New Stock For Custom M1917 Target Rifle

[KanadianKommando]

Hello! Just purchased a custom built target rifle, built off a Remington M1917 action and re-chambered for .308 WIN. It's nothing too special, was re-barreled with a stainless Krieger 30" heavy barrel, 1:14 twist and converted to single shot for F-Class shooting matches. Now, the current stock the rifle is sitting in is in pretty rough shape, with lots of wood filler visible under the clearcoat, as well as a small crack developing around the buttpad, driving me to seek a replacement stock for the rifle. I just recently started shopping around, and came across Boyd's custom gun stocks, which happen to have a M1917 model. I already know I'd have to do some sanding and fitting to accommodate the heavy barrel, but I'm not new to woodworking so I don't think I have to worry there. Problem is, Boyd's stocks are designed around the original M1917 rifle, and therefore feature a hole for the rifle's magazine well. So then I came up with this crazy idea, and decided to ask for your input first. Would it be possible to purchase all the parts for the original M1917 rifle magazine assembly and trigger guard, and try to make the rifle feed via magazine again? How well would .308 rounds seat and feed from the 30-06 magazine? I can't seem to find any single shot/ target stocks for the M1917 action, so this is looking more and more like my only option. Will get some pics in a moment. Thoughts? Any advice/ opinions would be appreciated.

Information

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[KanadianKommando]

And, here's the pictures.

Here's a full pic of the rifle:


The rear target sight:


The side of the receiver:


The barrel:


Two pics of the filled magazine well:


That metal part in the pic is just held in place by a screw that is inserted from the bottom of the rifle.

The bottom of the magazine well:


And here's the reason I would like to eventually replace the current stock:



The reason the bolt isn't in the pic is because the bolt wasn't closing properly and the safety wasn't working, both problems due to an aftermarket "cock on open" cocking piece. Already examined the bolt fully, nothing else has been altered but the cocking piece. Have an original cocking piece on the way, so I figured I'd look at what else I can do in the meantime.

[Salt Flat]

Hey KK, Your receiver is a Winchester P14, not a 1917. That is probably why the rifle is set up as a single shot as it is hard to feed .308 thru a P14 magazine and feed rails. It probably has a 1917 bolt to accomodate the rimless cartridge. . The 1917 trigger guard will not fit this and you would need the P14 guard to use the Boyds stock. You could still make it a single shot which is fine for a target rifle. Nice receiver sight! Salt Flat

[KanadianKommando]

Thanks for the info! How did you know the receiver was a P14? If what you say is correct, then I will probably end up just sanding off the finish on the current stock and painting it to hide the wood filler. If I were to get a Boyd's stock now, what would be the easiest way to make the rifle single shot without turning it into an abomination? I already know I'd have to do a bit of sanding around the barrel channel to get the heavy barrel to fit, but what else must be done?

[ArtPahl]

The "W" prefix to the serial number is unique to the Winchester pattern 14. The 1917 would have the manufacturers name on the receiver ring, ie.; Remington, Winchester, or Eddystone.

I'm not sure if an original cocking piece will work right in your rifle. The trigger and cocking piece were probably modified to create a "speed-lock".

The safety may have been deliberately disabled since a safety is not needed on a single shot target rifle since it is not loaded until you're in firing position.

And your rifle was not built to be "purdy"; it was built to shoot and it looks like it would do just that!

[jamie5070]

You might check out Richards Microfit Gunstocks (Richards Microfit Gunstocks). I'm considering a stock for a sporterized 1917 I have as well as for a marlin model 60. His web site also lists some closeouts and 2nds that may work well for you.
john

[KanadianKommando]

Ahhh, alright. The safety is still there, and all the parts look largely unmodified. With the safety engaged, the bolt can't be opened. However, the trigger can still be pulled. When the trigger is pulled, the striker travels forward just a tad, but not enough to cause the rifle to fire. The problem lies in when the safety is disengaged; as soon as the safety is taken off, the firing pin is struck with enough force to cause the rifle to go off. The trigger in the rifle is an aftermarket adjustable one, and breaks clean. I know the safety problem probably won't be fixed by a new cocking piece. However, I hope a new cocking piece will fix the problem with the bolt not closing properly. When fully assembled, the bolt stops short 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch short when it is moving forwards. In order to have the bolt fully lock, you need to push forward really hard (almost slamming the bolt forwards) before you can lock the bolt, as the bolt won't freely move far enough forward to fully close. After removing the firing pin, cocking piece, bolt sleeve, and firing pin spring however, the bolt can open and close no problem, and rounds can be chambered and extracted with ease. After everything is installed though, the problem returns. Would the firing pin spring be contributing to the problem as well? I know that those speed locking kits usually came with a new cocking piece and spring, so a new spring may be on order as well. Appreciate all the input so far, it's greatly appreciated.

[Salt Flat]

KK, What you have described regarding the safety and striker is a very dangerous condition. This rifle has been somewhat cobbled together and needs at least to be examined by someone that knows Enfields in and out and can examine it in person. This is a little too much to cure over the internet I'm afraid. The combination of a P14 receiver, 1917 bolt (maybe?), goofy bolt mods, barrel replacement (proper or improper? --- extractor cuts? Trigger mods?? All these things are suspect because of the level of workmanship that is demonstrated. There is a lot to building a rifle like this and from what I've seen so far I think there is a lot to suspect. I hope this isn't too negative but it could save your tail. Just my opinion-------Salt Flat

[KanadianKommando]

I wasn't expecting much out of it when I got it, so I figure I'll just take things one step at a time. Haven't tried shooting it yet, going to take it to a local gunsmith to have it fully examined. After looking around however, my rifle isn't the only one to have the safety issue. It stems, as I suspected, from replacing both the original trigger and the cocking piece with a "cock on open" kit. The bolt IS a P17 Enfield bolt, and has an "E" marking on the bolt handle and an "R" marking on the sleeve. When the cocking piece is removed, the bolt will cycle and extract rounds from the chamber with no problems, which makes me think that th cocking piece may be the culprit. No modifications have been made to the bolt that I can see after comparing it to many other pics online, so I'm praying that a new cocking piece may solve at least part of the problem. I'll have a better idea after I take it to my local gunsmith though. Again, thanks for the advice. Let's just hope I'm not trying to polish a turd with all my endeavors...

[Patrick Chadwick]

Not wishing to write it all out again, in the spirit of creative laziness I invite you to go here and read up on "Safety-off fire" and other nasties:

Worth replacing Mosin Nagant trigger with Finn 39

and especially here

Winchester Bolt Disassembly

Basically, a rifle which shows this fault
a) is dangerous
b) has been Bubba-ed.

In this particular case, it appears that the rifle was cobbled together unprofessionally, the result being a hazardous "mixmaster".

As we have had instances of all sorts of fudges on these forums, including at least one example of an unsafe-to-fire DP rifle being "creatively" restored to action, I very seriously recommend that you treat it as suspect, dismantle it completely, and inspect all parts thoroughly. If you read through the linked texts above, you will understand why.