A 98-year-old soldier deserves a little TLC
Author with his partly sporterized Eddystone .30-’06.
What do flaming bombs, a dog’s hind leg, and a locomotive company have in common?
As we’ll see, they are part and parcel of one of America’s iconic battle rifles, the Eddystone .30-’06. These rifles were part of a World War I production of Remingtons known as the Caliber .30, U.S. Model 1917 (or Model 17). Interestingly, this rifle is commonly referred to as the American Enfield.
Why is the name Enfield, firmly associated with the venerated .303 British long arm, linked with the All-American .30-’06?
Shortly after the Brits involvement in the Boer War, around 1910, it was decided they wanted a newer rifle and cartridge to replace the .303.
A new round, known as the .276 Enfield, was developed and a rifle known as the Pattern 1913 Enfield was made for it.
Unfortunately, World War One came along at about the same time, and, after the British declared war on Germany, they found themselves in desperate need of battle rifles.
The .276 round, though well thought of, was not yet perfected so the decision was made to revert to the .303 British round. Britain decided to contract with three American manufacturers to produce the new rifle in the .303 cartridge: Winchester, Remington, and a subsidiary of Remington known as Eddystone Arsenal, which began production at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Eddystone, Pennsylvania. This new version .303 became known as the Pattern 14 Enfield.
So … how does the .303 British Eddystone Enfield morph into the .30-’06 American Eddystone?
The answer lies in straightforward logistics.
When the United States entered the war, it, too, had a sudden need for battle rifles.
It was decided that rather than re-tool the Pattern 14 .303 factories to produce Model 1903 Springfield .30-‘06s, it would be more expedient to rechamber the Pattern 14s to .30-’06.
The Enfield action was extremely strong and a good fit for the powerful ’06 cartridge. The rifle became the aforementioned Caliber .30, Model of 1917.
And thus was the American Enfield born.
Iconic “dog-leg” bolt found on the Model 1917 .30-’06.
After the war, many ended up on the civilian market as military surplus arms. Some were kept in their military configurations, but many were sporterized.
Because the actions are very strong, many have been converted from .30-’06 to other calibers, including powerhouses like the .300 Winchester Magnum.
One of the first things one notices about the Model 1917 is the odd-looking bolt. In the closed position, it looks like, well … a dog’s hind leg, i.e., crooked.
The bolt has only two front locking lugs, so the bolt handle, when closed, recesses into a notch in the receiver, acting as an emergency lug in the event the two bolt lugs fail (and failed bolt lugs on a fired .303 or ’06 is not a happy event for the shooter).
The bolt on this rifle also cocks on closing, just like its .303 brethren. A closer inspection reveals a number of small proof marks that are loosely referred to as “flaming bombs” (they are properly known as “shell and flame”). These marks, which may be found on the left receiver rail, bolt handle, and near the barrel crown, were applied after the action had fired a proof cartridge at 70,000 p.s.i. (the military .30-’06 round produces chamber pressures between 50,000 and 54,000 p.s.i., depending on load).
The Model 17 is fed by an internal, staggered stack magazine, fed by five-round stripper clips or manually through the top of the action. Interestingly, both the Model 17 and Pattern 14 have a 6-round capacity. This came about inadvertently as a result of the original Pattern 13 Enfields being chambered for the then-new .276 round, which actually had a larger diameter case than the .303 or .30-’06. So, while the Pattern 13 held five rounds, the Pattern 14 and Model 17 hold six. Neat.
I bought my Model 17 from an on-line auction service and had it delivered to a local gun shop. The furniture on it is rough, the original sights are gone, and it needs a re-blue. The receiver, unfortunately, had been tapped for a scope right through the model designation marking, and it came with an older Bushnell Banner fixed 4-power. However, the bore and chamber are good and the action is still smooth. I researched the serial number and found that it was manufactured in January of 1919, when Woodrow Wilson was president.
Eddystone receiver marking. A previous owner tapped the receiver for scope mounts.
I cleaned it very thoroughly when I got it, oiled it, and took it to the local gun range. I brought with me a box of Remington Core-Lokt 220-grain soft points (I bought a couple boxes in northern Minnesota, where this round is pretty popular, but not seen much around this area. It would, admittedly, be heap plenty big medicine for coyote). It fed and cycled the whole box without a hiccup, and was satisfyingly accurate. Because this is a fairly heavy rifle (about 9 pounds empty, compared to my Mossberg ATR .30-’06, which comes in at 7 pounds empty) it mitigates the recoil somewhat, but the steel Enfield butt plate reminds you that you are indeed shooting a .30-’06.
If you appreciate firearm history, particularly American military arms, you owe it to yourself to check one of these out. Mine will be a project gun in the future, with furniture re-finishing and a hot re-blue. After all, a 98-year old soldier deserves a little TLC.