The 1914/17 Enfields share the distinction of being, at one and the same time, the simplest military bolt action rifle for conversion to scope use and also one of the most difficult to convert into a truly fine-looking sporting rifle. The only thing required for low scope use is the installation of mounts, the bolt handle, safety and everything else are OK as-is. However almost every major part of the action must be altered in some way in order for it to be aesthetically pleasing and in some cases the aesthetics are still null and void (G). This is still a large and rather clunky piece of steel no matter what the smith does to improve it, and IMO these actions are better used with the larger cartridges that better match their larger size.
Please don't misunderstand me, my first CF rifle was a 1917 that I attempted to convert into a sporter and I still have a warm place in my heart for the old rifle, but the conversion was waaayyy beyond the capabilities of a 14-year-old. I was still working on it several years later when I went to Trinidad and it never did look right. With the right ideas and workmanship though, the 1917 can be as good as any and better than most. It just takes a LOT of work as well as some aesthetic abilities in the reshaping.
There are some interesting Enfield smithing tricks that once were fairly common knowledge but have since faded into obscurity, most of these can be found in some of the old smithing books written in the middle of the 20th century. Col Jeff Cooper once had a Remington 30 converted into a big-bore DGR and used it quite successfully, you might get some good ideas from his example as well as some shown in Monte Kennedy's Checkering and Carving of Gunstocks. Some of the old issues of Guns & Ammo and the Guns & Ammo Annuals show some very fine examples of DGR Enfield conversions by some of the best-known makers of the day. At one time the custom M70-type 3-position bolt sleeves were available for this action and I know that custom bottom metal is still available along with reasonably good (Timney & D-T) triggers. Speaking personally, this action would be one of my top choices for a long belted magnum DGR or similar.
Regards, Joe
