M1917 Enfield Sniper
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.17 kg
- Introduced
- 1917
About
What it is, and why it matters
The M1917 Enfield Sniper was the American-caliber derivative of the British Pattern 1914, rechambered for .30-06 Springfield and used in limited numbers as a sniper rifle during World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. Featuring a long 26-inch heavyweight barrel with a 1:10 left-hand twist, the M1917 was generally considered more accurate at long range than the M1903 Springfield, though heavier. Numerically, the M1917 was the most common American rifle of WWI - approximately 60% of the American Expeditionary Force carried it - and selected examples were fitted with Winchester A5 scopes for sniping duties.
Sergeant Alvin York, America's most celebrated WWI hero, used an M1917 Enfield when he single-handedly killed 25 German soldiers and captured 132 others during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive on October 8, 1918, though some accounts attribute his feat to the M1903 Springfield. The M1917's role as the primary American rifle of WWI is often overshadowed by the M1903 Springfield, despite the 'American Enfield' arming the majority of the AEF. Its continued use as a sniper rifle through the Korean War demonstrates the design's enduring accuracy.
The M1917's internal magazine held 6 rounds (one more than the M1903 Springfield), though stripper clips held only 5. The rifle's long sighting plane and protected aperture rear sight contributed to its excellent long-range accuracy. While the M1903A4 was the standard-issue US sniper rifle of WWII, the M1917 continued to see limited sniper use, particularly in the Korean War where its .30-06 cartridge and accurate barrel made it effective at the longer engagement ranges typical of that conflict. Only approximately 50 Winchester-manufactured M1917s were fitted with A5 scopes during WWI, making original sniper-configured examples extremely rare.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Winchester Repeating Arms Company
- Category
- Sniper Rifle
- Country
- United States
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1917 to 1953
- Variant of
- Sniper
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Overall length
- 1175 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.17 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 4.45 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 853 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3529 J
- Effective range
- 800 m
- Maximum range
- 2500 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Winchester a5 telescopic sight- Long sighting plane
Protected aperture rear sight
Heavyweight barrel
Enfield pattern action
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 430 sniper rifles | 4.17 kg | 5.40 kg | Lighter than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 429 sniper rifles | 1175 mm | 1150 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 434 sniper rifles | 660 mm | 620 mm | Longer than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 434 sniper rifles | 6 | 6 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the M1917 Enfield Sniper
How much does the M1917 Enfield Sniper weigh?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper weighs 4.17 kg (9.20 lb) empty and 4.45 kg (9.81 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the M1917 Enfield Sniper?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper is chambered in .30-06 Springfield.
How many rounds does the M1917 Enfield Sniper hold?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper holds 6 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the M1917 Enfield Sniper?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper is 1175 mm (46.3 in) long overall, with a 660 mm (26.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the M1917 Enfield Sniper?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper is made by Winchester Repeating Arms Company (United States). It was designed by Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield / Remington / Winchester.
When was the M1917 Enfield Sniper introduced?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper was introduced in 1917 and discontinued in 1953.
How does the M1917 Enfield Sniper operate?
The M1917 Enfield Sniper uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Army
- 1917
- United States Marine Corps
- 1917
- British Home Guard
- 1940
- Republic of China Army
- China
Provenance
Confidence in this record
83%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/m1917-enfield-sniper' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "m1917-enfield-sniper", "name": "M1917 Enfield Sniper", "manufacturer": { "id": "winchester", "name": "Winchester Repeating Arms Company", "countryCode": "US", "foundedYear": 1866, "website": "https://www.winchesterguns.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "032f75658544de9d931ca09f772b9ab92b282bf53db67851bf4eb3f8c0612520" }, "category": { "id": "sniper-rifle", "name": "Sniper Rifle", "description": "Precision rifles optimized for long-range accuracy" }, "country_of_origin": "US", "year_introduced": 1917, "barrel_length_mm": 660, "weight_empty_g": 4175, "action_type": "bolt_action"}