US Model of 1917 Eddystone

[Tad]

US Model of 1917 Eddystone

This is a recent acquisition.
*


I know that the red stripes are supposed to denote Lend Lease rifles, but I am pretty sure that this is not the original red stripe if this rifle ever had one. It does not match pictures of any of the ones that I have seen that are supposed to be original.







The stock appears to have been stripped but not sanded.

According to the stamps on the stock it was rearsenaled at the San Antonio Arsenal at some point.





It has a March 1918 Eddystone barrel with a good bore. According to some of the serial number lists that I have seen the receiver dates from February 1918, so I am thinking that this may be the original barrel.



Nearly all of the metal is E marked but it has a Winchester bolt. I am not sure what the SN or NS signifies.

[Tad]

[emmagee1917]

Not an expert , but that paint does not look 70 years old , esp. compaired to the shape the wood is in.
Chris

[kcw]

Obviously it's been sandblasted and parked, signs of the rushed, WWII U.S. arsenal rebuild program of worn WWI era issued M1917's undertaken after Pearl Harbor, something done well after the rifles sold to Britain had been shipped off. My understanding is that much of the M1917 inventory sold to Great Britain was previously unissued from WWI production.

[4F4Nam]

Good lookin' Eddy. Good find. Th NS stands for nickle steel, IIRC.

Ed

[rifles4me]

funny, I have a Winchester with an Eddystone bolt and you have an Eddystone with a Winchester bolt. want to trade lol

not sure why someone would purposely paint a red stripe, that is just strange for a M1917 without British stamps. the red stripe was used to note it was 30-06 and not .303 and was only done on the British rifles as the U.S. did not use the Pattern 1914. So a U.S. issued rifle bearing a red stripe just does not make sense.

Reminds me of the time a guy tried to sell me a Pattern 1914 with the emergency use only cross on it, he just wouldn't let up on the price. you would think the fact that shooting the rifle may have catastrophic results would get him to budge at least 50% lower but nope. I passed, I am not willing to pay full price for a dangerous rifle.

A lot of times an ignorant seller will get the buyer a good deal but you do have the occasional WTF? lol

[mannparks]

tad , nice eddie but not sure whats going on with the paint job.
here is a photo of a remington lend lease.
charles

[Dan Shapiro]

Odd. The paint looks like it was just applied yesterday. And probably was. Why? Because some shyster saw a lend lease '03 in the same condition and saw the asking price.

[chuckindenver]

stock and handguards are not original to the rifle...they are Birch...and likely added by the same person who painted it..
NS is Nickle steel. W is Winchester..
note.. had the redstrip been original...likely they would have painted over the band...and surley the retaining pin.
i would make sure the bore is clean, check headspace...and enjoy...maybe remove the wanna be red stripe??
barrel is likely original.. id bet youll find a mix of makers on the other bits..common with rebuilds..

[John Sukey]

Could it have been marked that way to label it as a drill rifle? I recall some time ago seeing a video of rifles marked that way being used by an Indian drill team!