Tell me about a .303 ERA rifle

Grouse Man

Grouse Man

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An inlaw stumbled across this, and described it over the phone. .303 British, 'old army rifle', bolt action, peep sights, has E R A ###### stamped on it, and that pretty much sums up what he could relate over the phone. I asked what was stamped on the metal band on the stock at the wrist, and he said there wasn't any metal band there.

What is it?
 
ERA is Eddystone Remington Arms. In 1914 the British Army was on thr verge of adopting a new rifle in .276" cal. to replace the Lee Enfield. When war broke out the new rifle was redesigned to use the .303 British ctg and contracts were let with Winchester and Remington . Remington produced this arm at their own plant and a new factory called Eddystone Remington. The British designation was Rifle Pattern 1914 changed to Rifle No3 in 1926.Over 1 million were made. In 1917 the US Army redesigned it to use 30-06 ammo and had it produced by the above firms as the US Rifle Model 1917.
 
Hey Grouseman, are you talking about the one at SIR? Its ERA, peep sighted bubba-ed wood with ok metal, but the bore is rough, they want too much for it at 125 IMHO...It's been there for MONTHS, no one will touch the poor thing.
 
No, it's not at SIR.

Thanks for all the info guys, I knew I could count on you guys. Sounds like if it is in decent shape, it should be a decent shooter.

Next question, is .303 ammo?
 
This pattern 14 rifle should be .303 calibre, as many have pointed out. If you get a look at it, double check for any US markings, such as model of 1917. As mentioned, the pattern 14 was adopted by the US in World War One as the model 1917 and the calibre was changed to 30-06.

To answer your ammo question, 303 british is loaded by all the big manufacturers, Remington, Federal, Winchester etc. As stated earlier, avaiable in 150 grain soft point and 180 grain soft point. You can also buy UMC full metal jacket for plinking, it is a little bit cheaper and loaded closer to the original military loading, I think.

To answer your other question about being dime a dozen, there were way more SMLE's produced than P14's. However, full military configured rifles of any type (Mauser, Nagant, Enfield, etc) are getting rarer and rarer. The good old days of finding a good condition Enfield at SIR for $50 are long gone. Any enfield that shows up on the consignment racks these days is usually bubba'd.

If this rifle is in Winnipeg or surrounding area, let me know and I'll go check it out with you if you want. Be warned if you buy this, once you buy one millsurp, you will get the bug and start buying more. Milsurps are the crystal meth of gun collecting.
 
Kevin, you're broke until after Christmas! Save your money for the trap and skeet shoot in the spring. You've got a rifle, don't you?
 
The stock was bubba'd. All the metalwork was there, but the stock had some wood repairs done in places and was fully sporterized. They're going to call Gene's for a second valuation. I was very sad to see it as it was.
 
Well, it's now disassembled in my basement. I'm always impressed by the simplicity of bolt action rifles, but this one is even simpler. The blued bolt itself rides very snugly in the receiver. There was very little grunk to be found anywhere on the rifle, mostly dust on the rear sight. I did a quick cleaning sequence on the bore, which turns out to be in excellent condition. Rifling looks to be very sharp. I'll let it soak and brush for a few days, and then it should be good. It even came with some 1944 DI Z ammo and one stripper clip, and an old box of Dominion 180 KKSP (now wrapped up and stored). I'll pick up some UMC in the mean time, to start with.

Now, does anybody have a Parker Hale 5B rear sight gathering dust? And do they just bolt in, in place of the issue sight, or are they d/t into the side of the receiver?
 
good find you just need some wood now.

P14's had tighter chambers so if your going to reload your brass will last longer. Have fun shootin it.

Oh I only have 2 P14's one ERA and one RE both were bubbaed but I put the ERA in an old DP stock. I don't know about the PH site but it should just bolt on.
 
The Parker-Hale sight is a simple replacement. However you DO need the longer screw that replaces the pivot screw for the original sight, plus the bit that replaces the ejector spring rest since the lower end of the P-H sight slots into it.

If you are going to shoot that CORROSIVE PRIMED ammo, you will need to boil out the barrel after shooting it ON THE SAME DAY you shoot it. Otherwise you will have a UGLY RUSTY bore.
 
I put 5 rounds through it this weekend. Prone but no rest, est. 100 yds, windy day, maybe a 3" group, just high and a little right of center. Pretty impressed so far. Recoil with the 180's is stout, I wonder how shot #20 would have felt with that metal butt plate. Anyway, I was just happy it was hitting so close to POA.

I located a PH 5B in England, for about 80 pounds all in. Figure it's worth it?
 
I don't really think that the Parker Hale sight is warranted, unless you really want to spend the money or you just really like the sight. The issue sight is working well and very close to aim point and is really a well designed sight built to stand up to a lot of abuse and be usefull under most light conditions. Just blue or ( I know, heaven forbid ) paint the sights with flat black and use as is. bearhunter
 
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