Rifle Identification

[welsh13ik]

Hello everyone.

Picked this rifle up yesterday at a gun show thinking it was an early 1917, and was labeled as such and 30.06 caliber. Clearly the stock is from a P14, which I was not worried about. However, now that I have it home and have been doing some research, I'm beginning to think the receiver is actually a P14, and not an M1917. I have however seen several sites and sources state the early 1917's where labeled like the older P14's (serial on this is 60k range) so I just want clarification from someone that knows a lot more than me This is my first p14/m1917 so I'm far from an expert.

I can confirm that the bolt is a 30.06 bolt, so M1917 bolt. The receiver is a Remington, almost everything else including the barrel is Eddystone marked. My thought is someone at some time took a P14 and converted it for 30.06 with an M1917 barrel and bolt.

So what do you guys think? Secondly I do not have the tools to slug the chamber to confirm the caliber (it was labeled by the seller as 30.06 which of course really means nothing), but it will feed and chamber 30.06 smoothly. My thought was that if the barrel was off a P14 and therefore .303, then 30.06 would not chamber (much longer round and was confirmed when I tried to drop a 30.06 into my No4Mk1 as a test). Can anyone else confirm this? I just want to be sure some yahoo didn't just throw a M1917 bolt on an old P14 rifle with it's .303 barrel, before I try shooting it. The fact the receiver and barrel are differing manufacturers tells me that it's atleast not an original barrel to that gun. Thoughts?

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[browningautorifle]

Welcome to the forum, 30 cal ammo will not fit in a .303 chamber. The answers about the receiver will come in a minute when the rest see this post. It's possible someone cobbled together a parts rifle. Stranger things.

[M94/14]

Wow! That is indeed a Remington P14 action, with a M1917 barrel attached. The bolt is also from a M1917 based on the flaming bomb insignia on both the bolt handle and barrel. The stock has the semi circular cutout just ahead of the receiver ring which indicates that the rifle was once a P14 converted to "DP" at some point. The stock and rear hand guard originally had matching holes drilled on each side of the stock for easy identification of the hole crossdrilled through the barrel designating it a "DP" unit.

It appears some "enterprising" person made an attempt to revive the rifle to working order by using whatever parts might have been available regardless of whether they were for a P14 or M1917 . I've seen a few of these "DP" P14's refurbished back to working order in the original .303 chambering, but never a cross dressed unit such as this one.

I would either find a M1917 receiver, stock and whichever other parts are needed to make a complete M1917 out of it, or find the parts necessary to return it back to a P14.

[Salt Flat]

Welsh, Although pretty hokey-- What you have is a somewhat common conversion. Many P14 actions have been utilized this way. Barrels for P14's are hard to find so people have resorted to this practice. I would probably break it down and sell the parts, all of which are getting more valuable. This P14 w/1917 bolt has been hashed over before on this forum. The following thread will clear up some of this-- https://www.milsurps.com/showthread....417#post351417

Salt Flat

[browningautorifle]

A Salt Flat says, you may have trouble just dropping it into a M1917 stock. If it was a DP rifle, I wouldn't continue. Strip and make money from the parts.

[welsh13ik]

Ok thanks guys. That confirms what I had thought and now that I'm sure of the rifle chambering I'll have to get the old girl out to the range. I'll probably keep it as is for now until I can set a side some cash and find a decent 1917 and then maybe do as you guys suggest, part it out and buy something else. Maybe see if I can't find the parts to piece together a seperate p14 and m1917 out of her.

Then again, it seems I never end up selling my guns so I'll probably keep her in my collection as is and enjoy shooting it