M1917 Rifle Restoration

[AFJuvat]

I originally posted this in another forum, reposting here.

Picked up a M1917 rifle from Gun Broker. It was made in October of 1918, so it probably did not see action in WWI. It was refurbished at the San Antonio Arsenal at some point, probably in the 1920s. Proof marks applied to the receiver indicate that it did become a Lend Lease rifle and was sent either to the U.K or Canada during WWII. Interestingly enough, there was no evidence of the red stripe that was commonly applied to US Lend Lease rifles to indicate that they used 30-06 rather than .303.

Since the rifle has an interesting history, but doesn't have any sort of provenance that would give it a significant collector value, this would be a good candidate for restoration.

I prefer shooters over wall hangers or safe queens, so it is perfect for my purposes: My goal was to only do metal work where it is necessary to remove\stop rust. I wanted keep all of the markings and the character dings and nicks intact, and to restore the finish to how the rifle would have looked when originally issued sometime in 1918-1919.

The barrel was dated September 1918 and is very 'iffy' as to its condition. The receiver and bolt lock up tight with no slack in the action.

Original picture from the Gun Broker Auction.



Eddystone made barrel with ordinance mark. September 1918.



Arsenal refurbishment cartouches. S.A.A. is San Antonio Arsenal. E for Eddystone



Ordinance department acceptance stamp upon proof firing (Sideways Flaming Bomb) The Crown over BM is a British import proof mark.



Serial 1100608 - Rough production date of October 1918.



After the rifle arrived, it was completely disassembled. The bolt and some of the internals were packed with cosmoline, which was removed with a combination of solvents and a hand held steamer.

All of the parts went into a plastic tub filled with mineral spirits for an initial cleaning.



Soaking parts, barrelled action, and stock.