P-14 bolt in a 300WM 1917enfield??

I picked up a 1917 enfield that had a hack job done to it in attempt to convert to 300WM. The bolt face is unusable as far as I'm concerned. I need to pick up a new bolt and have read a P-14 bolt can be used in the 1917 for use with the magnum calibers. Is this true? Any one have any first hand knowledge or can tell me a thing or two about it.

Would I be better off purchasing a 1917 bolt and paying to have the bolt face opened up or go with the p-14 bolt? The shody work done on the bolt face makes me question the rest of the conversion job. What else should I look closly at? I imagine there may be head space issues with either bolt I go with. Anyone know an expert gunsmith that works on these enfields? In Oregon?

I probably wouldn't even bother with the effort but the bore just looks to good to give up. It is Winchester made. I'm not concerned with matching mfg parts, just want the thing to shoot well. It has been sporterized with the bottom floor plate straightened.

Here is the link to the gun I picked up. Going to get rid of the scope and mount.
http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/Vie...Item=223950295

Really have a liking for these 1917 enfields. Growing up my dad used a handed down one in 300wm that is just beautiful with a HS barrel on it and it always shot under 1 moa with many sucessful hunts to it's credit. So of course I want one now.

Thanks for any addvise.

BT

A P14 bolt should work just fine, but the P14 uses a smaller diameter firing pin tip than the 1917 does, so the FP hole in the bolt is correspondingly smaller. I'd swap a complete bolt assembly if I could get one.

Good to know. I think I can find a complete bolt easy enough. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Thanks

BT

Sent a Winchester P14 action to Montana Rifle Works years ago and had them build me a 7mm STW on it. Bolt face appears to have never been touched. Currently not at home but if you look at the rim size for the old British 303 and a modern belted case head they should be within a couple of thousandths of each other.

I would grab the P14 bolt and continue on your build without looking back.

Tom

The old rifle actually looks good. if you can get the headspace correct with another bolt it should be a good hunting gun.

Ken

the parts are mostly the same but the pattern 14 uses a different extractor. the hook is narrowed and probably has a point, where the 1917 is flat. you could use the 1917 extractor on the pattern 14 bolt, but the pattern 14 might not let the bolt close on a 1917. the 1917 has a cone shaped barrel end where the 14 is flat and uses less threads. I would use a 14 bolt and firing pin, and a 1917 extractor. if the 14 extractor would work, I would use it because it would close over the rim and the 1917 would need altering. if the gun feeds and closes ok now, the 1917 extractor probably has been altered and all you would have to do is switch it.

Brian;

Greg Cooper of "Lone Rock Arms" in Glide, a small town East of Roseburg Oregon, has built a number of guns on Enfield actions and can probably help you with your bolt problem. If you are interested shoot me a PM and I'll give you his phone number.

The P14 bolt is made for square breech design and you won't be able to put it in the gun with coned breech barrel. On the 1917 bolt the front of both locking lugs are beveled to rotate inside of coned breech, on P14 bolt one lug(right side) is beveled and left lug is square to bolt face for square breeched barrel, it won't enter a 17 coned breech. So you aren't going to find a "quick fix" get a 1917 bolt and have the face opened up, or get a P14 bolt and have the left lug reground for coned breech.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elk hunter

Brian;

Greg Cooper of "Lone Rock Arms" in Glide, a small town East of Roseburg Oregon, has built a number of guns on Enfield actions and can probably help you with your bolt problem. If you are interested shoot me a PM and I'll give you his phone number.

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Thanks I'll send a PM.

As I understand it the extractors are actually different lengths between the 14 and the 17 so can't interchange them. The extractor on the gun I bought was hacked pretty good too. THe bolt face looked like it was opened up with a hand held dremmil tool. Unenven and over .560 in diameter as I recall.

The square breech design......? Pretty sure I understand that. From the looks of the gun it appears to have had a good portion of the barrel (breach) turned down as it appears to be flat now compaired to the 1917 coned. I know only way to figure it all out is have a gunsmith look at it. I wonder if it was turned down this much to eliminate the excessive free bore? I know the 1917 of my dad's had what seemed to be a 1/2" jump.

I did look at the difference in rim size from the 303 and the 300 mag. It is only .008 larger in diameter and .015 thicker in rim size. Seems like a good match.

Still welcome any more info you guys have to share.

Love the 1917s with the dog leg bolt and extra weight. Just seems to feel "right" when it is put to the shoulder.

Good shooting guys.

Thanks

BT

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/g...2011_00000.jpg

BTS; I drew you a picture, not a very good one but a picture!

As you can see that P14 will never shoot right, danged barrel is bent, har!

bent barrel LOL!

I'll have to look a bit more closly but the barrel I have was turned down flat with a cut out on the right side for the area ahead of the lugs.

I think it may just work but I'll have to have a GS look at it to tell for sure.

Thanks and again welcome anymore input.

BT

Love the Enfield.

Here is a pic of my dad's. He had given it to me for a number of years and when he retired last year he decieded he had a need for it back. Not the best picture but I refinished the stock and cleaned up all the metal. Heck of a shooter. 3/4 MOA was the norm out of her. I was just getting good with her too with consistant 2.5" groups at 300 yrds.

Love the Weaver Grandslam scope on top of her too. Perfect set up in my opinion.

BT

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/u...r/P1050129.jpg

A number of gunsmiths used to rebarrel 1917 actions with the square breech design; no reason why it can't be done. I briefly owned one in .300 Mag that was barreled with the square breech. My current .458 Lott will have a coned breech, IF the gunsmith ever finishes the bloody thing! He had never done one with a square breech, and insisted that it couldn't be done. It really didn't matter to me, so I didn't argue.

Back in the late 80's early 90's one of those big outfits was selling Patt'14 actions set up for belted magnums , barreled actions and complete sporters sans scopes in those same belted mag calibers. They sold a ton of them..but I never seem them at shows.. where did they all go. I got a beautiful Remington Model 30 cheap once as the owner did'nt like it because it "was a cut down army rifle ".....I tried to give him a history lesson but he would'nt hear it as it looked like a cut up army rifle to him and he did'nt want that. I love/hate ignorant people like that.

A few years back, Century Arms did a conversion to 7mm mag and mine shot very well. I really love that action.

I have had several M17s and a few P14s over the years, always been fond of them. I have wanted to build a 375H&H on one for as long as I can remember. I picked up a nicely sporterised Eddystone M17, which I thought had a trashed barrel (didn't have my readers that day, but only wanted the acton, stock, etc, so I wasn't worried about it). The rifle has languished in the safe for the past 5 years or so. I dug it out recently and after putting a rod through it, found it had a pretty good 2 groove Bbl. I always wanted to play with cast in a 2 groove (yeah I know, but this sort of thing keeps me occupied), so I have left it as is.

I bought a new Remington 700SPS DG (Dangerous Game) fo about the same money as a fitted premium barrel and it has open sights as well. I don't suppose I will ever build the 375H&H/P14/M17 whatever as it will take me more time than I have left to wear out the 2 groove Bbl on cast boolits :)

They are big, ugly and awkward, but I reckon they are like Chinese food. You buy one and pretty soon, you want another! lol

Well an update..... I acquired a P-14 complete action. Checked the fit of the 300wm in teh bolt face and it looks like it was a perfect fit. Haven't tryed the fit in my 1917 yet but I'm hopeful. I'll soon know. Still love the 1917 and now that the p-14 looks to be a perfect fit for mag cartridges maybe I'll start looking for a few cheap p-14 guns with teh hop of someday making my own custom on one.

Good shooting

BT

So far so good with teh p-14 bolt in the 1917 enfield for a 300WM. swaped extractor claws and bolt closes perfect on the 300wm case. Now need to determine if I have proper head space or not. I'll have to read up a bit or get a set of guages.

Getting closer...... next tap the reciever for a scope mount. Probalby have a good gunsmith do that for me then he can check the rest of the gun.

BT

My M1917 was made in 1918 June . 20 in barrel Weaver 2.5 scope. Great cast bullet gun. Used 170 g Lee TL Gc with 13.5 Unique.(.311) Working on some heavier bullet loads and upgrade the scope to higher mag for target work Nice vintage scope