Lee Enfield vs P14

[Bruce_in_Oz]

The P-14, or, actually, its predecessor, the P-13, came into being because a bunch of “learned gentlemen” deemed the SMLE and its cartridge “inadequate” for serious long-range work. Bear in mind that, at the time, the old slow, Mk6 was the “ammo du jour”. Some of these characters were probably responsible for ditching the P-88 inspired P-03 bayonet and going for the Arisaka-inspired P-07, complete with hooked quillon. The rifle was seen primarily as an extension stick for holding a pointy thing to use in “real” combat. The “spirit of the pike” died hard; along with a LOT of young men.

And so came to pass, the abominable P-13 and its outrageous .280 cartridge. Probably inspired by the .280 Ross and similar “modern” cartridges of the day, the .280 “service” cartridge was not exactly “gentle” on rifles or their operators.

Because of the use of “tried and true” Cordite, major issues of accelerated bore erosion, ludicrous muzzle flash and blast, not to mention recoil, soon arose.

With a “modern” (even in those days) granular nitro-cellulose propellant, some of the erosion and flash would have been reduced.

It would not be until the late 1920s, with the advent of “slow” powders developed for the Browning .50 MG round, that such suitable propellants would be available.

The actions on the South African Veldt may well have been an additional influence. But, even here, the reality was not always as published in the “Times”.

Those pesky “farmers’ were often using a motley assortment of antiquated rifles alongside the rightly famous 7mm Mausers. They also used their small supply of medium and heavy machine-guns somewhat more imaginatively than the Brits and allies. Good tactics with inferior equipment is the hallmark of an effective force in “irregular” warfare. The Boer “marksmen” had a reputation for being able to “reach out and touch” any target they desired. What a lot of people forget is that, by the end of this unpleasant show, most of the Boers were doing this with Lee Enfields, “liberated” from their foes and kept fed in the spirit of, “let your enemy be your Quartermaster”.

The “concept”, such as it was, behind such a “super rifle’ as the P-13 was finally swept away by the grim realities of WW1. The cartridge may well have been useful for “bashing-in” armoured vision ports in opposing treches. However, it would have been an abomination in the hands of the average Tommy. That it originally came with a set of “volley” sights is more evidence that the designers had not been keeping up with Mr. Maxim and his toys, nor the influence of them on the battlefield.

The sighting system was not all that bad; the massive “ears” protected the rear-sight assembly quite well, but the “battle” aperture could have been a bit bigger; a feature that “evolved” on the Mk 6 / No4 series.

Finally: the ability to change the butt assembly on ANY Lee Enfield to accommodate soldiers of different statures, was an enormous boon in a army of millions that included “the long and the short and the oddball”, not to forget the huge advantage of simplifying the actual wood supply and repairs / maintenance.