I have both an Eddystone 1917 and a 1924-vintage Springfield 1903. If you're already a Garand shooter, the battle sight on the 1917 will make you feel at home.
If you find an military-condition 1917 with original barrel for a reasonable price, snap it up. A lot of them were sporterized and restoring one to military condition can get expensive, if that's what you're looking for. Unmodified 1903s are more common, and can often be found in good condition, albeit usually with replacement barrels. 1903A3s are very common, and often in very good condition because they were used mostly for training and by support troops in WWII and saw little wear.
Neither 1917 nor 1903-series is better than the other. Both can be tack drivers, and are built to be rugged and reliable. The 1903's weakness is its ladder sight with short radius, the 1917's its ejector spring that breaks at inopportune moments.
A consideration with the 1917 is it is almost 47" long and may have trouble fitting in safes with low shelves.
If you find an military-condition 1917 with original barrel for a reasonable price, snap it up. A lot of them were sporterized and restoring one to military condition can get expensive, if that's what you're looking for. Unmodified 1903s are more common, and can often be found in good condition, albeit usually with replacement barrels. 1903A3s are very common, and often in very good condition because they were used mostly for training and by support troops in WWII and saw little wear.
Neither 1917 nor 1903-series is better than the other. Both can be tack drivers, and are built to be rugged and reliable. The 1903's weakness is its ladder sight with short radius, the 1917's its ejector spring that breaks at inopportune moments.
A consideration with the 1917 is it is almost 47" long and may have trouble fitting in safes with low shelves.