In looking at the two books I currently have on the M1917, you may have found a gun with a possibly significant serial number. Assuming the serial number has not been altered (inspect the reciever stamping carefully) the rifle in question is a few thousand numbers higher than the last expected number from the (incomplete) records currently available! I would buy that rifle, if not ridiculously priced, were I in your shoes - and if you can't or decide not to, please let me know where it is! It is not, and now never will be an all original collectors piece, as it is now a mixmaster, but it is an interesting insight into M1917 production. Like M1 Garands, there is an 'official' last serial number in most books that is obviously not the last number - because we have rifles numbered higher.
The last Remington M1917 serial currently known, based on the end of the World War I, plus postwar production up until December, 1918, as manufacturers were allowed to finish 'work in progress' and phase out their manufacturing opperations. The number in JC Harrison's book shows a definite serial number of 545,541 for the last rifle as of Nov. 9, 1918 - wartime production. Programma obmotka em. The 'work in progress' went on through at least December 1918 at Remington (longer at Winchester) - and the 'beginning of month' serial number for December 1918 is estimated to be 600,000.
Mar 04, 2019 With the serial number that you have provided,your Remington model of 1917 wa made in December of 1918.Your rifle was made at the end of production of these rifles.
If Remington was making 2,000 per day at Ilion, that would mean 660,000 would be about the expected last number. Of course Remington could have been making more than 2,000 per day, or put on extra shifts to complete more rifles by the cutoff date.
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Obviously, all of the makers wanted to run their factories at maximum production for as long as possible, as they had already bought the raw materials and had the workforce, and since WWI was supposed to last through 1919, the end came before anyone expected it. So if Remington was told by the US Govt. 'we'll take everything you build up through December 31st, midnight' they might have 'cranked it up' to take advantage and sell the government as many rifles (and use up the extra raw materials stockpiled) as possible. I am not much of an Enfield Collector - yet (I'm working on it!) - so I would suggest you ask this question on the other Military Surplus Forums (MilSurps.com, Culver's Shooting Page, etc.) Perhaps someone with more information can give a better answer. CC PS - I just found an article, from the Remington Society on the Eddystone Plant, that states that Remington was allowed to continue production until February, 1919.
That would explain higher numbers than previously believed. See this site: http://www.remingtonsociety.com/rsa/journals/Eddystone. I looked at the picture of the Serial Number - and, frankly, the number stamping looks odd to me. The numbers appear to be almost 'hand stamped' with individual stamps, though I cannot be sure.
The '6' stamps appear to be a slightly different size, and one appears a little crooked. I would check with other M1917 Enfield folks and ask about the stamping qualities on their Remington recievers. All the M1917s I can recall looking at, the numbers were square and straight and appeared to have been rolled on by a large stamping die, not hand stamped. I have seen very few Remingtons, most of the ones I have examined are Eddystones, over the years. It is possible that this was a left over reciever, and numbered by hand at the end of production, I guess. Or, worst case, that someone altered the number long ago.