Getting the flash hider off a 2007 Marstar Norc M-14

rdelliott

rdelliott

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Hiding in Honduras. I'm a desperate man.
I'm at the point where I don't know whether to use more force or not, so I figure that before really starting to whale away, I'll ask the group.

I'm trying to get the flash hider off one of my Norc M-14s, so I can boresight it.

I've removed the little flash hider allen screw, and using castle nut pliers and a gas system wrench from Brownells, loosened the castle nut.

However, I cannot get the flash hider to budge. There are no visible welds, which I thought was encouraging, but some gentle to somewhat authoritative tapping using a brass punch and a hammer has failed to budge the flash hider. I'm wondering whether to run out and get a rubber mallet tomorrow and apply more force, but I figured I'd best consult the collective knowledge base of the forum:

Are all the flash hiders on the latest crop of M-14's all welded on? If so, where might the welds be and how can I undo them? Am I just being too gentle here?

Thanks!
 
you don't need to take the flashider off to boresite it- or at least i didn't- seems to me the 35 cal arbour was what i used-but your best bet is still the 25 yard fire for group thing- anyway, i found that there was no way to get the scope to line up with the boresighter- scope in mount was too high- bushnell boresighter. springfield gen 3 mount-
 
if it is not welded, there will be two small holes in the flashhider were the welds are supposed to be. clean the area and get in there with a flashlight, you'll see the welds. they are smoothed out and parkerizing hides them a bit.
 
TRUST ME, IT'S WELDED ON- there's 3 spot welds just aft of the flashhider, and you'll need a drill or dremel to remove them- all but the very early norcs were welded
 
t-star said:
you don't need to take the flashider off to boresite it- or at least i didn't- seems to me the 35 cal arbour was what i used-but your best bet is still the 25 yard fire for group thing- anyway, i found that there was no way to get the scope to line up with the boresighter- scope in mount was too high- bushnell boresighter. springfield gen 3 mount-
Click to expand...

I picked up one of those Rec-T-Fire laser boresighter jobbies at Baron: the arbour is shorter than the flash hider. Oh well... I guess I'll just have to sight it in at the range the old-fashioned way :).
 
rdelliott said:
I've read the FAQ; it says that *some* of them are welded on, which to my mind implies that some aren't. And I can't see any signs of spot welding on mine, hence the question...
Click to expand...


The spot welds are subtle, and of varying strength. Some guys can get them loose with force, others go for 20 inch bbls :(
 
45ACPKING said:
if it is not welded, there will be two small holes in the flashhider were the welds are supposed to be. clean the area and get in there with a flashlight, you'll see the welds. they are smoothed out and parkerizing hides them a bit.
Click to expand...

Wow. They're fiendishly well hidden if that's the case; you mean they'd be right up inside the space between the flash hider and the barrel, with no weld showing on the outside?
 
rdelliott said:
I picked up one of those Rec-T-Fire laser boresighter jobbies at Baron: the arbour is shorter than the flash hider. Oh well... I guess I'll just have to sight it in at the range the old-fashioned way :).
Click to expand...

wish't you would have posted here BEFORE you bought that pos- i could have saved you MANY dollars- i bought one a couple of years back and it's still sitting in the case after "sighting in" a 308 and a 338- i used the "cartridge type" rather than the arbour type and 1) i couldn't see the dot at 25 yards even with their fancy reflector
2 the batteries are almost impossible to get
3) i verified it with my bushnell optical boresighter and it wasn't even close
4) all in all ,even though it was recommended in the nfa magazine, i found it to be a VERY BAD INVESTMENT
 
i have only seen two spot welds on the flash hiders i have worked on... it's adding up to quite a few now :D
there are TWO spot welds, they are side by side, on the rear ring of the flash hider, right behind the small land that used to be the bayonet lug. the holes "sometimes" are centered half way from the bayo lug to the lip of the rear of the hider, and "sometimes in line with the outer edges of that bayo lug.
I have found that using a dremel and an 1/8 round nose tungsten carbide material removal bit, is the best tool for this job. It's just like a mini reamer bit. Operate at high speed and work very gently. the holes i have made, generally end up being about a 1/8 diameter inside flaring out. do not go too deep, you can guestimate the thickness of the flash hider metal... and try not to go deeper. once you are as deep as you feel is safe without gouging into barrel, start working the sides of the holes enlarging them. every once in a while, give it a solid hit on that ground off bayonet land.... if a few hits doesn't budge it.... work the edges of the holes somemore.

Sometimes this job is a snap, sometimes it can be agravating.... the method above is the best one i have tried, and i have now removed over a dozen welded on norc flash hiders. Tootalls norinco, was the first and only one i've seen that was not welded, but the holes were made in the flashider where those "plug welds" are supposed to be.
I would also advise against clamping the rifle in a vice for this procedure. pounding a flashider off while the rifle is solidly braced.... could cause the barrel to be bent. Not saying it will happen.... but I do this job sitting down, barrel pointing at my toes, and hit the punch from behind.
 
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rdelliott said:
I'm at the point where I don't know whether to use more force or not, so I figure that before really starting to whale away, I'll ask the group.

I'm trying to get the flash hider off one of my Norc M-14s, so I can boresight it.

I've removed the little flash hider allen screw, and using castle nut pliers and a gas system wrench from Brownells, loosened the castle nut.

However, I cannot get the flash hider to budge. There are no visible welds, which I thought was encouraging, but some gentle to somewhat authoritative tapping using a brass punch and a hammer has failed to budge the flash hider. I'm wondering whether to run out and get a rubber mallet tomorrow and apply more force, but I figured I'd best consult the collective knowledge base of the forum:

Are all the flash hiders on the latest crop of M-14's all welded on? If so, where might the welds be and how can I undo them? Am I just being too gentle here?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same problem. Mine came off without drilling, but
I used masonary hammer (curved) as my "chisel" and hit it with a larger,
10-15lb hammer. It came off after pounding it hard, 6 or 7 times.
The barrel was vertical in the vise, flash hider down.
 
45ACPKING said:
i have only seen two spot welds on the flash hiders i have worked on... it's adding up to quite a few now :D
there are TWO spot welds, they are side by side, on the rear ring of the flash hider, right behind the small land that used to be the bayonet lug. the holes "sometimes" are centered half way from the bayo lug to the lip of the rear of the hider, and "sometimes in line with the outer edges of that bayo lug.
I have found that using a dremel and an 1/8 round nose tungsten carbide material removal bit, is the best tool for this job. It's just like a mini reamer bit. Operate at high speed and work very gently. the holes i have made, generally end up being about a 1/8 diameter inside flaring out. do not go too deep, you can guestimate the thickness of the flash hider metal... and try not to go deeper. once you are as deep as you feel is safe without gouging into barrel, start working the sides of the holes enlarging them. every once in a while, give it a solid hit on that ground off bayonet land.... if a few hits doesn't budge it.... work the edges of the holes somemore.

Sometimes this job is a snap, sometimes it can be agravating.... the method above is the best one i have tried, and i have now removed over a dozen welded on norc flash hiders. Tootalls norinco, was the first and only one i've seen that was not welded, but the holes were made in the flashider where those "plug welds" are supposed to be.
I would also advise against clamping the rifle in a vice for this procedure. pounding a flashider off while the rifle is solidly braced.... could cause the barrel to be bent. Not saying it will happen.... but I do this job sitting down, barrel pointing at my toes, and hit the punch from behind.
Click to expand...

Hrm. Are the welds always in the same spots? Going in blind with a Dremel sounds pretty scary to me, ditto using huge amounts of force. I think that I'll just leave the thing on and sight it in the good old-fashioned way.
 
af_newbie said:
I had exactly the same problem. Mine came off without drilling, but
I used masonary hammer (curved) as my "chisel" and hit it with a larger,
10-15lb hammer. It came off after pounding it hard, 6 or 7 times.
The barrel was vertical in the vise, flash hider down.
Click to expand...

Sounds pretty hair-raising to me; I might just leave the hider on...
 
in a short time, Katana will have a dvd availlable from the wet coast clinics we have had over the past few months. The footage will show clearly, much of the hands on work involved in most of the out of the box tune ups and other issues and the flash hider removal is covered i think in the video.
 
Wet Coast M-14 DVD

That's right. I am working on a DVD for just this very reason. I am working on it and still need to final touch up I hope to have it done before the 23rd as I will be gone on vacation until the 1st of march...
 
Kim, a couple guys are comin by my place wednesday nignt this week to have a go with my tools. If you can make it over, the party starts at 6:00 p.m :D
 
I just ground out two rifles in about 20 minutes on sunday evening--if you look carefully in strong cross lighting you can see to depressions from the welds--5:00 o'clock and 7:00 o'clock.

Has anyone machined up a bunch of nice rings to dress up the ground down area yet?

44Bore
 
Twice I used zippo fluid on the areas where the welds were and after the fluid dried the weld spots seemed to show up as a slightly darker "shadow ring"...

...I know "shadow ring" sounds stupid but that's the best way I could describe it.
 
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