M1917 Rifle Restoration

AFJuvat · #1 11-26-2016, 03:41 PM

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.

AFJuvat · #2 11-26-2016, 03:48 PM

he stock and hand guards ended up being a very pleasant surprise. The really dark shiny wood cleaned right up with an oil scrub: 75% turpentine, 25% Boiled Linseed oil applied with a mild 'scotch-brite' pad. After scrubbing and allowing it to soak a bit, it was wiped down with a clean rag, followed by several wipe downs with denatured alcohol.

As it turns out, there was a nice grain pattern under all that muck.

After cleanup

The cartouches really came out

There was a small crack in the front hand guard. Repaired it with thinned out wood glue.

The stock and hand guards got their first two coats of raw linseed oil after drying.

After further disassembly and cleanup, the parts went into the ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning (water and Dawn dish soap. No Lemi-Shine was used because I wanted to preserve what bluing there was.

The metal parts were either draw filed and then sanded to remove corrosion as needed, or if the corrosion isn't too deep, just sanded.

Depending on the level of corrosion, I start at either 60, 80, or 120 grit sandpaper, and finish with 1000, 2000, or 4000 grit. Action pieces (guide rails etc) get sanded to 6000 - 8000 grit.

After being cleaned, the parts were placed in a container of denatured alcohol, and then rust blued.

Jumble of parts in the oil tub after bluing. The camera flash made the parts look greyer, but they are a deep blue black. Magazine well trigger guard assembly and bolt body in the center.

Closer shot of the butt plate and front sight.

AFJuvat · #3 11-26-2016, 04:10 PM

The buttplate, trap door, and buttplate screws. These were a mix of white metal, some rust, and a little bluing when I got the rifle. I have a 24"x24" piece of Corian that I use as a sanding/reference plate to keep edges square. I wanted to keep as many of the "character dings" as I could,

The barrel band and front sight. Clearly shows the contrast between the newly rust blued parts and the finish remaining on the barrel.

The outer bolt body was white metal along the contact points, as well as the bolt handle. No sanding was done to this piece. Just a detail clean and then bluing.

Magazine floor plate: A little sanding on this to remove some rust scale, then blending with some high grit sandpaper to blend. I think this is a different grade of steel, as the color is slightly different than the rest of the rifle. I just could not get it to take on any additional color.

Safety: This was in pretty rough shape. Rust in the finger grooves, as well as white metal on contact surfaces. This got a light wire brushing on the grooved surfaces, and a light sand on the white metal. It blued up very well.

Picked up an original nickel cleaning kit and a M1917 bayonet. The scabbard is the later WWII - Vietnam issue, as the M1917 bayonet was also the bayonet used on the M12 shotgun.

Closeup of the makers mark: Remington, 1917

Just an idea of how long they made bayonets back then:

Got a new production M1907 sling and put it all together.

With bayonet, it is just a hair under 6' long.

After finishing this project, I took it to the range, where I discovered that the accuracy of the rifle should be measured in 'Minutes of Barn Door'

Ordered a new Criterion barrel for it 'in the white' Had a the new barrel installed and had the receiver reblued.