what is a eddiestone rifle

[notabiker]

my dad got a springfield ? threw the NRA in the 50s. it said eddiestone on it. i am sure it is a WW! gun. he had it modified to fire a 300 magnum bullet. was it a sub contracted springfield/ or what. thanks

[Tom]

Eddystone was an Army arsenal operated by Remington. In WWI, I believe they made 1917 Enfield rifles in .30-06 for the US. They were also mady by Remington at their plant and by Winchester. An Eddystone rifle is, I believe, a 1917 Enfield made at Eddystone. I do not think they made 1903 Springfields at Eddystone. I could be wrong.

[Roadkill]

Tom's right -Eddystones are a US copy of the British Pattern 14 rifle used in WWI. They needed guns, we started manufacturing them at Eddystone and Winchester factories in .303 for them. When we got in the war we were short of Springfield rifles so we started producing the rifle in 30-06 (called the Model 17) for US troops. More WWI US went to war with the P17 than the 1903. Alvin York did his deed with a Eddystone. They are great guns, solidly built, and a favorite action for building custom guns. The top one is the Eddystone:

[millwright]

To note the changing political winds, Eddystone is located just outside Philadelphia - whose mayor is suing the gun makers...... >MW

[never e nuff]

I have an eddystone, enfield, almost completly sporterized. this is somewhat of a shame because the originals an good shape are bringing upwards of 800 smakers. I have seen more enfield's used for custom rifles than originals. Most of these rifles were made at the eddystone plant, as mine was. The remington and winchesters are more rare and sought after, not only for their rarity, but because some of the eddystones were hardened to the point of brittleness, as mine is. The receivers are so hard they are almost impossible to tap for scope mounts. These rifles sold for next to nothing 30 years ago and therefore made a perfect canvas for a garage gunsmith.

[notabiker]

i feel real bad that i sold it about 5 years ago. it was converted to fire a weatherby 300 mag[ 220 grain] my father always wanted to get it converted into a sport rifle. that thing was powerful. thanks all for the info.

[OldPilgrim]

Eddystone was owned by Remington. Remington couldn't keep up with orders so they started the Eddystone company. They, along with Winchester, made a fine .30-06 rifle. Sometimes called the P17, it was the American version of the P14 Enfield.

The P17 came about the gov't couldn't get enough '03 Springfields built fast enough.

Here's mine:





It looked like this when I got it:

[whirley]

The U.S. Rifle Model 1917 was chambered for the US cartridge 1906 (30/06) It is a very strong action, and receivers have been used for everything from the .458 Winchester and .375 H&H to almost any cartridge. After WW1 Remington continued to produce the rifle as the Model 30 Remington. It has a very positive safety, and the bolt handle is already bent so it's easy to mount a rifle scope on the action after removing the rear sight guards. Standard issue was a 26 inch barrel in .30 caliber. The issue stock has a stong resemblance to the British Lee-Enfield. A rifle that will serve you well.

[notabiker]

as a kid i used to play with that gun in the house, i had a lot of respect for them. even though i was a stupid kid i had great respect for firearms. got my own 22 at around 9 years old. my dad would give me a box of 22s and let me go out and shoot. never was a problem. sure wish i never sold that eddiestone. i would love to hand it down to my son in law.

[larry doll]

I bought a 3006 Eddiestone at Gambles Hardware store in1960 for $25.00. It is still original, and is a very accurate and hard hitting rifle. I still use it for hunting.

[whirley]

All you gentlemen are correct. Just prior to WW1 the British decided to develop a new military cartridge. Remington got the contract for a Pattern 14 rifle chambered for a .275 cartridge, very similar to our .270 Winchester cartridge, and built is at their plant at Eddystone Pa. near Philadelphia. However shortly after that WW1 began and rather than tolerate the problem of trying to supply two different cartridges, they decided to stay with the .303 British rimmed cartridge. Notice the similarity between the stock of the "Enfield" and the SMLE. When we entered WW1, Springfield armory couldn't supply enough rifles, and all it took was a change of chambered barrels, and we had the U.S. Rifle Model 1917. Sgt. York of Tenessee used a Model 1917 rifle very effectively in WW1. The action is extremely strong. Some gunsmiths have used them for the .458 Winchester, only modifying the rails for good feeding of the fat cartridge. Unlike the Springfield 1903, the bolt handle doesn't have to be bent to accomodate a 'scope, and it has a very positive safety. I prefer it to most safeties on modern rifles. After WW1, Remington continued to make this rifle, calling it their Remington Model 30. I have one with a custom stock and a barrel chambered for the .375 H&H. With a scope it weighs slightly over 9 pounds and is surprisingly comfortable to shoot. No more noticeable recoil than my issue '03 Springfield.

[notabiker]

my dad got his threw the NRA around 1950- 1953. he told me it was full of cosmoline. weatherby was in the los angelas area so he had it converted to a 300 magnum cartridge. never got sportized.

[Mlcmommy3@yahoo.com]

Originally Posted by Tom

Eddystone was an Army arsenal operated by Remington. In WWI, I believe they made 1917 Enfield rifles in .30-06 for the US. They were also mady by Remington at their plant and by Winchester. An Eddystone rifle is, I believe, a 1917 Enfield made at Eddystone. I do not think they made 1903 Springfields at Eddystone. I could be wrong.

the remington arms opened in 1916,fully operating 1917 and you are correct enfield rifles for ww1 allies. another little tidbit down the street the eddystone ammunition corp.made shells for the russian army,6mo later 4/10/1917,the eddystone explosion occurred @the E.A.C. 132 died mostly young girls and 52 unidentified the 52 were burried mass grave.it was believed it was sabotoge by russian leon trotsky to prevent the new democratic gov from recieving the shells.all this can be looked up.am an eddystoner and remember being told this by relatives my grand mother marion who died giving birth to dad and her father andrew cassidy then pres of their building and loan then first mayor.the dead were mostly young girls.