M17 question?

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M17 question?

Post by Jamesb570 » 22 Jan 2017, 6:35 am

Hi to any M17 owners/lovers here that can answer a query I have?
I am fixing up a project M17 that was converted to a single shot target style 308. I have removed the wood spacer screwed into the mag well and have sourced a replacement mag spring and follower. My question relates to the mag well itself- did the M17 have a metal magazine box or just run on the plain wood surround? I have checked the US M17 user manual and the British one for the P14 and neither mention or show an internal metal mag box. Am I right in assuming that there isn't an internal metal box in the mag well? Thanks in advance - James
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Jamesb570 » 22 Jan 2017, 9:25 am

Thanks Bentaz, should have gone straight to the Gunparts schematic but thought the official issue one's would be accurate. Oh well, another call to the parts supplier to be made.
A man can not have too much red wine, too many books or too much ammunition ~ Rudyard Kipling (allegedly)
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Varmtr » 28 Jan 2017, 5:24 pm

Hi James

The M17 did run a box for the mag. Now depending on if your rifle is a Win, Rem or Eddystone made there are some slight differences between each which can cause feed issues.
I'l get back to you the info on whats what and what can be swapped and not.
Parts can be sourced through Lawernce Ordance in NSW as well.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Varmtr » 29 Jan 2017, 1:30 pm

James from the info I have the variations in mags are for the P14.
Also a quick way to tell the difference between a P14 and a M17 mag box is the side plates on the M17 are flat. The P14's have in the side plates angled ribs formed into them.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by <<Genesis93>> » 29 Jan 2017, 3:43 pm

So you have the floor plate and trigger guard assembly as standard, but the mag box removed??

consider the box may be identical between the p14 and m17, but possibly not, considering the 303 and '06 are quite different in length....heck might be able to tell you whether theyre different, I think he may have both, at least a '17 anyway....

pics or it didnt happen :lol:
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Ten » 29 Jan 2017, 6:22 pm

The mag boxes for P14 and M17 are different. They were made from sheet metal and the ends riveted or welded. British gunmakers sometimes dispensed with the box when chambering for long cartridges such as the. 404.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Heckler303 » 30 Jan 2017, 9:59 am

Hey James, interested to see you are building a M17 target rifle also in .308, I happen to be the proud owner of a custom target rifle built in the exact same fashion:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5443
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Jamesb570 » 02 Feb 2017, 10:23 pm

Thanks for all the responses - to clarify - I am customising a previously converted Eddystone M17 ( not by me).
M17 side1.jpg
M17 side1.jpg (214.01 KiB) Viewed 4184 times

The rifle had been converted to 308, had the stock fore-end cut down, sight wings hacked off and the box mag removed, wood insert glued in mag well under floorplate and wooden plug screwed on top of insert to be a feed ramp. So far I have sourced the parts ( box mag, follower and spring ) to restore multi-shot capability, bought a boyds thumbhole blank that needs inletting, have sling and mounting hardware and got a quote from Allan Swann to modify bolt face and rechamber to 300 H & H.
I bought the missing target peep to go with existing foresight and side mount block on rifle but have changed direction & am thinking of just going with a scope & mounts. I have a scope & rings but need bases - which means the bastardisation of the rear sight area needs attention and either a custom flat base mount fabbed up, a set of existing bases modified & fitted or smooth rear receiver to a suitable curve.
M17top.jpg
M17top.jpg (1.16 MiB) Viewed 4184 times

I have been thinking of fitting dovetailed iron sights ( as a just in case ), a muzzle brake, a dayton traister speedlock/trigger combo and (re)parkerising - but all but the parkerising may go by the wayside in favour of a trigger job, bipod and going shooting much sooner. Bought it for $100 and should come away pretty close to a grand when finished depending how much I do myself and if I add the bells and whistles. Plenty of daydreaming and "what about this..." style planning have gone into this one so far. Pics to follow
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Varmtr » 04 Feb 2017, 9:51 pm

Scope base wise Ken Farrell makes a pic rail to suit with a flat at the end https://www.kenfarrell.com/index.php?ro ... uct_id=130 BRT import Ken Farrell products. Also Lynx optics have a base to suit with a flat rear base also.
Dayton speed lock kit are hard to come by here Rebel may have one but I had to get one in from Dayton. Rebel have Dayton triggers or you can run a Timney and yes they can be made to work with a Dayton speed lock kit.
Fitting a speed lock can be straight forward or there can be a bit of fitting required ( which I had to do with my P14 ) eg reshaping the cocking ramp on the bolt ( can be tricky ), checking firing pin protrusion and adjust also modifying the Dayton cocking piece it self ( again cam be tricky ). James if you require more detail of the speed lock let me know and I'll get some pics for you that will explain it better.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by COLLECTOR 1 » 05 Feb 2017, 6:25 am

Hi Jamesb570

Any chance of a picture of the Boyds stock, where did you source it..????....how much did you pay...????....is it for expressly for M17/p14 ..???.....or is more thgot one of these M17's in 308 that is running cut down mil timber on it and would love a sporting stock.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Varmtr » 05 Feb 2017, 8:23 am

Sounds like James is using the Prairie Hunter stock.
Collector Boyds are now making Pro Varmint, Pairie Hunter and Classic for the P14 / M17. I had to get my stock from Richards Microfits as Boyds were only doing the Prairie hunter. The prairie hunter forend wasnt wide enough to fit the barrel I'm running.
Also Cameron Hatcher is now making stocks for the 14 & 17 as well. He can also do a thumbhole as well. Which I will eventually go with.

Boyds are a belly mag
Richards can do either belly or the coverted straight floor plate version.
Cameron can either as well
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Re: M17 question?

Post by COLLECTOR 1 » 05 Feb 2017, 9:52 am

'Tks for that Varmtr....ill look into this asap....mines got a truck axle type Maddox stainless fitted up to it for a long rang ute gun... works a treat, by the way James, can highly recommend the drop in Dayton Tri trigger....they are the ducks guts for these M17's

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Re: M17 question?

Post by Jamesb570 » 05 Feb 2017, 5:43 pm

Hi Collecter1,
The stock came from "The Barn" in QLD. I saw it up on a gun sales site and rang them the next morning. It doesn't have any designation to help out with style or variant but it looks like this:
BoydsM17-1.jpg
BoydsM17-1.jpg (154.75 KiB) Viewed 4136 times

BoydsM17-2.jpg
BoydsM17-2.jpg (610.89 KiB) Viewed 4136 times

It was $190 + 25 post which was a bit better than the model specific options that were listed at ~$295 + post and compared favourably to Hatchers at $285.
It was a fine balance between what fitted into my "projects" budget and being able to grab it right now!
A man can not have too much red wine, too many books or too much ammunition ~ Rudyard Kipling (allegedly)
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Varmtr » 05 Feb 2017, 9:40 pm

Looks like a Prairie Hunter stock.
Check the bottom metal for fitment by the pictures looks like it may suit a converted bottom metal. What they did was to cut and re weld and with some grinding to straighten the bottom metal, which did away with the belly mag. This conversion also reduced the magazine capacity as well.
Another bit of info James the firing pins are different dia between the 14 being slightly thinner than the 17's.
Also to help lock times a bit James, when you remove the firing pin you will see to flats on each side which go down to about half way. What you can do like I did with mine is machine the flats longer on a mill, or if have the time a file. This also helps fitting the speed lock kit as well.
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Re: M17 question?

Post by Sender » 06 Feb 2017, 9:57 am

Looks nice for $200 bucks :thumbsup:
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