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James K · September 12, 2013, 10:27 PM

NS stands for nickel steel.

That rifle has been rebuilt, perhaps by San Antonio, perhaps later by someone else. The Parkerizing has been put on after sand-blasting or wire brushing, not uncommon and not a big deal unless one is paying for an "original" rifle. The stock also is either a replacement or refinished. There is no way to tell whether all or any of the work was done by the Army. One thing for sure, the red band is not right; it is the wrong color and the wrong shape and in the wrong place. It was probably added to give a fake "historical" appearance.

So, a nice rifle and likely a good shooter, but not really a collector's item.

One note, most of those M1917's that were refinished for U.S. service were worked on during WWII, while the 1,100,000 M1917's sent to Englland were shipped during the fall of 1940, before Lend Lease and before U.S. entry into the war. They appear to have been only cleaned, not overhauled, before having been placed in storage at the end of WWI.

Jim

September 12, 2013, 10:27 PM	#5
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	NS stands for nickel steel. That rifle has been rebuilt, perhaps by San Antonio, perhaps later by someone else. The Parkerizing has been put on after sand-blasting or wire brushing, not uncommon and not a big deal unless one is paying for an "original" rifle. The stock also is either a replacement or refinished. There is no way to tell whether all or any of the work was done by the Army. One thing for sure, the red band is not right; it is the wrong color and the wrong shape and in the wrong place. It was probably added to give a fake "historical" appearance. So, a nice rifle and likely a good shooter, but not really a collector's item. One note, most of those M1917's that were refinished for U.S. service were worked on during WWII, while the 1,100,000 M1917's sent to Englland were shipped during the fall of 1940, before Lend Lease and before U.S. entry into the war. They appear to have been only cleaned, not overhauled, before having been placed in storage at the end of WWI. Jim Last edited by James K; September 12, 2013 at 11:03 PM.