Originally Posted by
fjruple
Both are very good rifles. Even though the P14 and M1917 look the same both are quite different in design and execution. For some reason the P14 had major parts interchangeability issues between the three manufacturers. Not only where there three manufacturers both also produced two different variations, the MKI and the MKI*. The MKI* was a re-designed bolt which also affected the extractor and barrel. Not only that but each manufacturers incorporated changes that they felt they needed without advising the other two manufacturers. Winchester appears to be the biggest offender. Winchester also was very slow in incorporating the MK1* changes into the production. When the US Army Ordnance took over the P14 production for the M1917 they were not permitting the interchangeability issues to continue and draw up part drawings to ease the compatability issues. But Winchester jumped the gun and re-designed and produced the .30-06 M1917 without the US Army Ordnance drawings and specs which were not compatiable with the US Army drawings. Winchester produced about 10,000 rifles before the problem was discovered.
These are great rifles to fire. They are very strong and accurate with a good barrel. Unfortunately it was treated like a red-headed step-child that by circumstances the US Army was forced to adopt. Without the rifle the US would have been in a real fix in WWI.
--fjruple
The problem was trying to make the action designed for 276 work with 303. No one ever got them to feed perfectly.
Winchester had a very valid reason for jumping the gun as you put it. They had a trained workforce IDLE. They had two choices, let them build rifles or lay them off and let this trained workforce scatter in the wind. What would you have done?
Phillip McGregor (OFC)
"I am neither a fire arms nor a ballistics expert, but I was a combat infantry officer in the Great War, and I absolutely know that the bullet from an infantry rifle has to be able to shoot through things." General Douglas MacArthur