M1917 Enfield prices

Clovis · Sep 16, 2018

lazarus said:
Correct. There were also significantly more manufactured and deployed in US service than the ‘03. Post WWI, probably because of Springfield Armory and also that the ‘03 has better measured course of fire sights (but not practical accuracy) the US Army decided to keep the ‘03 and surplus the 1917.

The rest is history.

Seem to recall some 1917s were reissued in WWII at least for training purposes and many were sent to the Brits which ended up mostly for home guard units and were painted with a red band around the upper hand guard and fore end to distinguish them from the P-14s.
And, for what it's worth, I recall reading that when the U.S. was in the process of having the P-14 converted to the M-1917 some were suggesting it would save time to just have P-14s made for U.S. troops and use the .303. Common sense and logistics won out and even though the conversion process took more time, it was approved.

Zorros · Sep 16, 2018

The us rifle .30 1903 is called a springfield. Why? because springfield designed it. But it was made by remington and smith corona as well as springfield. He us rifle m1 .30 was called after its designer, a garand. And the ar rifles were named for armalite, the first maker. Its very easy to understand why the mod 1917 is commonly called an enfield. Nicknames.

Threeband · Sep 16, 2018

Clovis said:
Seem to recall some 1917s were reissued in WWII at least for training purposes and many were sent to the Brits ...

1917s were issued to rear echelon troops overseas, as well.

My uncle was issued a 1917 rifle in the European Theater (ETO) in 1944. He was a clerk-typist in some headquarters well behind the line.

lazarus · Sep 16, 2018

Threeband said:
1917s were issued to rear echelon troops overseas, as well.

My uncle was issued a 1917 rifle in the European Theater (ETO) in 1944. He was a clerk-typist in some headquarters well behind the line.

They were also used as sniper rifles. I think by both Army and Marines as they were generally extremely accurate rifles. Though the 03A4 and M1C outnumbered them even though the 1917 sniper rifles were probably the most accurate sniper rifle in the US inventory (hand select vs hand select).

Most of them were disposed of, but some were packed up in arsenals post WWI and as you guys mentioned some were reissued in WWII for rear echelon work.

Doco Overboard · Sep 16, 2018

FM23-6 1942 basic field manual says Enfield on it in parenthesis.
Somebody should have straitened out G.C. Marshall before it went to print. They went and have everybody messed up now.

Zorros · Sep 16, 2018

Doco Overboard said:
FM23-6 1942 basic field manual says Enfield on it in parenthesis.
Somebody should have straitened out G.C. Marshall before it went to print. They went and have everybody messed up now.

In “Miracle on 34 th street” the Macy’s sanata clause proved he was he because the post office delivered santa claus mail to him. Likewise, if the govt writes it on a manual, it is so. But i think to be 100% accurate it should be called “ paren enfield paren”.

Trekker · Sep 16, 2018

Doco Overboard said:
For a shooter grade rifle I would be concerned with the bore/chamber condition as well as the stock in its entirety. Make sure the stock has not been cut or damaged. M17's are out there plenty but are generally climbing in value as are replacement parts. I would expect 5 to 700 for something decent and even more with original finish matching parts.
Sported rifles with uncut barrels and drilled/altered receivers are more expensive to sort out vs a rifle in original form and are an unwise initial purchase.

As data per the OP's original question, last year I picked up an Eddystone M1917 for $550 at a small local gun show in Bel Air.

However, as Doco Overboard mentioned, make sure the stock has not been cut or damaged. I gave my (now) M1917 a good look over, worked the bolt for function, and got a second (favorable) opinion from a knowledgeable dealer at the show. All looked good. After buying the M1917 however, a weekend or two later I took it it the range for a test run. On the second shot the fore-grip flew apart because it had been cut apart underneath the metal bands, and thus out of sight of visual inspection. At least in looking at local MD gun shows, I could not find a replacement stock without spending $$$, so I and a family friend with some experience did a (thankfully successful, so far apparently) repair on the existing stock.

So, atop Dodo Overboard's advice, I would recommend checking the stock under the metal bands. Make sure to have a screwdriver for this purpose.

Mike OTDP · Sep 16, 2018

If you dig into it, the U.S. Army was in a pickle in 1917. The USA had declared war, and they did not have anywhere near enough rifles for everyone. And the '03 Springfield was a very precisely made (meaning lots of machine tool time) weapon. A survey of what else was in production, run by BGEN John Thompson (yes, the SMG developer), came up with a conversion of the Pattern 1914 Enfield, then in production by several American makers. Rechamber for .30-'06, and it was good to go. About 70% of the Doughboys carried one. The M1917, not the M1903, was the signature rifle of the First World War...but the Army was NOT going to let this become general knowledge. No way they were going to admit that their vaunted M1903 was not the super-rifle it was advertised as.

Tim Mullin, in his massive assessment of military rifles, rated it the finest small arm of the First World War. A little on the heavy side, but reliable and equipped with excellent sights.

Oldcarjunkie · Sep 16, 2018

I sold my Nice Eddystone to one of the larger dealers at a PA show for 600 or 625 if that tells you anything

28Shooter · Sep 16, 2018

mawkie said:
When you think about it the Model 1917 deserved a better fate in history than it got. In the right place at the right time it served our Doughboys very well indeed.

Very true Mawkie. I completely agree.

M1917 Enfield prices

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Clovis

Ultimate Member

Zorros

Ultimate Member

Threeband

The M1 Does My Talking

lazarus

Ultimate Member

Doco Overboard

Ultimate Member

Zorros

Ultimate Member

Trekker

Active Member

Mike OTDP

Ultimate Member

Oldcarjunkie

R.I.P

28Shooter

Ultimate Member

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page