Eddystone 1917 Mark

[DustyRusty]

Noob question.
Picked this Eddystone 1917 up at the North store some years ago.
Lokinng it over, I see a "W" and bursting bomb on the bolt handle so close together.
Does that "W" indicate its a Winchester part?

I found pictures of the ordinance corps mark but not with the W so close.
Is it unusual?

[Patrick Chadwick]

Yes, Winchester component. Looks like the W was applied after the flaming bomb, as the leading stroke of the W has pushed in the outer ring of the bomb.

[DustyRusty]

The borel looks scary. Muzzel is +1.

[Daan Kemp]

Looks like it needs a good clean and some shooting to show what it really is.

[browningautorifle]

Nothing wrong with that bore. Big solid rifling...

[DustyRusty]

What will all that roughness do Jim? Will it just foul?

[browningautorifle]

Will it just foul?

No, the rifling is about perfect, is all I mean. Any minor pitting won't affect use. Most rust will shoot out and then come clean. I've shot far worse with good result.

[DustyRusty]

Thank you Jim, thats exactly the answer I was hoping for. I have little ecperience with what should be shot, or not.
I have a Krag from CMP whos barrel was way too bad to shoot. I found a used Krag barrel on the web and had a smith replace it for me.
They will both see some shooting this spring. Thanks

[browningautorifle]

I have a Krag from CMP whos barrel was way too bad to shoot.

On that...we've seen '94 Winchester rifles with almost nothing left shoot fine with jackets and Lee Enfields too. I've shot M1 rifles that had little left but jackets shot OK as long as not pushed too hard. It's hard to tell without shooting them. Now it's replaced though, it should be good. I had a Krag rifle with a dark bore shot fine but pattern 24" to eleven on the clock. Turned out it had a ring within an inch of the muzzle that was oblong, thus throwing the bullets. It still grouped fine, just off to eleven...

[Patrick Chadwick]

The borel looks scary. Muzzel is +1.

Dusty, you need to toughen up a little. Try some of my 200-350 year-old BP rifles, and you will learn the truth of the old saying “handsome is as handsome does”. That bore has plenty of substance, and I can only add to the chorus “shoot, clean, shoot, clean…”

However, a good photo of the muzzle crown would be interesting. Many ex-service rifles are unevenly worn at the muzzle - the main culprit being the good-old-English pull-through and its dubious descendant - the bore snake. In some (many?) cases an ever-so-slight recrowning - just enough to eliminate the one-sided wear from cleaning - will transform the grouping from “minute of barndoor” to something competitive.