M305 gas plug stuck

I

ilikeoldguns

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Checked the FAQ and all over online. No luck.

So I started with a correctly-sized wrench. No good
Added penetrating oil. nothing.
Then I got an M10 tool. Ditto
Then I got a gas tube holder/wrench. And here I am.

Yes, I am turning it the right way, or trying to, but it WILL NOT BUDGE.

I am beginning to worry that it was sealed with locktite, but I can see no other evidence of that.

A lot of threads talk about products I can't seem to source; like "KROIL"

I'm very nervous about taking a blowtorch to my gun to loosen it up. I've never had this rifle all the way down; so I don't know what if anything was done or undone on this particular 305. If I get it loose once, is it likely to get this tight on me again?


Thanks for your time.
 
Put the gas plug wrench on the hex and make sure it has full contact with the wrenching flats. Lay the rifle on the floor with the gas plug wrench one hex off of vertical; Make an inverted V with the gas cylinder assy and the gas plug wrench. Put a shoe on and stand on it.

Make sure you are turning the gas plug counter clockwise!
 
Probably rusted in there solid lol.
Breaker bar with the correct socket, rifle in a padded vise holding it like the gas tube wrench does (barrel and gas cylinder) and it should come off.
 
Hitzy said:
Probably rusted in there solid lol.
Breaker bar with the correct socket, rifle in a padded vise holding it like the gas tube wrench does (barrel and gas cylinder) and it should come off.
Click to expand...

What he said.

Some folks don't like to take their gas plug out to clean..... You wouldn't believe how many I see with rusted shut gas plugs!

I use a padded vise. Remove the handguard, cinch that dirty girl in there tight on the barrel and gas cylinder just behind the barrel band. and then torque away.

If ya Fug it up (which I doubt) I have lots of spares.....

John
 
Thanks for reminding me!

I just cleaned my gas system and re-greased my gas plug.

Some thing I do twice a year or more no matter how many rounds are sent down range.

M
 
Okay, you've given me some things to work with.

Follow up questions;

1. Clockwise is always determined as if the front sight was at 12 o'clock, correct?
2. if I get an M14 manual, will it show me what and were to grease? and what kind of grease?
 
12 o'clock is the front sight when you are staring down the muzzle of a "cleared" firearm.

And, yes it will.

So will watching the cleaning and lube videos by tonyben3 on YouTube.

John
 
ilikeoldguns said:
Okay, you've given me some things to work with.

Follow up questions;

1. Clockwise is always determined as if the front sight was at 12 o'clock, correct?
2. if I get an M14 manual, will it show me what and were to grease? and what kind of grease?
Click to expand...

I like to use the red mobile 1 synthetic. Keeps things protected and is usable down to -40
 
ilikeoldguns said:
Okay, you've given me some things to work with.

Follow up questions;

1. Clockwise is always determined as if the front sight was at 12 o'clock, correct?
2. if I get an M14 manual, will it show me what and were to grease? and what kind of grease?
Click to expand...

From Tony Ben on the board here. Good video for lubricating (he's got a few) until you get your hands on the manual

 
ipscgraz said:
Put the gas plug wrench on the hex and make sure it has full contact with the wrenching flats. Lay the rifle on the floor with the gas plug wrench one hex off of vertical; Make an inverted V with the gas cylinder assy and the gas plug wrench. Put a shoe on and stand on it.

Make sure you are turning the gas plug counter clockwise!
Click to expand...

Drifted off my front sight. didn't budge the gas plug.

I'll try the padded vice method.
 
what penetrating oil did you try?


I came across the machinists' "home brew" of 50% automatic transmission fluid to 50% acetone. Apparently it works 2-3 times better than Kroil or Liquid Wrench.

Here is an interesting finding on Penetrating Oils
Recently “Machinist Workshop Magazine” did a test on penetrating oils. Using nuts and
bolts that they ‘scientifically rusted’ to a uniform degree by soaking in salt water, they then
tested the break-out torque required to loosen the nuts. They treated the nuts with a variety
of penetrants and measured the torque required to loosen them.
This is what they came up with:

Nothing: 516 lbs
WD-40: 238 lbs
PB Blaster: 214 lbs
Liquid Wrench: 127 lbs
Kano Kroil: 106 lbs

(ATF)/Acetone mix (50/50): 50 lbs.
Click to expand...

Worth a try.
 
Last edited:
it works much better than LW and Kroil yes. if you REALLY want it to work and don't mind spending the money get a liter of synthetic trans oil I personally have never seen anything penetrate better than that mixture
 
Wow. No, I bought some kind of basic spray-on penetrating oil. Nothing like that.

I got the gas plug out.

I locked the rifle in my vice and tapped the wrench with a large hammer a few times. Then I was able to just muscle it out. I got a ton of carbon out of the gas cylinder with my carbon-scraping hand drills. The larger (.323?) one barely fit in there though.

According to the manual I got, I can use the chamber brush and a little bit of oil to clean it out. I infer from the manual and my own experience that all gas affected parts should be left dry and clean of oil. The manual was not clear on lubricating the gas cylinder in any way and I couldn't find anything in the video about that either. lubed and greased a lot of other stuff I never would have thought of though!

I just skipped though the video to see if the gas system was touched though and I saw a lot of other good stuff! I really need to get some gun grease.
 
ilikeoldguns said:
Wow. No, I bought some kind of basic spray-on penetrating oil. Nothing like that.

I got the gas plug out.

I locked the rifle in my vice and tapped the wrench with a large hammer a few times. Then I was able to just muscle it out. I got a ton of carbon out of the gas cylinder with my carbon-scraping hand drills. The larger (.323?) one barely fit in there though.

According to the manual I got, I can use the chamber brush and a little bit of oil to clean it out. I infer from the manual and my own experience that all gas affected parts should be left dry and clean of oil. The manual was not clear on lubricating the gas cylinder in any way and I couldn't find anything in the video about that either. lubed and greased a lot of other stuff I never would have thought of though!

I just skipped though the video to see if the gas system was touched though and I saw a lot of other good stuff! I really need to get some gun grease.
Click to expand...


You're correct: the gas cylinder and piston are left bone dry so that they don't get gummed up with carbon. Try some break cleaner to help clean all that carbon crud out.
 
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