M305A reveiws

I thought about buying one to go with the other 2 M305's I own but then thought about it and came up with a few points that talked myself out of it.
1. It's an M-14, making it in x39 is kinda blasphemy.
2. I already own an SKS that was designed for this round that works reliably and is as accurate as I expect to shoot with this cartridge.
3. No bolt hold open
4. If I'm wanting to shoot a cheap round like x39 to save money why would I spend $1000 on a rifle to do it? That's an awful lot of x39 for my SKS.
5. Don't want to have to stock up on more magazines
6. Not enough pos reviews of them to make me pursue them anymore.

If you do buy one, make sure to post a good range review on it so we might be tempted in the future. I love the platform, just don't know why I'd want one in x39.
 
Everything I've read suggests that they're junk and you may as well put the money towards a CZ/VZ.

They said the same thing about the M305 in 7.62x51 when they first came out as well.
I like mine just fine. I've got about 300 rounds of various types of ammo through it now with 0 failures. It's far more accurate than any SKS I've ever owned though that could be down to the fact I shoot better with Peep sights. Yes it's heavier than at mini 30 but if you want to pay more for an investment cast rifle that isn't at any more accurate fill your boots. Ironically, with the exception of final finishing of the receiver, build quality between this gun and the Ruger seem roughly the same.
I'm not a huge fan of the ejector though it has proven to be quite durable. I am also missing empty magazine bolt hold open but I guess you can't have everything. I've been getting anywhere from 2 to 3 1/2 inch 100 yard groups depending on the brand of ammunition used though I suspect it will do much better with an optic. Honestly I haven't spent much Time shooting it on paper though as it's just so much fun to blast away with. It's no M1A national match but it's far from a piece of junk.
 
They said the same thing about the M305 in 7.62x51 when they first came out as well.
I like mine just fine. I've got about 300 rounds of various types of ammo through it now with 0 failures. It's far more accurate than any SKS I've ever owned though that could be down to the fact I shoot better with Peep sights. Yes it's heavier than at mini 30 but if you want to pay more for an investment cast rifle that isn't at any more accurate fill your boots. Ironically, with the exception of final finishing of the receiver, build quality between this gun and the Ruger seem roughly the same.
I'm not a huge fan of the ejector though it has proven to be quite durable. I am also missing empty magazine bolt hold open but I guess you can't have everything. I've been getting anywhere from 2 to 3 1/2 inch 100 yard groups depending on the brand of ammunition used though I suspect it will do much better with an optic. Honestly I haven't spent much Time shooting it on paper though as it's just so much fun to blast away with. It's no M1A national match but it's far from a piece of junk.

Thanks for the response .
To be honest I don't need one just to shoot cheap ammo . I have many SKS's & SKS-D . also not comparing to a Mini 30 or Springfield M1A NM as I already have both. The only thing I don't like about these M305-B's is the stock & short barrel & flash hider . If I get one I'm hoping the stock can be swapped with a standard M14 or M1a wood stock & from the pictures I see of them I should be able to swap the flash hider with a regular full length M14 type . I too don't like the look with the 30/5 AK mag (too long) But I have lots of SKS-D 10/5 AK mags that would take care of that .
Can any one confirm the stock is interchangeable ?
 
They said the same thing about the M305 in 7.62x51 when they first came out as well.
I like mine just fine. I've got about 300 rounds of various types of ammo through it now with 0 failures. It's far more accurate than any SKS I've ever owned though that could be down to the fact I shoot better with Peep sights. Yes it's heavier than at mini 30 but if you want to pay more for an investment cast rifle that isn't at any more accurate fill your boots. Ironically, with the exception of final finishing of the receiver, build quality between this gun and the Ruger seem roughly the same.
I'm not a huge fan of the ejector though it has proven to be quite durable. I am also missing empty magazine bolt hold open but I guess you can't have everything. I've been getting anywhere from 2 to 3 1/2 inch 100 yard groups depending on the brand of ammunition used though I suspect it will do much better with an optic. Honestly I haven't spent much Time shooting it on paper though as it's just so much fun to blast away with. It's no M1A national match but it's far from a piece of junk.

Pretty much any SKS I have owned will do 2- 3.5 inches at 100 yds.....
 
Pretty much any SKS I have owned will do 2- 3.5 inches at 100 yds.....

When I was younger I could get these kinds of groups with an SKS but no longer. Now I have to have an optic fitted. The fact I can achieve this level of success is testament to the sights and accuracy of the rifle.
As to stock interchangeability all I can say is the front magazine catch is part of the magazine well liner. Any stock you wish to use will have to accept the liner or have a part added to hold the front of the magazine in place. You'll also have to use the original trigger housing as it has the upper magazine stop as well.
I still have a couple SKS's but find myself reaching for this rifle when I'm looking to do a bit of cheap blasting.
 
I picked up an M305A a couple of months ago. It has worked flawlessly since day one and round one. The AK mags looked stupid so I just cut them off and re-attached the floorplates. I also replaced the shorty flash hider with a "Normal" Length one because I just hated the look of that short one.

Accuracy was, out of the box, about 2.5 moa, (100 yards) with Chinese ball, with handloads I was doing 1.5 moa. Trigger pull is crisp and clean and the sights are typical Chinese M-14, M305 type, lock em down!

Mine is being glass bedded into a nice wooden stock as I type this, the stock liner has already been transfered to the new stock as it is required for magazine retention.

As to the no hold open catch problem, using the hold open catch as the ejector was actually quite a brilliant move on the part of our Chinese brothers, as there is no AK mag in existence that has the capability to actuate a hold open catch. (There are those that will hold the bolt back with the follower of the magazine but when the magazine is removed, using considerable force to do so, the bolt simply slams forward). Using the hold open catch as the ejector also makes the angle of ejection a lot lower so if you intend on fitting the rifle with an optic of some description, the empty brass will not strike the mount or optic. It also gets rid of 2 parts from the bolt, namely the ejector and ejector spring. I had a good friend 3d print me a "Chamber Flag" that holds the bolt all the way to the rear and when inserted makes it impossible to chamber a round.

During the 10 round rapid fire portion of our regular matches, 200m prone in 30 seconds from 2 magazines, shoot 4, change the mag and finish the string.

Speaking of ejection, smart and positive and into about a 3' circle about 8' to the right. Handloads go about the same distance but into a smaller circle.

These rifles, in my opinion, are a good buy. Cheaper by half than a Ruger Mini 30 and way more accurate than an SKS with a really nice trigger and proper aperture sights. They are also a good vehicle to get new and smaller shooters and women into shooting full bore military matches with a rifle that will not kick them and is far cheaper to shoot that it's full bore .308 cousin.

For those in the Edmonton area, our next Service Rifle match at the Canadian Historical Arm Society range will be the 10th of September and will be an NRA large bore match with a course of fire of:

10 rounds standing unsupported (no sling) in 10 minutes,
10 rounds kneeling in 10 minutes,
10 rounds sitting in 1 minute, and
10 rounds prone in 1 minute.

Note, all stages begin standing with a full magazine inserted and an empty chamber, on the command "Fire" the shooter adopts the appropriate firing position, charges their rifle and starts firing.

Scott
 
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