M1917 Ejector Spring - factory

[Jim K]

I recently got from Nicolaus Associates (Garand, M1, M14, M16, Carbine, 1911, 1917, Militaria, and Small Arms Information) a book entitled "U.S. Rifle, Cal. .30, M1917: Diagrams and Pictures." There is other info but the main content is engineering drawings for the M1917, with revisions up to Oct. 1918.

One of those revisions is a separate ejector spring, replacing the spring built into the ejector which is subject to breakage. Unlike the common "fix" for the problem, the drawing does not show a coil spring, but rather a flat spring, curved into a shallow half-moon shape. One end is notched to fit over the ejector. The revised ejector has no spring built in and looks just like an ejector with the intergral spring broken.

The new type spring is made from .016" spring steel, is .281 wide and is .875" long before bending. The curved side faces outward and contacts the bolt stop spring. The puzzle is that it is unclear which way the notch goes. The drawing seems to indicate it goes forward, but an examination of the ejector system indicates the notch probably went toward the back and bore on the ejector about where the common fix coil spring goes.

Anyway, I though you might be interested to know that the ejector spring problem was recognized and a correction was in the works. Apparently, they didn't put the change into production before war's end, or retrofit any existing rifles.

Has anyone seen a M1917 with that change? It could be taken for a gunsmith fix if one did not recognize it, so maybe some were installed.

Jim

Information

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[jjroth]

material & heat treat specs'?

Could I get a copy. Thanks!

[Jim K]

No material or heat treat specs, just "steel, harden and temper." There is nothing to the spring other than what I gave except that the notch is rectangular, .109" wide and .156" deep, just right to fit over the ejector, and the curve is on a .625" radius.

If I get around to it, I will try to make one just to see if it will work OK, but I really think the coil spring "fix" is better and don't know why they didn't think of it.

Jim

[jmoore]

Stratton's book has an assembly drawing of the replacement spring. No specifics, but gives you the general idea.

[Doug Rammel]

I picked up a junker Remington 1917 for parts. Then I found it wasn't the junker I thought it was. It had that type of mod on the ejector.

[Jim K]

Hi, Doug and jmoore,

Stratton indicates the replacement spring was issued for repair, something I had not noticed.

So some at least made it into rifles, as Doug indicates.

Jim (posting edited)

[Fred Pillot]

My Remington has this spring, but I seem to remember it it having the
notches at both ends. It is the blue colored spring steel stock. This was
a reimport rifle I got in the early '90s out of a cardboard barrel.

[JB White]

I ran into a pair of the replacement flat springs back when we were doing a detail strip and clean of our AL Posts M1917's. Putting them back in was pretty much a PIA.
A fix is one thing but I can't conceive it being done on a wartime production schedule. Then again, had I done a dozen or so perhaps I might have developed a knack for it

[Fred Pillot]

UPDATE ON MY SPRING

I pulled the replacement ejector spring and measured it.
.282 wide,.875 long. bent to a .75 inch radius. The notch is
on one end and is .112 wide x .159 deep. It is a black colored
blueing and was blued after cutting. I tried fitting the spring
notch forward and notch rearward and foreward sure looks
like what it was designed for. It measured .016 thick.
The outside radius against the bolt stop spring.
When I first bought this rifle, I thought the spring was some
third world fix.

[shjoe]

i am currently looking to purchase an eddystone rifle. without detail striping the rifle at the gunshop, how can one determine if the ejector is broken? will simply removing the bolt be enough to test the ejector? thanks.