I've just changed this thread to a different calibre....I hope you'll all stay with me!

Anyone got a P14 in 9.3x62??......like it?....any problems with it?......any pics?

I'm about to build one, so lets hear about yours, love it or hate it,some pics would be good too!

Roger

I don't have one but I can tell you how to build one; trade your P14 for a P17 and save yourself a lot of work. As in, none with a P17; you will need a P17 bolt and mag box in your 14, and do some milling on the receiver feed ramps to get it to feed right.

......I think I'll scrap this thread and start again........my brain's just not working....maybe a .375 flanged magnum would be smarter

Roger

Yes, that one only requires a new mag box and milling out the receiver to make it feed. If you want a 9.3, trade your P14 for a Mauser; they feed 9.3s with no alteration at all. I like the 9.3 because it delivers enough power, damn near what a 375 gives, with less recoil and easier to build on common actions.

I've got plenty of mausers, I wanted to do something with my old Enfield and a 9.3 is something I've always wanted..........I wonder if I can fit a 9.3x74R into a P14......time for some measuring I think

Roger

I measured it for you; you will only have to lengthen the mag opening about .1 for the 9.3x74r to feed, and the bolt face already works as is.
Or get a P17 bolt and make it a 62. Need a box and feed lip alterations both ways; go for it. Hell, I might do a 74r on one; thanks for the suggestion.

......as I said in my "P14 Stocks" thread, I'm chasing a discontinued Bell and Carlson stock, if anyone finds one, let me know.
I want a stock that retains the original magazine shape as I think the dogleg bolt handle and "bent" magazine is what the P14/M17's are all about.The pic I supplied for the header on this forum says it all!





Roger

I have built P-17s, Win. and Rem make, for a number of calibers..A Win. or Rem made 17 will take a 9.3x62 or 64 with just a rebarrel, the milsurp take some more work as I recall...

I presently have a Rem P-17 loaded custome rifle in 416 Rem and just sold the same in a 404 Jefferys..I surface grind them, fix the cock on the opening, may add a mod. 70 safety and custom trigger, either modify the bottom metal or use new custom bottom metal and rebarrel adding sights and barrel swivel, Custom wood stock in English style..They make and awesome custom rifle, hold extra ammo in that big box..I can't think of a better bolt action DGR...I'll be selling the .416 due to a hand injury, hate that. but will build a 9.3x62 for myself in the future.

......as I said in my now modified opening thread, I've changed the calibre to 9.3x74R as I've started the mods to my P14 to take this round.I'm building this rifle to use a readily available cartridge with plastic stock and weatherproof coating on the barrel and action.
This will be my knock around, not worry about, take anywhere, use on pretty much anything and still get ammo for rifle........well, thats the theory anyway!

Roger

Finally got around to doing some work on this project, not bad considering I'm living in a tent, in a different state, with a new job,and all my equipment is packed up back home ready to shift. ......anywho, on with the subject.....made a dummy box to check fit, cartridge is 95mm max. OAL....



Looks like I've got plenty of room for the cartridge.....



Because of the similarities between the 9.3x74 and the 303, feeding shouldn't be a big problem........time will tell



Roger

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
... I surface grind them, fix the cock on the opening, may add a mod. 70 safety ...

Except that it seems more sophisticated, is there any advantage in cock-on-opening? Unless the owner was a one-armed benchrester, I was inclined to think cocking on closing might give less trouble with hand-loads and hot barrels, say in the case of dangerous game that refused to succumb.

Also, is there something wrong with the original safety?

Thinking of the bottom metal, if I were to convert one, I might leave the pregnant look. It is no worse than what Holland & Holland do with their big rifles, stocking down around deep magazines, like some old Mossberg shotgun.

Cock on closing is not something that needs fixed; it works fine as is. US shooters do not understand how it works, nor it's design intent, which, as you indicate, is to put more effort into primary extraction rather than cocking. The safety is the best; no need for anything else unless you just like the M70 one more and want to spend a few hundred for it.
It will feed fine too; I did some prelim checking when you first mentioned this project.
Straighten the bottom though, that part is definitely ugly.

Sorry......beauty is in the eye of the beholder......check out the Montana Rifle Co. professional hunter model



Roger

Yep, still ugly. Way ugly. The floorplate should form a straight line to the foreend.

A bolt gun in 9.3x74R sounds cool!

I personally like the full-on custom touches that Ray mentioned, along with modifying the tang for a nicer "looking" grip line. However, this is a lot of work. Check out D'Arcy Echols Web site to see some of the most beautiful custom M17 rifles ever. However, as ugly as I think the M17/P14's are, I must admit that they are a utilitarian dream. There, is no more simple or positive a safety, no action hardening required (magnafluxing is not a bad idea with some), and they are more easily amenable to just about any round than any other mil-surp that I know of. All of this talk makes me want to rebarrel my granddad's sporterized Eddiestone that Dad gave me. It might be a bitch to get the barrel off without cracking the receiver, but it would make a great 30-06 truck gun. The original barrel is fried! Good luck with your project and keep us updated!

Matt

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Yep, still ugly. Way ugly. The floorplate should form a straight line to the foreend.

I understand your logic, and that line is lost where anything shows out the bottom, like a detachable mag., part of the reason I don't like them. My OCD on stocks goes to butts where the line of the underside does not point to just behind the trigger guard as one with a straight hand normally does.

I don't like that Montana rifle either. It looks as though they may have deepened the magazine even more than Enfield, and looks badly balanced though I doubt it is. Much better the shape shown by Super Pawn.

My philosophy on converting military rifles is that we should make do with as much of the original as possible, and I have found the stocks of FN Mausers and Mannlicher-Schoenauers both have enough meat to sculpt pistol hands analogous with later commercial ones. The Enfield stock and ears would have to go but I could live with much of the rest. For instance, I would never touch the dog-leg handle; not only is it much more interesting than a straight or curved one but puts the knob just where you need it and gives a square stem for more grip when things get tough.

quote:

Originally posted by sambarman338:

quote:

Originally posted by dpcd:
Yep, still ugly. Way ugly. The floorplate should form a straight line to the foreend.

For instance, I would never touch the dog-leg handle; not only is it much more interesting than a straight or curved one but puts the knob just where you need it and gives a square stem for more grip when things get tough.

Come shoot one of the 416 Rigby's I've built on P-14 actions or even one of the 375 H&H rifles I built on M-1917 actions and you'll probably want to change the bolt handle at least some. Especially right after it smacks your right index finger knuckle. I like these actions for long cartridges but that bolt handle can make you flinch after a couple of shots with a hard kicker.

You've got a point, elk hunter. Is there no stock design that mitigates it? Perhaps we could mill off the rear of the knob underside. Then, if it hits you, you might have a self-opener, lifting the handle if it's smooth or the opening the shooter if not

.....this discussion about stock design and bolt handles is all well and good, but in the end, it still comes down to personal preference.Either with a synthetic stock or a wood stock, I like the "pot belly", ears and dogleg lever.....and as someone said, modified military rifles should still retain a bit of their military look.
As the Bell & Carlson stock appears to be the unobtainable holy grail of M17/P14 stocks, I still want a similar looking stock in wood, not necessarilly presentation grade, but a nice looking one......nice looking to me that is.
Imagine,if you will,the synthetic stock shape below in a nice dark wood with the Alexander Henry fore-end tip of the Siamese Mauser pictured above it.....remember, this is a working rifle, not a show queen



Roger

Nice stock, Y! I have just thought of another reason why big-game hunters might want to change the bolt handle: by having the knob farther forward the rear extension of opening should seem easier - less chance of African shortstroke.

..........well, it looks like all this discussion about stock shape, although interesting and informative, is now a moot point. An australian member of another forum has contacted me to ask if I was interested in a NOS Bell&Carlson stock for a P14/M17 that he had sold ( the rifle that is ).....HELL YES!!....when the stock arrives I will post some pics

Roger

Check out this 416 Rigby enfield. May not be what you have in mind, but it might grow on you!:

http://forums.accuratereloadin...791009791#2791009791

Yes, a beautiful rifle and well executed, I can appreciate something like that for its excellent workmanship.
The rifle that I'm building from an old military P14 is meant to be more utilitarian, a working gun that I'm not afraid to damage in the field.
I have a beautiful model 70 Winchester with stainless barrel in 265 RCBS {6.5-06 Imp.)built by one of Australias best gunsmiths with a hand cut walnut stock by Gabe Gatti....the problem is that I'm afraid to use it in case it gets scratched ....I'm looking for an old original '70s Winchester stock so I can use the gun without worrying about it.
This is why most of my rifles are modified militaries and rough working rifles. Rifles here in Australia seem to get a lot more use than in the states because of the proliferation of feral animals that need to be kept in manageable numbers'

Roger