doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion Classic & Custom Single Barreled Sporting Rifles @ doublegunshop.com An Interesting P14 Project

I just got this P14 barreled action. It has an octagon-to-round barrel with integral rib and front sight base. It is chambered in .30-40 Krag. There are some flaws on the outside, but the bore in perfect and unfired. The barrel is 21 inches long. I was told that the barrel was made in Austria. I ran some ammo through it and it feeds and functions perfectly. I would like to solicit suggestions on what to do with the metal to give it some functionality and style. I believe I'll leave the bottom metal with the step, as I'd like a British style small fore end. I do know of a good P17 pattern that can be adapted to the rifle. I will replace the bolt handle as the dogleg never did anything for me. I assume that the rear bridge has been milled off, but I can't leave it flat on top. What would you do?

At a minimum I'd radius that rear flat on the receiver to a more pleasant profile, figure out a scope mount, reblue, and restock. Get hold of an old Enfield stock, screw it on, and try the bolt as-is to see if you can make it repeat efficiently. Some people find the dogleg just fits their hands fine, even when it offendeth the eye. And then the usual Enfield conversion stuff; better trigger, convert the cocking action if the original way bothers you, etc.

I'd leave it .30-40, tho, unless the bore is as bad as the outside, or you need to kill monsters. Good ctg. for just about anything that doesn't eat people. If you need a monster-stopper, get it rebarreled to .405.

I'd like one of these stocked to resemble the old Rem 30S. They're plain but I like very much like the style for a hunting rifle.

Duane Weibe makes flush bottom metal for this is you like. Rem. 30 stock actually come up on the auctions from time to time but if not I have a lead on someone with a pattern for one who cut one for you.

The "DP" on the extractor is a red flag to me.... That's a Brit marking indicating the part is only serviceable for Drill Purposes. Sometimes DP marked parts were merely obsolete, sometimes they had been damaged (i.e. by fire) to such an extent to make the arm unserviceable. I would have the reciever checked for proper hardness even if a DP marking couldn't be found anywhere on it. May well have been milled off.

Yes, I knew about the Drill Purpose marking. No problem there. One fellow said that in the old days they would modify Springfield guards for the Enfields, or narrow the Enfield guards for a more attractive bottom line. He also said that Prewar M70 Redfield Jr one-piece bases could be modified to fit to the action after milling off the rear bridge. I think a set of Talley bases with their aperture sight in the rear base would look OK too.

Looks like one of the barrels that Flaig's used to import and install 35-45 years ago.

What are letters above the serial # ? ERA? What do they stand for?
Maybe Eddystone Repeating Arms? Not good.

I think there are Eddystones and then there are Eddystones. There was apparently some problem with quality control. I have seen some 1917 actions that had obvious flaws in the left side of the action body. How they ever got past inspection is a mystery, but they were in both US and post-Dunkirk UK service. IMHO, the normal P-14 is just fine for its intended use.

Back in the late 1980s, I used a DP-marked ERA P-14 in .510 Wells as a test rifle. In 6 months, I fired it more than 500 times with no damage except to my hearing. I saw other ERA P-14s with DP marks turned into 458s. These were load development or "back of the truck" working rifles, most with the sawed-off remains of their military stocks, not fancy works of art.

The bore is perfect. It has never been shot except for proof testing. The gun feeds .30-40s like it fed .303s, really slick. I was disappointed that it only holds 5+1 rounds. I was thinking drop-box magazine. I added another photo of the left side rail.

The barrel was brought as a gift to the previous owner from a fellow who worked in the gun industry in Ferlach in the 1980s. A little late to be a Flaig's barrel. But it probably came from the same region that the Flaig's barrels did.

I'd make a peep sight for the rear bridge, and then shape it to complement that sight. That way, you'd have a good sight to complement that integral front sight ramp. Fixing the dogleg bolt is a real plus for the looks. I prefer to remove the safety, and use a model 70 type bolt safety. That also helps the looks. Ed Lapour has them, I believe. I just got some parts from him a few weeks ago for one I'm working on that had been overground by the previous owner working on it. Then, I'd cut back the left side for the Lapour bolt shroud, and shorten the ejector to match. Bending and shaping the rear tang can make the stock look more attractive.

On an ERA, it's probably fine in .30-40 as is, without heat treating. If I was to rebarrel it to a big magnum, I'd send it off to the outfit in Washington that re-heat treats these. I have their address somewhere.

dave