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Guys, You hear a lot about the Eddystone actions being the least desirable of the M17/P14s due to possible cracking in the front receiver ring. Given 100 Eddystone's, what percentage are likely to crack IF the barrel is removed properly and with all due consideration? If an action has already been rebarreled, is it then considered safe from further cracking? Cheers... Con | ||
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Con, It kind of depends on what you are looking to rebarrel the rifle to.. from all I ever heard.. if the caliber is something that is not going to be dealing with high pressure loads it is not a worry..... If you want a P 17 to turn into a 458 Win Mag.. the Eddystone is not the safe route to go....If you want to turn it into a 250 Savage or a 257 Roberts or so... I wouldn't get all hung up on it being an Eddystone.... Just because they don't have the reputation of the Remington or Winchester built rifles doesn't mean they are made out of glass.... cheers seafire  | |||
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Sneaky bugger...........................looking at that eddy Kudu Bob's got  | |||
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ah... magnaflux the thing (35bucks us) and KNOW.. everything else is conjecture.. i've done a 500 jeffe on one.. only 600+rounds through it jeffe opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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PC, Nah didn't know Bob had one. Calling him tomorrow to see how he feels about working on them. Not planning on doing anything special either ... I'll use it as an exclusive 220gr Woodleigh launcher whilst in 30/06, then change it to a 35Whelen most likely or a 416Taylor. Also looking at what it'll cost to get some "cheap" Adams & Bennetts barrel blanks landed here in Oz. Cheers... Con | |||
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I'm sure nearly all Eddy actions are fine, but because of the lurking doubt, if you are going to build a rifle today on a 1917, start with a Winchester or Remington. | |||
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Is the shank diameter on the A&B barrels larger enough to thread for an Enfield? Jason "Chance favors the prepared mind." | |||
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My understanding of the Eddystone is the barrels were often tightened by machine. There was a hydraulic barrel installer that could put quite a bit more force than the average guy, and sometimes they were torqued hard to get the sights to index. To remove, of course you know about making the relieving cut on the barrel. As Jeffe mentioned, magnafluxing is the way to go so you know the action was not damaged 85 years ago when the barrel was screwed on. The Eddystone is a fine rifle, Sargeant York used one for his incredible Medal of Honor skirmish. If you don't know what I am talking about you really need to look it up, truly amazing marksmanship, and an amazing person too! for every hour in front of the computer you should have 3 hours outside | |||
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Actually, most damage was done when being arsenal reconditioned and having the old barrels removed. Also, Sgt. York (according to his son and his own letters home) used a Springfield 03 on that day. There was a good article in the March 2005 American Rifleman on Sgt. York. | |||
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you've asked a good question and it's unsnswered.....and I can't answer it either. This much I can say...the Eddystones I've worked on have expremely hard heat treating.....glass hard. The Remingtons and Winchesters are drawn much more and are less hard.....less brittle. I've never heard of a eddystone that failed with the .30-06 and in fact the .375 H&H etc cartridges are little more in forces on the action than the .30-06....granted they are more!!! In truth I suspect that the Eddystones will work fine.....but here's the issue.....both Remingtons and Winchesters are readily available......and for about $125 US....still dirt cheap.....and the cost of customizing an enfield is very high.....why would one start with a questionable action?.....and again it's very possible that the eddystones are totally capable of anything the Winnys or remmys are..... I personally wouldn't spend a dime on an eddystone.....but that's just me. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Vapo how can I get one of these Good Enfields to Oz for that price  | |||
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Sarco has some Enfield barreled actions (with worn out barrels) for $75 bucks. I bought two from them about three years ago and one was a Winchester and one an Eddystone. Both were real clean but with shot out barrels...which they tell you up front. I shoot nothing but 06 factory ammo in them and have never had a bit of trouble with either one. | |||
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PC, You got it right there! Most of the M17s in Australia that are already sporterised (so its less 'smithing work!) tend to be Eddystones. If an already rebarrelled action can be assumed (I hate ass-U-me ing)to be crack free then it opens the way for a sensible rebuild. If you really wanted a Rem or Win M17 I can find it for you ... but I have no doubt it'll be an ex-NRA range rifle with no floorplate or magazine box and possibly still with the "ears". But guaranteed "crack-free" as its mandated all actions be checked on rebarreling. Vapodog, Not making fun of you, but the one's that you worked on that you suggest are "brittle". Did you work on them for $$$, and then, were you happy to guarantee your work? Any ever give problems or where found with cracks? I suppose this may not be an action for a 378Weatherby...   Cheers... Con | |||
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I'm a hobbyist.....I am not for hire and don't charge a dime for anything. I've worked on Remmys, winnys and eddystones and the eddystones were a bitch to drill and tap due to the very hard case on the action....I actually used a tig torch to spot anneal the spots for the holes. I've never seen a cracked Enfield receiver of any manufacture. But then I've only worked on less than a dozen of them. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery." Winston Churchill | |||
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Thanks for the clarification Vapodog. My 'smith is a good man, so I rang for his opinion. When I asked what he thought of the Eddystones he replied, "F*&^%$ ugly" Specifically about the cracking he stated that he and no other 'smith of his acquaintance have ever seen an Eddystone with cracked receiver, "But there must be some somewhere." Wont mention what he said about drilling and tapping them  . He was pleased though that both are already sporterised. He's more than happy to build either a 35Whelen or 9.3x62 on one of the actions... wonder how he'd feel about a 500Jeffery?  Cheers... Con | |||
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Years ago I ran in to a fellow at the Puyallup gun show who was converting Enfields into sporters similar to Remington 720's. He told me he had stripped down about 100 actions and said that he lost about 10% due to cracks. I don't know if he made a relief cut to remove the barrel or what make of actions they were. | |||
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Have an Eddystone that I have sporterized and one in 35 Whelen that I purchased. Taking the ears off and modifying the back of the receiver was easy, I used a hand file to finalize the shape. Had it tapped for a scope by Gander Mountain and he said it was hard. Whelen has part of a tap broken off in one hole but still has enough thread. There is an excellent article on the web somewhere that gives you all the specifics of the eddystone when it was made. Guess I am strange cause I still have the original dog leg bolt handle on both. Definately not a gunsmith, only do work on MY guns. | |||
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I have a eddystone action with a 25 06 barrel and it has given me no trouble and has passed the crack test. | |||
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