I've just purchased a sporterized US 1917 Enfield in 30-06, marked BSA. It hasn't arrived yet and in the meantime I was wondering if anyone on the boards was familiar with them.

If it is as nice as it looks in the pics it will be quite the buy.

It appears to be just a simple but tasteful sporterization; drilled and tapped, new swept bolt handle, flush bottom metal, ramp front sight.

The stock looks like a straight grained pistol grip (checkered) walnut with cheekpiece. The forend is not checkered, which sent up red flags but I decided to chance it anyway.

Has sling swivels and carries extensive British proofs, "made in England" stamp, and a BSA encircled by a sort of belt stamped on the top of the rear bridge.

It is described as having an excellent bore so my hopes are high it is going to be a decent rig.

Thanks for any info anyone might share.

swampfox it sounds interesting. Please post some close ups when you get a chance.

I have the same enfield pattern 17 made by BSA. Shoots ok, but very heavy to pack around. It was given to me by a guy who had no use for it, not that I do either. You almost have to give them away to get rid of them at least in Canada, I've seen sporterized ones, some of them quite nice in the gunshops and shows here, you can buy them cheap, $100- $150 bucks fully sporterized. They are worth more in standard military issue to collectors as they are hard to find that way, sporterized ones are a dime a dozen.

I'll be sure to! One of those rifles I just couldn't pass up. I've always wanted an M1917 actioned sporter, and it's hard to go wrong with a '06.

Oscar, what make scope base do you have on yours?

Trying to post a link to the auction:
http://www.auctionarms.com/closed/displayitem.cfm?ItemNum=6835917

Hope it works!

Mine came with Weaver bases and Burris rings and an old steel tube weaver 3x9 with adjustable objective. I see your floorplate has been straightened, mine still has the bulky stepped floorplate but otherwise sporterized as yours is. Still has the cock on closing bolt, feels a little different if your not used to them, also has the original doglegged bolt handle. Trigger has a springy feel as you pull it back but hitches up nicly and breaks cleanly when you get to the end of it. It shoots very well, surprised me actually. It has all the same proof marks as yours and is only checkered on the pistol grip and retains the crossbolt through the stock ahead of the magazine. Serial# 14xxx

Well, now the wait....the seller has excellent feed back so I am hopeful it will be a good one.

Hope the bottom metal is well done.

I like a cock on close action. Have gotten used to them with my Lee-Enfields.

I may end up putting a receiver sight on it.

Thanks for the help!

Cock-on-closings are nice, however a British SMLE cosk-on-closing is not the same as an Enfield.

The SMLE's are way faster, sort of a class of their own.

-Spencer

quote:

Originally posted by Oscar Makonka:
I have the same enfield pattern 17 made by BSA. Shoots ok, but very heavy to pack around. It was given to me by a guy who had no use for it, not that I do either. You almost have to give them away to get rid of them at least in Canada, I've seen sporterized ones, some of them quite nice in the gunshops and shows here, you can buy them cheap, $100- $150 bucks fully sporterized. They are worth more in standard military issue to collectors as they are hard to find that way, sporterized ones are a dime a dozen.

Oscar,

Personally I LOVE the 1917 Enfields! Wish I could buy a batch of the surplus ones no one wants in Alberta and get them back across the border! One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Cheers
seafire

It's actually not that easy to find one in this country anymore in good shape. I bought one about three months ago from Jaquas and am going to pick it up this week. It is a sporter in 300H&H with a nice but "unfortunate" stock. If you want a heavy action for a custom, these are hard to beat. The amount of metalwork to get them to this point would cost a staggering amount today. Grinding off the ears, shaping, filling in the "trough", straightning the bottom metal and new bolt handle was done years ago on most of them.

One comment about the BSA shown. I don't see how that could be the original markings. The ears have been ground off and rear bridge filled in and shaped where the BSA marking appears. Additionally, I have never seen a rifle marked on the rear bridge. It appears to be a military rifle that has been sporterized, then undergone English proof and marked by BSA. Is it possible that BSA built these from military actions post WWI and sold them as sporters? I may be way off base, and would like to know if I am, but I don't think these could possibly be the original marks.

quote:

Oscar,

Personally I LOVE the 1917 Enfields! Wish I could buy a batch of the surplus ones no one wants in Alberta and get them back across the border! One man's trash is another man's treasure!

Cheers
seafire

Seafire, in no way did I intend to slander the enfield, I just don't care for the sporterized ones, I'd like to have one in original military condition but they are extremely hard to find and $$$

Art S. You might be right, I don't really know much about them but i have seen many sporterized ones with different degrees of grinding and shaping of the action and ear removal with the same stamping on the rear bridge.

Art S.- that's exactly what happened. Apparently these 1917's were lend leased to the Brits, surplused out, and sporterized commercially. My hunch is that they were probably done in the late '50's, when demand for sporting gun was high and the Brits were transitioning to the SLR.

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=76850

Two years ago, my wife found some barreled actions at a yard sale and asked if I had seen them.....I hadn't, so I took a look....three 1917 Enfields.....disassembled, all parts present and accounted for.....stocks were thrown away.....all three for $25.00 total....one man's trash is another one's treasure.

Joe

The P17's were made by Remington, Eddystone(Remington too) and Winchester. None were made in the UK. The contract was cancelled Nov 12,1918.

Picked up the rifle today. It's Eddystone throughout, well done sporterization by BSA.
Bottom metal very nice, and a bright, crisp bore.

It still cocks on closing and works very well.
The stock is walnut with some nice grain.

Feel like I did pretty good on this one.

Just a little background some may find interesting...

Not only were BSA re-worked U.S.Enfields quite common in Commonwealth countries (before it was called the Commonwealth), they were the "home" to the world's first belted .338 Short Magnum!

Using primarily the P-14 action, but also some modified P-17s, BSA marketed the .330 BSA in about 1920. I have owned a couple of them, bought at auction in England in 1969-'72, and they were very nice workman's rifles indeed.

The cartridge is included in the "Cartridges of the World" tome if anyone wants more info on it.