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 Japaneseicon 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?
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