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Rebarrel 197


JoshF

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Hi,Im josh and I'm addicted to sporter milsurps. I have been searching this site and reading for days but I still have a lot of questions. Please bear with me Im sorry for the long thread and what must seem like dumb questions.

 

Long story short I just swapped a rifle I disliked for a sporterized 1917 Enfield. I absolutely love it except for the barrel is terrible.

I would like to re barrel it and possibly for another caliber. Problem is this is not something I have ever done and do not have the tools. I have considered buying barrel and action wrenches but contouring a barrel without a lathe does not seem feasible.

I have talked to the only two gunsmiths withing an hours drive and neither seemed very interested. The only one that would even talk pricing had a rough estimate in the neighborhood of 500 bucks to install barrel,contour and head-space. But he was having trouble finding a blank that was large enough for the threads.I am sure he is a probably a great craftsman and deserves to earn all he can but that seems a little steep to me.

 

I guess questions are as follows.

 

1. Is this a reasonable price for this work.

 

2. If I find a pre-contoured barrel is this something within the realm of a beginner. (my background is a mechanic and I have fabricated a lot for jeeps and hot rods as well as tinkered a little with guns)

 

3. Where can I find a barrel for this rifle that is something other than 30caliber? I would really prefer 270.

 

 

Thanks for the help

Josh

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Hey Josh,

Welcome to the board. Years ago, I bought a barrel from Montana Rifleman. I had him put it on my Turk Mauser 98. He (Montana Rifleman) was pretty reasonable back then, before he got big. I haven't heard much from them, so maybe they are reasonable again. Anyway, he would make anything you wanted. You might google him up and give him a call. He charged me a whole lot less than five bills, but that was about 15 years ago.

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E.R.Shaw will make you a contoured pre threaded short chambered barrel for pretty reasonable.

The P14 and Model 17 are notorious for being hard to get barrels off without cracking the receiver.

They are also really hard metal and difficult to recontour the receiver bridge and drill and tap for scope mounts, but if yours is already sporterized, that part may be already done.

I'm sure much of the cost quoted is liability in the event that your receiver would get tweaked and need to be replaced.

It cost me a bunch to drill and tap mine doing it myself. Carbide bits are not cheap.

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Howdy Josh, Remember the only dumb question went unasked.

 

Shank dia on a 1917 is larger than a 98 mauser by a bit.

 

Shank dim. are 1.125 thrd dia with 10 sq. tpi and .800 lenght. It is also cut with a 45 degree cone breech and an extractor cut on the right side of stub. Quite a bit more complicated than just screwing in a mauser barrel that is short chambered and reaming headspace. With out a large lathe, a mill, and extensive machine shop experience it would be best left to a professional.IMO

 

Check this link and scroll down to pg 6 for the 1917.

 

 

http://www.homegunsmith.com/cgi-bin/ib3/iB_html/uploads/post-71-40666-BSD_small.pdf

 

 

Just the action wrench and barrel vise will cost about $100. For a one off, not worth the investment.

 

Finding a contoured blank as opposed to a pre threaded barrel should be no problem at all. Sounds like your local smith was jacking costs quite a bit.

 

JM2c

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Actually, the $500 is not really out of line. It will cost the gunsmith around $200 to get a Douglas contoured blank in his hands once shipping from Brownells is factored in. Cutting square threads is a bit more complicated than doing the V threads on a Mauser, Remington, Winchester, etc. Barrel removal from a 1917 is notoriously difficult. I normally charge $175 or thereabouts to thread and fit a barrel to a Mauser. With square threads, cone breech, and an extractor cut, it would not unrealistic to look at $300 labor.

 

Clemson

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Thank you for the replys and suggestions. I have contacted ER shaw and they are certainly the least expensive at around 300. Unfortunately the turn around is 5 months for them.

Numrich has a replacement 30-06 barrel for about 100.00 bucks as another option. I will try a couple more smiths and see if they could install a barrel any sooner than 5 months.

 

I have seen a mauser barrel made to take a lock ring like a savage. Is there any way a 1917 barrel could be be machined this way?

 

Also this has had the ears milled off and the big hole filled.It has been contoured to 700 rem bases but unfortunately it has been drilled and tapped wrong, twice.

Is there any method feasible to repair the off center screw holes and re-drill?

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Actually, the $500 is not really out of line. It will cost the gunsmith around $200 to get a Douglas contoured blank in his hands once shipping from Brownells is factored in. Cutting square threads is a bit more complicated than doing the V threads on a Mauser, Remington, Winchester, etc. Barrel removal from a 1917 is notoriously difficult. I normally charge $175 or thereabouts to thread and fit a barrel to a Mauser. With square threads, cone breech, and an extractor cut, it would not unrealistic to look at $300 labor.

 

Clemson

 

 

And there you have the word of a highly respected working gunsmith. As opposed to my cost est. guess as a self avowed tinkerer. ;)

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Thanks everyone. Im leaning toward just sending this to er shaw and forgetting about it until about Christmas. I realy want to build a custom rifle myself but this does not seem like the best rifle for a beginner.

 

I may look into a mauser.

This forum is a wealth of information. Ill keep reading threads until I make any decisions.

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A Mauser is definitely easier to work on.

You will still have a bit of money tied up in tools, but if you do one, you will want to do several.

Doing one is like just trying crack or eating just one Lays potato chip.

You should also be able to recoup some of your money by selling your tools if you ever can break the addiction.

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  • 1 month later...

Check with IDT in Ohio, last I checked you can get a nice douglas barrel installs for about the price as a (puke) shaw. They must buy alot of barrels to get that price the installed price is close to retail on a douglas blank directly from douglas.

http://www.itdcustomgun.com/

Don

 

Don, why does the thought of a shaw barrel nauseate you? I was just about to order one for a 1917. I don't see the 1917 barrels on itd's website.

 

Thanks

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Numrich has a replacement 30-06 barrel for about 100.00 bucks as another option.

 

You're really shooting dice buying a barrel from Numrich. You might get a nice one or you might get a real piece of manure. I suggest you call and ask if they can give you any details on the origin of the barrels. Possibly they came from decent source such as a business or manufacture that went out of business or are rejects from a name brand company. During the past 30 years I've heard some real horror stories about Numrich's barrels but on the other hand I've heard just the opposite especially from those re-barreling older rifles, single shots especially. 100 bux is a good buy but if you're paying labor no sense in making it a crap shoot. In my opinion it is well worth spending a few bux more just for the confidence.

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