There is probably some kernel of truth to all of them. But the fact remains; there is no original, single, totally accurate database of serial numbers from 1866 forward that we are aware of. But perhaps these pages can help you somewhat in your research.
winchester model of 1917 serial numbers
Three companies made M1917 rifles, the Winchester company made the fewest with a total production of 465,980. According to the Springfield Research Service Serial Numbers book Volumes 3 and 4: serial number 295360 was issued on 8/21/1918 to Company F, 124th Infantry Regiment, and serial number 295361 was issued on 8/26/1918 to Camp Wheeler, GA. So close to the actual serial number you needed!
My source is the Springfield Research Service(SRS) books "Serial Numbers of U.S. Martial Arms" volumes 1-4. These books were published by the SRS in the late 1990s. They are useful, but far from comprehensive list of serial numbers. Only a small percentage of serial numbers are listed.
I could not find your specific serial number listed, the closest was 328473 ( a Winchester) which on August 15, 1918 was part of an "Interchange" test of May and June production models. ( A test of weapons to make sure all parts were interchangeable)
You've seen my replies above, there is more limited info on the 1917 in the Springfield books than some other weapons. Your's is a low number, Winchester produced 465,980 total M1917's. However, the only numbers I could find which were close are:
On the M1917 the problem is all three manufacturers duplicated the serial numbers. I did find some Winchesters in the 289,000 range which were sent for testing in May-July 1918. The closest serial number I found, 289382 was issued to Company M, 122nd Infantry Regiment, 31st Infantry Division but the maker of that is not listed so it could also be a Remington or Eddystone. There were a large number in the 288,000 to 289,000 range issued to the 31st Division but again I can't say which maker.
What I have found in the books is the closest Winchester M1917 to your serial number listed was 526723. It is listed as having been at the "US Detention Farm Milan (TN) and was being returned to the Rock Island Arsenal by the facility on August 19, 1935. They returned a number of Winchester M1917's on this date. It looks like many of the Winchesters listed in the 500,000 range were issued to correction facilities. A large number of 1917's were also sent by the US Government to the Shanghai Volunteer Corps in the 1930s.
I have just found out that I own a US Model 1917 Winchester with serial number 518XXX (will provide full serial if needed) and I am very interested in knowing if there is any history available for this particular rifle.
Nothing unusual, the books I have just don't have any Winchester M1917 with a serial number close to yours. This is a nice overview article about the M1917 and the three manufacturers: The U.S. Model Of 1917 Rifle An Official Journal Of The NRA (americanrifleman.org)
A Remington manufactured M1917 with serial number 284290 was issued to the 106th Engineers on September 9, 1918. If your weapon was manufactured by Eddystone or Winchester then no luck, other than it was likely issued in the fall of 1918.
My apologies for the delay, i've been out of town. If you've read my replies above you know that the Springfield Research books are hit and miss. The serial numbers were duplicated by the 3 makers so unless is specifically mentions which manufacturer it is hard to know which one they are referring to.
hello,,this is the 2nd 1917 question i answered today ..lol..like i said in the other post ,,valueing a 1917 will be determined by if it's in original military configuration or it's been sporterized ,,there were 3 companys who made 1917 enfields eddystone,remington and winchester ,,winchester is the most desireable and value in original military configuration can be between 600-850,,but everything has to be correct in a military collectors eyes ,,parts will be marked with W's for winchester and collectors look for these iding marks in correct rifles ,,if small parts like sites and bands are not W marked the value drops a little and would proably be around 100 less for mismatched rifles ,, 2ff7e9595c
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