Pattern 14 versus M1917
Any easy external way or ways to tell them apart?
There's one on the wall here, and it's mounted high enough up that I'd need a ladder to get a good look, but I know the data plate is hokey. It says both P14 and M1917, lists a bunch of manufacturers, then lists the caliber as .30-06 and mag capacity as 5.
Ok, either it's .30-06 with a mag capacity of 6, or .303 and 5.
Given where we are, I'd say it's most likely a P14, but I'm trying to be sure.
Well, if they're hanging on a wall - and you can't reach 'em, that's a bit of a challenge. The Pattern 14 and the M1917 are essentially the same rifle, chambered in different calibers. The Pattern 14 is in .303 British, and was produced in the US for Great Britain during WWI. The M1917 is chambered for 30.06, and was produced for US forces during WWI. While the Springfield M1903 is the iconic rifle of the WWI Doughboy, he was far more likely to have carried a M1917 than a M1903, because many more M1917s were produced during the war itself. The rifle soldiered on into WWII, when we used them in training and sent more over to Great Britain (which had sold off theirs between the wars) for issue to the Home Guard. You'll also run into a lot of these rifles that have been sporterized, as the action is immensely strong and smooth, and lends itself to many different barrels and chamberings.