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kraigwy · July 28, 2014, 07:46 AM

Yes its worth the effort to do the paper work and what other hoops you have to jump through to get it home.

I didn't know they allowed "bring backs" any more. Let us know how this works out.

Anyway, back to the M1917s, great accurate rifles. In original (non-sporterized) condition these rifles are getting rare.

With the advent of the CMP GSM games they are becoming more popular and therefore more expensive.

The M1917s are extremely strong actions and will handle just about any '06 ammo you can find.

The difficulty of the rifle is do to the long bolt and "cock on closing" action they are difficult to shoot in rapid fire. I've found them to be a real wrestling match shooting in the CMP Games. This can be over come with practice.

In truth on the average they aren't quite as accurate as the Springfield, (but neither is any other military bolt gun) but they still are extremely accurate.

It would take quite a bit of space to go into the history an use of the M1917 but there are several books out there that give you that info. I will say the Eddystone is the most common. Remington had the contract to build the '17s but didn't have the capacity to keep up with demand. They bought a locomotive plant at Eddystone and started making the rifles.

The M1917 was originally set up to supply the British with Enfields. But Remington was slow getting started and England expanded their Enfield plants to cover their needs brought on by WWI. When it looked like we were getting into the war we realized we didn't have the rifles to support our expedition forces, We had less then 1 Mil Springfields ( I forgot the exact number) to supply a deployed army of 2.5 Mil, so Remingtion, Eddystone and Winchester were called upon to produce the M1917s. Springfield just didn't have the capacity to produce the numbers needed.

The M1917 were pretty close to being chosen to replace the Springfields as our main battle rifle but politics from the supporters of the Springfield Armory won out, which personally I think was the right decision. Others are of the opinion the M1917 should have won out.

I would do anything necessary to get the rifle back as nothing more then a shooter in CMP matches, they aren't making any more.

But think again, one of your grandchildren shooting the rifle that "grandpa brought back from Afghan". We here those stories of my generation about our fathers and grandfathers' "bring backs" but those stories are few and far between now days.

It would be a great peace to add to your family legacy.

Good luck on getting it back. Keep us informed on your progress. As to price, several years ago I paid $750 for mine w/the Bayonet. Might have been too much back then, but its worth more then that now.

My Eddystone M1917:

Just to add: Odd date for this post as today being the 100 anniversary of the start of WWI.

July 28, 2014, 07:46 AM	#6
kraigwy Senior Member Join Date: June 16, 2008 Location: Wyoming Posts: 11,061	Yes its worth the effort to do the paper work and what other hoops you have to jump through to get it home. I didn't know they allowed "bring backs" any more. Let us know how this works out. Anyway, back to the M1917s, great accurate rifles. In original (non-sporterized) condition these rifles are getting rare. With the advent of the CMP GSM games they are becoming more popular and therefore more expensive. The M1917s are extremely strong actions and will handle just about any '06 ammo you can find. The difficulty of the rifle is do to the long bolt and "cock on closing" action they are difficult to shoot in rapid fire. I've found them to be a real wrestling match shooting in the CMP Games. This can be over come with practice. In truth on the average they aren't quite as accurate as the Springfield, (but neither is any other military bolt gun) but they still are extremely accurate. It would take quite a bit of space to go into the history an use of the M1917 but there are several books out there that give you that info. I will say the Eddystone is the most common. Remington had the contract to build the '17s but didn't have the capacity to keep up with demand. They bought a locomotive plant at Eddystone and started making the rifles. The M1917 was originally set up to supply the British with Enfields. But Remington was slow getting started and England expanded their Enfield plants to cover their needs brought on by WWI. When it looked like we were getting into the war we realized we didn't have the rifles to support our expedition forces, We had less then 1 Mil Springfields ( I forgot the exact number) to supply a deployed army of 2.5 Mil, so Remingtion, Eddystone and Winchester were called upon to produce the M1917s. Springfield just didn't have the capacity to produce the numbers needed. The M1917 were pretty close to being chosen to replace the Springfields as our main battle rifle but politics from the supporters of the Springfield Armory won out, which personally I think was the right decision. Others are of the opinion the M1917 should have won out. I would do anything necessary to get the rifle back as nothing more then a shooter in CMP matches, they aren't making any more. But think again, one of your grandchildren shooting the rifle that "grandpa brought back from Afghan". We here those stories of my generation about our fathers and grandfathers' "bring backs" but those stories are few and far between now days. It would be a great peace to add to your family legacy. Good luck on getting it back. Keep us informed on your progress. As to price, several years ago I paid $750 for mine w/the Bayonet. Might have been too much back then, but its worth more then that now. My Eddystone M1917: Just to add: Odd date for this post as today being the 100 anniversary of the start of WWI. __________________ Kraig Stuart CPT USAR Ret USAMU Sniper School Distinguished Rifle Badge 1071 Last edited by kraigwy; July 28, 2014 at 07:52 AM.