Hi all, I have a Winchester made M-17 Enfield in 30-06 that was part of the British wartime reserve. Is there any interest in these or are they just lumped in with the other Enfields when it comes to price?
I have a few guns that I never use and I'm thinking of recycleing them into some new toys.
I'll have to dig it out and take pics.
Any ideas on what it's worth with whatever condition grade, 70%, 80%, 90%...
thanks.

Try these links.

http://www.telusplanet.net/public/philqgbr/enfieldP14.html

I'm curious as to whether the ears have been milled off; the Brits preferred Winchesters, in both P14 and M1917 models, to use as sniper rifles. If this is one of those, it might command a premium over it's normal worth. Otherwise, it's just another Win M1917.

Bud W

hi Lar... just ran across something that might pertain to your Enfield. Per Stratton's book on the Enfield, about 100,000 were shipped to the UK in 1941 for the home guard. Also, when a gun, made here, is exported overseas then imported back here, it must be stamped with the importer's ID, according to ATF regs. The stamping is very small and is usually near the muzzle, on the protector ears or the left receiver rail.

Bud W

Were they supplied to us in 30-06??? I thought they were modified to take the .303???

If the receiver ring is marked Model of 1917, then they were in 30-06. I don't believe any m1917s were converted to .303 -- all the .303s were P14s made under the original contract with the UK. Look at the barrel face in the receiver... if it's flat, it's a .303. If coned, it's a "aught six"

Bud W

Bud,

Bad turn of phrase on my part...

I thought all the rifles bought at this time by the UK were specified as .303 from the factory..

I had heard that we were going to buy a job lot of 1917's in 30-06, but I thought this sale was cancelled before they were delivered??

No expert here, just interested in the back ground history with regards WW2...

Regards,

Pete

Hi Pete... The Enfield armory designed a rifle called the P13 which used a rimless .276 round. As war loomed it was decided not to change calibers so they modified it for the existing .303 and called it the P14. As they could not produce them quickly enough, they contracted Win, Rem & Eddystone to build them. Some 1.2 million were made when the contract was cancelled in 1917. About the same time, the US found itself short of 1903 Springfields and the two arsenals couldn't produce them fast enough. As Win & Rem were already tooled up for the Enfield, they modified it for the 30-06 cartridge and built them until 1919. They were called the "Model of 1917". About 2.2 million were turned out. As I mentioned before, about 100,000 of these were sent to Britain around 1941. I read somewhere that some stocks had red-painted bands applied to indicate they were 30-06 not .303. I guess yours is one of the lend-lease shipment.

Bud W

I don't know if this has any bearing here, but here is a Winchester on gunbroker
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=66031282

I looked at it... it appears to be a P14 made by Win. I'm not a collector so I don't know if the price is reasonable. The "matching numbers" is a European thing; M1917s don't have it. I think yours is of more interest as a collector piece because of its provenance.

Bud W

I pulled it out and took some pics. On the bottom of the muzzle is very light import markings and it does have all matching numbers on the action, bolt and stock. The import marking says P-1917... Sometimes you have to wonder who is working on guns. You'd think being a gun looney would be a pre requisite.

In the Navy, some of the gunners mates didn't know how to single load a Mossberg 500 and they were giveing the instructions to others during qualifications. He was trying to put the shell in from the bottom and then slam the action closed. I had to step up and help him save face by saying that he was thinking of a different gun...
Oh well, Life happens.

Hi Lar -- That's interesting; the "P-1917" must have been stamped by the British. P is for "Pattern" and we never used that term... only M or Model. Any curious marks on the stock?

Bud W