How much work is involved in making a 1917 Enfield action suitable for a big bore sporter? Could you give me a ball park figure on the cost of just the action work? What size cartridges are the Enfield actions suitable for?

How much work is involved in making a 1917 Enfield action suitable for a big bore sporter?

To make a good sporter??? A first class job? Waaaay to much. You are money ahead buying a Dakota at $1200 bucks. No kidding. I have made several sporters on P-17 and P-14 actions. Not garage strong-arm jobs but full blown classic rifles with all the refinements. The last was a classic tropical style rifle in 45-70. I really enjoy it. I had fun building each one but if I got paid for my labor it would be under $5.00 an hour. You can't hire tht kind of thing any more and get much for any reasonable sum. Sporterizing military rifles was big after WWII, when labor was cheaper and skilled craftsmen were easiar to find. Factory rifles were scarcer and people were shorter on cash. Fifty years later we live in a different world. If you can find a previously butchered rifle and want to practice on it yourself, have at it and be proud of what you make.

Frankly, if you want a Enfield action, I'd carefully prowl the gunshows and look for a rifle that was previously converted to a magnum caliber by someone who knew what he was doing. It will not be hard to tell if it was done properly or butchered. These rifles are not real popular these days and for example,I almost bought one last weekend from a dealer for about $250 in 300wby mag. You can then get it rebarrelled in some really interesting caliber for about $350-$400.
To take a straight military Enfield and have this work done will run you about $1000 or more ,if you could find someone to do it for you. Of course if you have the skills, equipment and time it can be done without much difficulty. You would be better off buying a new CZ550 as a sound basis for a good big bore.

roughly here is what Scot and all are talking about:

Surface Grind $50.00
Trigger 65.00
bottom metal 390.00
D & T 80.00
Hand polish 30.00 per hour
Blue 100.00
Safty 150.00
Cock on open 75.00
rail work 30.00 per hour

Thats $940.00 plus the two hourly jobs, so your getting up around $1200. or more, depending.....then you will need a barrel and a stock, scope, irons, dies, brass, powder and bullets....Expensive hobby. but when finish if done right you have a rifle that will last for generations to come...

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Ray Atkinson

ray@atkinsonhunting.com
atkinsonhunting.com