Thread: They don't make 'em like they used to...

Here's a P14 (Winnie) that I picked up off Tardme a couple weeks ago, along side one of my BPAG's. Not much different considering there's 50 odd years between designs. The bottom wood is repro, top woods are original.

She's in pretty good nick bore-wise and the action is tight. I bought it as a shooter, not a collector/wall hanger.

For something mass produced in early 1917, she still shoots well. I churned out some loads using 40 grains of 2208 pushing a 174 SMK (.311") and gave her a blat today at the Auckland DA range. The peep sight seems to be set for 300 yards and the battle sight starts at 200 yards. I ended up sticking a 4"dayglo dot on the bottom of a DA 100m target and aimed at that through the battle sight on it's lowest setting. Here are a couple of 5 shot groups.

I thought 2.8" was pretty bloody good for a 96 year old battle rifle with original sights.

Who else has got a nice old shooter out there?

Ray.

You'd have to be happy with that !

Ive got an old P14 aswell, woods all been hacked off, did think of sourcing full wood for it but as it was my Dads gun I'd like to keep it how he had it. Still planning on rebluing it some time in the near future though. I can slay targets with it, never tried it on paper.

Im rubbish with it on animals though, I missed a stag point blank then the mag jammed with the blimin thing a couple of years ago, positive side though I came home, put gun in the cabinet, jumped back in the car went down the gun shop an come home with a 700 .308. mrs was all like WTF!! i said "dont even ask"

Originally Posted by big_foot

the mag jammed with the blimin thing a couple of years ago, positive side though I came home, put gun in the cabinet, jumped back in the car went down the gun shop an come home with a 700 .308. mrs was all like WTF!! i said "dont even ask"

Ouch, was it a rim-over? Have to be careful how you stack them in the mag. Good excuse for a gun refresh though, I'd probably have done that too. Like the No 1's and No 4's, quite a few P14's were cut-down. The action is hellish strong and many excellent calibre conversions have been done with them, including net-guns.

Yea I always stack them good but I think the spring is poked, when the bolt is closed on a full mag and you shake the gun you can hear the bullets rattling around a bit I think the follower only applies pressure up near the front of the bullets so when the bolt is opened it slides the top rim back over the next one down.

I think the main problem I have with aiming the gun is the butt is extremely short resulting in the front sight floating around in the sight picture through the aperture, but ah well the old boy used to slay the deers with it so I cant go blaming the gun

Awesome! Been keeping an eye out for a P14.

They are incredibly strong actions, one of the nicest custom safari rifles I have handles was a .500 Jeffery built on a P14.

The Brits designed the P14 to replace the SMLE #1 mk3, but Kaiser Wilhem decided to do his "Grande European Tour" at a time when the Brits neither had enough of them and were not tooled up to produce enough of them. So they stuck with their "tried and true" SMLE's but contracted the Yanks, who were always reluctant to enter a war, to manufacture them under contract. Which they did and when the Yanks finally laced up their leggings and were faced with the reality of not having enough rifles themselves, they remembered that three of their major rifle producers were already making rifles for the Brits, but in 303, so they Yanks just changed the bore and continued making for themselves, as P17's. Google Sergeant York.

The Brits did use them, but for Home Guard, Navy and sniper duties. Note the sniper role. The only fault I can possibly see with the P14 apart from being a British design on a German lock but made by an American company was the acceptance of a 5 shot internal magazine instead of the 10 shot capacity of the SMLE.

But golly, they are a nice machine.

Not a p14 of course.

Brand new unfired barrel, just haven't quite got there yet:rolleyes:

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[QUOTE=big_foot;137290]...............I think the main problem I have with aiming the gun is the butt is extremely short.............QUOTE]

As the Brits recognised the need for 3 different size buts on their SMLE's to match individual soldiers physical development, it would follow that they also had that organised the P14's.

Perhaps you have a "short" butt. Sadly, I don't fancy your chances of getting one to suit nowadays 'tho, so perhaps your only cheap option is to add pads to extend it.

[QUOTE=Kiwi Sapper;137320]

Originally Posted by big_foot

...............I think the main problem I have with aiming the gun is the butt is extremely short.............QUOTE]

As the Brits recognised the need for 3 different size buts on their SMLE's to match individual soldiers physical development, it would follow that they also had that organised the P14's.

Perhaps you have a "short" butt. Sadly, I don't fancy your chances of getting one to suit nowadays 'tho, so perhaps your only cheap option is to add pads to extend it.

I used to have a pad on it when I used to use it as my go to gun (till the stag incident) now I'm just happy to hang it on the wall, take it out for some targets and tell the kids the yarns Dad used to tell me about it.

Found its rego paper in an old box the other day from when dad 1st got it in 1961, guna frame it.

I'd love a P17 or a 1903. I got all excited browsing the second hand gun rack at the local store, noticed a tag on an old rifle that said "Springfield 30/06, $250" (or something like that)
only to see it was a butchered P17 a couple seconds later. Talk about let down of the century. I believe the Brit's also specified cock on closing with the P14, in an effort to mimic the fast cycling with the Enfield.

Originally Posted by Beavis

I'd love a P17 or a 1903. I got all excited browsing the second hand gun rack at the local store, noticed a tag on an old rifle that said "Springfield 30/06, $250" (or something like that)
only to see it was a butchered P17 a couple seconds later. Talk about let down of the century. I believe the Brit's also specified cock on closing with the P14, in an effort to mimic the fast cycling with the Enfield.

Finding a reasonable and complete 03 or 03A3 shooter is a big ask these days, esp down here! Would be awesome though. Still a few niceish SMLE's in full wood popping up now and then. I was about to get into a bidding war for one when I spotted the P14, no hesitation, boom Shankar!

Got an old 1900 long tom thats had the wood cut down, but still has a long barrel, shoots pretty good can hit a piece of firewood at around 200 with the iron sights. cant ask for much more from a 113 year old rifle. My brother even manage to hit it much to my surprise.

Originally Posted by veitnamcam

Attachment 11851

Not a p14 of course.

Brand new unfired barrel, just haven't quite got there yet:rolleyes:

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You want to keep an eye out for a full set of wood for that Cam, theres the odd bit on Tardme but heaps on Fleabay.

What sort of money do full wood sets go for?

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