My very distant cousin is telling me....

[A. F Medic]

He is saying that he got from his father a 1917 in .30 cal that was a sniper (aren't they all).

He told me that he has a star guaged barrel and there is a slit along the loading port for a sniper scope.

I did see a very early image of it by a decent size buck in 1950 It is a 1917.

Even if it is, he did a lot of modification to it for his own needs and you know how that goes. Anybody ever seen a issued 1917 with a SNIPER scope?

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[A. F Medic]

I just read a prior post about such an animal as a 1917 sniper. If my cousin's is one, all value is gone due to modification

[kragluver]

According to Bruce Canfield's book US Infantry Weapons of the First World War, only two Model 1917s were ever made up as experimental sniper rifles. These were called Model 1918s and were made by Winchester. Winchester apparently had received a contract to make Model 1918s, but the war ended before they went into series production. Therefore, there is no way your cousin's 1917 is a "sniper" rifle unless somebody broke into the Springfield Armory museum

[Chuckindenver]

one of the 1917 sniper rifles is on display at teh Cody arms Museum...
to my knowlage,,,no model 1917 rifles were ever star gaged by the military...

[bearhunter]

This is just a thought but as the UK, made up many Pattern 14 rifles as snipers, is there any chance, they also made up some Pattern 17 rifles as well?
I honestly don't know why they would, other than out of curiosity but I'm certainly not knowledgeable enough to know.

Military geniuses, come up with some very interesting stuff. The Russians, converted Ross rifles to snipers and target rifles so anything is possible.

[kragluver]

Not according to any research that has been published to date (ref Ferris and Canfield). It is true that the Brits did like the P14 for sniper work.

[Paul S.]

I'm not an expert on M197s or 1903s by any means, but I wonder if your cousin is mistaking a Springfield '03 Mark I which has a slot in the receiver for the Pederson Device for an M1917 thinking a scope was mounted in some way to the slot.

[TRICKSTER]

I'm not an expert on M197s or 1903s by any means, but I wonder if your cousin is mistaking a Springfield '03 Mark I which has a slot in the receiver for the Pederson Device for an M1917 thinking a scope was mounted in some way to the slot.

I have never seen one, but I have read that some M1917's were adapted for the Pederson Device.

[Chuckindenver]

1917. Nagant rifle, and the 1903 were all modified for the device. only a handful, a couple 17,s were sold last year at auction. have yet to see a nagant other then pictures

[A square 10]

the brits did have P14s in both an "F" version fine rear sight adjustment and "T" teloscopic sight , but they are fairly rare