P14 Feeding Issues

[fatti]

Ive got a Winchester made P14 and I have had feed issues for a while. Its chambered in 303 and I believe the issue could be the rim on the round has cut a groove into the side of the magazine box as the top round is pushed forward and so now the front of the round doesnt rise enough to be pushed into the chamber.

Anyone come across this problem before?

Information

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[S-A-M3]

I have seen P14s with feeding problems, in every case it was that Win,Rem& ERA mag parts had been mixed up.Win parts are different from the other 2, and seem to be more prone to give trouble when other manufactured parts are introduced, thats my experience.
Stuart.

[fatti]

Mines a Winchester and ive dismantled the spring, baseplate, platform and case and they are all Winchester.

[Dan Wilson]

I would try changing the follower spring, sound like its lost a touch of its "spring"
I would be hard pressed to see brass rims wearing a groove in a steel part.

Dan

Bob hope explains Zombies
http://www.militarybeltfed.com/audio/HOPE.mp3

[LDVolunteer]

Hello, new member here. I followed this thread to see if anyone else has had this problem. I have an Eddystone 30-06 P17. But, if I chamber a 30-06 round and then eject it, the casing ejects, spraying powder all over the action, and the bullet remains lodged in the barrel! Is this problem also linked to an incorrect magazine? By the way, if I drop a .303 round into the chamber, it just falls in. I'm not a gunsmith and I'm not going to take it to the range and fire it hoping for the best. Is there a mark on the barrel I could look for? It has no import mark. How would I tell from markings on the box if it's correct? Should I just wait till an Eddystone P17 magazine shows up on eBay and try it?
Thanks mw

[kcw]

Hello, new member here. I followed this thread to see if anyone else has had this problem. I have an Eddystone 30-06 P17. But, if I chamber a 30-06 round and then eject it, the casing ejects, spraying powder all over the action, and the bullet remains lodged in the barrel! Is this problem also linked to an incorrect magazine? By the way, if I drop a .303 round into the chamber, it just falls in. I'm not a gunsmith and I'm not going to take it to the range and fire it hoping for the best. Is there a mark on the barrel I could look for? It has no import mark. How would I tell from markings on the box if it's correct? Should I just wait till an Eddystone P17 magazine shows up on eBay and try it?
Thanks mw

Is this a supposedly unaltered rifle, still in its' original G.I. configuration?
What date is on the barrel (just rearward of the front sight?). You're using factory ammo? Receiver is stamped "U.S. Model of 1917"?
Obviously you're using considerable force to close the bolt if you're ramming a factory bullet that deep into the rifling! I don't see how this would be a magazine feeding issue. Sounds to me like it's been rebarrel to another caliber or you're using bad, probably reloaded ammo.

[LDVolunteer]

I agree that the first impulse would be to suspect a user or ammunition fault. But, even with the gentlest close, the (unfired, of course) bullet will stay behind on opening. The ammunition is 30.06 FN manufacture with 1970's dates. I've sent hundreds of these through my M1 Garand and 03A3 Springfield with never a mis-behaving round. There is one other symptom that makes me suspect the round is being deformed by the magazine box on closing. There is always a significant dent on the shoulder of the brass after ejecting.
The date on the barrel is 8 -18 with the Eddystone "E" right above the flaming bomb over the date. The bore is sharp and bright. The bolt face will not accept a rimmed .303 round, it will only engage a 30.06 round. And yes, it's marked U.S. Model of 1917. Thanks for your consideration. mw

[kcw]

I agree that the first impulse would be to suspect a user or ammunition fault. But, even with the gentlest close, the (unfired, of course) bullet will stay behind on opening. The ammunition is 30.06 FN manufacture with 1970's dates. I've sent hundreds of these through my M1 Garand and 03A3 Springfield with never a mis-behaving round. There is one other symptom that makes me suspect the round is being deformed by the magazine box on closing. There is always a significant dent on the shoulder of the brass after ejecting.
The date on the barrel is 8 -18 with the Eddystone "E" right above the flaming bomb over the date. The bore is sharp and bright. The bolt face will not accept a rimmed .303 round, it will only engage a 30.06 round. And yes, it's marked U.S. Model of 1917. Thanks for your consideration. mw

mw,

What happens if you simply drop a round directly into the chamber and closed the bolt over it? Are the bullets that remain in the "barrel" jammed into the rifling so that you need to bump them out with them out with a cleaning rod or will they simply fall out if you elevate the muzzle (and maybe bump the stock butt on the ground a bit.) Is the mouth of case deformed too?
Moving on; as you SLOWLY move the bolt forward on a round in the magazine, does the rim of the round slip behind extractor and then pop up fully against the bolt face as the bolt moves ever forward ? It could be that there's a burr on the backside of the extractor which won't allow the rim to move as it should. This causes the round to remain at an angle instead of straightening out so as to enter the chamber smoothly. Being at an odd angle could cause the shoulder to ram into the chamber mouth and cause the dent.

kcw

[Jim K]

First, the bullet that stays in the barrel. That is a fairly common problem with any bullet having an ogive shallower than the standard US GI ball. The M1917 is notorious for having a short leade. You can change ammo or have a gunsmith run a .30-'06 finish reamer into the chamber to bring the leade to the standard. (Or stop chambering ammo you aren't going to shoot!)

As to the P-14, make sure that you don't have a M1917 magazine box in it. That is not easy to do, but it has been done and the M1917 box doesn't have the slanted guides for the .303 rim.

Jim

[LDVolunteer]

This has been a great learning experience. Thanks to all for your most helpful suggestions. It had been many years since I bought a surplus rifle. First lesson re-learned. Inspect and make sure all the parts match. On this rifle they don't. It's an Eddystone barrel and receiver, but it has several Winchester bits. Not until I'd had it for a week did I notice a fix on the stock. My own fault for not looking more closely. I ordered and got a beautiful used replacement from Gunparts.
Why would I chamber a live round if I didn't intend to fire it? Before I take any old weapon to the range, I always find a safe place and make sure everything functions before firing. I was also very suspect of the rifle itself, having seemingly been assembled from different parts. It's scary for me when someone brings out an unfamiliar antique at the range and begins gunsmithing on the line.
Thanks agains for the suggestions. I was hung up on the edge of the magazine being the problem, but now I will re-examine the slit on the bolt face for the cartridge rim to make sure it's seating properly and the round is going into the chamber straight. I have a feeling that's why the cases dented going in - and I think the bullet itself was going in on an angle and getting jammed. Yes, I had to knock them out with a cleaning rod. mw