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I have a nice, Winchester production P14 which still retains its brass butt disk and its long range volley sights. It has a stamp on the buttstock and also on the receiver consisting of a star within a circle. It is not a Star of David. Has anyone run across this before? Does it designate some sort of repair, or issue marking to another country like Australia/NZ?
Thanks.
Ed
The star is usually the "Wheedon repair" mark. Depending where the repair was done, the mark may be a little different. Some are an astrisk, some look like a daisy flower, some look like the star of david.
Your mark may be placed there my another country, but I cannot comment on that.
During the Wheedon repair, the long range sights were removed, and usually the brass disc (and sanded when a wooded plug was in its place usually removing the Patt 14 and manuf. markings). Also, the bolt was upgraded if it had the shorter lugs. The star marking is usually placed on the bolt handle, the receiver, and stock. Around the time of the Wheedon repair, the rifle became known as the No 3. MKI*.
If your rifle had the long range sights, then the Wheedon repair never touched it, or they were put back. I would look at 4 things to see if it is original:
1 - If the stock is original to the rifle, by the brass butt disc, you should see Patt 14 and a circle with an IW in it. The I is for MKI, the W is for Winchester. Eddystone will have IE, and Remingtin IR. If these are missing, the stock may have been sanded which means somone may have tried to restore it to original by putting the butt disc back in. Also, I have noticed serial numbers on the stocks of early examples located on the nose of the stock by the bayo lug (on Eddy's and Remingtons). If your stock has the front long range sight, then it should be a "fatboy" stock, where the stock is missing the finger grooves, and is wider where your left hand supports the rifle when firing.
2 - If the rifle has long range sights, it should be a Patt 14 MKI, not a Patt 14 MKI*. This means the bolt may have short lugs on it (and if so, great find). Also there should not be any *'s on the receiver, barrel, or bolt. If it does, it may be a restore.
3 - Make sure the serial numbers on the bolt, receiver, barrel, and rear sight all match.
4 - Check the serial number of the rifle, and make sure it is an eary example. You can also check the date of the barrel (if numbers match). I cannot remember the date, but during the middle production, the long range sights were removed, "fatboy" stocks were no longer used, Bolt heads were lengthened, and the rifle was called the Patt 14 MKI*.
Hope this helps.
Stoggie
Star with circle on the top of the receiver ring means the bolt and recess has been modified
the redesignation to rifle number 3 occured in 1926 ,
the bolt lug revision was around december 1916 well before the wheedon rehabs but that is when the mkI* designation occured , the designation will be a star[*] on the reciever ring , top of the bolt handle , extractor , and on the buttstock right and above the manufacrturers rondel which is a stamp in the stock - not the brass unit marking disc , the rondel is larger on the remingtons than on the eddystone and winchester
the wheedon work was done in 1939 at RSAF-enfeild as well as a few private firms as the rifles were removed from stores and returned to service , they were cleaned , the dial sight pointer removed and the rear sight arm was cut removing the iris , at this time some were restocked with scotish made stocks[without volleys] and redesignated mkII
the wheedon marking is located on the bottom of the pistol grip and includes a letter designation for the location the work was perfofmed
the brass disc was discontinued in the 30s and it was removed and pluged as rifles were reconditioned and the fatso stock was the eddystone stock , the remington and winchesters are trimmer just ahead of the magazine