Enfieldguns
Suppliers British and Commonwealth Military Equipment
Valencia Classic Arms Fair
Stands 102-104
Main Hall
20th November - 25 November
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Original Pattern P13 (1913) Enfield Trials Service Rifle in .303
This P13 has a very low serial number 151
The earliest know P13 to be recorded out of a total production of 1,251
The Pattern 1913 Enfield (P13) was an experimental War Office commissioned rifle developed by the R.S.A.F. Enfield for the British Government . This was a direct request from the British War Office to develop a very high powered round in using a .276 calibre rimless cartridge.
The War department had planning for the replacement for Number 1 Mark lll SMLE British Army service rifle since 1910 as advanced designed chamber allowed for a high velocity .276 Enfield (7mm) rimless round.
Countless changes to the Pattern 1913 Enfield were made to the cartridge which led to eleven Pattern 1911 and Pattern 1912 rifles being manufactured at Enfield.
By mid 1912, it was decided to put the latest incarnation of the design into limited production for troop trials, so in late 1912 the War office ordered 1,000 from R.S.A.F Enfield.
By the end of January 1913, 1,251 had been manufactured and the rifle was distributed to the Army for planned troop trials in Britain, Ireland, Egypt and South Africa.
Note
There is no machining for any safety sector
Running out of time
The first troop trials did not go well at all, as the .276 high velocity experiment rounds of 2,785 ft/s were found to be burning out the Pattern P13 barrels after less than 500 rounds. There were other smaller issue but everything would have be sorted out after more testing and more troop trials. But the German Army had other ideas.
On the 18th July 1914 time for the Pattern P13 had just run out !
The main difference is that the P13 is narrower than P14 , this is because the P13 was using a much smaller round .276 . The P14 .303 Service rifle is wider to accommodate the much larger .303 round. The P14 receiver has different shaped ears to the P13 receiver.
This Pattern P13 is the earliest know Pattern P13 to survive with serial number 151
and was re barrel in .303.
As this rifle has a very early serial number it may have been one of the very first Pattern P13 to be issued to the British Army for testing.
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Hearsay with no evidence to back up this story.
We understand from the last owner who lives in the USA, that he was told by then previous owner of the Pattern P13 who he purchased it from that it came out of the former Winchester factory which closed by bankruptcy in the Great Depression in 1931.
The story he told us story: 'When Winchester won the contract to manufacture the P14 , Winchester requested a batch of P13's were shipped to the Winchester factory in New Haven, Connecticut as sample's.
That this Patten P13 came out of Winchester Factory when it shut down in 1931 and was purchased as bankrupt stock '.
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When we purchase this Pattern P13 Enfield only had British military proof stamps, so by law we submitted it to the London Proof house for proofing. Now fully proofed
and ready for sale.
This is an opportunely to purchase a very rare early Pattern P13 Trial's rifle that you can shoot down the range.
This Pattern P13 has all matching numbers
£5500.00
Exporters
Please make sure you are permitted to import this rifle into your country
