What is this 'sporter' milsurp? pics...

[brit84]

This is my friend's rifle. Was his dads who got it years and years ago.
They told me its an enfield 303, however it looks more like a chopped mauser of some kind. By the looks of the markings and the stock, I assumed it was a swedish mauser (it is also #### on close) but have not seen one with this type of rear sight.

There is no writing on the stock disk. on the barrel and other parts where is also a stamp " MNS"

I am unable to confirm if is is indeed 303 or not, and will be taking it to a smith to find out for certain.

please take a look at the pics and give me any opinions!

 

[mmattockx]

Pattern 14 (P14) Enfield.

Mark

 

[LeeEnfieldNo.4_mk1]

Its either in .303 Brit (P-14) or 30-06 (M1917). A brit desighn originally meant to replace the Enfield, but never did. Instead the P-14 was made by the yanks for the brits during the first world war to help with the equipment shortage the Brits were having. When the US joined the war in 1917 they adopted it in 30-06 as the US rifle M1917 once again, to help with the shortage of US M1903 rifles.

But judging by that Barrel date of 1916 it would probably be a P-14 in .303.

 

[Nabs]

Looks like a P14 to me, the P17 stocks did not have the stock discs on them.

The P14 was a British design built by the Americans on contract and was a hybrid, so to speak, of the Lee Enfield and Gewehr 98 designs. They are extremely well made rifles and are rumored to be deadly accurate. They were suppose to replace the SMLE but WW1 came about and many of these fine rifles went into storage to be used as reserve weapons during WW2.

You may also find the possible remnant of the volley sight rear arm as part of the bolt stop on the left side of the action. I doubt it is there anymore by the looks of it but you may find what is left of the volley dial sight on the left side of the stock, just forward of the finger grasping groove.

I have the "MNS" stamp on my P14 barrel as well.

The sling wrapped around the barrel is interesting, I wonder how that sling is holding on after shots are fired ?

Nice to see the front sight isn't cut off or removed, may be a decent candidate for restoration if you should wish.

Right along with the serial number on the right side of the receiver you will see a letter (or more than one) and it indicates which U.S. private firm manufactured your P14. For instance, my P14 has a "W" put before the serial number indicating Winchester manufacture. The other two makers were Remington and Eddystone (a division of Remington). I think Remington is an "R" and Eddystone is "ERA" but I may be wrong about that.

The barrel date on your example is 1916.

 

[brit84]

I forgot about the P14!
It is a Winchester made variant according the the SN

the sling is held on by a ring of metal, the tape stops it from moving along the barrel!

 

[Nabs]

Very nice, you have a sister rifle of mine. My P14 was made in 1917.

Winchesters are said to be of the higher quality and picked to be outfitted with telescopic sights but I hold all P14s in high regard. Just yesterday I bumped into an Eddystone P14 at a gun show and the played with the action to compare it to my Winchester and it was just as smooth and just as well made IMO.

 

[sunray]

"...unable to confirm if is is indeed 303..." Slugging the barrel will tell you. Should be .311" for a .303 Brit. .308" for a .30-06. Mind you, all those stamps on the barrel say .303.

 

[Nabs]

As a comparison, here is my P14. This lets you see what yours would have looked like at one point.

It also appears that the rear volley arm on your P14 has been removed. Do not worry as this was common practice post WW1 when many P14s were taken out of storage and "updated". By updated, all they really did was remove part of the volley sight (either the forward arm or the rear arm) and/or re-stocked the rifle if needed. The P14s were re-designated No 3 Mk I and/or No 3 Mk I * in the 1920s. Many would go on to serve with the home guard in WW2.

I am curious, does your example exhibit any green paint below the stock line ? My P14 has green paint all below the stock line. I think this was done as a corrosion preventive.

Your model may also be a "star" model. How you can tell is look at the bolt locking lugs. If the right locking lug is longer than the left, you pretty much have a star model. Have a look for a "star" marking on the bolt extractor and on top of the barrel if I remember correctly.