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M1917 feeding issue
- Thread starter Redclay
- Start date
Ok so maybe there is something wrong with the bolt or it is incorrect in some capacity. The bolt is marked with the U.S. ordnance flaming bomb and a J on top of the bolt knob, with an E underneath the knob making it an Eddystone bolt so I know it is not the original to the rifle which is a Remington. I'm not 100% certain but the bolt and extractor look to be parkerized and from what I've seen that was not prevalent until sometime around WWII. That makes me believe this was either an arsenal rework or it just had a different bolt thrown in it sometime over its 100+ year life which is extremely likely to happen given that amount of time. I can try to get another bolt but from what I heard it is a craps shoot on if it will headspace properly or I could try to modify this one to work but I'm not sure where the critical threshold of removing too much material to affect function/safety would be. I'm also guessing drawings for the bolt are next to non-existent since these rifles are so old, so checking various dimensions without something like a second bolt would probably be a hard task. I guess I have some thinking to do on where I want to go next with this rifle. Thanks again for the input gentlemen!
I'd start by buying a next extractor. https://www.libertytreecollectors.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=1548
Thanks for the tip but I originally thought that an out of spec or bent extractor was the problem so I already tried that. I picked up an Eddystone extractor and I had the same exact problems that I had with the original extractor in place. I think whatever is going on has to do with the bolt body itself since I can't see it being any other component that would cause this issue. I was hoping maybe it was something I was overlooking but at this point that doesn't seem to be the case. I think I might just buy a different bolt body and make sure it doesn't close on a field headspace gauge and if that doesn't solve the problem I'll be baffled.
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Does the extractor rotate about 2/3 of the way around the bolt or all of the way around? We're going to to skin this cat right here on the ODT. On the back of the bolt there's a dial for three different positions. This is all ftom memory but if it's in the middle position when reassembled then the bolt won't close all of the way.
Were any of these modified for .308 (7.62x51)? Such modification woukd require a different bolt and extractor right? And maybe a different barrell? If it's a different caliber bolt to start with then the extractor won't spring out and over the shell. I'd probably try to feed a .308 round into it. If the action closed and the round didn't rattle in there then I'd probably grin and chooot et. Decent advice/poor example card not expired
Were any of these modified for .308 (7.62x51)? Such modification woukd require a different bolt and extractor right? And maybe a different barrell? If it's a different caliber bolt to start with then the extractor won't spring out and over the shell. I'd probably try to feed a .308 round into it. If the action closed and the round didn't rattle in there then I'd probably grin and chooot et. Decent advice/poor example card not expired
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This is fun stuff. A whole lot more exciting than working on vehicles or picking the ripe things outa the garden.
A different caliber's bolt is probably a possibility. Will a .30-'06 round fit all of the way into the chamber without the bolt in play? The barrel is surely marked .30-'06. The actions between .303 and .30-'06 are all probably the same. Were any of these ever converted to .270 Winchester? Or 7mm Mauser? Or 6.5 x 55 Swiss? A different bolt from a Gun Show may be the trick. About 2 years go i ran the credit card to attend the ODT Swap Meet that may or may not have happened yet. Those would be a good place to figure these things out.
The barrel is marked 10-18 R (October of 1918 Remington) so I believe it is the original .30-06 barrel. I'm almost positive there is only one way to properly assemble the bolt so I don't believe that has anything to do with the issue as I've done it a bunch of times now with multiple videos and pictures as a reference. It's crazy because nothing looks off at all about the rifle and I don't understand why it is acting up. I've searched and found a couple other instances of this type of problem with the M1917 on some other forums but no one seemed to have a solution. Still stumped on why it wont feed a round, but I haven't gotten around to getting a different bolt for it yet. I may just put it away for a while and come back to it in a few months. Thanks for your input and help
Gunny Jake
Gunny Jake
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I don’t mind putting ideas out there and fearing I may sound foolish. A lot of this 1903, 1917, Mauser., etc., is from jumbled memory. Will a .30-‘06 round go in and out of the chamber without the bolt installed? And, with a spent ‘06 shell casing, will it slip onto the bolt-face and under the extractor while the bolt is out of the rifle? And makes a good fit? I still need to dig up a 1917 action today to get hands on familiar but, (memory) the extractor rotates about 2/3 of the way around the bolt right? Clouded memory is yelling at me that the rotation of the bolt handle and the rotation of the extractor can get misaligned. When this misalignment happens the bolt will only go forward and start to rotate towards locking around the base of a shell. In the pic where the bolt handle is on the same left as the extractor and the bolt face would be accepting the shellcase just looks misaligned. When the shell is in the chamber and the bolt is locked over the base of the shell the trap on the bolt face should be over the top-right of the shell case. It just looks misaligned. I’ll dig out a 1917 after coffee, chores, etc,
We Will Make Your Rifle Great Again right here in the ODT
We Will Make Your Rifle Great Again right here in the ODT
Update- I lucked out and found a new old stock M1917 bolt body that was manufactured by United Shoe Machinery Company for WW2 M1917 arsenal rebuilds and after assembling it using my current extractor and firing pin assembly, she is feeding perfectly fine! So the bolt itself was in fact the issue in some way that I have yet to determine exactly. I can't wait to take it out and get some rounds through it now and since you guys helped me out, I figured I should at least share a full pic of it now that it is in working order again. Thanks again for the help gentlemen!
