A couple m305 questions

84wh1

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Hey guys,

I've been saving for a tavor for a little bit now and have about half the money saved (tavor is my dream rifle). Anyways, I'm starting to get a little ancy now and don't know if I can wait much longer and continue to save.
I've ALWAYS liked the m14 style rifle and still have always wanted one. Saying that I'm thinking of ditching my tavor savings plan and getting an m305 and a decent entry level bolt action.

In regards to the m305, is there anything to watch for in regards to purchasing one? We're certain years better than others? Is there any common problems with these rifles (even the new ones)?

I appreciate any advice in regards to these guns. I just don't want to get a total lemon because I bought a used gun from a model year that was a total bust.

Thanks
 
To start this is just my opinion so here it goes: They are allot of fun and when they were ALLOT cheaper it really was a no brainer and I owned 2 of them one shorty and one 22 inch both were awesome to shoot and I felt for the money it was great value (couldn't go wrong). Now they have almost doubled in price or more and it becomes a little more important to make sure you know what your getting ie. Head spacing , check your gas system for deformity's its tough to look at them still wrapped so your gamble however small is still a pain if you have to start having to get repairs and waiting. You have to check for these possible problem anyways but when you put that kind of money out it hurts a bit more. I'm no expert just an opinion but 99% percent chance you will be fine so enjoy your day at the range and make sure you take a crate of Norinco cause once you fire it you will hate to put it down.
 
The last couple runs from Marstar sounded like they were getting good reviews. Most of the issues are fairly simple fixes, that end up teaching you about the platform. At the end of the day you are a more knowledgeable owner. Just buy one and start tinkering, tons of info in the stickies to get you going. Try to hit up a clinic, you won't regret it.
 
I like them a lot. I bought the socom 18 on a impulse buy. It stayed in the safe for a couple months. Finally I took it out and shot it a lot. Over 1000 rounds through it. I even liked it so much I got another one. They are great project guns and a lot of fun to own and shoot.
 
yes they are fun to shoot. I just got one of the new shipments. The rifle as far as I can tell has none of the previous problems described on this website. At the present time I am unable to check the headspace as I do not have the go no go gauges, and as for bolt hardness and steel quality I do not have the ability to check that either. My coal is 2.005 and my fired cases read 1.638 which would appear to be a good head space in the rifle. It shoots the ChiCom 7.62X51 Nato ammunition with acceptable groups at 100 meters. I can hit a 10 inch gong most times off hand and can hit the gone from a sitting position in a military sling every time. Have not yet found a load for the rifle. My shots with my reloads are all over the place, have tried RE15 and IMR4895 and Burger 168 grain bullets. These rifles are very load sensitive. I am sure I will find a good load eventually.
 
I wouldn't buy headspace gauges anyway- what you do ( or at least used to) is fire 5 rounds, send them to hungry( tactical teacher- barney) and ask politely what the headspace is- chances are it's within tolerances anyway- if you buy gauges, chances are you'll use them 1ce or 2wice, and you'll end up with the WRONG ONES ANYWAY- the ones on the market are 308 WINCHESTER, and you want 7.62x51 NATO- and if anyone tells you there's no difference, THERE IS- if I remember correctly, the 308s have a slightly longer throat
 
Thanks for the info guys. I do have a local shop here in town (extreme shooting) that has 10 in stock. If I bought one (again, not totally sure as I REALLY want that Tavor!) what exactly should I look for when I handle the gun in the shop and look it over before I buy it.
 
look at it this way- do you want to hunt or "shoot gophers'- in Alberta, the choice is clear as the hunting regs say or used to say minimum caliber of 23 or something like that- specifically meant to exclude 22 calibers of any type- there was also a minimum cartridge length but I understand this has been dropped- so that puts you into 243 or better in caliber, period- and the 223 is minimal for deer anyway, less'n y'all got real small deer- about the size of a great dane- on the other hand , if you want to cqb or some other such game the tavor is an outstanding choice
 
Thanks for the info guys. I do have a local shop here in town (extreme shooting) that has 10 in stock. If I bought one (again, not totally sure as I REALLY want that Tavor!) what exactly should I look for when I handle the gun in the shop and look it over before I buy it.

The two main things I check for, aside from obvious manufacturing flaws, are function and barrel indexing, everything else is actually pretty easy to fix.

Function:
- cycle the bolt a few times to make sure it's relatively smooth and not binding at any point
- make sure the safety works properly
- make sure the trigger works properly
- make sure the rear sight adjustment knobs work and have positive clicks in each direction
- make sure the hammer doesn't follow the bolt when you hold down the trigger. Cycle it, pull and hold the trigger, vigorously work the action four or five times with the trigger held, then release the trigger. You should hear a click as the trigger resets, and then you should be able to pull the trigger again, if not then the hammer is following the bolt and you've got a problem.
- *edited to add* if they let you strip the rifle, check to see if it passes the tilt test (in the stickies) and make sure the gas piston moves freely but doesn't fall free, it should drop a little slowly (if the rifle is still filled with packing oil you may not be able to test that).

Barrel index:
With the action locked to the rear and the rifle butt resting on the ground (so the gas piston is down) put something like an alan wrench or drill bit into the gas vent hole right through into the barrel. Now look straight down from the top and check to see if the wrench/bit is aligned with the trigger guard (or better, a 20-round magazine) or if it's angled off to one side or the other. If it's parallel then your gas vent is at 6:00 and your barrel is indexed properly. Your front sight might not be on straight so it's not always a good indicator of barrel timing.
 
I wouldn't buy headspace gauges anyway- what you do ( or at least used to) is fire 5 rounds, send them to hungry( tactical teacher- barney) and ask politely what the headspace is- chances are it's within tolerances anyway- if you buy gauges, chances are you'll use them 1ce or 2wice, and you'll end up with the WRONG ONES ANYWAY- the ones on the market are 308 WINCHESTER, and you want 7.62x51 NATO- and if anyone tells you there's no difference, THERE IS- if I remember correctly, the 308s have a slightly longer throat

Okay..... First, the difference between 7.62x51 and .308 is the datum line and .308 commercial is thinner walled. This means case volume is quite different.
IF you send barney/hungry/tac teacher fired cases... You must shoot those rounds with the gas off to get a true (or even close) reading.
The only way to get the true headspace of your rifle is with it's bolt stripped and a Clymer headspace gauge set. Using a precision mic as hungry does to measure fired cases is a ballpark, nothing more.
 
P&S still have a couple of older rifles for $500....
m14scamo.jpg
 
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