bullets pose a feeding problem, and many cures have been tried. The simplest method is to install a device, the Tru-Feed Kit, made by Dayton- Traister.
Although I’ve fired several thousand shots with rifles based on the 1917 Enfield action I never experienced a ruptured case head or primer, which might have allowed powder gases to get into the action. Had a serious rupture occurred, I most likely would have got some of this gas in my face, for the design doesn’t allow much gas escape through the action other than toward the rear. Drilling a hole in the left receiver wall, opposite the rear vent hole in the bolt, would have helped. Eliminating the two grooves on the striker shoulder would also have helped stop any gases passing back along the mainspring to escape past the cocking piece, and would instead, tend to deflect the gases out of the vent hole in the bolt at this point.
Gunsmithing the 1917 Enfield
Besides installing the above mentioned accessories, the 19l7 Enfield action can be “gunsmithed” no end.
Through the years these rifles were available a great many articles were written on their remodeling and conversion, and all of the major gunsmithing books have covered the subject in detail, so I’ll just skim over this part.
Underside of Model 1917 Enfield bolt showing: (A) extractor, (B) dual-opposed locking lugs, (C) two gas-escape holes.
The unsightly part of this action is the receiver bridge and the protruding sight ears. Removing these ears and rounding the bridge is generally the first thing the amateur gunsmith wants to change. The usual instructions suggest grinding the bridge down to be the same contour as the receiver ring, which is OK—but that still leaves a lot of metal where it is not needed. Top scope mounts for the remodeled 1917 Enfield are usually made for a rear bridge that’s the same diameter as the front ring. Be this as it may, I much prefer to grind the bridge down much lower, or to duplicate the bridge on the FN Mauser action, which permits using mounts recommended for that action. At the same time I like to remove all metal directly over the base of the bolt handle, as well as removing metal occupied by the bolt-stop spring rest, leaving only about a
The author’s “Baby Enfield” action and the rifle built around it.Yes, this action was once a full-sized 1917 Enfield. It is now just 7.25” long and weighs 2 pounds. Customizing consisted of cutting a section out of the receiver and bolt and welding the sections together again, making and fitting a new bolt handle, removing the safety parts and these alterations: the tang where the safety was located; the receiver bridge to FN Mauser contour; the bolt-stop; the bolt sleeve; the bolt and cocking piece so the striker cocks on opening, and making and installing an adjustable single-stage trigger mechanism. (Above) The “Baby Enfield” rifle chambered for the 219 Improved Zipper cartridge. The 22” barrel has a .224” groove diameter and a 1:14” rifling twist, a muzzle diameter of .700 ” and weight 3 lbs., 6 oz. The trim walnut stock weighs just 30 oz. and, with the Lyman 5A scope, the complete rifle tips and scales at 8 pounds. This rifle, highly accurate, has accounted for many varmints since it was made in 1942.
If one doesn’t like the 1917’s “dog leg” bolt handle, it can be heated and straightened out and, with some filing, it can be made to look like the old 720 Remington bolt handle. Or a new bolt handle can be lathe-made and welded on in place of the original.
Another odd feature of this action is the crooked front end of the trigger guard plate; unless this is changed the rifle will have a definite belly. Usual practice is to straighten the guard plate by cutting off the front tang, welding it back on and dressing it down so it is straight with the rest of the guard plate. After this the magazine box is cut down so the original front guard screw can be used again. This reduces magazine capacity to five. So far as I know, no firm has ever made a replacement hinged floorplate/magazine/ trigger guard for the 1917 Enfield rifle, but a Model 1903 Springfield guard can be installed. If this is done the stock can be made as slim around the action as on the Springfield.
Springfield guard screw hole spacing is not correct for the Enfield action, but can be best taken care of by filling the rear guard screw hole with weld and drilling a new hole slightly farther to the rear.
Most Enfield receivers have a deep oblong recess milled in the top of the bridge, rather unsightly looking on a finished sporter. After the sight ears have been removed and the bridge dressed down nearly to the desired point, this recess can be filled. A simple method is to use glass bedding compound dyed blue/black. If the inside of the recess is cleaned thoroughly and the sides nicked a bit, the compound will become a permanent part of the receiver. To advance this idea a bit further, a piece of steel can be concealed in the compound in case an extra scope mount screw hole is needed in this area. The recess could also be filled with steel weld; preferably this should be done by partly filling the recess with a piece of steel and then filling in with electric weld.
Rebarreling
The 1917 Enfield was made for the 30-06 cartridge, consequently it is equally suitable for other cartridges of 30-06 length and head diameter. Therefore no changes need be made in this action when rebarreled to commercial cartridges such as the 25-06, 270, 280, and 35 Whelen. This action is also most suitable for cartridges slightly shorter than the 30-06, and without any changes it can handle the 6mm, 257 Roberts, 6.5x57, 7x57mm, 8x57mm and 9x57mm.
Even such shorter cartridges as the 243 or 308 will usually feed quite well from the magazine into the chamber. The rear and/or the front of the magazine box could be blocked off for the shorter cartridges but this is not usually necessary unless 100 percent flawless feeding is required.
After enlarging the recess in the bolt face and shortening the extractor hook, this action is quite ideal for the family of short belted magnum cartridges, such as the 264, 7mm, 300, 338 and 458 Magnums. If, in addition to the bolt face alteration, the magazine is made longer, this action is also suitable for the longer belted magnum cartridges—the 300 and 375 H&H Magnums and others. It is, however, always necessary to file down the magazine-well lips to make the magazine well wider when used with belted magnums. I’ve used the 1917 Enfield action for a wide variety of cartridges, from the 22-250 to the 450 Magnum, but because it is a big action I consider it best for such big bore heavy-recoiling cartridges as the 35 Whelen, 338 Magnum and 458 Magnum.
Although it has been nearly 50 years since the two million-plus 1917 actions and rifles were made, they are still very common.
1917 U.S. Enfield
(Uses .30-06 cartridges)
General Specifications
Type . . . . . . . . .Turn-bolt repeater.
Receiver . . . . . .One-piece machined steel forging with non-slotted bridge. Stripper clip guide milled in bridge.
