1917 Enfield bulged/ringed barrel

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Bill in WV	1917 Enfield bulged/ringed barrel	Lead	[-]
Posts: 24 (11/04/09 06:37 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Tags : None I finally was able to purchase an excellent condition Remington M1917 that was made in July, 1918.(been looking for one like this a long time!) The rifle has been through a rebuild at one time and has a 5/18 Eddystone barrel. When inspecting it and cleaning the bore I felt a space approximately 3 inches from muzzle when patch got loose for about 1 inch then tightened up again? There is no noticeable difference in diameter of the barrel at this spot and no cracks or splits evident. This was most likely caused by some type of bore obstruction at one time? I have not shot this rifle yet, and wonder if it would be safe to do so? The bore is excellent other than this defect? Debating whether to make it a gunsafe queen, rebarrel,(if barrels are available) or possibly shorten barrel slightly and counterbore?
Jeremy2171		#1	[-]
Posts: 2207 (11/04/09 08:03 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Should be safe to shoot however accuracy "may" not be that great due to the "jump" in the rifling.
Mountain Doctor		#2	[-]
Posts: 3929 (11/05/09 01:22 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Should be safe to shoot. Have a 'buddy' try the forst few rounds.... Don't be suprised if it's accurate either. Hard to say what will and will not affect accuracy on any given unit. Rebarreling is typically not economically practical. Also 1917's can crack if proper relier cuts are not made by a qualified smith, and barrels are hard to come by. YMMV.
Bill in WV		#3	[-]
Posts: 25 (11/05/09 03:55 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for the responses : ^)
gil		#4	[-]
Posts: 925 (11/07/09 07:07 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	original barrels in good condition are almost impossible to find. shoot it and see what it is capable of. One option if it doesn't shoot is to have a gunsmith counterbore it. three inches is a little deeper than ususal, but it would be cheaper than replacing the barrel. they are very accurate rifles when their barrels aren't shot out. good luck. gil
m1 talker		#5	[-]
Posts: 7080 (11/07/09 10:40 PM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Question for you guys. If two out of three Doughboys who went to France in WW1 were packing the U.S. Model of 1917, then why are the replacement barrels so scarce? I know it is much easier to find replacement barrels for the 1903 rifles, but this thing about the 1917 rifles has always made me wonder. Curt
BobM14		#6	[-]
Posts: 719 (11/07/09 11:17 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Curt, I think it is probably because so many 1917's were rebuilt (and rebarreled) and they weren't manufactured for that long a period. Actually, although new replacement 1903A3 barrels are common, new 1903 replacement barrels are not common, even though the M1903 was manufactured for many many years. Most 03's have been rebuilt at least once. Armed Infidel
beanstrung		#7	[-]
Posts: 5715 (11/08/09 08:26 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I have an M1917 that is counterbored about 2-inches. It is a tack-driver, producing 1.75" groups at 100yds. Definitely try the counter-boring route if it does not shoot well as-is. -Bean --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10
Bill in WV	update	#8	[-]
Posts: 26 (11/08/09 10:43 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Took rifle out today and shot it while evaluating my deer rifles zeros. Shot some lc-66 ball ammo and was getting 5 shot groups @ 100 yards off the bench in the 2.5 to 3.0" range. Also was able to ring the 10" gong at 100 yards almost every shot offhand. I believe with some handloads, this rifle could be a sub 2.0" grouper even with the ring in the barrel. I really like how this rifle handles in offhand shooting!
mauserand9mm		#9	[-]
Posts: 1321 (11/09/09 05:56 AM) Veteran member Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I had a friend with a cheap 22 semi-auto with a bulged barrel near the muzzle - you could see the dark band looking down the inside of the barrel and could even see the bulge on the outside. It was caused by a stuck projectile being blown out by the next round, we are 90% certain. The previous round had gone off with the bolt "out of battey" and the last half of the case had blown out - he didn't think to check the bore after he picked the rest of the case out of the chamber and fired the next round (he wasn't all that bright anyway). It subsequently didn't adversly affect accuracy after that. It was never a tack driver to start with.
Mountain Doctor		#10	[-]
Posts: 3953 (11/09/09 10:47 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Glad to hear it shoots well. I doubt it would have done much better even when new. Sounds like you have a winner there!
2POP		#11	[-]
Posts: 40 (11/10/09 05:17 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	No expert here, but it sounds to me like you could have an original condition rifle, unless of course the stock has ben replaced.. I can see a 5-18 Eddystone barrel being OK on a July 1918 Remington receiver... That aside, I've seen, and owned rifles that shot fine and seemed unaffected buy a bulged barrel// I think you're on the right track with handloads... Just curious..What size 100 yd groups do you get with iron sights from other rifles?
Bill in WV		#12	[-]
Posts: 27 (11/10/09 09:41 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	2Pop, My almost 50 year old eyes are starting to go. I can usually shoot pretty well open sighted off a sand bagged bench, especially with a peep sight with good light, for 50 to 60 shots, before fatigue sets in. On my Garands with good barrels, usually can get 2.5" or a little better 5-shot groups at 100 yards. One 1903a3 with my favorite handload has been around 1.5", same with a couple Swiss K31's and a M96 Swede. After I find what my rifles will shoot off the bench, then most of my shooting is done with interactive targets at various distances! I have had some good days at the range while sitting next to someone shooting the latest whiz bang cartridge/rifle, and seeing them look down their nose at one of my old rifles. Then when we compare targets, they can't believe I have shot the target with one of those old "war clubs"?
beanstrung		#13	[-]
Posts: 5733 (11/11/09 08:32 PM) Forum Site Moderator Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Bill in WV wrote: ...was getting 5 shot groups @ 100 yards off the bench in the 2.5 to 3.0" range. I'd say that you are good to go "as-is". Enjoy! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- What part of "shall not be infringed" don't you understand? Joel 3:9-10