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can anyone provide me with a bit more info on these?
apparently was a prototype for a new infantry rifle by RSAF Enfield and the Soley arms co.
only info I can gather is from this:
The P14 .303 infantry rifle - lecture to Historical Breechloading ...
Very little is known about Soley but I have pieced together that after WWI, Britain had a surplus of arms and contracted with BSA to sell off excess material. BSA set up Soley as a separate outfit to sell the small arms. Soley was connected with a Belgian gunsmithing firm/company who undertook to modify Pattern 1914s into 8mm and 7.65mm calibers. Many 8mms were sold to China. Most are unmarked other than Belgian proofs but a few exist with Soley Arms crests rolled on the receiver ring. The ones you picture are from the Pattern Room Collection and probably were made up between wars to lure the Gov't into buying them back.
Took me 30 min to find, but I knew I had the pictures somewhere around, all those strange P.14 conversions :)
No. 1 of the original P.14 on this thread (plus several other strange conversions):
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....2&d=1339454929
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....2&d=1339454894
No. 2 of a silencer(?) conversion:
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....9&d=1339454904
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....8&d=1339454903
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....0&d=1339454906
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....1&d=1339454908
No. 3 of a shortend rifle, similar to the one visible on the first picture:
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....3&d=1339454896
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....4&d=1339454897
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....5&d=1339454898
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....6&d=1339454900
https://www.milsurps.com/attachment....7&d=1339454901
oh wow thanks for sharing!
where is this museum?
I really like the look of the short p14 with no1mk3 nose cap on it, would look funny with the P'07 bayonet on it :p
I'd like to examine that supressor. Looks like it was fabricated from a 40mm Bofors...
Can't quite figure how it would work as a suppressor that far back on the barrel. Could it be some sort of cobbled up sub caliber firing device maybe?
That would make sence. The only thing it could do back there would be act as an expansion chamber. Sub cal would work. The 1903 A2 was just such a beast. This one would go in and be just about right. That would also explain the absence of wood...
That would be my guess. Note the two triggers and the remote activator attached to the top trigger . No stock or grips .
Chris
The Belgian firm that was involved with Soley was Edgar Gimard. Gimard was also responsible for converting the Vickers guns that the UK gave to Turkey. I tracked the Vickers from the UK to Belgium,back to the UK, then to Turkey back to the UK and then the disposal to: UK, Canada and the USA as parts kits.