allarile260
Regular
- Location
- London, Ontario
No Scope/mount included ofcourse. I always daydream & build my "budget rifle" that'll still shoot, what would you do to yours?
How would you build your m14 for under $1000?
- Thread starter allarile260
- Start date
It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I'm looking for practical accuracy from my Norcs, so I go with better iron sights and a better op rod spring guide. Then fix the op rod guide in place with Loctite [minimal cost...just a little work at one of Hungry's clinics]. More than that I don't need, however shimming the gas system or unitizing the gas cylinder parts is not a bad idea if they don't lock up tight [I'm surprised someone isn't regularly selling unitized cylinders]. Then find someone to do a trigger job, and if you really want to go all out, a fiberglass G.I. stock and a fake selector switch, just for fun.
That should all be doable under $1000, and should get you a fairly authentic 2-3 MOA rifle if you have a decent one to begin with. If you want to get to 1-2MOA, you have to be pretty lucky with your original gun, do ALL the recommended mods for accuracy and be thinking about a scope and 3-point mount. As I say, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
That should all be doable under $1000, and should get you a fairly authentic 2-3 MOA rifle if you have a decent one to begin with. If you want to get to 1-2MOA, you have to be pretty lucky with your original gun, do ALL the recommended mods for accuracy and be thinking about a scope and 3-point mount. As I say, it depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
What I did...
(1) Bought a new M14 from Marstar in 2007
(2) Did the Hungry clinic at the VKH range, hosted by johnone
(3) Added a 8 thou shim to the gas cylinder, a match oprod guide rod, rear garand sights, USGI fibreglass stock & a sparrowhawk dummy selector kit & I am sure I have forgotten something... Yup, forgot the Dlask oprod so the dummy selector kit fits...
Looks like this now...
Cheers
Jay
(1) Bought a new M14 from Marstar in 2007
(2) Did the Hungry clinic at the VKH range, hosted by johnone
(3) Added a 8 thou shim to the gas cylinder, a match oprod guide rod, rear garand sights, USGI fibreglass stock & a sparrowhawk dummy selector kit & I am sure I have forgotten something... Yup, forgot the Dlask oprod so the dummy selector kit fits...
Looks like this now...
Cheers
Jay
Is that 1000 in upgrades or 1000 including cost of rifle?
NM spring guide rod
Non chinese muzzle device
Non chinese front sight
Non chinese rear sight
Good quality mags
a trigger job
Unitized gas system
And the rest on ammo
Exactly what you did to mine (and cut the barrel down to 18.75"). It shoots great, and the trigger is much, much improved.
RememberTheSomme
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nova Scotia
Is that 1000 in upgrades or 1000 including cost of rifle?
NM spring guide rod
Non chinese muzzle device
Non chinese front sight
Non chinese rear sight
Good quality mags
a trigger job
Unitized gas system
And the rest on ammo
Thomas has pretty much summed up my idea on these rifles and what I have done over last three years.
2009 M14S(449), National Match flash hider(50), NM spring guide(37), spring(10), shimmed(5?), Garand rear sight(80), Krylon olive drab fusion to cover that ugly black stock(8) Hungry hockey night in Canada trigger job(0),..priceless and it works.. Total 639 and done over three years so no one injured in the process. So I guess I could almost put 1000 762 from Can am in there as well, break that thing in over iron sights.
Remember, all the tiny upgrades I did were not necessary out of the box to enjoy this rifle,..just throwing a few things on as time passes to keep interest up.
For future,.. a Boyds or USGI walnut would be in my sights just because I like wood, or even a USGI fiberglass(painted olive drab of course it suits this rifle big time) stock would definitely be an upgrade from the plastic chinese one.
allarile260
Regular
- Location
- London, Ontario
This is what I'd try to accomplish, I basically want to shoot surplus 147gr and still get minute of man at say 300/400yrds.
I'm in the works of a before and after. Started with a Norinco M305s I was getting 5 - 6 MOA. I put it in an Archangel stock and am now getting 4 MOA. I have to do the op rod guide fix (it is misaligned) and will also replace the spring and spring guide. I'm hoping to get it down to 2 or 3 with those changes.
Hightrailtracker
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- SW Ontario
Hungry hockey night in Canada trigger job(0),..priceless and it works
?????????? where can I get one done ???
?????????? where can I get one done ???
Hungry hockey night in Canada trigger job(0),..priceless and it works
?????????? where can I get one done ???
The Hungry Hockey night in Canada trigger jobs are only availlable during the NHL season.....
I'll let him explain, but it's a do it yerself thing
What I did...
(1) Bought a new M14 from Marstar in 2007
(2) Did the Hungry clinic at the VKH range, hosted by johnone
(3) Added a 8 thou shim to the gas cylinder, a match oprod guide rod, rear garand sights, USGI fibreglass stock & a sparrowhawk dummy selector kit & I am sure I have forgotten something... Yup, forgot the Dlask oprod so the dummy selector kit fits...
Looks like this now...
Cheers
Jay
Hi Jay, Nice rifle. May I ask where you got your selector assembly from, I would like one for mine. The Opprod on my rifle doesn't have the notch for selector rod but I could mill the part to fit. Cheers back at you.
Hungry hockey night in Canada trigger job(0),..priceless and it works
?????????? where can I get one done ???
Just pull your trigger group out,select a suitable movie or three, for out of season work F.M.J and Blackhawk Down yield excellent results. Grab a couple of brews, arrange seat for maximum comfort and ignore the wife for a few hours.
Basically what you do is cup the trigger group in your hand and dry fire the bugger about sixteen thousand times, with your thumb over the hammer so your not subjecting any parts to repeated shock.It is a really easy and effective way to smooth out your trigger. When you get to one of Barneys clinics you will see it done.
When you get 12 or 20 guys all doing it at once it sounds like the 101st Airborne sneaking around Normandy
You WILL trap your thumb, but the blood blister is the mark of a man.
Just kidding about the sixteen thousand............you'll feel the trigger smooth out as you progress and theres no nasty filing away metal and possibly screwing it up.
Have fun, but keep the band aid handy
.30/06 FTW
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Thunder Bay, Ontario
My plan is to put a NM oprod spring guide in (already done), get an NEA M14 bolt release and mag release, BFG VCAS sling, cheek rest, CASM mount, and a Vortex Diamond back on. My intended use is plinking at longer distances out in the woods. All told it's about $750 in accessories.
Don't forget the difference quality ammo (read: reloads customized to your set-up) makes when attempting to reduce the MOA spread on these rifles. Decent brass and primers, 168gr SMKs, a tuned H4895 load and a COL that optimizes your chamber (at least, as much as the mag will allow) will do wonders in further reducing your out-of-the box MOA. It'll make people cry "no fair" at your next milsurp/M14 match!
Actually guys that's not a selector. It's the plug the US used to fill the hole when they converted them to semi auto. The selector looks like one.
^^ Agree with Tactical111 regarding most cost effective way to improve performance. Not sure I agree about the uselessness of the other upgrades but for the best bang-for-your-buck, tailored ammo will make the biggest improvement (and save you money in the mid-term, depending on how much you shoot).
