I have an intact P14. Back in the 80s it cost about $75. The bore is frosty, but it will shoot 5 handloads into a group about the size of a tennis ball at 100 yds. Prestigious Stocks up in Alberta sells complete stock sets for 14s and all of the L-E types; they are not cheap, but they are properly cut from decent walnut. Also, there is a gunsmith, Brian Dick, in Edgefield, SC who does great work on all of the L-Es.

thanks for sharing

I am a big fan of the pattern 1914 .303 and the model of 1917 .30:06 rifles. They are built like a tank. It is difficult to find military configuration examples, not a great concern for me, as I appreciate a competently sporterized setup. Unfortunately, .303 corrosive military ammunition caused severe pitting in the bore, and an improperly cleaned bore quickly darkened the grooves. With modern barrels chambered in modern large magnum cartridge options, these rifles convert into strong, accurate, reliable large game getters. I also like the white metal bolt/actions of the Brazilian mausers, my preference is that 7x57 chambering, what a remarkable capable and pleasing design, those actions cycle beautifully. Mild recoil and impressive accuracy. It is a thing to celebrate, to live in times of relative peace, and to be able to have access to some fine firearm designs. There is a vid on youtube of a guy in a white lab coat shooting a P-14 chambered in 577 Tyrannosaurus, it is educational entertainment.

Would love to have that sporter stock off the 17.

I'd love to see you at the range

My brother has a sporterized version of this. Some time before he bought it, someone had done some repair around the receiver area of the stock with some Acraglas gel, so it's not in perfect condition, but it's mechanically sound, and it groups about 1.5"/1.75" @ 100 yards using factory loads, and just about 1.25" with "I rolled my own" ammo. His was made by Winchester. He wasn't too sure about how nice of a rifle it was until I pointed out that it was mechanically nearly identical to the vaunted Mauser 98, and he really lit up when I told him that it was this exact model rifle that the legendary Sergeant York used in the action that earned him the Medal of Honor.

When I was a high school lad forty years ago, good condition surplus P14 & P17 Enfields were selling for about $40. Still regret not buying one.

Over the last few decades I seen tons of inexpensive mil-surp rifles turned into "Bubba custom mods". Nowadays, the mil-surp supply has been greatly reduced and the prices have increased enough to make cutting up an old warhorse too costly for most "Bubba" projects. Even the Mosin market has seen some crazy price hikes. While some of these old rifles had been "used up" during their day, many survived the battlefields only to be destroyed at home by a civilian tinkerer. I've seen some gorgeous re-do Springfield '03's but I've also winced at times... Hopefully, the era of turning classic mil-surp rifles into substitute hunting guns has drawn to a close.

Mike, The reason for the dog-leg bolt handle on the P14/M1917 is that is mimics the hand-bolt-trigger relationship of the Lee-Enfield Mark III and puts the trigger finger right on the trigger after cycling the bolt. This configuration is much of the secret of the extremely high rate of fire possible with the Lee-Enfield, e.g. "Mad Minute" firing. I have a commercial hunting rifle, the Remington Model 30 Express in 30-06 that is lots of fun. built in the early 1930s, it has a lightly cracked stock behind the action tang. Someone has repaired this with copper or brass wire and I was told that this rifle was taken in pawn from a Native American here in New Mexico. It has a good bore, lots of nice wear on the stock, and a Lyman 48 receiver. I also have an original Winchester M1917 from 1918 that I bought because this is the type of rifle my grandfather carried in France. Thanks for another fine video.

The 1903 has the best stock styling out of any military rifle in my opinion. I really like the P14 you have there. My favorite thing about the 14/17 is the sights I would try to update them to the Enfield ladder that has the click adjustable screw for elevation. I hate it when gunsmiths cut those off sporterized stocks don't bother me though because I'm not a collector. That was a beautiful Mauser you had their to. Thank you

Dog leg in the bolt handle places the hand and trigger at same place so you can run the bolt and thoot with your 4th digit easier without removing hand from bolt eg running the mad minute

Not disappointed at all! A nicely sporterized Lee Enfield or Enfield makes a superb,smooth actioned ,well balanced hunting rifle,although I would also leave a No 5 as is.Only in our competitive shooting must they be as issued.Interestingly P14s are still reasonably priced here. Many thanks.

Another very interesting video. I always think that if the action is preserved intact then sporterising is better than destroying or de-activating them. It upsets me when I'm looking at gun dealer's websites over here and find that they have deactivated S.M.L.E rifles or No.4's and 5's. One place was offering a deactivated F.G 42! Why would anyone deactivate something like that? The mind boggles!!

My father was one of terry Allen’s combat engineers in holland and the Rhineland had his choice of any us handheld weapons his favorite was a 03 or captured k98 or even Moissan nagant.

I have a .270/303 P14 and it shoots as good as any modern rifle. A bit on the heavy side for hunting but very mild recoil and drop dead accurate. The P14 action takes a bit to get right and running smoothly - you need practice a lot to get the right "feel" - definitely not like the smooth SMLE or the No4 actions. The P14 is very forgiving of overloads - you can blow the primers with them and still they hold together really well - no other signs of over-pressure. Conversions of .303 Brit in P14 to an Improved case [aka Epps Imported] is a very good poor man's magnum. Load up with 215 gn projectiles and kill anything. Such a shame these amazing work-horses are so overlooked by the black gun fraternity. People are convinced that need the greatest and the latest to be the best- forget the marketing hype and go back to the .303 Brit - it will do all that you want and then some.

Another informative video. Spot on and informative as usual. I own an Enfield jungle carbine and they were actually officially terrible rifles. Why officially? Well. They were declared obsolete in 1947 by the UK only 3 years after entering service because they won't hold zero. Mine is no exception. And if you check you will probably find most others don't either. Officially it is described as a 'wandering' zero, that is it can be zeroed for a while then 'unzero' itself then wander back to hitting where you point it again without any changes to the sight or set up of the rifle or ammo. It is believed the cause is a combination of the cone style flash suppressor on the shortened barrel and the lighter receiver they are fitted with. Harmonics, etc, blah, blah. So that sporterised one might actually shoot straight without the cone suppressor. In Australian service they were used in jungle combat in Malaysia into the mid 1960s and either had the flash suppressor replaced or had Enfield No 4 recievers fitted locally by armourers at unit level. They were quite liked in service as they smashed through the jungle and stopped what they hit with a 174 gr bullet! The Fazerkarley built model I own is quite schizophrenic, especially with my slightly hot handloads. It is usually ok with 170gr factory fodder. Interesting that you looked at the Enfield pattern 14. The Brits were going introduce it in .276 Enfield (7×60mm) but then the war started. Imagine that?! Essentially a service magnum! Up there with 7x64 braneke which I freaking love. I fantasise about the what ifs of the .276 Enfield round all the time. It would have zapped as flat as a pan cake. Probably still be in service today if they had of introduced it. Damn!

about your p14 if all the metal is intact you can go on line to the cmp you can get the complete stock for it. you have such a great collection.it would be worth the time to bring it back to a original service rifle.i bought a p14 20 years ago from a gun shop the owner said he did not know who made it, no marker just a serial number witch started with a letter w he said i could have it for 50.00s the outside was in great shape the bore looked bad, very faint rifling i bought it took it home it took 3 days of cleaning and 3 brass brushes on the 3rd day cleaning the bore, glitter started coming out of the bore the last owner clogged the lands with cast lead so the rifling was still there and it shoots great

That P14 looks pretty good for being sporterized, and at least whoever did it enjoyed shooting it with the iron sights. I personally find the Model 1917 to be nose heavy, but the weight of the gun ensures that recoil isn't all that bad. As to the No. 5 Jungle Carbine they are fantastic rifles, and many No. 4 Lee-Enfields were converted by civilian manufacturers to resemble them. They have excellent balance, but kick like a Missouri mule. With regard to the comment about limitations on weapons of war I was reminded of the irony of Germany protesting our use of Model 1897 Shotguns in the First World War. Their protest to us stated that it was "especially forbidden to employ arms, projections, or materials calculated to cause unnecessary suffering" according to the 1907 Hague Convention on Land Warfare. Yet it was they and the talents of Otto Hahn, James Franck, Gustav Hertz, and Fritz Haber (all Nobel Laureates) who brought the world the "wonder" of chlorine gas warfare at the Second Battle of Ypres. What it comes down to is that no matter what rules man comes up with to govern warfare our capacity for finding more efficient, and innovative ways to wage war will sadly win out.

The rifle under discussion - either the P14 British rifle or the rifle, M1917 of the United States was DESIGNED by Enfield. At the behest of the British Government. It was a strictly British design and was intended to replace the magazine (James Paris) Lee design, manufactured (originally) by Enfield. Therefore, Lee-Enfield. Initial plans were to chamber the rifle in a .276 inch diameter bullet at increased velocity. The bolt handle dog leg was intentionally designed. It places the operating hand close to the trigger just like the SMLE did. The 'cock on closing' method was preferred by the British Army as they considered that system faster in operating the bolt. Turns out the SMLE and derivatives hold the place of honor as the fastest bolt action rifle. Then the threat of WW1 disrupted the plans. The enhanced cartridge was scrapped - changing calibers during a war was absurd. The production of such rifles was hired out to the U. S., which was not in a war or foreseeable to be in one. No P14s were manufactured in the sense or quantities for issue to troops in England. Probably some prototypes were made for testing and experimentation. Remington set up a plant to fulfill the contract for the rifles. A plant located in Eddystone, New York - which is why the rifles are often referred to as 'Eddystones' (at least in my youth). At some point, the British realized they had enough No 3 SMLEs (Smellies) to issue and they needed no more rifles and cancelled the remainder of the contract with Remington. Some were delivered and saw second line and sniper use with the Brits. Then the U. S. entered WW1 and realized they didn't have enough M1903 rifles to go the course. So the government essentially told Remington "Keep making those rifles, but in .30-06!" Which required a different interior to the same barrel design as before, changing the machining of the bolt face to fit the .30-06 cartridge rather than the .303 British and change the machining on the receiver to fit the U. S. .30-06 charger clips rather than the .303 charger clips. Probably the bayonet mount was done differently as well. (Not so; I just looked at the rifles.) I am blessed to have both versions of the rifle; the P14 and the M1917 in original (and used) condition. Haven't shot the P14 yet; when better weather gets here.

I have a p14 and two p17 rifles. The p14 is in .303 and the 17 is .30 06

Great video! Have you given any thought to replacing the furniture on THE P-14 in THIS video? Has the barrel been cut? It doesn’t look like it has.🤷🏻‍♂️ I was talking with a fellow who has had many of the different variants of the Lee Enfield rifles & one of his favourites was the Enfield P14. What an amazing 'family' of rifles, (families). Thanks very much for sharing your videos! Nice trio!

What about the P13? Because it was all in the cartridge (as it was post WW2) & that cartridge was not by any means the standard Mauser cartridge!

is this action stronger than the 98? I have heard magnum builders prefer the 17 over 98? Thanks again for another great video and sharing your knowledge!

with the p14 and p17 rifles being developed from the p13, the only major difference being the caliber, p14 being 303 and p17 being 30-06, that being said, as the rifles were manufactured in 3 different factories, there were slight differences in measurements, n the components. making interchangeability a hassle, and i have to agree they are tac shooting rifles, love mine,

One note to mention. I still have a sporterized M1917 Eddystone that has been "wood sporterized" only. It has none of the metal cut. I only paid 150 for it believing I'll just replace the wood with replacements to bring it back. The bore is still mint. I assume because it had a broken ejector. Well, so far the only replacements stocks I have come across are so beat up and they usually bid up to several hundred dollars. I have found one company that can replicate new stocks for a grand total of 450.

Slight correction... at 5:02 when you say "The spring of course will [help] open the bolt..." that would only be true if the trigger was not pressed, as it is the compression of the firing pin spring that is giving you that push. Fire it and when you flip it open, it is at rest still and no longer compressed under tension. Good job otherwise.

You mentioned hard steel used in manufacturing. I had some trouble feeding issues with my Marlin 1895 CB after shooting about 100 rounds (I keep round count data). I took the action completely apart and found that there was quite a bit of metal shavings in the action. I did see areas where parts that rub together were showing very small amounts of wear marks and I would think that is normal. But I could not make a determination if there was some serious grinding in the action and the steel is soft, or these metal filings were left over from manufacturing. I have heard that Marlin uses softer steel, but I have no idea if that is true. In any case after cleaning it, it cycles better than ever and because the problem was easily fixed, I ordered a 1894 in 357. I enjoy shooting the Marlins, perhaps I am a sucker for punishment, but they are easy to work on.

About 25 years ago, my uncle gave me his P14 that had the stock cut down in a typical "Bubba" fashion (Read; crappy). However, all the metal was in good shape and yes, it a very accurate rifle for a military bolt-action. So far, I have resisted the temptation to have a proper walnut stock made for it. But I feel my resolve weakening...

I always wanted a p14 or m17, never see them for sale in my neck of the woods, plenty of no.4's. The round the British were going to use in the p13, was the ballistic match of the 7mm rem mag someone told me, a bit over powered to say the least.

I have a sporterized,butchered ,model 1917 Enfield made by Winchester. It is at a local gunsmith now to have a scope mount put on correctly . Who ever did it the first time had the holes crooked. My son wants to have the barrel rebored to 35 Whelen . Nothing else should need modified.

What gun did Alvin York use in the first war ? That seems like a big debate

Hi Any chance of reviewing Heym rifles as I own an sr20n in .243 and find it so accurate Would love to hear your thoughts on them Many thanks David in Somerset England

Do you have a Ross rifle?

When I was 19, I purchased a P14 for 200 from a friend, then sold it for 300. The pain of being uninformed...

Imagine that you actually might know what your talking about. But there will always be someone who thinks your wrong. As a collector my self I see it alot especially being a female collector who is thirty I have no clue what i am talking about I hear all the time if they’d listen they’d learn something

Hay you show me a p14 I got a childhood story about old guns I saw hanging in trees in Alaska. The Old trappers used that rifle to hang in a tree with string and pulleys with a fish hook hanging off the end with bait so when the bear stands up and pulls down on string the gun shoot it in the head and only big bears can reach it if its high enough in the air so i'm told. Funny there worth money they must have been a dime a dozen in AK because they were growing off trees here. hhaha never knew the model thought they looked like a mod 700 but a bit more rusted and they still work after many years in the trees I wish i could send you 1 if i find another I will butt spruce bark beetle killed all the big trees the old timers used. P.s this is fact not fiction. Most true Alaskans dont have time for bs fake stories or worry if some one is judging us. So you can think like and old timer and what they would say to all the haters of your fine channel tell them to rub on some honey and go for a run in Mike's back yard so they can meet real monsters that thump in the night. You know more about real guns than 98%you put your hands on them they read some where and bllablla they know all. In hunting camp we call them BEAR BAIT is what i call them GREENHORNS, NO JUST (BAIT) We have a joke here we say find a stump and they look and then they say ""why"" we say so we can break you in ALASKA STYLE HAHAHAHAHAH with a crazy look in our eyes. A little back woods joke. We dont play bear growling jokes hear when camping because it is not funny here. but sayin wegona stump break yaallll. It makes us laugh because most lower48ers look like there going to cry.