Okay M14 loving community:
memine is on his way home. Here's the funny part.... He only hit the rear of the front sight base on the FS unit ONE & and half times (half time barely counts).
AND the welds were broken. We figured the high school shop class student(s) welded that baby at 14:58 hrs on Friday before the long weekend. The welding rod material barely made it to the barrel machine marks. It was marginally secured to the barrel. That FS is almost (big almost) one of the easiest ones we've ever knocked off.
Then we proceeded to tighten up the gas cylinder assembly with his lock and THREE other Norinco gas cylinder locks. That gas cylinder unit was tight with the 4th gas cylinder lock we tried and all is snug and tight as it should be. I let him "peen" and dimple the barrel so that his op rod guide was snug; remember that these babies only loosen up over the hundreds of rounds you are gonna put down range. LOL
He's driving home much happier now!
So you GTA area M14 lovers need a 2 hour private clinic? Come on over (until I have to drive out west on Labor Day Monday) and listen to my old jokes about the M14 fun!
Cheers,
Barney