Range Report- Parker Hiscock Magazine

[Son]

Well, they were right when they said the mag wasn't very user friendly! Loading it at first was very hit and miss. Using the method in the book can leave rounds in on their ends and stuck if you don't keep your wits about you. It is very easy to cause a rim-over jam too.
Once carefully loaded and installed, the magazine creates a fair amount of upward pressure under the bolt. During cycling this peaks at the point where the chamfer under the bolt head has to push the mag insert down against the spring and ride over it to close on the chambered round. A lot of pressure is required to close the bolt, much more than any Lee Enfield I have used. When fired, the case is extracted clean and flicked off the bolt face by the mag insert coming back up as the bolt is drawn rearward.
Once I got the hang of loading and the feel closing the bolt, I put several mags full through it without problem.

All up, I can see why they scrapped it... but what a great piece of history and fun to play with!
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[bigduke6]

I wonder if anyone here seen the one on guntrader.uk recently, dont know the price but I would guess you would be paying for the mag rather than the rifle....

Enfield, Lee .22 LR SMLE PARKER-HISCOCK Bolt Action Second Hand for sale. Buy for poa.

[Son]

There was a rifle and magazine combo for sale here a while ago. The seller was after "the best offer over $4,000". I called him and managed to work out the rifle was a Patt14No1 but it had no military markings on the receiver. He said it was a civilian model Parkers had kept making after the war for "miniature rifle" club shooters The woodwork was near immaculate, but had been finished with a gloss laquer. The magazine was in good condition, but it hadn't come with the rifle- he said he'd put them together for the sale. I figured a bid of $1800 was maybe a little above market value, but offered it anyway. Sorry to say the seller got abusive. Last I saw, before it expired on the sale site it had been reduced to $2200.

When they were made, the Parker Hiscock magazines (Magazine .22 Inch rifle, MkI) were for fitment to the .22Short Rifle MkIII and the Patter14 rifles (LoC 17621 dated 21 Dec 1915) The Pattern 14 No1 was joined in April 1916 by the Pattern 14 No2.
The magazines were declared obsolete by LoC 23766 on 8 Nov 1920 and ordered returned to store for disposal. Up to this time, there had only been one other .22 Short Rifle introduced, being the .22 RF Short Rifle Pattern 1918. This model utilized a "conveyor cartridge" through the standard .303 magazine, so couldn't use the Parker Hiscock magazine. The .22 Short Rifle MkIV (which became the Rifle No2 MkIV in 1926) was not approved until 19 Nov 1921, almost exactly a year after the PH magazines were recalled.
Bottom line, if you see a Parker Hiscock magazine in anything other than a .22 Short Rifle mkIII (converted from ConDII and II* rifles) or Pattern 14 No1 and No2 rifles, it does not belong there.

Perhaps the new owner of the sale rifle posted above will turn up here, would be good to know a ball-park figure.

[Warren]

The angle and smooth finish of the modified bolt head bolt is also a big factor in the smooth operation of the PH set up. Took me a while to get mine working the way I wanted it.

[bigduke6]

Bottom line, if you see a Parker Hiscock magazine in anything other than a .22 Short Rifle mkIII (converted from ConDII and II* rifles) or Pattern 14 No1 and No2 rifles, it does not belong there.

Son, I was going to mention it was the wrong rifle for the mag but my shutters were coming down... and for anyone a bit confused the butt socket should look like the one below, the last pic is one that will be with me soon, except no it has no Parker Hiscock mag.