P14 .303 Winchester

[Popsbengo]

I'm selling my Winchester P14 .303.  I need the cabinet space and I don't really shoot this as my eyes don't work too well with iron sights.

It's in excellent condition and apart from 30 rounds it hadn't been shot in nearly 30 years.  The bolt and action are not matching numbers but have been married together since Adam was a lad.  The stock looks to me to be a P17 modified however it's really good condition, no soft punky oil soaked wood.  Everything works like a slick weasel  - as is befitting such an iconic rifle.  All the screws and fittings are good, no mangled threads or bodged fittings.  The original P14 ladder sight and spring assembly are missing as it's fitted with AJ Parker vernier sights with an adjustable aperture eyepiece.   AJ Parker sights are like hens teeth now.  It has an original leather strap - probably P17 origin as the Brit strap was webbing I believe.

It shoots well, the magazine loads and feeds nicely, the extraction and ejection is solid.  Someone who can appreciate it will love it I'm sure.

£390 for a quick sale.

[KABOOM]

Very nice! that is a USGI 1907 sling im fairly sure that stock came from the US 1917 as I don't see where the volley sight would be.

Never seen one with that sight before with that price it should sell fast. I had a P14 and after a year of not shooting it I sold it.

[johnnyb0_1]

I think your message box is full mate?  First dibs please, I'll send you a message later.  Cheers.  JP. 

[Popsbengo]

19 minutes ago, johnnyb0_1 said:

I think your message box is full mate?  First dibs please, I'll send you a message later.  Cheers.  JP. 

I've purged my Inbox so you should be good to go.  It's still available so you can have first dibs subject to etc etc

[Popsbengo]

2 hours ago, KABOOM said:

Very nice! that is a USGI 1907 sling im fairly sure that stock came from the US 1917 as I don't see where the volley sight would be.

Never seen one with that sight before with that price it should sell fast. I had a P14 and after a year of not shooting it I sold it.

Thanks for confirming the sling detail - it's very nicely made.  I've seen the pattern in a US Army manual, being used to demonstrate sling tension support.  We Brits didn't teach that for some reason..

The finger grooves are different too - I believe the P14 Winchester has a different groove length on each side - the P17 is the same length (as my rifle).  The magazine inlet is slightly different  - the P17 30-06 is slightly different shape so the wood is gently relieved to take the .303 mag box.  My stock would have had a red painted band if it was ever on an issued WD rifle (to designate 30cal) - there's no evidence of paint so I guess the barrelled action was married to new wood after WW2 when being readied for disposal to the civvi market.

Most P14s' and P17s' were issued to Army reserves and the "Home Guard" - regulars had the Lee Enfield, faster firing and greater magazine capacity.

[KABOOM]

The P14 contracts to US arms makers inspired our P17  that was produced faster than Springfield or Rock Island Armory could manage 

with the 1903 Springfield. Our Army had far greater numbers of the P-!7 than Springfields in France during WW1. The USMC never used the P-17. After the war the P-17 was relegated to war reserve and reissued to reserve and national guard units and pow camp guards during WW2. Art Alphin of A-square fame and misfortune used these actions as the basis for his line of African cartridges the "Hannibal" action.

A fine rifle that I enjoy shooting the one flaw is the lack of windage adjustment in the rear sight. A rebuild was undertaken between the wars

resulting in some with 2 groove barrels, others with 4 and 5 groove barrels. These were also the basis for the Model 30 Remington rifle produced after WW1.Some do not like the cock on closure action , I feel its a lack of shooter adaptation once you get the manipulations right imo you don't really notice the difference while shooting.