A P14 followed me home today

[Calum]

I couldn't leave her in the shop, and paid $125.00 for her.

Paperwork says she is an Enfield pattern 1914 in .303
She has been -sort of- sportsterized, but not much wood taken off.
Barrel is in great shape, and she has the original front and rear sights, original metal buttplate.

Here is were the mystery begins, she has -allot- of Strange markings...
Front right side of reciver:
ERA
6126xx which match the ones on the rear sight that flips up.

Barrel next to the right reciver:
Big Arrow mark Pointing up, W155xx
(small xx are mine)

On reciver next to bolt:
small crown over a M2, and an A

Then below that:
Small crown over an AE

Left Reciver:
Up arrow over a G,R
Crossed flags with a P below them.

Left side of barrel near reciver:
NITRO PROVED
Small crown over crossed flags with a P under them.

Small crown over 25 over an A next to this is a '16

Small crown again over an A2 and something that looks like a small rabbit or gazel stamp? Like what is that?

Any Ideas as to what these markings mean?
Pics to come soon when I take her to the range this weekend.

 

[Hawkeye]

did yuou get thaty one from johnsons in nanaimo??

 

[Calum]

did yuou get thaty one from johnsons in nanaimo??

Yes I picked her up this afternoon.
Not much left in the rifle section upstairs.
(BTW he is closing down for good in Feb' folks)

Where you looking at this rifle also?

 

[f_soldaten04]

Bastard , I saw it on their website! congrats It sucks they are closing down! Will they have a "closing down" sale? They have some VERY neat stuff there.

 

[Hawkeye]

yeah i had been eyeballing that one up pretty hard good catch though its too bad that they are shuting down

 

[Monty]

Johnson's is closing? Too bad.
Can you post some pictures, Calum? It's definitely an Enfield No.1 Mk.III. I have a bubba'd 1917 BSA and it has a lot of similar markings and then some. I don't know nearly enough about them. Mine actually says BSA on the right side of the receiver band thingy...

 

[Hitzy]

P14's have all kinds of british proofs and acceptance marks. Every part should be marked with the manufacturer's initial, R for remington, E for Eddystone, W for winchester. The receiver, barrel, bolt, and rear sight will be serial numbered. Your's appears to have a Winchester barrel on an Eddystone receiver.

I couldn't leave her in the shop, and paid $125.00 for her.

Paperwork says she is an Enfield pattern 1914 in .303
She has been -sort of- sportsterized, but not much wood taken off.
Barrel is in great shape, and she has the original front and rear sights, original metal buttplate.

Here is were the mystery begins, she has -allot- of Strange markings...
Front right side of reciver:
ERA
6126xx which match the ones on the rear sight that flips up.

Barrel next to the right reciver:
Big Arrow mark Pointing up, W155xx
(small xx are mine)

On reciver next to bolt:
small crown over a M2, and an A

Then below that:
Small crown over an AE

Left Reciver:
Up arrow over a G,R
Crossed flags with a P below them.

Left side of barrel near reciver:
NITRO PROVED
Small crown over crossed flags with a P under them.

Small crown over 25 over an A next to this is a '16

Small crown again over an A2 and something that looks like a small rabbit or gazel stamp? Like what is that?

Any Ideas as to what these markings mean?
Pics to come soon when I take her to the range this weekend.

 

[Calum]

He told me quite a few people had been asking about the P-14.
This will be my first P-14, I wish I knew the history behind it.
She prob' had an interesting life story.

Also I believe that the official news of his closure will be in the local Nanaimo paper in a week, but so far the end of February seems to be the time.

He still has LOTS of interesting stuff in his store.
I don't know any details about sales and such yet.

I guess when I find out more I'll cross post in the General area.

 

[Monty]

Hey, Hitzy, does that apply to my BSA? I'm looking at the bolt right now although there are a few little arrows and odd markings but I don't see a serial number. Or do I have to take the bolt apart...?

 

[Hitzy]

Hey, Hitzy, does that apply to my BSA? I'm looking at the bolt right now although there are a few little arrows and odd markings but I don't see a serial number. Or do I have to take the bolt apart...?

US issued M1917's only had a s/n on the receiver, no where else. If you have a M1917 with a s/n bolt, then it was likely in Canadian inventory during WWII as we numbered them.

 

[Monty]

US issued M1917's only had a s/n on the receiver, no where else. If you have a M1917 with a s/n bolt, then it was likely in Canadian inventory during WWII as we numbered them.

Interesting. So either this was a US issue BSA or the bolt is not the match to this receiver...? Hmmm... Thanks!
Sorry for the hijack, Calum!

 

[josquin]

I couldn't leave her in the shop...

I know the feeling all too well. I now have two. One I got a year or so ago from another CGN member. Sounds a bit like yours- wood cut down but otherwise more or less as issued. I took it to the range and it shot a 7/8" ragged hole at 50 metres. It went back into the gun cabinet with a mental note to "do something with it some day."

Then, just as I was about to get serious about restocking it and figuring a way to mount a scope, along came another one from a chap here in Mission- BSA sporterized, receiver milled down, good bore, nice stock and even rings and bases installed. That one followed me home, too as it was only $150 and it was already pretty well where I had wanted to get the first one. When I disassembled it I discovered that it had also been glass bedded and a Timney trigger fitted. Better still. So I stripped the stock, put a hand-rubbed finish on it, stuck a Weaver 4x on it and headed off in the rain to the range. Bingo - 3-shot groups at 100 m of less than 1.5"!

I guess I can sell the other one now. The BSA is going to be pointed at plains game in Africa in 2007.

Stuart

 

[Calum]

Wow josquin ain't she a beauty!

I have this funny feeling inside...feels like yet another rifle type addiction.

Thanks for the info on the markings Hitzy.

I can hardly wait to try her out...maybe tomorrow after I crank out some extra bullets tonight. Mind you I'm a little intimidated by the fact that the Butt plate is metal.

Hey one more thing...I noticed that when I pull the bolt back that it can be pulled far enough back to slide over the back of the Mag follower (part the cartridges rest on), and I have to push the mag follower down a tiny bit to be able to close the bolt...is this normal?

 

[Hitzy]

Wow josquin ain't she a beauty!

I have this funny feeling inside...feels like yet another rifle type addiction.

Thanks for the info on the markings Hitzy.

I can hardly wait to try her out...maybe tomorrow after I crank out some extra bullets tonight. Mind you I'm a little intimidated by the fact that the Butt plate is metal.

Hey one more thing...I noticed that when I pull the bolt back that it can be pulled far enough back to slide over the back of the Mag follower (part the cartridges rest on), and I have to push the mag follower down a tiny bit to be able to close the bolt...is this normal?

It's a normal feature of the rifle. The follower interupts the bolt when there is no round present. Swede mausers have this as well. Means it's time to reload.....

 

[josquin]

I must admit I'm a pretty happy camper. The only other thing I might do is get the floorplate release button from Brownell's as it is really awkward to depress that tiny pin to release the floorplate. I think the idea was to use a bullet point but that would pretty well ruin the bullet!

And yes, they could get addictve. Want to buy another one?

I wouldn't worry about the metal butt plate. The P-14 is relatively heavy so the recoil probably won't be as bad as you expect.

As to the lock-open bolt, I believe that was a feature to alert the soldier that it was time to reload- like the slide staying open on a 1911 pistol. It can be chamfered to allow the bolt to close on the empty mag.

I hope yours shoots as well as mine do!

Stuart

 

[Calum]

The only other thing I might do is get the floorplate release button from Brownell's as it is really awkward to depress that tiny pin to release the floorplate. I think the idea was to use a bullet point but that would pretty well ruin the bullet!

Well my giddy Aunt, there is a little tiny pin under there!

I never would have seen this.

I tried a bullet with a hard plastic Saber tip but she wouldn't open the Mag' floorplate. Is there a trick to this?

Sorry for all the dumb questions guys.

BTW I'll let yah know if I look to buy another.

 

[josquin]

Well my giddy Aunt, there is a little tiny pin under there!...

I haven't heard that expression in decades!

Well, it looks like this white man has spoken with forked tongue because I just went downstairs and tried to release the floorplate on my "original" P-14. No dice. I had only done it on the BSA, using a small Allen wrench to depress it (occasionally accompanied by a little swearing.) This one got a lot of swearing but wouldn't budge. So I took the action screws off and removed the trigger guard and magazine assembly. On my BSA, the mag box is loose but on the unmodified one it seems firmly fastened to the trigger guard/floorplate assembly. The back of the little spring-loaded catch (just in front of the trigger, looking down from the top) that is the back part of the floorplate release moves when pressed, but the floorplate itself will not budge, even levering it gently with a screwdriver.

So I must turn this over to more experienced hands on the board for an explanation.

Stuart

 

[Calum]

I haven't heard that expression in decades!

I got that from my 80 year old Mother in Law. I have to be creative with the cuss words around her.

I was going to undue the screw at the other end of the Magazine floorplate, but thought better of it as I haven't taken it to the range yet, and my luck she would fly apart and some part would roll under the furnace or some such thing.

 

[Hitzy]

It may just have crap and crud jammed in there from 85 years of use. I had one that was tight and after a good cleaning was alot easier too install and remove. You have to slide the floorplate back towards the trigger guard while depressing the floorplate catch. Small allen keys, punchs, or the back end of a small drill bit works well for depresing it.

 

[Hitzy]

Here is a bombardment of pics of my P14

ParkerHale 5B target sight

Proofs and acceptance stamps

S/N's

It didn't come with the original rear sight which would have been s/n to the rifle which is a bit of a pisser. The front sight housing was also modded into a dovetail base for the parker hale front globe. I plan on getting all these bits and pieces to restore it somewhat but it's fun to shoot with the target sights as is. I will use a K31 clamp on front sight instead of the front globe......