My New 1917

[jmoore]

The most likely answer to the barrel conundrum is that the Winchester barrel is a gunsmith pull-off which was kept until a previous owner needed a barrel for this rifle.

Pull-off barrels are common because actions are used for sporters in other calibers, i.e. 270 Winchester. Most gunsmiths have a largish pile of old barrels in varying degrees of servicability. Some are only good for hollow bar stock. Others are about "new".

[jamesmcnatt]

Oh, okay. That makes since now. How ever it happened it's all in fantastic condition. The guy I got the rifle from had shot it on several occasions and said he had a pretty tight shot group. I don't plan to fire it until I get the restoration the way I want it. Thanks for all the input!

[jmoore]

You still have a good project. The barrel alone is worth what you paid to someone with a Winchester that needs help.

[rangerbluedog]

After WW1 over 1 million rifles were sent to government arsenals to be cleaned, repaired and preserved. This started as early as 1919, and went throughout the 1930s IIRC.
By 1927 many of the earlier preserved rifles were found to have rusted and pitted barrels, and had to be repaired. All 3 of the makers of the M1917 had made extra barrels.
Perhaps yours is one that had a pitted barrel and was replaced at one of the government arsenals in the 1930s.
It's fun to wonder!

[RC20]

Shoot it!

Dang, no need to wait. Enjoy it, see how it shoots floated or bedded however it is and then see what it does with stock tension.

If its better as is then you know it can do better and work on the new stock.

[highpower3006]

The scenario could very well have been something like this: Customer A walks into a gunsmiths shop and says:

" I have this old military rifle and I want to convert it to a different caliber".

The gunsmith says "sure" and installs a different barrel. A couple of years go by and customer B walks int the gunsmiths shop and says:

"I have this old rifle and my idiot brother borrowed it and shot corrosive ammo through it and didn't clean it and now the barrel is rusted up".

The gunsmith says "I just happen to have a barrel here for that rifle and for a few dollars I can fix your gun".

This ( or some version of it) seems to me what would be the most likely reason for you to have a mismatched barrel.

[Chuckindenver]

winchester made replacement barrels for the 1917..usually later production dates.

[Patrick Chadwick]

I think when Patrick said "commercial", he meant an outside entity i.e. gunsmith replaced the Eddystone barrel with the Winchester

I did indeed, and wrote so quite clearly - at. least, I think so!
"... the barrel is probably a "commercial" (i.e. non-arsenal) replacement... "

James, just shoot it as is is. M1917s work excellently without any of the black magic of stock tuning with carefully dosed muzzle pressure etc. And when you get a replacement stock, fit it so that the barrel is free floating!