British P-14 Rifle in .303 British – The Other British Enfield

By Ammoland

By Marc Cammack

Bangor, Maine – -(Ammoland.com)- The Lee Enfield rifle MKIII is widely known as the rifle of the British Army during the First World War and beyond. Another rifle made in the United States would serve in the British Army during both World Wars, and that rifle was the Pattern 14.

The Pattern 14 would also serve as the basis for the American M1917 Enfield rifle .30-06, which Alvin York would use to win the Medal of Honor.

The Pattern 14’s origins lay in British experimentation with Mauser type actions, and a need for more rifles to fight the Germans in the First World War. During the Second Boer War, British soldiers would fight against Boers armed with 7mm Mauser rifles, and find themselves outgunned. A .276 caliber round would be developed starting in 1908, and in 1913 a prototype rifle had been built. This prototype rifle was called the Pattern 1913, and made at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield.

Before issues in the rifle could be worked out, the First World War broke out in Europe.