Pattern 1914 Enfield

The Pattern 1914 Enfield (or P14) is a British bolt-action rifle chambered in .303 British, firing from a 5-round fixed magazine. It was developed to replace the Lee-Enfield series, which during the Second Boer War was shown to be outmatched by Mauser rifles in long range fire. Accordingly, the P14 uses a Mauser-style action and was originally designed to fire a new cartridge called .276 Enfield. However, with the outbreak of the Great War, the then Pattern 1913 was chambered for .303 British (thus becoming the Pattern 1914) and contracted to a number of American manufacturers for mass production; Winchester and Remington, titans of the small arms industry. It was soon realised that the SMLE's smooth action and ample magazine was far better suited for trench warfare, so the Pattern 1914 was primarily employed as a sniper rifle (having greater accuracy than the Lee-Enfields). The rifles were employed in World War II in a similar role. Following their declared obsolescence in 1947, dozens of thousands were sold abroad, many of them landing in the world's deadliest continent and continuing their legacy as the sniper's choice weapon.