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1917 Eddystone - Safe to Fire?
ODcollector
Member Posts: 9 ✭✭
I have a US Model 1917 Eddystone s/n 931xxx from my Grandfather who was a Major in the Army for WW1. He received it as "defective" from a US Military Armory in 1917 and it was never fired (to my knowledge). As kids we fired crayons in it. It is in pretty good shape (?). I can see rifling all the way down the barrel. I did a "drop test" by standing the muzzle on the floor and dropping a bullet down the barrel from the breech. It easily dropped down 12 inches before sticking in the rifling.
Is this rifle safe to fire with normal loads?
Is this rifle safe to fire with normal loads?
Comments
Best take that thing to a gunsmith... Whos the say that the chamber is OK....
If it was considered defective 98 years ago. Don't push your luck with it. Stick to the crayons, not ball ammo.
Sorry about redoing your post, but I think it wasn't big enuff.
NO ONE here can see your gun. For all I know about it, the bolt lugs
are ready to shear off.
Have it checked from butt to muzzle.
It could just be a horribly worn out barrel that was rejected for rebuild by the armorer. Doubtful this is the only problem, as in 1917 the reason Remington and Winchester were building the Model 1917 was that rifles were needed and Springfield could not keep up with demand with the 1903.
Don't know if it would be worth shooting even if a smith gave it his blessing if the barrel is actually that worn.
Brad Steele
Take it to a gunsmith. If the boogered barrel is really all that's wrong with it, it may be worth getting a new barrel. Keep the original for posterity.
I've seen drill rifles come out of the CMP that had been written off and were still perfectly safe, for small reasons. I've also seen some that were totally unsafe.
Now, just speaking hypothetically, if it really is just a really eroded shot out barrel, and the receiver and bolt are solid, it would be SAFE to shoot, but you're NOT going to hit anything.