thinking of buying an m305

Markus88 said:
How do you check headspace? Something I can do in store or ?
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Headspace is best checked with some headspace gauges. For a safety check, a 7.62 x 51 no-go gauge would be sufficient. You put it in the chamber and lower the bolt. If the bolt locks on a no-go, the chamber is longer than would typically be considered safe.

You could easily do this in the store....if you can find a 7.62 no-go. These are a little rare and pricey when they come up for sale. A 308 no go can also be used but most Norc chambers will swallow these and still shoot fine.
 
Honestly the guns are very hit and miss and the accuracy bad even for being semi if you get a good one.... You are better off saving your money for something better if you ever shoot past 100 yards.
 
The gauges are not that expensive and most guys will never own them or use them before they buy a rifle anyway. If you are that concerned about head space I wouldn't be satisfied with using a NATO no-go. Ignorance is bliss.

Being the kind of guy that does mechanical work you'll want the tools and you won't be satisfied with maximum clearance.
 
It's probably safe to shoot new ammo through any of them. I would hesitate to reload ammunition that was fired through a rifle with overly generous head space myself. Nobody that builds one of these rifles for themselves uses a 308 go and 7.62mm no-go to cut their chambers. Sounds like you are the kind of guy who will trade up if you like it anyway.
 
I gots to wade in here as there sure is a lot of bogus remarks regarding accuracy and this headspace discussion need some commenting on
there's not much wrong with most Chinese barrels, sure guys get rifles that won't group to their satisfaction but there are a lot of factors at play and in the crap loads of these rifles I've tuned or full blown customized...... the barrels were seldom the main culprit in a bad shooting rifle. for those new around here , and with no intent of braggery, I've worked on and fired a few hundred of these rifles, with no exaggeration.

now as for headspace...... here's the deal, directly from my personal notes I've been keeping since about the beginning of 2007 when I hosted my first m14 clinic.
early norinco and polytech rifles tended to have measured headspace on average 1.640" to 1.646" ...... the long side of the 7.62 nato range. this trended until 2007 when the rifles we were measuring were pretty damn consistant around 1.640" or for the layman, the middle range of 7.62 nato
these rifles, the ones 1.640" and over, really let the brass stretch when using Federal commercial power shok .308 , an ammunition I've been using religiously in these rifles due to it's performance and reliability I've come to expect due to my own use for well over a decade in these rifles particularly.

so, in 2009 we started to see improvements in headspace values, both on my rifle smithing bench (m14doc) and at the many clinics I was doing back then. In my logbook , 1.636" to 1.638" are headspace values that started to become pretty standard right up to recent imports I've measured.

These values are hardly of any concern to the shooter and in my own findings, having safely fired a few thousand rounds of federal powershok .308 commercial ammo thru Chinese m305/m14s rifles , regularly since the late 90's , I'll wade in and state as I've stated before, that these rifles, with a chamber measuring 1.640" and under , are generally safe to shoot factory .308 and properly tailored reloads.
if the rifle measures over 1.640...... well, me personally, I'd only fire nato brassed 7.62x51 or reloads using same brass.

the only way to truly measure headspace correctly is to strip the bolt and use the correct gauges. Brownells sells Clymer headspace gauges in singles or as a set. I believe you can also place an order directly with Clymer. These are the only gauges I personally use. although I do have the US Military 7.62 Nato set as well....... good luck finding those ;)


I'll add that 100's of CGN members alone have purchased these rifles over the last bunch of years, and for the most part, our dicks are still attached...... sh*t mine might have even grown a little bit bigger HAHAHA
 
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The M305 is not for the beginner. There are many donts associated with this rifle that if U do can get U seriously injured. Read every thing U can on the net before U undertake shooting or buying one. There is a lot to know, it is not rocket science and is fairly simple. One example that I can give U that U need to know is: Never throw a round into the action and
release home the bolt. Always load a round into the magazine then release the bolt. Failing to do so may cause a slam fire and injury. The above is from some of the info that U will find on the various forums on the net.
 
Pr589 said:
Headspace is best checked with some headspace gauges. For a safety check, a 7.62 x 51 no-go gauge would be sufficient. You put it in the chamber and lower the bolt. If the bolt locks on a no-go, the chamber is longer than would typically be considered safe.

You could easily do this in the store....if you can find a 7.62 no-go. These are a little rare and pricey when they come up for sale. A 308 no go can also be used but most Norc chambers will swallow these and still shoot fine.
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to use a gauge you have to have a stripped bolt. the ejector is in the way.
 
1-trident-1 said:
to use a gauge you have to have a stripped bolt. the ejector is in the way.
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I understand that some of them (e.g. USGI) have relief cut outs so that you don't have to strip the bolt. I think that if you order a guage from PTG you can request the cut outs for a nominal upcharge.
 
Treeline has lots of surplus and NOS USGI parts, for usually decent prices. It is where I got everything for mine. Congratulations on your purchase!

EDIT to add: Check the stickies in the Battle Rifles forum, tons of info, intro steps and basic mods in there
 
Tarrantula said:
Treeline has lots of surplus and NOS USGI parts, for usually decent prices. It is where I got everything for mine. Congratulations on your purchase!

EDIT to add: Check the stickies in the Battle Rifles forum, tons of info, intro steps and basic mods in there
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I love Treeline... so does my Mail man as he has told me...

Here is my M305 as I just finished putting some new toys on it...


screen capture software
 
I just sold mine to a good friend. He really wanted one and I owed him. Cleaned it all up and took it out for a last shoot. One thing I noticed was the lack of recoil in this big rifle.
The only way I could think of improving it, was by taking out a rivet. But I guess that won't happen anytime soon.;)
 
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