P14 - Remington

[oldfoneguy]

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.