Old 303 British - Help Identifying make/model

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Travallee

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New to the forum here and trying to get some assistance identifying a rifle (or parts thereof) that came into my possession.

I only have the stock, barrel and bolt, but would like to track down the rest and return this to functional condition.

https://flic.kr/p/2jmoaZQ
https://flic.kr/p/2jmmYDE
https://flic.kr/p/2jmmYCc

Appears to have Birmingham proof marks on the knob of the bolt and barrel, but most of the remaining indications need some cleaning to uncover.
 
Agree with Poster #2. Rear sight protective ears have been ground off - almost no coming back from that. Big flat filled or milled sideways over the rear bridge. Trigger guard missing. Did not show front end, but likely stock sawed off - no hand guards or hand guard ring. Rear sight that is on it has been mounted probably in a dovetail filed across the barrel. Not showing what is done for the front sight. Should be able to find restorable "moose guns" for $200-ish or less, then be prepared to pay $500 in stock, hand guards, stock furniture, etc. to get something, and more yet to get matching parts. FYI - a P14 has four parts with the serial number, and then every other part has the makers mark on it. Charles Stratton book on Amazon is a good place to spend first $30 or $40 dollars on your re-build.
 
the RE is for Remington. the condition it is in would lend it to having a scope mounted and turning it into a hunting rifle.
many magnum hunting rifles were built on these actions.
 
What is the bore condition? That will determine if it is worth restoring to shooting condition.
 
Travallee said:
New to the forum here and trying to get some assistance identifying a rifle (or parts thereof) that came into my possession.

I only have the stock, barrel and bolt, but would like to track down the rest and return this to functional condition.

https://flic.kr/p/2jmoaZQ
https://flic.kr/p/2jmmYDE
https://flic.kr/p/2jmmYCc

Appears to have Birmingham proof marks on the knob of the bolt and barrel, but most of the remaining indications need some cleaning to uncover.
Click to expand...

He's kidding. It's his first post and he makes a joke.

Warped sense of humor?? Should fit right in.
 
This gun was in the family, so I’m willing to do a little investigation as a first restoration. Not looking to get back to original condition, more so in making it a sporter if the time, effort and money are within reason. Back sight was mounted with a dovetail, as mentioned. Will pick up the book and do some more research, prior to putting any serious effort into it. Worst case, I get a little bit of education on the makeup and parts of this action.

Not sure why it was dismantled in the first place, but there is still a chance I can track down the rest of the parts that were on the gun (post mod) and go from there. Thanks for the help and advice.
 
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The parts aren't hard to find. However, if the bore is pooched, there is not much point. A lot of old 303's suffered from the effects of corrosive military ammunition... Do you know how to check the bore? Pull the bolt out, and aim the barrel at a light. Look through the breech end and see if the barrel is shiney with sharp rifling. (You may have to clean it first to make this determination.)
 
Travallee said:
This gun was in the family, so I’m willing to do a little investigation as a first restoration. Not looking to get back to original condition, more so in making it a sporter if the time, effort and money are within reason. Back sight was mounted with a dovetail, as mentioned. Will pick up the book and do some more research, prior to putting any serious effort into it. Worst case, I get a little bit of education on the makeup and parts of this action.

Not sure why it was dismantled in the first place, but there is still a chance I can track down the rest of the parts that were on the gun (post mod) and go from there. Thanks for the help and advice.
Click to expand...

I have sent a PM to you. As mentioned, if you just want to get it back "shooting" as it is, then have to assess the bore - get it cleaned and see what is left. Next, there should be a serial number on right side of receiver, on right side of barrel, and on the bolt handle - sometimes on top of the bolt handle, sometimes underneath it. If the three numbers are the same, you are off to a good start. Part way through the production run, the design was altered slightly, and all previous ones were supposed to be retro-altered - I have a couple examples that got missed - as a result, there are two type of P14 bolts, so if your bolt is not same serial number, have to verify it is the correct bolt for that barrel to start with, and then have the head space assessed.

A good first step is to figure out how to soak all the metal parts - no doubt 100 years of dried oils, grease, maybe seeds, pine needles and dead bugs in various nooks and crannies. I use Varsol or mineral spirits in a covered container. Just the metal pieces, not the wood stock. WWI soldiers could dismantle the bolt with their fingers and a loop of their boot lace, many people today no longer know how. Idea is to dismantle the entire piece to the last screw and spring and soak it all to clear off the old gunk. Then use stiff tooth brush or similar to scrub and clean each piece. Once cleaned and lightly oiled (0W20 Mobil One works well), start re-assembly. In the order of 80 parts for the complete military rifle - all the screws are either British BA series threads or some are the Enfield series threads - not going to find replacements at Canadian Tire, so use screwdrivers that fit the screw slots and try not to mess up those screw slots!!
 
I would restore it to sporter status. It's a nice project gun to cut your teeth on learning how to restore old guns. As Ganderite mentioned, get the missing parts and refinish the stock and metal parts. You can re-blue the metal parts or clean them up and paint them. I've used high heat black spray paint (rattle cans) to good effect on some of my restorations. The P14/M1917 actions were very popular back in the day to build custom rifles on. You can scope the rifle if you want by installing Weaver mounts on the rear bridge and above the chamber. I would let a gunsmith to do the drilling and tapping though. This action is very hard to drill & tap and you wouldn't want to break a tap.
Here's a 1917 Enfield I reworked back in the day when they were plentiful and cheap ( I still have an original military 197 as well;) ).

eVIwRd2l.jpg


I used it to learn stock making and extensive modifications to the trigger guard assembly, new bolt handle, safety, bolt release, etc. As you can see, the "ears" have also been removed from the rear of the action.
 
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