Why doesnt my M1917 Bayo fit on my M1917??

[72 usmc]

libertytreecollectors have original hand guards:
see https://www.libertytreecollectors.co...idCategory=108


Neat that you do displays at local museums, I still do schools on vet days, but no firearms are allowed. I hope you get your rifle back to original.
most of my USMC stuff:

[ssgross]

and though it is and will be for some time on display at the Texas Veteran Museum here in Denton

Well now, if the end result desired is wall hanging that changes everything. You should be able to find an original barrel pretty cheap, if you don't care about the condition of the bore. Post in the WTB. A lot of people here are doing the opposite...putting a good bore on a shot out one to make an authentic shooter, and have the old one lying on the shelf.

[1903Collector]

I want the rifle to be both a shooter and correct for mfr and serial number! Everyone of my 87 long gun collection of WWI, WWII & Cold War battle rifles, carbines, sniper rifles and shotguns are correct for SN and manufacturer. Finding this problem is a bit of a blow. All my guns must be correct and a shooter. Even my low number SA & RIA '03s shoot m2 ball without issue! I thought I was nearly done creating the long gun collection. With the exception of a Rashid, IHC Garand, 1940's production No1 MkIII, a Japanese paratropper bayo for my Type 2, an Irwin Pederson Carbine, and a Lebel 1886 Ive complete examples of battle rifles, carbines, sniper rifles and shotguns and bayonets from each of the main belligerent countries involved in WWI, WWII & the Cold War. My US WWII collection has one of each type from every manufactures for Springfields, M1 Garands and M1 Carbines (early SN and restored to "as issued" configuration is the WWII US collection theme) including reissue WWI '03s. I dont think Ill be able to do the same for WWI M1917s and now I learn my nice looking WWI M1917 is altered!

B U M M E R !

Still, ya'll have been very helpful! I cant thank you enough. Ive not used forums much in the past. I think I handicapped myself by trying to collect and develop expertise on these monuments of recent world history. I will surely redress that practice and try to become part of the "community".

Just a thought, but if anyone would be interested to checkout this collection please come visit the Texas Veterans Hall of Fame in Denton Texas, just north of Dallas. It is a humble enterprise focusing on past and current Texas resident men and women who served our country. Ive loaned my entire collection for an indefinite period (as long as I have access to check them out a shoot a few now and again) to help attract more visitors, offer examples of some of the implements of war used by ground soldiers, and provide a tangible link to the veterans who are the main focus of the museum. We will have the display completed sometime in Jan of Feb 2022. I was finalizing and completing the bayonets associated with everyone of these firearms when I stumbled on this "complication".

If anyone would like to donate a good M1917 Remington barrel to the museum let me know! ;-)

---------- Post added at 12:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:28 AM ----------

Hey Marine! Yes Ive done a bit of business with LTC over the years.

That is a GREAT display youve got. Ill use it to inspire me how to decorate and augment mine.

We are still working out the details and preparing the firearm display area. I displayed my US WWII collection at the NRA show in Dallas Market Hall Gun Show run by Dallas Arms Collectors Association in 2019. I realized then that I needed to find one site to loan my 87+ long gun collection for an extended period because the set-up/down work is just too much. The indefinite loan to the Texas Veteran Hall of Fame just started to develop in July.

---------- Post added at 12:42 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:37 AM ----------

All my collection are shooters AND part of a rather large display. I dont see the point of having a collection good only for display. I try to shoot everyone of the 87+ collection at least once a year...and a few favorites often. I used to compete in precision rifle matches, so they must shoot well! :-)

[rugersworld]

That barrel is marked with a birmingham nitro proof mark BNP (used since 1954), and then over-stamped with ".30/06 2.49".
Could that barrel be .303 diameter or a lend lease barrel? It was obviously sold to the civilian market post 1954, and re-chambered in 30-06.

[browningautorifle]

Could that barrel be .303 diameter or a lend lease barrel?

Probably a non standard lend lease that would have had a red stripe. Then when released from the UK was marked by the proof house... I don't believe the UK would have used the US flaming bomb to mark or the US gov't marking would be applied to a .303 barrel. The marks are proof house...

[1903Collector]

Attachment 121546Attachment 121547Attachment 121548Attachment 121549

So the wood stock length with a butt plate and front barrel band on the rifle. I laid a tape from the top of the butt plate straight down the stock till I got to the end with the W cartouche. I did not measure from the heal or the middle of the butt. I placed the end of the tape at the top of the butt plate and then went straight along the stock and under the bolt handle to the front end of the wood. The tape laid out nice and straight. This measurement of the stock on the rifle is 42 3/4 inches.
The total length of the M1917 rifle from the same spot on the butt plate & under the bolt handle so the tape is flat and laid out to the end of the barrel is 46 3/8 of an inch. See photo
does that help

Well, this story ends well as I just finished restoring my unscrupulously modified Remington M1917 to spec (still not as-issued as it has an Eddystone lower handguard, but at least the handguard is not modified!) I acquired, thru EB, a used but nearly pristine Remington barrel that was even closer to the date of manufacture of the rifle (based upon the serial number.) The guy even turned out to be "local" and I was able to fully check out the barrel before purchasing. I got a proper handguard ring and a nice looking used handguard (it even had similar wear characteristics as the rest of the wood!) and it all went together effortlessly (even the barrel change went well!)

So here it is, with bayo mounted and the offending parts replaced! THANKS GUYS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!

BACKGROUND TO THIS STORY FOR THOSE JUST HNOW READING IT:

I bought an M1917 a few years back and just now got around to checking it out and WHAM...it was unscrupulously modified. All my firearms are shooters, but Im a collector and have slings, bayonets, and accessories for each of my 87 long gun collection (WWI, WWII, & Cold War, so I had to have the proper bayonet mounted on it for my display. So I recently acquired an M1917 bayonet, tried to mount it on the rifle, and the muzzle ring would not go over the muzzle. When the handle was placed on fully the bottom of the bayonet muzzle ring was EXCACTLY in line with the top of the muzzle!

After some help with the guys here on this forum I sussed out that the barrel had been shortened by 3/8" (two turns) at the chamber end, the barrel turned down and rechambered. My guess is that it was a NOS barrel that someone tried to cut the headspace, cut too much, and ruined the barrel (Ive done it myself to a total of 4 '03 and A3 NOS barrels...I cringed each time thinking that I knew better!) Anyway, the owner at the time then put the modified barrel back on, found a unknown handguard ring that was too small, and would only fit to the seam between receiver and barrel. Then bubba-scam-artist cut the lower hand guard so that everything "fit" and to the casual observer looked like a normal M1917. The new headspace was good and the ME and TE were both under 1.5!

OK, so that resulted in a good shooter with lots of life left, albeit NOT to spec let alone "as-issued". To some, that might not have mattered, BUT the GB listing never mentioned ANYTHING about the modification! Now I confess that if I had done my homework and paid more attention I should have noticed that the rivets were missing on the far end of the lower handguard, but otherwise, it was a fake...a good fake, but a fake! I was devastated (last week was when I discovered all this.)

So, the moral of this story is that it is possible to acquire a decent M1917 these days...but it may take some effort and just a little additional cost! And as always...CAVEAT EMPTOR!