What to look for: 1917 Rifle

[bls72bmw]

Team,
The local brick and mortar has a 1917 Rifle, appears original to my untrained eye. Stock is original but clearly refinished. They have it marked at just over $1k. What do I need to know and look for on a shooter grade 1917?

I want something to compliment the M1s. Ideally it would have the same long peep sight radius.
I don't have a muzzle or TE wear gauge. Is that the best predictor of accuracy? I would want it to shoot as good, or better than a nice M1.
Very vague question but any help is apprciated.
Also, is 1050 a fair price for a shooter grade 1917?

I would be able to get some pics and post them up should that help.

[Calif-Steve]

What does the bore look like? That is a start. I would guess a used, good condition M1917 would go for around half that price. But, condition is everything. Nice Winchesters go for 1k all day long. Lots of questions here.

[Griff557]

I think nice clean 1917’s are in the $800-900 range give or take depending on make and mix of parts. M.E. and T.E. are good indicators but the condition of the bore is probably more important. Many of the 17’s were used for ceremonial rifles that shot a lot of blanks and were not properly cleaned on top of the fact they also shot a lot of corrosive ammo. While nearly all 17’s have been rebuilt if it’s an Eddystone that has been rebarreled I would look closely at the front of the receiver. When they were rebarreled they would sometimes crack because the barrel was installed too tight.I had one like that and didn’t notice it until after I had bought it. Luckily I worked out a deal with the seller and ended up with an all matching WRA instead

https://i.imgur.com/kVES4WT.jpg

[rubicon762]

Look at the end of the barrel, behind the front sight. There should be a number like 8-18.
That would imply the original barrel made in August, 1918. (no number is an arsenal rebuild).

Next note the serial number. On your phone, search "M1917 production numbers".
Look down the graph till you see your (approximate) month/year of manufacture. If it's
August, September, or October of 1918, this is "likely" the original barrel to that receiver.

That would add value to me.

Best regards.

[Jpm]

Originally Posted by Calif-Steve

I would guess a used, good condition M1917 would go for around half that price.

I'd like about 10 of those please!

They haven't been $500 for quite some time.

@op, bore condition is everything with 1917s. Check that first. Bring a boresnake with you in case nobody bothered to clean it.

[cplnorton]

Check Headspace. Thousands if not into the tens of thousands were released by the old DCM right after WWII that would not headspace and needed to be rebarreled. They were sold as Drill or blank firing rifles.

So definitely check headspace on every M1917.

[MLD]

If I was to drop a k for a 1917 I would first expect a great barrel with good readings and one that head spaces. I would want the barrel manufacture to match the receiver. They have almost all been reparkerized at some point through 2 wars but I would want all parts on the barrel/receiver to match. I would want a stock that has patina, not one that got sanded and refinished by a private owner. You can certainly lower your expectations, but for less money. Shooters can be had for less. JMO

[Tester19]

All milsurp bolt guns have increased in price in the last few years, but 1K is definitely on the upper end for what the OP describes. IMHO $700 +/- would be much more in line. Agree that bore should be shiny with strong rifling with decent ME/TE numbers.

[bls72bmw]

Had a chance to look today. Bbl is marked HS, flaming bomb logo with a P underneath it.

Bore is used, but not abused.
No cracks in the receiver.
Looks like a very faint Eagle with 3 stars over it on the stock (which has clearly been sanded and refinished)
For some reason, the overall appearance in the pics looks better than in person.

https://i.imgur.com/8UPq173.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Hl6EdNO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4PpGGLp.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/j8yx0id.jpg

[armorfreak]

Originally Posted by bls72bmw

Had a chance to look today. Bbl is marked HS, flaming bomb logo with a P underneath it.

Bore is used, but not abused.
No cracks in the receiver.
Looks like a very faint Eagle with 3 stars over it on the stock (which has clearly been sanded and refinished)
For some reason, the overall appearance in the pics looks better than in person.

https://i.imgur.com/8UPq173.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Hl6EdNO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4PpGGLp.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/j8yx0id.jpg

The HS barrel is a WWII-era replacement. From the photos the price seems a little high - as others have said I would expect it to be a WWI-era barrel in great shape with low ME/TE readings for that amount.