Remington Model 1917 Rifle Serial Numbers

The result was that it is more common than not, to find old 1917 rifles that are a hodge podge of parts from all the possible sources.

The resultant rifles were mixmaster of parts from all three manufacturers and a few others (like Hi-Standard who made replacement barrels as many rifles were not properly prepared for long term storage and the bores suffered accordingly). All parts are treated as interchangable (allowing for head space consideraton) so rifles were reassembled from what ever parts were on hand. Little attention, if any, is paid to keeping any of these arsenal reconditioned rifles in original condition. They then assemble rifles from all those refurbished and new parts to make complete rifles.

When the US Ordnance arsenals do such work they dissassemble the rifles, clean and refinish everything and replace all worn parts. All of those were refurbished before being reissued. The US used these rifles for stateside duty and training and, later, many were issued to the British home guard and Free French forces. Those Model 1917s that had been in storage all those years between the wars, were reconditoned and reissued. The British and Free French were alao short of Weapons. Upon the entry of the US into WWII there was an immediate crisis in long gun availability as MI Garand production rates took a while to ramp up to meet wartime demands of the armed forces. Therefore it seems possible that Eddystone may have applied serial numbers to Remington marked receivers and subsequently used those to assemble rifles that they shipped.ĭuring the period between WWI and WWII the Model 1917 was in storage in US arsenals. I can only guess that, in the confusion and pressure associated with the war, there may have been considerable parts swapping in the ensuing 11 months until the war ended in November. Ferris, in his book United States Rifle Model of 1917, tells us that Remington operated the Eddystone plant until Jan of 1918, at which time it became independent from Remington. After the Armistice in 1918 the rifles were retired and the Springfield 03 resumed its status as the primary issue rifle until the adoption of the M1 Garand in 1936.Ĭ.S. They were actually produced and issued in far larger numbers than the more famous Springfield 03.

As you know they were produced by Remington, Eddystone (sort of a Remington plant) and Winchester (that's what I have). The US Model of 1917 had a short but furious history in combat in WWI.

Remington Model 1917 Rifle Serial Numbers