctly zeroing the M1917 thus making a reputation that the M1917 was inaccurate. With many of these rebuilt rifles still floating around with improper zero, novice shooters believe the rifles do not shoot straight which is not correct. The rifles just need a correct front sight blade.
That may be true, but with the battle zero being 400 yards, getting a shorter range more reasonable sight setup for what Sirius did and needed would make sense.
Shooting a bear being a close up and personal encounter.
Sure would make the tuning of the front sight a breeze. Its a good solution.
The M1917 rifles, or M/53(17) as they are officialy named by the Danish military, that are being used by the Sirius Patrol in Greenland does still have their original rear sights. The Sirius Patrol is a Danish military unit and uses the rifles in original condition as issued and they are as far as I know not modified in any way.
The M1917 rifles with cut-off rear sights are surplus rifles that were modified and sold to the local civilian hunters in Greenland via the Kgl. Grønlandske Handel which roughly translates into the Royal Greenland Trading company. The reason for the modification was because the hunters didn’t want the peep sight as it was easily blocked by snow and ice. The modification was performed by Kgl. Grønlandske Handel who used a subcontractor to do the actual work. The Danish militay has not used rifles where the rear sight has been cut off.
The roll-pin front sight was adopted by the danish Homeguard because especially the older members found it very difficult to keep focus on the very narrow original front sight. Using the roll-pin solved that problem at a relatively low cost. A test showed an 13-20% improvement in score. Some 85000 original front sights were modified by a danish company.
The roll-pin was adjusted to the same hight as the original so that the original front sight markings were still valid.
I am having an issue with the front sight of a 1917 being called narrow.
Its quite fat, its not like a 1903 blade sight at all.
Its a type that the USMC moved to on their own for their 1903s.
If it works for my bad old eyes, it would work for anyone.
I would suspect the roll pin is a very nice move to allow height adjustment.
You don't need to change the peep sight on a 1917, you can just cut the top off of it and make it a V, I have seen one (came with a gun) and others done that way.
Not sure what the point is or the issue?Quote:
I think you better read some of our threads about that. It sounds like you've never seen one before...to say that. I suspect the writer of the article was misunderstanding what had been said or done...
I do know and understand that their are differences, to say they are the same basic rifle is correct to history.
A Savage Model 111 with a 30-06t is the same basic rifle as the Savage Model 111 in 270. Granted there are more differences in bolt head and some of the extractor features and those details for extraction and feed.
---------- Post added at 05:08 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:01 PM ----------
Ferris is also very adamant about having completely correct verbiage. He feels it detracts from the gun to have slang.Quote:
The proper nomenclature is U.S. M1917. I throw this out in jest as I got reamed by an anal U.S. martial arms collector many years ago for calling them P'17's and I never forgot it.
I think that is wrong as much as I admire the work he did on the 1917. P17, American Enfield, Eddystone all convey what we know to be the Model of 1917. One US training manual called it the American Enfield.
As long as someone does not call it a 30-06 P14 (or clarifies its been re-barreled to that!) I am good.