P14 - Remington

I own and use a number of military 303 rifles, and recently purchased a P14 (Remington) which despite its furniture looking like it had been dragged along a gravel road, the steel and particularly the bore was mint. I found it loves factory PPU 180g ammo and was shooting 2" groups at 100mts, which in my experience with military 303's is unique. One thing I did notice is that the barrel muzzle where it protrudes through the steel nose cap is bearing down extremely heavy (hard up against) the nose cap. I mean extremely not just slightly!. Is this a normal feature of these rifles?

Don't change anything! I mean, groups of 2"/100m. Keep that load.

I agree with Daan!

There is an old expression "pulling up the plant to see how the roots are growing."

Not a good idea for plants - or for perfectly functioning machinery!

Yes when these rifles were built they were designed to have a certain degree of upward pressure along the centerline of the bore where the barrel exits the stock. It is something that is mimicked today to restore accuracy to rifles with dried out stocks.

I had read that when built there was a jig which measured the upward pressure on the barrel but they had been lost to time. It shouldn't be so tight that the front band can't be removed with little more than some light taps but I don't recommend removing it if the rifle is working well which it seems to be.

I have included pictures of my P14 and M1917 showing how I have wedged the centerline of the bores to restore the original accuracy of my rifles which it has successfully. The P14 is shooting on a par with yours and the M1917 is shooting sub moa with my handloads.

I have a W P14 that was used as a target rifle ...had the rear Parker Hale 5b sight (and now an aperture front sight) When I got it the rifle had been "regulated" by the addition of a small piece of rubber wedged under the forward band/nose cap It will do 5 inch groups at 300 yds.
I traded it on a Remington P14 that also had a fore end pressure via a strip of leather, that thing could shoot too> i should have kept it.
But y'know it didn't have that W that everyone wants.