P14: Opinions

[meles meles]

Having a 7.62 mm slot free on my FAC, and being desirous to fill it with something a little different, I'm interested in suggestions in general and opinions in particular on the P14, there seem to be quite a few around chambered for 7.62 and fitted with heavy target barrels. I'd be using it at 300m, very occasionally at 600m.

[ovenpaa]

I am quite a fan of the humble P14 and have one in .303 with a Brindles trigger box which works very well for me. The 7,62x51 with heavy barrel should be quite an accurate rifle and they can still be found for sensible money however I suspect this may change soon...

Would you keep it with open sights or put some glass on it?

[meles meles]

Probably keep it with open sights...

[ovenpaa]

I shoot with issue iron sights on my .303 with the addition of a small aperture disk that I can super glue into the rear sight to tighten things up a bit, and easily pop it off when needed. It is a good rifle out to 800 yards, I have never tried it further as my eyesight is just not good enough these days.

Match sights and a good trigger and it has to be capable of shooting under 2MOA at 600 with 7,62x51

[saddler]

Just waiting to get a P14 added to my FAC - bought one last month & its in the local RFD now having a rest until the paperwork is through

They are a great rifle - well worth adding to the collection

DON'T overlook the US issue version either - the M1917, in 30-06 (aka 7.62 x 63)

[EagerNoSkill]

Ovenpaa
Why would that change soon?
:-P

[meles meles]

How does the stock attach to a P14 - is it a one piece unit , or 2 pieces like a Lee Enfield ? ie, could I drop a P14 action into a thumbhole stock ?

[ovenpaa]

One piece and yes you could use a thumb hole stock with some imagination, in fact I am sure I have read an article of such a beast in the distant past. Have you considered making your own stock from scratch? Built from a ply, pillar and glass bedded it would be an interesting project. You could either build the blank yourself or speak to someone like Steve in the vendors and innovators and see if he would supply an absolute or even roughly sized blank.

One of the things about shooting is 'owning' your rifle and if you were to build from scratch it would certainly be yours by the time you were finished and it is not as if the rifle is out of circulation whilst you are doing the work apart from when you get to the glass bedding.

[saddler]

One Piece stock - the P.'14 is a modified Mauser & one of the design criteria was that the stock must be one piece.
The P.'14 is a result of the trials to replace the SMLE prior to WW1 starting: this event though meant that the .276-cal P.'13 trials drew to a close & shortages meant that the design was re-jigged to take the .303 instead.

When the US adopted the design as the M1917, we sold them ALL the machines tools spares & rights - a sum outlay of $20M of UK taxpayers money (& back in 1917 that was a good chunk of change) for, wait for it.....$900K!!

Border Barrels have a couple of strangely stocked P.'14 actioned rifles in 2nd hand right now - they are taking offers, no fixed prices...

[Alpha1]

Why would any body want to drop a P14 into a thumb hole stock I despair.
Oh my God. I can not believe any body would want to ruin a piece of History like that.
I need to go lie down in a darkened room.