P1914 rifle manufacture dates?

[GerryRA]

Anybody have a date/serial correlation for the P1914 rifle?

The Ferris book provides us with manufacturing dates for the M1917 rifles, based on records or barrel date data. Is there any production date information available for the P1914? The literature says production started in Jan of 1916 and goes to late summer or fall of 1917, but I can't find anything on production rates (beyond a single assembler with a record of 50 rifles a day) or a table of production dates.

The Brits stamped month and year on bayonets. It is a shame that they did not get a little more specific than the year on the serial numbered P1914 barrels.

P1913 bayonet observed dates range from 12 - 15 thru 10 - 17. Remington already had a contract for the similar P1907 bayonet, so they were one up on the bayonet manufacture.

Information

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[noro]

Hello Gerry,

P14 barrels are marked with the year under the rear handguard on the right side by the chamber in standard British fashion. I dont think specific month/year data exists by ser. no.

[45B20]

GerryRA

Production of P14

Stratton and Skennerton gives

Eddystone 1916-17 --604,941

Remington 1916-17--403,126

Winchester 1916-17--235,448

Skennerton adds this note:

“N.B. Production figures from U.S. official publications vary considerably, and so the above have been supplied from the British Contract Records.”

45B20

[mdoerner]

If those numbers are close to being right, I now know why Winchester wouldn't let the British out of the contract once the Brits wanted out! Remington/Eddystone buried them!

That said, why were Winchester P-14's the only ones considered for sniper rifle use? I mean they couldn't have been THAT much better, or am I mistaken?

Mike D

[45B20]

mdoerner

Skennerton in his “British Sniper” referring to the P14s, states on pg.73::

”The first rifles arrived in England in late 1916, and it was soon obvious that the Remington Ilion and Eddystone rifles were not as well made as the Winchester models”

45B20

[JGaynor]

FWIW In "America's Munitions 1917-1918" Benedict Crowell (1919)
The end dates of P14 production (last rifle produced) are established as:
Eddystone June 1, 1917
Winchester June 28, 1917
Remington Ilion July 1, 1917

The chapter is more concerned with the conversion to M1917 but since it is a contemporary account I thought it might be of interest.

Regards,

Jim