Baltic P-14 update

[Bruce_in_Oz]

According to this site:

The Use Of The Mosin Nagant In Estonia

P-14 numbers in Estonia ran to:

1926: 29,115

1939: 41,050

It doesn't clarify whether those numbers represent stock on hand or shipments.

At least one of the Baltic states rebuilt some P-14s in 7.62 x 54R, using magazines from scrapped Mosin Nagants. Anyone have pics and / or numbers?

Information

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[Tom in N.J.]

Why would they use Mosin magazines???... The Pat. 14 is in .303 British, a rimed cartridge very similar to the Russian 7.62 X 54 R. Magazine should be good to go...

[Bruce_in_Oz]

I suspect that you cannot get five 7.62 x 54R cartridges in a standard P-14 mag. because they are somewhat fatter than the .303. Standard 7.62 x 54R ammo is a few thou SHORTER than Mk7 .303 Ball.

Also, the geometry of the guide surfaces in the receiver body was made for the .303 and is likely all wrong for the fatter cartridge. Maybe they modified the bodies but they only held four? Then there is the mag follower.

Using a Mosin Nagant mag allows five rounds to be loaded in the mag and fed almost independently of the original guide surfaces because it is feeding from the centre-line, not left and right. Some sort of feed control / stop would be handy.

It would be interesting to compare these guide surfaces in a P-13 (FAT and rimless cartridge), P-14 (smaller and rimmed) and the M-17 (mag can hold SIX), similar to the .303, but longer, rimless and less tapered.

[Promo]

At least one of the Baltic states rebuilt some P-14s in 7.62 x 54R, using magazines from scrapped Mosin Nagants. Anyone have pics and / or numbers?

I agree with Tom, this sounds a bit wild. The original magazine is dual stack, whereas the M.91 magazines are single stack and therefore extend to below the stock. It would be a very tough job to convert it, especially since you would need to close the gap between the existing magazine guard and the M.91 magazine guard. Additionally the M.91 magazine is screwed to the action from top at the rear. I'm having a hard time to imagine how that would had worked.

We do know the Baltic States made crude conversions based off the Ross Rifle which they have had as well. And since the Ross Rifle has a single stack magazine plus there are pictures of these conversions out, I assume this is just a confusion between "Ross-Enfield" and "US-Enfield".