My Dad gave me a rifle
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Category: Enfields
Forum Name: Enfield Rifles
Forum Description: Anything that has to do with the great Enfield rifles!
URL: http://www.enfield-rifles.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7206
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Topic: My Dad gave me a rifle
Posted By: Boss Hog
Subject: My Dad gave me a rifle
Date Posted: December 01 2014 at 4:46pm
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My Dad gave me an enfield rifle. Been poking around trying to learn more about it, and came across this website. Let me post a few pics, and then I have a couple of questions. Here's an overall shot of the rifle: http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield1_zpsb72fcd84.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  Dad wasn't sure why the leather thingy is on the butt stock. He said it's always been there. He bought it from the Director of Civilian Marksmanship in the 1960s. He didn't remember anything else about it.
Here's the label on top of the barrel: http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield3_zpsf0d7c260.jpg.html" rel="nofollow"> The rear sight is frozen up. It folds down, but the slide thingy won't move. Can I use penetrating oil to loosen it up? http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield4_zps5d2db6fa.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  |
Replies:
Posted By: Boss Hog
Date Posted: December 01 2014 at 4:49pm
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There are marks in various places. Here are a couple of pics of them. I have no clue what they mean. http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield5_zps74903098.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield6_zpsb20febb6.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield7_zps81368e91.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  Also - The wood stock is kind of gummy, or sticky. What's the best way to clean it without harming anything on the rifle? The rifle hasn't been shot in an awfully long time. It just leaned up against the wall in a closet for several decades. I'd eventually like to get it cleaned up to where I could shoot it. Thanks for any help you can offer. |
Posted By: Zed
Date Posted: December 02 2014 at 4:08am
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As far as I know the US 1917 rifle is basically a US spec verison of the Enfield P14 (1914) model. So the calibre should be US military 30.06 instead of the British .303 I'msure more knowledgeable members can give you more info. It looks to be in very nice condition, so go easy on the clean up. The cheek pad was probably fitted to help the shooter's position when looking through the sights. the sight is probably just gummed up with dried grease, try renetrating fluid but avoid getting it on the wood. ------------- It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice! |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: December 02 2014 at 4:23am
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As he said its a Mauser copy made for the U.S. 30-06 cartridge. Google "M1917" or "American Enfield" & you'll find all sorts of info on it. Its an American version of the P-14 in .303 to the M1917 in 30-06. Its an Enfield in name only as the Lee Enfield, unlike the British P14 (Pattern of 19154) was a British attempt to replace the Lee Enfield before WW1. It didn't happen because of WW1 & so Britain & the commonwealth stuck with the Lee design. Later the U.S.made the changes to use the longer 30-06 round. No parts are interchangeable. The confusion comes from the British practice of including the factory's name into the design, so we have the "American Enfield" the "Bruno Enfield" (BREN) & the "Lee Enfield", all of which were worked on at the RSAF Enfield Lock. ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: IamCaleb
Date Posted: December 02 2014 at 11:26am
| Beautiful rifle, looks like it has a ton of dried cosmo on it. I normally use simple green to clean that stuff off and a soft rag. You will get a ton of info on the CMP forums on this rifle. Congrats. |
Posted By: Boss Hog
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 5:53am
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Thanks for the thoughts guys. I don't know how to tell is it's a 30.06. Doesn't have the caliber anywhere on the rifle, as I would typically expect. Caleb, you mentioned simple green. Do you mean to clean the wood, or the whole rifle? I don't know what you mean by the "CMP forums". I know not to do things like sand down the stock or fire it without having the barrel checked. Don't want to screw it up. Am checking around to see if there's a gun shop near here that can work on it for me. Hopefully they'll know how to get it back in shape better than I would. |
Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 8:40am
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If it says (as it does) "Model of 1917" the original factory chambering would have been 30-06. That was the difference between the P-13, P-14, & M1917. However, it could have been re-chambered or re-barreled, but its kind of unlikely with the original stamp on it. The only real way to tell is have a smith make a "chamber cast". Simple green is acidic, so make sure to dry thoroughly, & re-oil if you use it. Personally I'd use denatured alcohol & then re oil both the wood & the metal with different oils. Linseed, or tongue for the wood, & gun oil for the metal. CMP = "Civillian Marksmanship Program". ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: IamCaleb
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 9:24am
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Boss, I use the simple green to clean the whole rifle completely torn down. Then like Shamu mentioned, dry it off completely and re-oil the metal parts with gun oil and the wood with blo or tung oil. Click on this link http://forums.thecmp.org/forumdisplay.php?f=79 and it will take you to the cmp bolt action forum. (hopefully not against the rules here). Definitely have a qualified smith look at it for you before firing.
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Boss Hog wrote:Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 9:31am
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he!!o nice rifle and one of my favorites. Penatrating oil should loosen up anything stuck.
The CMP is the Sucessor to the DCM
http://thecmp.org/" rel="nofollow - http://thecmp.org/
They still hold matches with those old guns I shot in one this past Saturday. The link above lists affiliated clubs by state ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: Longbow14
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 5:34pm
| man I wish my dad passed a rifle like that along. that's a great piece of americanhistory and since there were fewer made than the springfields they have a pretty high collectors tag on them. most of those rifles you see have been cut down and sporterized. |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: December 03 2014 at 7:21pm
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ill second that ... this is a nice original example [as far as we can see] of the remington made contract rifle model of 1917 , in 3006 , and if the barrel marking is correct - look behind the front sight , should give the mfgr letter and date [ should be an R / ordinance mark/a month and year ] like this -that will tell a lot about it http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2298_zps9dd1d6f7.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: Shamu
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 5:15am
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A square 10: A question, if I may. Does yours have the caliber marked on it anywhere? It strikes me as odd that nowhere does it say 30-06 on the OP's rifle? Is this normal for the M1917's? ------------- Don't shoot till you see the whites of their thighs. (Unofficial motto of the Royal Air Force) |
Posted By: Jon287
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 6:09am
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Very nice. My dad left me an old Stevens .410 shotgun, which I treasure, but a Model 1917 "American Enfield" would of been even better. ------------- Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their planet!! |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 7:00am
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Now the quest will start. You will need a bayonet, sling, muzzel cover, and goverment issue ammo. Once started like the quest for the Grail it never ends. ------------- Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts. |
Posted By: Boss Hog
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 3:54pm
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I had a look at the barrel behind the front sight. Hadn't noticed those marks before: http://s3.photobucket.com/user/Boss_Hog/media/Enfield8_zps54f774b9.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  Since the barrel says 3-18, does that mean it was made in March of 1918? Or is it some sort of code? Thanks once again to all of you have posted info or answered questions. |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 7:22pm
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hmmm , shamu , good question , mine are inaccessible today - dont ask , a family thing i dont wish to discuss , but no , to my knowledge neither the remington nor the winchester are so marked , the canadians that had that remington first had painted it with a red stripe to denote the "off"caliber - from their standard 303 , still remnants of that on the furniture , i will dig them out and look again when able , i do not know why they were not marked for caliber , i suspect , because they were standard 30 government , yet in those days there was still the 3040 government and even the 4570 government in hand , yet not in field service , it is noteworthy that the enfields are not so marked either unless they have [import marks here ] sold out of service marks with proofing , and - pady makes a good point - need butstock cleaning gear and such too
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Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 7:30pm
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The caliber is not marked on my Winchester M1917 or my Remington P-14 ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 7:39pm
| yes , when i said enfields i meant my eddystone pattern 1914 , thanks for the reinforcement i thought i was correct , but at my age i often have to go back and actually look to confirm my memory , ive often forgotten something i knew very well , |
Posted By: SW28fan
Date Posted: December 04 2014 at 8:29pm
I'm 58 and had to look ------------- Have a Nice Day If already having a nice day please disregard |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 06 2014 at 8:00am
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I remember reading that US Enfiels that where sent to England at the start of WWII where marked with a red band to call out the US 30 ammo. ------------- Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts. |
Posted By: flanker
Date Posted: December 06 2014 at 1:27pm
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I think the red stripe identified the P17, the P14 used standard 303 British ammunition and the P17 didn't. ------------- Life is full of possibilities, 50% of them are likely to good.... |
Posted By: paddyofurniture
Date Posted: December 06 2014 at 2:37pm
By Jove I think got it!
------------- Always looking for military manuals, Dodge M37 items,books on Berlin Germany, old atlases ( before 1946) , military maps of Scotland. English and Canadian gun parts. |
Posted By: A square 10
Date Posted: December 06 2014 at 3:34pm
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BTW, back to bosshogs question , yes it was made march of 1918 and that is most likely an original barrel , when these were rearsenaled for WWII they got later replacement made barrels by HS high standard and JA johnson automatic and RIA rock islkand arsenal , these will have the arsenal bomb but bot a date , this work took place at rock island arsenal in 1942 , much as the UK reconditioned at weedon their P14s . OH , and check the muzzle end of your stock closely the original stock will have an R stamped in it , no interchange of parts among the three manufacturers took place durring production , each stood alone . http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/026_zps8fd5dedc.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  and look the stock over , my remington was canadian service rifle - http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/025_zps9aba3100.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">  http://s1034.photobucket.com/user/watabmike/media/mikesphotos-2302_zpsd0ac489e.jpg.html" rel="nofollow">
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