Model 1917 Remington question

[grayham]

Ken, I bought a Winchester sporter about a year ago and "restored" it. The parts were not too hard to find. I got some pretty good parts from the commercial sellers. It is a lot easier on a 1917 than on the 1903 I am doing now-the 1903 is like trying to build a Ford from parts you buy at the dealer.
Greg

[Dan Wilson]

Well since the barrel date is there its highly unlikely that the barrel was shortened.
I was concerned about that when you said the ears were removed since the ears are the portion that holds the sight blade but it seems at most you will have to replace the front sight assembly - not a problem and easy to get part.

There appears to be quite a bit of surface rust, probably pits underneath the rust as well so if it were me I would plan on parkerizing the rifle when done instead of bluing.

And you weren't joking when you said "ugly", boy that stock is fugly for sure

Dan

[Ken C.]

Ken, I bought a Winchester sporter about a year ago and "restored" it. The parts were not too hard to find. I got some pretty good parts from the commercial sellers. It is a lot easier on a 1917 than on the 1903 I am doing now-the 1903 is like trying to build a Ford from parts you buy at the dealer.
Greg

Thanks for the advice. I had better luck with the Springfield, its all there, altho it too was mistreated. Fortunately for me, I was able to get all the surface rust off.

[Ken C.]

Well since the barrel date is there its highly unlikely that the barrel was shortened.
I was concerned about that when you said the ears were removed since the ears are the portion that holds the sight blade but it seems at most you will have to replace the front sight assembly - not a problem and easy to get part.

There appears to be quite a bit of surface rust, probably pits underneath the rust as well so if it were me I would plan on parkerizing the rifle when done instead of bluing.

And you weren't joking when you said "ugly", boy that stock is fugly for sure

Dan

Dan, I was able to clean it up quite respectably and will not refinish it. When I got it home and took it apart, I saw that the "ears" on the front sight had been simply ground off, and if this means replacing the whole thing I will do so. Everything else is intact and I think the only thing missing is the bayonette lug and front swivel. Even though he drastically altered the buttstock, he did reattach the buttplate. I was going to take that off and clean it up, but its probably the only thing holding the parts together. I think I can even manage to repair the old sling which was broken, simply by overlapping and riveting it. Not perfect any longer, but its been part of the rifle since the beginning, and I would feel guilty throwing it away. Ken

[Patrick Chadwick]

Well done Ken!

I would have grabbed it too, for 150. As the front sight block with the ears is separate from the rest of the wood and the missing ears will not affect shooting, you can still continue with the rest of the restoration independently of that item. Acting on the cheerful assumption that bits are cheaper where you are than in Europe, I reckon you should be able to get what you need for less than 100, and so for about 250 (plus a lot of time!) you will have a good rifle. And I find it is more satisfying to do something like this than simply lashing out pots of money for something out of a showcase.

If you haven't already got them, you must get the basic books by Ferris and Stratton.

Take your time to get R-marked parts to match the rest, and in the end you will have a good rifle -YOUR rifle - and more practical hands-on experience and understanding than some of the armchair pundits you will undoubtedly come across at the rifle club and elsewhere.

Patrick

[harry mac]

Good score on the little .22 as well. Like an idiot I sold my Mod 12C acouple of years ago and even before the guy's car was out of view I knew I'd dropped a clanger (messed up). Is yours complete with the Lyman tang sight that came as an optional extra?

[Ken C.]

Good score on the little .22 as well. Like an idiot I sold my Mod 12C acouple of years ago and even before the guy's car was out of view I knew I'd dropped a clanger (messed up). Is yours complete with the Lyman tang sight that came as an optional extra?

Harry, This 12-C is a complete stranger to me.It doesnt have the Lyman sight, just the one on the barrel. There are 2 plug screws where the other sight would be mounted, and the little piece for ajusting elevation is gone. I probably paid too much for it, but I knew when I saw it that I wanted it. Yesterday I took it apart and discovered that the firing pin is broken. the rifling forward of the chamber is somewhat eroded, but the rest of the bore is in fair shape. Also, both pieces of the firing pin were in the gun, so if I cant get another, I can probably fix that by silver soldering it. I read up on them in the meantime and found that quite a few were manufactured, so I may find another pin. It was quite a proposition to reassemble it, too. I didnt want to leave it in pieces as I figured I would lose some of the parts. I didnt see your post until a few minutes ago. Ken

[MD220]

If you have a difficult time finding a firing pin for your Mod. 12,SGN advertises them often.I don't recall the exact dealer,but they are in there somewhere!

[harry mac]

Ken, I'm not up to speed on GPC's current parts listings but my own Mod 12C also had a broken firing pin when I acquired it. I ordered 2 from Numrich and included a spare with the rifle when I sold it. Broken firing pins were apparently a very common occurrence with Mod 12s. The only way round this is to never dry fire it once you've replaced the pin.