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.
