Front sight problem

[Devil Dog]

You may be refering to the rear hand guard retaining ring. It actually slips over the receiver after the barrel is installed.

[Chuckindenver]

It looks like some sort of shim at the receiver ring. That could be the culprit. Maybe the whole thing never fit to begin with.

he,s right, i know exactly what that is,
when someone removed that barrel, they cut the shoulder, as they were to weak to just grunt it off, {or to lazy}{or in love with a lathe} so,
Sarco, and Gunparts sold them with this ring , like a Remington 700..
but hears the big issue..remember my comment on the shoulder crush of square threads? well, they dont crush, the shoulder of the barrel is the crush,
so the whole washer thing doesnt work..
so...that being the issue..the barrel is junk, trash, not safe to use. no if ands or butts about it..
the only way to make that rifle safe again, is to replace the barrel.
contact Kreiger barrels and see if the will send a 1917 Barrel over seas.
it will cost you a bit to get the thing here..
then, buy the tools from Brownells, or Ebay,, i see them now and then..
a nice set will cost about 125.00, or see if you can find them in your Country.
then change the barrel yourself..its not that hard, if you contact me direct with the info listed below, ill be happy to walk you through it.
DONT FIRE THAT RIFLE WITH THAT POS OF A BARREL IN IT.!! talk about headspace issues..
your receiever looks to be parkerized, and nothing you can do to remove the jaw marks, as the 17,s are surface hardened, if you grind off the marks, you will take off the surface hardening..DONT DO IT..
the index issues is not the big problem here, the headspace and safety is.

[Chuckindenver]

heres a link to the action wrench,,
you need the Mauser type with a square bottom.
you can get this done without a barrel vice if you contact me, ill help you.
i also put a call into Kreiger, and will see if they will ship to Italy.
i have a nice used Winchester barrel id sell, its not perfect, but safe to use..
Wheeler Engineering - Action Wrenches Barrel Vise

[Chuckindenver]

this guys he will ship anyplace as long as your welling to pay for it

Wheeler Barrel Vise & Action Wrench #1 Part #281772 NR - eBay (item 220584023697 end time Apr-11-10 11:45:23 PDT)

[Pyno&dyno]

I have made new photo, but cannot see the ring you are talking about , you scared me about this safety issue, about head space, as I told you the gun has already been tested in order to get a valid proof stamp, by the way I will order a field gauge and try by myself. I already fired the gun and reload the same cases already 3 times and the trimming on the cases was minimal so I guess there should not be any problem, but of course I am not a professional and really appreciate the suggestion you are giving me. Please take a look at the new photo

[Chuckindenver]

ok, better pics,,no ring..however.
i doubt anyone other then the original US military proof tested that rifle.
but, still, step up and buy those tools i sent you links to, and just do the job yourself.
i see that someone at one time had a aftermarket sight installed on that barrel.
i dont know of any company offering proof rounds to the general public..
after you fix the index issue, i would check the headspace as well.
show us a picture of those so called new proof stamps...

[Pyno&dyno]

In Italy we have a very complicated burocracy, things are more complicated than U.S. Even if you replace a barrel you have to pass the proof test, in the photo you can see the Italian proof stamps. We have a bureau called "Banco Nazionale di Prova" normally it serve the producers, but is open also to private citizen, with about 20$ they will proof test your gun and even permit you to see the test

[Chuckindenver]

hmmm, what exactly do they Proof test?? the pressure or Rockwell hardness of the surface?
or are they just taking you money, and stamping said mark on the weapon?

[Pyno&dyno]

At first they check if the weapon correspond to the model then they test fire with 2 round that exceed by 25-30% the CIP limit for the caliber. After the test they inspect visually the weapon and then they print the proof stamps and catalog number,on the barrel they print the caliber. it is the same place where all the Beretta and all the other weapon produced in Italy get the proof test .As you check out they will give you a certificate with the serial number of your weapon that indicate the max pressure, in my case they certified 5250 bar of pressure

[Chuckindenver]

wow,
learn something every day, strange that they would reproof something thats been through it one time..
20-30% of its limit??not much,,but i see the point.
the 1917 is strong enough to stand much more..if you pick up a copy of Hatchers note book, you can see all this info and more.
if you get those tools i sent you a link to, you can fix that rifle yourself.