Interested in M305

flyingdutchman1988

flyingdutchman1988

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Hi Everyone. I just recently obtained my PAL and the Polytec M305 has caught my attention from wolverinesupplies.com. I have done hours of reading on various forums and watched reviews on YouTube and have mixed responses on whether or not this is a good purchase. I am very keen on the M14 system but don't like the idea of forking over $2,500+ for a Springfield Armory. I don't mind doing the work but I have little experience with this and don't trust myself entirely for anything major. I live in Ottawa and to my knowledge there is only one gunsmith locally and the only things I've heard about them is negative. I'd have to ship the rifle away for any machining and serious.

I have come to understand that one should put in a USGI bolt, and a new gas piston and cylinder. A National Match Op-rod and spring are recommended too to improve accuracy. It's very clear that the forged receiver and chrome lined barrel are exceptional and don't need to be replaced. Any confirmation on the above would be appreciated.

Again, I'm new to the firearm world but I really am interested and excited in making this work.

In addition, I also have a few questions that I hope someone could help me answer.

1. Do I have ship my rifle away with a USGI bolt to have it installed or is it an easy swap?

2. Do I have to do the same if I need a new gas piston and cylinder?

3. What else should be replaced (if anything) to improve reliability and accuracy?

4. I know I need to be aware of the head space when I first look at it but what else should I look for?

5. If I have to ship the rifle away, where are reliable places anyone knows about? (preferably in Canada)

6. Is everything I've heard true or do I even need to do anything to make this a solid rifle.

Any information and help would be beyond appreciated. Thank you Canadian Gun Nutz!
 
do a little DEEPER research and you'll find that THESE GUNS SHOOT RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX- the articles you're reading are based on the old issue and somewhat BIASED OPINION of clint mckee- who works for fulton - they haven't seen a new norc in the us since 94 or so-and the ones we have in canada are LIGHT YEARS from those, although there was nothing wrong with a great deal of those to begin with
now, seeing as you're in the ottawa area, and MARSTAR is in van leek hill, can you draw a conclusion?- like phone them up and see if they have them in stock- marstar also has a 1 year ironclad guarentee- basically, if there's something wrong, john will probably make it right- a lot of the "guys" with them follow the same motto- then buy yourself a spot at one of hungry's clinics and TAKE NOTES like crazy
that alone kind of makes all of your other questions moot
the reason that you hear a lot of negative publicity ( mostly from gunsmiths, btw) is that want you to buy the springy0 that and the fact that a lot of them don't know squat about the m1/m14 and they SHOULD seeing as it's been around so long - others associate chinese with junk( which really is a boat) and refuse to work on anything chinese
well, the NUMBERS sold and the numbers returned to marstar et al simply do not bear this out- sure there's the ODD one, but considering it's a production line, the odds of you getting a lemon are pretty small- even smaller after you've done one of hungry's clinics
 
flyingdutchman1988 said:
Hi Everyone. I just recently obtained my PAL and the Polytec M305 has caught my attention from wolverinesupplies.com. I have done hours of reading on various forums and watched reviews on YouTube and have mixed responses on whether or not this is a good purchase. I am very keen on the M14 system but don't like the idea of forking over $2,500+ for a Springfield Armory. I don't mind doing the work but I have little experience with this and don't trust myself entirely for anything major. I live in Ottawa and to my knowledge there is only one gunsmith locally and the only things I've heard about them is negative. I'd have to ship the rifle away for any machining and serious.

I have come to understand that one should put in a USGI bolt, and a new gas piston and cylinder. A National Match Op-rod and spring are recommended too to improve accuracy. It's very clear that the forged receiver and chrome lined barrel are exceptional and don't need to be replaced. Any confirmation on the above would be appreciated.

Again, I'm new to the firearm world but I really am interested and excited in making this work.

In addition, I also have a few questions that I hope someone could help me answer.

1. Do I have ship my rifle away with a USGI bolt to have it installed or is it an easy swap?

2. Do I have to do the same if I need a new gas piston and cylinder?

3. What else should be replaced (if anything) to improve reliability and accuracy?

4. I know I need to be aware of the head space when I first look at it but what else should I look for?

5. If I have to ship the rifle away, where are reliable places anyone knows about? (preferably in Canada)

6. Is everything I've heard true or do I even need to do anything to make this a solid rifle.

Any information and help would be beyond appreciated. Thank you Canadian Gun Nutz!
Click to expand...

1) if you do change bolts, it will have to be fitted and headspaced by a smith that is familiar with garand/m14- that might mean lapping, etc- it is NOT a drop in
2)you don't need a new gas system- the one on the norc does just fine- the only diff is the usgi is slightly diff dimensions
3) every rifle is different; therefore there are different "remedies" for each problem- typically, unitizing the gas unit and replacing the rear sight does more to improve accuracy- and the garand rear sight works just fine- you don't need the really expensive m14 sight
and send hungry 3 fired cases and he'll tell you what the headspace is and what else you need-YOU won't be able to judge headspace with the naked eye- if you can, you have anal visual problems
if you decide that you want work done out of warranty- i'd recommend the m14doctor, but be prepared to wait for a while- he's VERY busy-
but i'd ck with hungry FIRST - it might be a simple fix
personally, i'd get at least 2-that way you have a back-up
personally , i have 4( 3 usgi and 1 old norc- which , incidentally has NONE of the problems mentioned in the clint mckee article) and am looking at getting a couple more
 
Ok wow..Thank you sir.. very informative. Yes and I did notice that the majority of the negative points made about the M305 came from people who didn't even own one and shot a friend of a friends. Very few owners complaining. I just don't want to regret the purchase, and wanted a straight up answer with someone who has one like yourself. I should have mentioned before that I plan on replacing the stock off the bat with a VLTOR or JAE-100 later on. I'm primarily concerned with the guts.

And thank you for the MARSTAR location in van leek hill info. Ill be sure to contact them as soon as I have the cash rounded up. Praying on a good tax return!

Thank you so much sir! All the best!
 
I have a Norc M305. I believe it is 2011 model. The front site is poorly indexed, with a slight cant to the left. Overall the rifle is fairly crudely finished. The rifle out of the bag was very hard on the hands with many sharp edges on the plastic stock-not a big deal but it requires knocking off the sharp edges with a fine abrasive paper. The magazine release is a little difficult to operate and is kind of hard on the fingers as well. The mags are sometimes difficult to lock, but are improving with use. The rear sight does not ratchet smoothly, but has not failed yet, I don't feel like dropping $100-$200 for a replacement sight (I work for a living). I currently have about 120 rounds of cheap ammo down the pipe, accuracy of the rifle is less than stellar (but I understand it is ammo sensitive) and as of the last time shooting, it is worsening. On this last outing the bolt slammed into the back of the receiver and jammed there. I was able to dislodge it finding the left ear of the bolt had come out of the guide track. After dislodging the bolt I inspected the rifle, and cycled it manually several times. It appeared to operate smoothly. I reloaded and fired the rile and within 2 shots the bolt completely dislodged from both guide tracks. I reinspected the rifle and found the the operating rod guide to be quite loose, and suspect this is the cause of my problem.
I don't think I trust this rifle very much. I certainly am hesitant about letting my son fire it. I certainly would not take it hunting without a backup rifle in the truck.
Contrary to what you read , I find that a good scope mount does not cost $200.- I find that a good mount costs ~$200 plus an additional $50 for the cheek riser you almost certainly will require as the scope will become fairly high.
But funny enough I do like it and hope to improve it somewhat without braking the bank.- I just wanted to temper your expectations.With a scope it is a economical choice -By the pound .
 
If you live in an area where you could go to a gunshop to handle a potential buy, the two most common issues I'd look for are barrel indexing and whether the rear sight adjust properly (should click when turned), which could save you $80-100 on finding and replacing the latter. Otherwise, a careful disassembly/reassembly of the rear sites might work, but you won't know until you do it. If the barrel indexing is off a tiny bit you could simply adjust the sites to compensate (POI would change at different ranges though) or just mount a scope and not worry about it. The barrel indexing can be changed with a vise at one of Hungrey's clinics.

If you do want to mount a scope, I would suggest doing it right from the start and purchasing an ARMS 18 mount. The the cycling action of the M305 is hard on optics, but a 10X Bushnell 3200 is a reasonably priced, reliable option. I've yet to complete this step, but hope to have one set up this summer.

An Op Rod Spring Guide is a good approx $40 addition that could help tighten things up and doesn't require gunsmithing to install, but you could add that later. Other tweaks can be learned at Hungry's clinics and applied to the rifle as desired.

I got a 2009 M305 that has worked fine without any mods (good sights and indexing) but I have to take my time between shots to avoid vertical stringing on account of the front stock ferrule being too long and contacting a part attached to the barrel (forgot the name). There's a stick about that but it's not anything major to fix and only seems to happen with the more recent synthetic stocks. Many people like to purchase a USGI fibreglass or wood stocks for these rifles, but that's simply a nice to have that can wait.

My recent M305 short rifle does have off indexing on the barrel, and the sights will have to be dissassembled and checked to see if they're salvagable. If you do some research, I think that they could usually be fixed with just two pieces of the Garand site to save some money.

I hope that helps. I'm not as handy tweaking things and appreciate the desire to at least have something that's shootable out of the box.
 
flyingdutchman1988 said:
Hi Everyone. I just recently obtained my PAL and the Polytec M305 has caught my attention from wolverinesupplies.com. I have done hours of reading on various forums and watched reviews on YouTube and have mixed responses on whether or not this is a good purchase. I am very keen on the M14 system but don't like the idea of forking over $2,500+ for a Springfield Armory. I don't mind doing the work but I have little experience with this and don't trust myself entirely for anything major. I live in Ottawa and to my knowledge there is only one gunsmith locally and the only things I've heard about them is negative. I'd have to ship the rifle away for any machining and serious.

I have come to understand that one should put in a USGI bolt, and a new gas piston and cylinder. A National Match Op-rod and spring are recommended too to improve accuracy. It's very clear that the forged receiver and chrome lined barrel are exceptional and don't need to be replaced. Any confirmation on the above would be appreciated.

Again, I'm new to the firearm world but I really am interested and excited in making this work.

In addition, I also have a few questions that I hope someone could help me answer.

1. Do I have ship my rifle away with a USGI bolt to have it installed or is it an easy swap?

2. Do I have to do the same if I need a new gas piston and cylinder?

3. What else should be replaced (if anything) to improve reliability and accuracy?

4. I know I need to be aware of the head space when I first look at it but what else should I look for?

5. If I have to ship the rifle away, where are reliable places anyone knows about? (preferably in Canada)

6. Is everything I've heard true or do I even need to do anything to make this a solid rifle.

Any information and help would be beyond appreciated. Thank you Canadian Gun Nutz!
Click to expand...


I totally understand as I have recently done the same research as you seem to have. I had many worries about head space, gas shims, accuracy, etc... but I ordered one from SFRC last dec.... works flawlessly, not sniper accurate.... but what can you expect for 400. Its a fun gun to shoot, and now my only worry about it is how can I afford to spend 40 bucks on ammo every time i get to take her out!! :D maybe i got lucky but the only mod i have made is filing a burr off the charging handle
 
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I purchased mine in 1990. The serial # is well under 200. It has never had a single problem, and has fired thousands of rounds. Buy one and start reloading !
 
I owned a 2007 M305S for about 3 years, and sold it at the Chilliwack gun show in March. Was an OK rifle,but I am a MilSurp guy, so it wasn't really my thing.
 
I've got a couple. They're the best $400 rifles I've bought. One needed a new trigger group, and both needed new flash hiders, but Marstar stepped up to the plate like champs. Taking the rifles to bits and figuring out how they work and tweaking and tuning and upgrading them has been piles of fun.

And shooting them? They're all the fun of plinking with a 10/22, with thirty times the boom and doom. If you want a pretty, finely finished example of the gunmaker's art these are not the rifle for you. But if you want a rugged, powerful, affordable, easily upgraded rifle for hunting, tacticLOLization, plinking, or whatever, these are hard to beat.

And talk to Hungry about the Petawawa clinic this weekend. His clinics are fun, hugely educational, and this Sunday is going to involve shooting at the 600 meter range on the Base. He deserves a medal for running these things.
 
Sluggo_m14 said:
I have a Norc M305. I believe it is 2011 model. The front site is poorly indexed, with a slight cant to the left. Overall the rifle is fairly crudely finished. The rifle out of the bag was very hard on the hands with many sharp edges on the plastic stock-not a big deal but it requires knocking off the sharp edges with a fine abrasive paper. The magazine release is a little difficult to operate and is kind of hard on the fingers as well. The mags are sometimes difficult to lock, but are improving with use. The rear sight does not ratchet smoothly, but has not failed yet, I don't feel like dropping $100-$200 for a replacement sight (I work for a living). I currently have about 120 rounds of cheap ammo down the pipe, accuracy of the rifle is less than stellar (but I understand it is ammo sensitive) and as of the last time shooting, it is worsening. On this last outing the bolt slammed into the back of the receiver and jammed there. I was able to dislodge it finding the left ear of the bolt had come out of the guide track. After dislodging the bolt I inspected the rifle, and cycled it manually several times. It appeared to operate smoothly. I reloaded and fired the rile and within 2 shots the bolt completely dislodged from both guide tracks. I reinspected the rifle and found the the operating rod guide to be quite loose, and suspect this is the cause of my problem.
I don't think I trust this rifle very much. I certainly am hesitant about letting my son fire it. I certainly would not take it hunting without a backup rifle in the truck.
Contrary to what you read , I find that a good scope mount does not cost $200.- I find that a good mount costs ~$200 plus an additional $50 for the cheek riser you almost certainly will require as the scope will become fairly high.
But funny enough I do like it and hope to improve it somewhat without braking the bank.- I just wanted to temper your expectations.With a scope it is a economical choice -By the pound .
Click to expand...

with all that crap going on, why isn't there any mention of getting on to marstar about a replacement?- mine's a 1990 model and NEVER had a speck of trouble -and i DO trust mine with my life, now that my isrealis have been confined to the safe
as far as the mag release goes, it's just stiff- works in over time- did you miss the bit about the garand rear sight- they're NOT 200 bucks - we get ours from a guy in italy- i've never had to replace mine, but there it is
 
funny, i just cked e-bay and there's one for 65us- and the location is northern italy- it closes in 2 +hours
 
Like I said I still like the rifle- But this is just my honest experience with it,and I dont think it is totally atypical, from what I have read. Even if I did get from Marstar ( I did not- I don't think he had any when I bought this rifle), I would'nt return it at this point, It has not become unserviceable and I intend to make it into a better rifle.
 
Dutchman,

Sometimes it is hard to distinguish good advice from utter nonsense and bias. I bought my Poly 305 back in 2010. It shot great right out of the box. The rear sight was functional, the front sight was good, the op rod and the piston were great.

I got a little freaked out with all the nonsense of the headspace issue and that stupid debate of 308 vs Nato ammo. Found out, my rifle headspace was well with Nato specs. Life was good. I reload so I adopted a technique to save brass. I also took a Clinic from Hungry. Best weekend I ever spent, other than my honeymoon, we took those things apart several times and re-assembled just as many. You should do the same, you will gain quite the appreciation for that rifle.

I am also an anal shooter, so after becoming quite comfortable with the rifle, I wanted to tweek it to get more out of it (read tighter groups). That was when I bought a new bolt, installed it, had to buy new springs too, and an oprod. Life is really good now. I mounted a scope and cheek riser, but removed it shortly after because the rifle was a little too ungainly (12 f**k'in pounds!) for bush work. Yuk Yuk!

At the clinic, you will learn about your rifle and whether you need to do any work first. Remember, I did not HAVE to spend the extra money for the improvements, I wanted to, big difference. My total cost is still well under the over-hyped M1A and I have a better quality rifle now, in my opinion.
 
t-star said:
funny, i just cked e-bay and there's one for 65us- and the location is northern italy- it closes in 2 +hours
Click to expand...

I checked on fleabay and found the ad, it isnt Andy and he only has 1 left for sale now...cuz I bought one ..lol
Thanks T- star

The ad runs for 2 more days

$72.09 delivered (if some one is going to use iron sights jump on this quick!! )

h ttp://www.ebay.ca/itm/320887851615?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
 
Thank you everyone! Ok thats my plan then. Unfortunately I can't make the clinic this weekend...that was a lot sooner than I would have imagined! I will definitely make a point of buying the rifle in person and will definitely take it to hungrys clinic to see what needs to be done. I will but a scope on it but I plan on putting either a VLTOR or JAE100 stock on it. Any issues with the stock don't really matter. You have all been very helpful with answering my questions and concerns.
 
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