.375 H&H on p14 action

Hello gents, as a continuation of my earlier thread, I’ve decided to go a different direction with my p14, Instead of .300 win mag, I’m going to setup the old girl for .375 h&h, using a barrel blank from Green Mountain. I’ll cut the contour and rough in the threads myself, then take it to a local smith to finish the barrel and install it. Then I’ll fit the new magazine and build a follower. My question is, I’ve heard the p14 needs material removed from the receiver to feed properly, but nobody talks about what exactly needs to happen. Does anyone have a picture of a modified 14 receiver they could post pictures of? I’d appreciate it!

Sam

Also, moderators, if this thread is better suited for a different section, feel free to move it

I do have a photo of a Maynard Buehler conversion to fire the 505 Gibbs, he used this conversion to test the zero of his scope mounts, he wanted to manufacture the best mount possible.

Many large caliber wildcats were used on the Enfield actions during the 1930-1960's time period. There are old articles on the Enfield conversions around.Attachment 91608

I have built a few .375 H&H rifles on the P14 action, although I always used Winchester actions and shied away from the Eddystones as they are very hard. You will need to make a new magazine box long enough to handle a selection of different loads and extend the action mortise to accommodate it (about 3mm). I always took a bit from the rear as well as the front of the mortise to avoid taking too much at the front (the bolt stop may also need to be adjusted). A Dremel is good for getting the feed ramp done. The P14 .375 H&H conversion will give you a first-class rifle if done correctly. I have also done them in .458 Win Mag and .45/70 (quite a bit of extra work with .45/70) as well as the usual .264 Mag, 7mm Mag, etc which also suit the bolt face.

For the larger magnum chamberings, many seasoned smiths will go with the M1917 action, with the P14 bolt. The main reason is that the receiver opening is a bit larger on the '17 action, and the ejector is a bit further back as we'll. The '17 action works better for the longer magnum ctgs.

Sorry for the late reply, I had a post all typed up but I lost it and I’m just now getting a chance to retype it. Anyhow, I’ve ordered a barrel blank, but not in .375 H&H, after some comparison and research, I’ve decided.338 win mag is the round I’m going with. The length is (conveniently!) the same as 30-06, and it should make the conversion a bit easier. After comparing the magnum magazine to the p14 receiver, it would require quite a bit of metal to be removed on the front and the back of the receiver, more than I’m comfortable doing myself. With .338 I can use an m17 magazine, not 100% sold on that though, the m17 box is significantly narrower than the p14 one. Most likely what will happen is I’ll modify my p14 mag box by flattening out the feed rails a bit, and welding new ends in to replace the milled pieces.

Sam

Keep us up on this as you progress...

Finally had time to work on the old girl the other day, I fitted the m17 mag box to the p14 receiver. The 17 box is quite a bit narrower, but I decided to fit it on anyway. Got it fitted, re assembled and discovered it can only hold 4 rounds in the mag (+1in the chamber, but I hate carrying one in the chamber) I thought about it quite a bit and decided to widen the m17 mag. It turned out VERY nice! Unfortunately, I can’t post pictures at the moment (posting from my phone) so you’ll have to take my word for it. I’ll post them once I get home and back on a real computer. Anyhow, the mag now comfortably holds 6 rounds!

Sam

You could email me the pics and I'll post them...check your PM.

Attachment 93028
First I made a cut on the front end of the mag box, and fitted it into the receiver with my "precision magazine widening tool" in place to spread the sides into place

Attachment 93029
Then VERY carefully tacked the pieces in place

(not pictured) I did the same on the other end, then brazed up both sides, and dressed it with a flat file.

And he who has a messier workbench, step forward now to claim your title, or forever hold your peace! :madsmile:

Attachment 93030
And the finished product

Attachment 93031

Sam

Nice looking braze...

Thanks, brazing is incredibly handy, I’ve used it to repair a lot of cast iron and it’s much easier to handle on delicate projects like this, far less chance of damaging the part, and since less heat is required, there’s less warpage.

Sam

Well I haven't made any progress on the rifle, but I did pick this up today...

Attachment 93202

Sam

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rusty_Old_F250

but I did pick this up today

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A milling attachment?

:madsmile:Well at least you settled on a caliber, sheeese,

:lol::lol::lol:

I do tend to be indecisive

BAR, that is indeed a milling machine, it's a pipsqueak of a mill, but it's better than nothing. I plan to use it to extend the slot for the charger bridge. I have a couple stripper clips I have modified so they hold the magnum rounds, and I'd like to use them in this rifle.

Unfortunately, I don't have any real progress to report, my spare time/funds have been occupied with the engine rebuild for my f250. But, the old engine is out, so now it's time to clean up and fix all the little things under the hood that have been put off for too long. I insulated the firewall, painted the inner fenders and cleaned up wiring, but there's still a lot to do.

Sam

I would say I'm long overdue to post an update on this rifle, a lot has changed since ya'll saw her last!

And RC20, you'll "love" this, I've changed my mind on caliber again. :madsmile: I'm back to .375 H&H. There *might* have been an old box of .375 H&H Winchester Super Speed at the local gun store that followed me home. Things snowballed from there. Soon I found out that if extended the m17 magazine backwards just a bit, I can get the length i needed without messing with the front of the receiver. The snowball rolled faster. The acetylene torch came out... And this happened;

Attachment 94673


I brazed the two screws into hold the sides in place, then cut the back out with my bandsaw. Cleaned it up with a file, and brazed in a new piece of material at the back. Viola, the perfect length for .375 H&H!

Attachment 94670

Attachment 94672

These spots of braze center the magazine into the receiver and the trigger guard.
Attachment 94671

Fits nice and snug.

One thing about the rifle that annoyed me is that the bolt handle sticks out and tends to snag on things when slung over the shoulder. (My suspenders in particular...) I also really like the look of the bolt on the Lee-Metford/Enfield carbines. So I milled it flat like the carbine bolt, looked good but it still wasn't quite right. I really want it to hug in tight to the stock. So I got the acetylene torch out again (That seems to be a theme with me...) and very VERY carefully heated up the shank of the handle. I poured water on the bolt body where it meets the handle to prevent it de-soldering and to keep the heat treating intact.

The "finished" product, compared with an unmodified bolt;
Attachment 94676


I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

Also, I've been trying to find a low profile front sight that I like... The one on my Martini-Enfield is really nice, but they're hard to come by. So I thought, "what the heck, I have a mill, I have steel, lets see what I can come up with." This was the result, it's substantially larger than the Martini sight, but it follows the same general profile. Consider this the Mk 0.75 ** version

Attachment 94675

And Finally, the empress has new clothes!

Attachment 94674

It may only be some sporter-ized M17 furniture, but it's a start. I have a handguard for it, and I'm looking for something to splice onto the front of it... It's not going to look like a proper p14 stock, but I have some things I mind. What you ask? Well, I'll let ya'll know once I know more myself. :confused: :lol:

Sam