Thread: bolt failure P14

hi chaps i will follow this up with some photos @gundoc you opinion please. i have(had) a P14 chambered in 264WM it hasn't done a lot of work on the barrel from new say around 200 rounds. nothing regarded as hot just played around with various loads and projectiles i have never loaded near max book value. i began a ladder test on sunday with a load of 61.2grs of 2213sc, start next was 61.4grs. pulled the trigger and the rifle destroyed itself. on investigation today the whole bolt face and recoil lugs blew to pieces in the receiver sending hot gas though the bolt and inflicting powder burns to my face. it looks as though there was fatigue in the boly metal and looks as thou both lugs had aged cracks. does anyone out there still use P14 or P17 beyond standard chamberings and has anyone else seen these rifles blow up before. cheers Mike

Happy it was only your face that suffered mate, and not pieces of your head/hands/arms going AWOL.
Metallurgy back then was a bit 'hit/miss' compared to the last 50-odd years, and if the history of the rifle is not known, it may have been mistreated by a previous owner/shooter.

Originally Posted by WallyR

Happy it was only your face that suffered mate, and not pieces of your head/hands/arms going AWOL.
Metallurgy back then was a bit 'hit/miss' compared to the last 50-odd years, and if the history of the rifle is not known, it may have been mistreated by a previous owner/shooter.

im not sweating the small stuff now that for sure.

Shit, what an awful fright and unwanted reminder of variable metallurgy.
Ironically, as you know they choose these to build big customs on as they were cheap and over engineered.

Maybe have a doc Check your eye for damage. Bit of cream and a patch to rest it might help.
A stiff drink has helped all round no doubt.

oh well...find a new donor action to fit the barrel to....you got away with it without major injury...to some extent the rifles action "failed sucessfully"...Ive read elsewhere about the metal being suss on some of the older mauser actions,particularly if they have been played with....will watch this with interest to see what the gurus have to say.

Go buy a lotto ticket, and if you want to get rid of the whole bloody thing I'd be happy to take the barrel. Im very happy we aint reading a post with you laid up in hospital or worse.

faaaa lucky you kept your head!

Wow thats terrible. Glad youre ok. Was yours a Eddystone, Remington or Winchester?

Do you know what the original caliber used to be?
Was the bolt head machined to fit the new caliber?

Originally Posted by stevodog

Shit, what an awful fright and unwanted reminder of variable metallurgy.
Ironically, as you know they choose these to build big customs on as they were cheap and over engineered.

Maybe have a doc Check your eye for damage. Bit of cream and a patch to rest it might help.
A stiff drink has helped all round no doubt.

went to eye clinc today referal from a&e yesterday. minor marks from gunpowder get recheck in 3 weeks

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

oh well...find a new donor action to fit the barrel to....you got away with it without major injury...to some extent the rifles action "failed sucessfully"...Ive read elsewhere about the metal being suss on some of the older mauser actions,particularly if they have been played with....will watch this with interest to see what the gurus have to say.

its a bsa sportered P14 ex .303 was rechambered by gunsmith and done right.

done that.

i brought the lotto ticket today