Baltic P-14s

[Bruce_in_Oz]

A couple of years ago I had a look at a couple of unusually marked P-14s.

Both were fairly scruffy, with dreadful bores and complete but "ratty" stocks. I was told by the collector who had them that they were possibly from a batch of rifles supplied to Lithuania in the aftermath of WW 1.

I did some digging and apparently, the newly (and briefly) emergent free nation of Lithuania received a shipment of "surplus" P-14 rifles. The quantity is unknown, but photographs exist of Lithuanian troops armed with P-14s and ex-German Maxim Mg-08 machine guns.

During WW 1, and before the 1917 revolution, the Russians were not able to keep up with the required rate of manufacture of the M-91 Moisin Nagant rifles to their own troops. This problem could not even be eliminated by the large number of U.S. built Nagants and even 7.62 x 54 calibre, Winchester 1895 lever action "muskets". Thus, they did a deal with their recent enemies, and now allies, Japan, for a large shipment of rifles and ammo. The rifles were apparently Type 30 Arisakas, which were complete with bayonets. These were to be issued to rear-echelon troops and perhaps to "less-reliable" ethnic troops, say, Lithuanians. This fairly widespread use of the Japanese 6.5 x 50 cartridge ties in with that cartridge being used in the Federov "Avtomat".

Does anyone have any more information on the "Baltic" P-14s?

Information

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[fernleaf]

All the Baltic Countries bought/received P14s from the UK in between the wars.

Estonia bought 29,115 in 1926, and a further 41,050 in 1939 - these were paid for in a deal that sent M91 rifles to Poland with these rifles later going to Finland. The large number of photos we see of Estonian troops armed with P14s in the 1920/30s could lead us to believe they were the standard issue rifle - they weren't, Mosin M91s and the later Estonian versions were.

Latvia received a number of P14s in the 1920s, along with CLLEs, MLE carbines, and M10B Ross Rifles.

Lithuania (as stated by the OP) received P14s, but they seem to have been replaced in the 1930s by the FN M1930 Mauser Short Rifle.

Although there are lots of photos out there of Baltic troops with P14s, there is virtually no information on how (if at all?) the different countries marked their P14s.

Most would have been captured by the USSR in 1939, then again by the Germans in 1941. We see photos of German PoW Camp Guards with P14s - perhaps they came from the Baltic States?

[Promo]

Is it known whether they also purchased scoped P.14 rifles, or not?

[Brian Dick]

My guess on P-14T supply would be no. There weren't that many to start with and they were retained as the standard issue British Army sniper rifle until the introduction of the No.4T into service during WWII.

[Warren]

The Baltic states made their own snipers on the Patt. 14 rifle. A very small number of the scopes surfaced several years ago and I have one here which is a PPCo. London. The mount was an odd ball home made contraption. One of the front legs is missing on the mounting system shown here.
They are not common outside of the Baltic states and I did see a nice complete Pattern 14 (T) in the Museum in Riga Latvia several years ago.
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