M14 Norinco Flash Hider, Require Guidance/Information/Help

Travis Bickle

Travis Bickle

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Alright, here's one for the more informed regarding the Norinco Flash Hiders on the M14's.

I have a great stock condition 2007 M14.

I always though the barrel was off index as my front sight post and assembly cants to the right as you look down the barrel.

Had it looked at by Hungry himself and he assured me the barrel was properly indexed. Good news so far.

It shoots great but having to set the windage way off to adjust for it and the wonky sight picture I got with it has driven me nuts for a long time now.

I finally knocked off the flash hider. Again, checked the splines in the barrel threads and they seem to line up just fine with the center of the barrel.

I picked up a second Norc flash hider for cheap thinking mine was just off from a bad day at factory 63.

This one sits on canted even further to the right than the first :(

What the hell is going on? Is it my barrel? Is it the machining of the splines that are off altogether in the threads of the barrel? Is every 9 out of 10 Norc flash hiders' splines machined off center to the front sight post?

I don't need to have GI spec parts or the most expensive hot shot tactical pieces, no time or money to waste on that stuff, I just want a front sight post that isn't canted way off to the side.

What are my options here? What the heck is going on with my barrel here? The M14 is my go to rifles and my all around favorite of the few guns I own and now it's in the locker N/S with no front sight on her at all :(

Help! lol
 
Travis Bickle said:
Okay.....

What do I do? What is the problem? Is it the machining of the splines in the barrel that are off?
Click to expand...

No. It is my opinion that the machining of the sight base that is off to the splines on the flash hider, the flash hider's ports and the hider in general.

I have "looked over" mine pretty good and found all the parts to be aligned and indexed right... until I noticed the base of the front sight isn't "square" with the hider's splines. My Norc has a front sight out enough that if I put the windage dead centre it is out 8" at 100 yards. My old one is worse (the one I split nearly in two after drilling the welds).

If you take it off and look at it from the "action end" you might notice a slight "off centre" to the base compared to the splines, maybe a degree or so, so little that in your hand you would turn the thing without thinking to level it up: on the barrel it puts the sight out.

Just my opinion, mine you now... :yingyang:
 
My problem went away when I got a Springfield flash hider. I doubt the splines on the barrel are off, though pictures would help.
 
What a coincidence.
I had EXACTLY the same problem and Hungry even confirmed indexing OK.
It never realy bothered me as I use the scope with these worn out eyeballs. However.......In pursuit of my missing " PING " I bought a couple of Keepshootin Flash hiders. The canted sight thing is sorted and it fits straight on and the old castlenut still fits and .............I bought two of the things :)
I didn't want to spend uberbucks on a Gucci FH that was only cosmetic to me..
It has a nice healthy "PING" as fitted but Ive yet to fire it...........
The Keepshootin FH comes to about 60 bucks shipped if ya buy one.......it started out at 38 but with shippin and all them taxes it made sense to get 2 and flog one. :)
PM me if your interested in a NEW in the bag FH

FLASH HIDER ALREADY SOLD
 
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Aniest said:
No. It is my opinion that the machining of the sight base that is off to the splines on the flash hider, the flash hider's ports and the hider in general.

I have "looked over" mine pretty good and found all the parts to be aligned and indexed right... until I noticed the base of the front sight isn't "square" with the hider's splines. My Norc has a front sight out enough that if I put the windage dead centre it is out 8" at 100 yards. My old one is worse (the one I split nearly in two after drilling the welds).

If you take it off and look at it from the "action end" you might notice a slight "off centre" to the base compared to the splines, maybe a degree or so, so little that in your hand you would turn the thing without thinking to level it up: on the barrel it puts the sight out.

Just my opinion, mine you now... :yingyang:
Click to expand...

Lost...again said:
What a coincidence.
I had EXACTLY the same problem and Hungry even confirmed indexing OK.
It never realy bothered me as I use the scope with these worn out eyeballs. However.......In pursuit of my missing " PING " I bought a couple of Keepshootin Flash hiders. The canted sight thing is sorted and it fits straight on and the old castlenut still fits and .............I bought two of the things :)
I didn't want to spend uberbucks on a Gucci FH that was only cosmetic to me..
It has a nice healthy "PING" as fitted but Ive yet to fire it...........
The Keepshootin FH comes to about 60 bucks shipped if ya buy one.......it started out at 38 but with shippin and all them taxes it made sense to get 2 and flog one. :)
PM me if your interested in a NEW in the bag FH
Click to expand...

Haza!

You're right, it is the base that is not machined in line with the splines!

Mine was the same, with my windage centered I was hitting almost a foot to the right!

Awesome guys, thanks.

So what am I looking at for the cheapest North American made version here? I don't want any fancy nonsense. Just a bare bones original style hider that will do it's job but with a straight post lol
 
Same issue too, got A FS from Hungry and he indexed my m14 barrel as well, just waiting on a new USGI front sight to come in from treelinem14, I'm excited to see how it shoots when I put it all back together.
 
I was just wondering if the Norinco high school shop class machined those flash suppressors during an earthquake and maybe after since the machines were no longer calibrated properly. :D Funny, eh?

Once I put the M1A flash hiders ON and determined that the barrels were not off-index, I began to blame the factory flash suppressors. No biggie here. :)

I'm still rocking an old school M1A that "pings" and like any accessory, it's gotta work for YOU! or your cool factor anyways. :D

Cheers,
Barney
 
I just hope the one I picked up will fix the problem.

I'm nervous that it is unlikely that two Norc flash hiders in a row would have the splines not properly aligned with the front sight base but apparently this is extremely common?

I always expected a few to be that off here and there but apparently it's like 9 out of 10.
 
Hungry said:
I was just wondering if the Norinco high school shop class machined those flash suppressors during an earthquake and maybe after since the machines were no longer calibrated properly. :D Funny, eh?

Once I put the M1A flash hiders ON and determined that the barrels were not off-index, I began to blame the factory flash suppressors. No biggie here. :)


I'm still rocking an old school M1A that "pings" and like any accessory, it's gotta work for YOU! or your cool factor anyways. :D

Cheers,
Barney
Click to expand...


They have a high school.?
 
Travis Bickle said:
Haza!

You're right, it is the base that is not machined in line with the splines!
Click to expand...

Nice to be able to help. The Norc M14 was the first firearm I took the legendary "Yer #### WON'T Fall Off" attitude with and 'went to town' tearing it apart to find out how it pinged, so to speak. :p

All thanks to this guy:

Hungry said:
I was just wondering if the Norinco high school shop class machined those flash suppressors during an earthquake and maybe after since the machines were no longer calibrated properly. :D Funny, eh?
Click to expand...

Ahhhh.... no. Not funny. The fail in the flash hiders is not amusing...

Laugh2

Anyhoo. I think in China they call 'shop class' the 'Cheep Chit' class.
 
I have so many out of spec flash hiders in my scrap norinco parts bucket you would be stunned LOL

there is nothing that can be done to repair or fix it other than to replace it.
Springfield armoury has a more than adequate replacement, that in my experience, fits norinco barrels just fine. You reuse your castlenut but make sure the replacement flash hider has the castlenut locking screw.

As long as the barrel splineways aren't out of spec, once the new flash hider is in place, barrel index can be verified using alignment bars, as shown in the M14 stickies in the posts by Skullboy.

That's about it :D
 
Travis Bickle said:
Haza!

You're right, it is the base that is not machined in line with the splines!

Mine was the same, with my windage centered I was hitting almost a foot to the right!

Awesome guys, thanks.

So what am I looking at for the cheapest North American made version here? I don't want any fancy nonsense. Just a bare bones original style hider that will do it's job but with a straight post lol
Click to expand...

Hi I was wondering if you'll keep us informed when you get a new F/H, and does it work? I of course seem to have the same issue but arrived at differently. Kind of a stumper for me. I have 2 305s and swapped the hiders(both were drifted way right to begin with prior to F/H exchange). Went to the range with mechanical zeros and low an behold, all of a sudden one rifle is dead on with all sights centerd and the other is still way off. Indexing seems(could well be wrong) fine, in regard to gas hole and op rod alignment. Bent barrel? It seems to group still. So... I'm wondering if this is fixable with a better hider and did it work for you? Cheers.
 
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