vintage rifle I.D. ?

British WW1 Pattern 1914 Rifle, cal. 303 British, unfortunately front part the stock has been cut down. Also missing barrel band, nose guard and top handguards. No collector's value in the present state, could be restored if proper parts can be located.
 
Thank you guys!

When I first got it I thought it was an Enfield but all the Enfields I had seen had a removable mag. I registered this gun as an Enfield .303 and they sent me back a letter stating it wasn`t and Enfield but not to worry about it.

I`m not really worried about returning it to its original condition. I used this gun for a few years when deer hunting. We now hunt moose instead so I use my Browning 30.06 and the Enfield stays in the gun safe.

When I got the Enfield, I noticed there was a small round cover plate in the butt plate that could be opened but it was empty. What originally went in there, a cleaning rod or kit of some sort?
 
There would have been a small oiler tube and a pull-throughwith a jag and brush. I've seen a lot of those sporterized, including some lovely commercial jobs from Century Arms, who specialized in commerial re-builds of military surplus rifles when they were cheap & plentiful. The bolt action was "muddier" than the Lee Enfields, being a modified Mauser design, and thusly less popular. That said, it's a wonderful game-getter, and commercial ammo is readily available from just about anywhere that sells ammunition. Should you ever come across one that has good wood, but a baffed out action, it would be worth the re-build back to milspec, and very saleable.
 
A little background info for you Brad. The P14 is the only Enfield with a mauser action and was designated as the No3 Enfield (the No2 being a .22LR training version of the No1), and was intended to replace the No1 SMLE, but WWI broke out before that could be implemented, so the British Empire stuck with the No1 as their main rifle for the duration of the war. The Pattern 14 saw service mainly with the home guard but was also used as a sniper rifle. The Americans manufactured them and also made and issued another version for their own troops, the M1917, sometimes referred to as the P17 (incorrectly) in 30-06 to supplement their Springfield M1903 rifles. If you are interested in knowing what year it was manufactured; remove the stock and on the left side just under the wood line on the barrel (close to the receiver), it should be stamped, for example, '14 for 1914 or whatever the case may be.

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The different rifles mentioned:

No1 SMLE
smle1mk3r.jpg


No3 P14
PATTERN-1914_01.jpg


P14 T (sniper variant)
image013.jpg


M1917
enfield_p17_1.jpg


M1903
Rifle_Springfield_M1903A3.jpg
 
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Wow... you guys are too awesome!
Thanks for all the info, especially Vimy Ridge for taking the time to post up all the different models and a write up.
I'm a bit of a pack rat when it comes to guns, I think I've only ever sold one so this will most likely be with me 'till they plant me. Maybe some day in the future I'll think about making a cool stock for it.

Brad
www.AndersonKnives.ca
 
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