2013 Norinco M305 issues

Dling

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Okay, so I succumbed to all the positive feed back about the 2013 batch of rifles. Ordered one and received it today. I have to say, the finish on this one compared to my 2012...it might as well be an LRB build ;) Not to mention the fact that it actually seems to be properly indexed! There are some issues though:

1) Flash hider castle nut has been torqued on by a gorilla (expected it from the other posts on here already)
2) My Sadlak op rod guide and spring aren't quite aligned properly
3) Fails the trigger/hammer test when dropped into my USGI stock
4) Trigger guard doesn't lock up

The first two I can live with as I'll figure them out at some point when I'm not as frustrated (just spent 4 hours messing with the the thing). The last two issues I'm not familiar with. I'm assuming for the hammer test, I remove material from the stock where the feet of the trigger housing sit until it sits close enough to the receiver to latch on properly?

The trigger guard not locking up kind of has me at a loss. It's pretty heavy gauge stuff it seems so I'm not even going to attempt reshaping it. How hard would it be to replace? I figure for the cost of shipping a rifle back I might as well just throw a trigger guard into an order I was half planning on making anyway.

Pictures of the trigger guard:
yfxr.jpg

oow8.jpg
 
The trigger gaurd won't lock in your norinco stock? Or just usgi stock?

When you remove material on the stock pads where the trigger "wings" sit, you also must remove same amount from the two pads in the stock where the rear of trigger housing sits.
Removal in these areas must be even to keep trigger housing parallel to action.

Are you using a M1A or GI type spring with your sadlak guide rod? Chinese spring will be too tight.
 
The trigger gaurd won't lock in your norinco stock? Or just usgi stock?

It won't lock on either one, nor will it lock outside of either stock. I'll try and get a comparison photo between my new trigger group and 2012 trigger group that does lock up. Looked like it was out of shape last night when I compared the two, but by that point I was pretty tired.

Update: just to add clarity, the trigger guard locks into the receiver lugs, but the tail end didn't lock up at the rear of the housing. So far I've managed to 'convince' it to at least make an audible 'click' into place. I think it'll be fine for now, but I can still pop it out and bring the hammer back with if fairly easily.

When you remove material on the stock pads where the trigger "wings" sit, you also must remove same amount from the two pads in the stock where the rear of trigger housing sits.
Removal in these areas must be even to keep trigger housing parallel to action.

Ah, okay, makes sense. Is there a suggested method? Small needle files work okay?

Are you using a M1A or GI type spring with your sadlak guide rod? Chinese spring will be too tight.
It's a USGI/American spec spring from treelinem14's online store. I'm wondering if maybe my guide tail may have bent a little as it's the one from my 2012 and it doesn't pass the tilt test as it pushed off the shoulder of the barrel every time?
 
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Well now that's a bold statement...
How about some nice close up pics of the receiver finish?

If they are half as good as an LRB it would be excellent.

I wasn't putting it literally in comparison with an LRB. Just trying to make a point that the finish on my 2013 is considerably better than my 2012. It still has marks on it in various places but at least it doesn't look like it was made with a chisel and hammer. Trust me, if I could trade it in or afford an LRB build, I'd do it a heartbeat. Apologies if I've confused anyone.
 
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No confusion, the rest of us got what you meant ;)
The guy you quoted has been trolling and being a nuisance elsewhere too.
Sunray... We tolerate hehehehe this guy... Maybe not so much :D

But anyways. If the rifle came new with a trigger group that won't lock into the stock it came with.... I'd probably ask the retailer for an exchange.
Although, it's probably something easy to iron out on yer own with a lil help from the many experienced and friendly folks that hang here.

I'm heading hunting and will be off the grid for a few days, here's hopin you've got er fixed and are smilin by the time I get back hehehe

And ya, the receiver finish "is" quite nice for a chinese rifle eh?
 
Sorry to highjack, would someone mind posting some closeup pics of the finish on these rifles? Thinking about picking one up, just curious how good they are in comparison to previous years.
 
Sorry to highjack, would someone mind posting some closeup pics of the finish on these rifles? Thinking about picking one up, just curious how good they are in comparison to previous years.
I'll try and get some up when I have access to a computer. Mine needs some tlc at the moment.


No confusion, the rest of us got what you meant ;)
The guy you quoted has been trolling and being a nuisance elsewhere too.
Sunray... We tolerate hehehehe this guy... Maybe not so much :D

But anyways. If the rifle came new with a trigger group that won't lock into the stock it came with.... I'd probably ask the retailer for an exchange.
Although, it's probably something easy to iron out on yer own with a lil help from the many experienced and friendly folks that hang here.

I'm heading hunting and will be off the grid for a few days, here's hopin you've got er fixed and are smilin by the time I get back hehehe

And ya, the receiver finish "is" quite nice for a chinese rifle eh?

Haha yeah for sure. I definitely would've been more surprised had I not already read the few reviews on this site for them. I'm strongly considering Barney's m14 clinic in a couple weeks so long as I can get my pc up and running again without breaking the bank too hard. I'm sure I can get things sorted out then if I do. Good luck with the hunt 45! And not to worry, even with the issues I'm smiling at the rough diamond sitting underneath:D
 
Sorry to highjack, would someone mind posting some closeup pics of the finish on these rifles? Thinking about picking one up, just curious how good they are in comparison to previous years.

Click on the picture for larger images. Didn't bother snapping a pic of the flash hider as it's way off to one side as usual and will be replaced once I manage to get that castle nut off...


Forgot to paint in the elevation line d'oh! (sights are BM-59, not the Norinco ones)

The whitish green blotches on the bottom of the receiver heel is paint off my stock.



Note the bolt doesn't look like it's been hacked at with any extra tools or anything


I found the biggest finishing differences between my 2012 and 2013 to be the quality of the notches for the rear sight and the barrel shoulder area



Took my trigger assembly apart and stuck my trigger guard in a vice. Worked like a charm. I think I've also figured out the issue to my op rod guide. Seems like there's too much material and it isn't travelling back far enough. Will file some material away at some point and see what happens.
 
Bro you should get a white crayon just steal it from a kid so you can engrave your name on the receiver and make it look cool after

Also, does that rifle have welded magazine plates at the bottom?
 
My trigger group was a ##### to get back into the stock and clamp shut the first few times I did it on my new 2013. Was so tough to close the trigger guard up that I thought I was going to bend it.... but by the 3rd n 4th time it was pretty smooth.
 
Bro you should get a white crayon just steal it from a kid so you can engrave your name on the receiver and make it look cool after

Also, does that rifle have welded magazine plates at the bottom?

ha: I think the white paint will suffice. To be honest, I haven't even gotten around to checking the magazine yet. Assuming it's like the other Marstar magazines I ordered a while ago, it shouldn't be, but don't take my word for it lol.

My trigger group was a ##### to get back into the stock and clamp shut the first few times I did it on my new 2013. Was so tough to close the trigger guard up that I thought I was going to bend it.... but by the 3rd n 4th time it was pretty smooth.

Heh, complete opposite of mine apparently! I tinker a fair amount so hopefully everything wears in real quick. There's a small burr on my oprod track that I'll probably end up dressing out too.
 
Is the rifle in question a shorty or standard length one?

The dimensions of the short rifle receivers are slightly different and will not allow the trigger group to close on a USGI synthetic stock. Not only did another poster show pics of his (having too remove material around the bottom of the stock to make it fit), but I had the same problem with my shorty when I tried it with one of my USGI fiberglass stocks. The standard length rifles from previous years all fit into them no problem.
 
Is the rifle in question a shorty or standard length one?

The dimensions of the short rifle receivers are slightly different and will not allow the trigger group to close on a USGI synthetic stock. Not only did another poster show pics of his (having too remove material around the bottom of the stock to make it fit), but I had the same problem with my shorty when I tried it with one of my USGI fiberglass stocks. The standard length rifles from previous years all fit into them no problem.

It's a standard length, so no issues there. I'm using the same stock my 2012 was in. Unfortunately, this one isn't quite a drop in fit as I'm going to have to remove some material so the hammer passes the safety check.
 
Click on the picture for larger images. Didn't bother snapping a pic of the flash hider as it's way off to one side as usual and will be replaced once I manage to get that castle nut off...


I found the biggest finishing differences between my 2012 and 2013 to be the quality of the notches for the rear sight and the barrel shoulder area

Thanks for posting the close up pics Dling.
I actually have one of these on order, so I was curious what to expect from current availability.
As you said, it does look like an improvement over others of the past.

I also have an LRB but the way I have it configured is much too heavy for carrying in the woods, so I thought a Norc would be fine for that.
I hope mine looks comparable to yours when it arrives.
 
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...I remove material from the stock where the feet of the trigger housing sit until it sits close enough to the receiver to latch on properly?

Don't know if you found it already, but Chalkriver was kind enough to post a pic in the Test After Assembly sticky:
http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/foru...ter-assembly?p=6377356&viewfull=1#post6377356

Shorty1c.jpg


If the new trigger guard is the problematic one, why not shave material off of it instead of the stock?
Otherwise, won't your other M305 trigger group be too loose in the USGI stock?
 
Click on the picture for larger images. Didn't bother snapping a pic of the flash hider as it's way off to one side as usual and will be replaced once I manage to get that castle nut off...


Forgot to paint in the elevation line d'oh! (sights are BM-59, not the Norinco ones)

The whitish green blotches on the bottom of the receiver heel is paint off my stock.



Note the bolt doesn't look like it's been hacked at with any extra tools or anything


I found the biggest finishing differences between my 2012 and 2013 to be the quality of the notches for the rear sight and the barrel shoulder area



Took my trigger assembly apart and stuck my trigger guard in a vice. Worked like a charm. I think I've also figured out the issue to my op rod guide. Seems like there's too much material and it isn't travelling back far enough. Will file some material away at some point and see what happens.

By your first pic it looks like your barrel is over indexed thus your front sight being off angled.
 
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