From "Sniping in Franceicon"
PART VI

THE ENFIELD 1914 PATTERN "SNIPER'S RIFLE"

As each battalion now holds three of these rifles on
charge for sniping purposes (G.R.O. 3567) it is essential
that your snipers shall understand the main differences
between this and the R.S.M.L.E.

It is as well to understand at once that a far higher
degree of accuracy can be obtained from the Enfield
1914 than from the R.S.M.L.E., and this is the reason
why it has been issued to snipers. The higher degree
of accuracy is due to two main causes :

1. The rifles so issued have been specially selected
from thousands of other rifles of the same
pattern, on account of their accuracy, after
severe and exhaustive tests.

2. The rifle is fitted with an aperture or peep
sight, which, as will be readily acknowledged by
most expert riflemen, possesses a great advantage
over the open U or V backsight. It is therefore

unnecessary to focus the backsight, and the blur
259 17*



SNIPING IN FRANCE

which is unavoidable when aiming with the
open U or V backsight is entirely absent with
the aperture or peep sight.

The following are the main differences which must
be noted and thoroughly understood in order to get
the best results from the new rifle.
I would have thought the P-14 rifles used for "sniping" would have been scoped rifles, but apparently they were deployed more as what we'd have called "Sharpshooters" rifles.
There were some apeture sighted Scandinavian Kragicon rifles designated as sniper rifles at about that time period.

The scoped P-14 rifles were probably rare as you say.