Report to Forum on cracked M1917 Receiver

[Salt Flat]

I bought this stripped receiver at a gun show about a year ago. Unfortunately I have no history on it prior to my purchase. It looked completely original with ears and I thought I could possibly use it to recover a sporter or build up a rifle as parts became available. I collected up most of the parts over the last year. As I was getting ready to start assembling the rifle I found 2 cracks starting at the receiver face and propagating rearward. One is about ¾ inch long and the other about 3/8 inch long. The 3/8 crack didn’t show very well in the pictures so Ididn't post it but the ¾ crack stands out as you can see. It really is easier to see the cracks in the photo than in the bad light at a gunshow. I have read most of the posts regarding M1917 cracked receivers and thought I would contribute this experience to the knowledge base. I will add the receiver to my growing paperweight museum!

Serial no. 56829
Eddystone Manufacture 10-17
No evidence of heating

Salt Flat

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[Chuckindenver]

thanks for the info and pictures...this crack like the others iv seen in the same area, is most likely from miss use of tools or loose tools,
and not from crush pressure.

[Calif-Steve]

I understand the employees at Eddystone were paid on a piece rate. Every receiver produced was worth $.10 to that employee. They pushed stuff along and never allowed anything to fall behind. Junk could easily "leak" through.

[Chuckindenver]

likely this crack was done well after it left Eddstone. the wrench used to install at the factory would not have cracked the action..

[joem]

Sorry you got took. Paper weight indeed.

[Calif-Steve]

Eddystone was an old locomotive plant. I believe they used air wrenches to install barrels. No "touch' at all, and very unlikely the employees had barrel installation experience before working there. Nothing like Remington or Winchester. They pushed out huge quantities of finished rifles but not everything was up to speed.

[WarPig1976]

It was in fact Remington that built the rifles on Baldwin property and in Baldwin built buildings using Remington tooling. The two didn't mix, it was just a odd business arrangement where the buildings could be "converted" to train sheds at the end of the lease. Eddystone marked M1917's and P14's are all Remington....

[Chuckindenver]

wow, lots of missinformation... fact check please.
no power tools or assistance of air, hudrolics ect was ever used to install a barrel of a P14 or 1917.
the only power used was a man, muscles and eyes. i have footage of them being done.
do a search of the Eddystone. and the plant.
Eddystones were built at that plant. Remingtons were built at Remington. And Winchesters were built at Winchester.
some notes
all 3 used the same steel supplied by the same company.. Midvale steel.
all were forged and heat treated by the same plant. barrels were made by Midvale for Winchester. Remington made barrels for both Remington and Eddystone.
only Winchester used Nickle steel for barrel production.. for unknown reasons..
later in production, Winchester made barrels and stopped using Nickle steel, Winchester also made a lot of replacement barrels for the USMC they are dated 9-19 and marked W.
common to see all 3 makers with a parked finish and a 9-19 W marked barrel
Eddstone and Remington started phosphate coatings 9-18...unknown when and if Winchester ever did.

---------- Post added at 10:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:58 AM ----------

Remington Society of America - journals/Eddystone

[WarPig1976]

Great article. The tidbits at the end are neat. I do take issue with the name "Remington of Delaware". I wonder if it was in fact "Remington of Delaware county" which is where the plant was and although within a few miles of the border not in the state of Delaware. Does it matter? Nope, but as they say in Eddystone,,, I have to represent....

[vintage hunter]

One possible explanation for Winchester's use of NS in M1917 barrels is that a lot(majority?) of their pre WWI sporting rifles and shotguns were made with NS barrels and they were just using up what was on hand. Same for the early Winchester Garand stocks made of fancy burl walnut that is said to be from the custom shop, just using up what was in inventory at the time.