Interested in a Norinco M-14, need advice

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bcexmod

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Hi everyone. The Norinco M 14 has caught my eye recently. I started to read up on it in this forum and concluded from the posts that this rifle(as good as the platform is) may or may not require a lot of work to get it up to par. I am no gunsmith, but don't mind a little "tuning" here and there but I cannot overhaul a new gun.
What's the deal with these norincos? Are they all in need of adjustments, or just some of them?

I'd really like to get one, and don't mind working on it a bit, but as I said I can't get into a major overhaul. Are there specialty tools to get? Are they expensive. I know info on this rifle is abundant. Any thoughts? Cheers, Dan.
 
They are not very hard to work on and the majority of comman issues normally can be easily fixed .
Rear chinese sights are often substandard and replace the op rod spring guide.
Check that the barrel is indexed correctly ( ensure front sight sits up straight and not leaning left or right ).....gas cylinder lock sometimes need shims or removing and trying it again mounted in reverse to get it good and tight at the 6 oclock position . Tons of info up in the stickies on how to fix the usual faults with these rifles.
In my opinion they are well worth the money and a good rifle to learn on .

Look for posts by Tacticalteacher or 45ACPKing or Tony Ben as these are the most knowledgable guys on CGN concerning this rifle.
 
Hi and thanks for the reply. I checked out the forum posts and there is a ton of info here on cgn. I even thought I saw you post for someone to send you their m14 for a fix. I really like the idea of the rifle and am looking on the EE for one. I'll buy a new one if I don't find a good used one. It seems that with all the aftermarket parts available that buying a used one is just fine. I have no tools and the only thing that concerns me as of now is the headspace issue, which some posters seem to think isn't a big issue. I think I'd be inclined to get a shorty, but still don't know enough about this rifle to decide that yet.

chalkriver said:
They are not very hard to work on and the majority of comman issues normally can be easily fixed .
Rear chinese sights are often substandard and replace the op rod spring guide.
Check that the barrel is indexed correctly ( ensure front sight sits up straight and not leaning left or right ).....gas cylinder lock sometimes need shims or removing and trying it again mounted in reverse to get it good and tight at the 6 oclock position . Tons of info up in the stickies on how to fix the usual faults with these rifles.
In my opinion they are well worth the money and a good rifle to learn on .

Look for posts by Tacticalteacher or 45ACPKing or Tony Ben as these are the most knowledgable guys on CGN concerning this rifle.
Click to expand...
 
If you can find a gun shop who has both the short and long barrel , handle them both and get a feel for the rifles .

I have a " Few " all long barrel but I have handled the shorty's and they are Very nice as well.

You might find a nice one on the EE that has already been tweaked , op rod , ect for a reasonable price .

Good luck , you should not be disappointed in what ever you buy .
 
These are designed to have generous headspacing as it is a battle rifle ...meant to be used at times in adverse conditions. I would suggest waiting until you can get a shorty and hopefully you will be able to check it over in person. And you are correct ...I have offered to to go over these rifles for people if they are stuck. After 6 or so of Hungrys M-14 clinics I now know enough to be dangerous ..lol . The main specialty tools a person COULD buy would be a bolt disassembly tool and a barrel vice for removing flashiders and indexing barrels..Both are a nice to have item and then only if you plan on working on more than one rifle ..they are a not a must have item though.
 
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the "headspace " issue has long been resolved, if there ever was any- most of it had to do with the FIRST issue of Chinese m14s and a lot of the bad headspace was between fulton armories' clint's ears- I have 1 of the originals and it has had many thousands of rounds through it and still is good to go- ie the BLUED m14s- and they use the original m14 receiver- you can tell from the takedown notch in the lower rail-I prefer the long barrel as it uses all of what the 308 has to offer( I handload) and you don't have to pivot the gas system out of the way when cleaning
 
I'll admit I've been bitten. All this started from me looking at the Ruger Minis. Now I want an M14 or M305(same same). I also like the idea of becoming proficient with your own rifle, from fixing/adjusting/modding to shooting.
Are people hunting with these?
I'll be doing my research.
 
I've killed BC mulie deer, coastal blacktails, moose and 1 black bear with my various m14 type rifles. all the ones I've hunted with were based on Chinese actions for whatever that is worth..
not my rifle but a pic from one of our moose trips ;)
 
I didn't need to ask if you can hunt with them They are .308's after all. I am getting closer to an M14. Mine is out there somewhere, I just haven't met it yet!
 
" I'll admit I've been bitten "

Ok , Just be careful , they can become addictive for some people hmmmmmmmmmmm , Have I been Bitten ?????

But Doctor there is just sooo many things you can do to them to make them better and nicer looking ......... lol

bipod%20install%20010_zps8v4twynu.jpg

walnutm305033_zps07e5de5d.jpg

stocksm305nhew004_zps5b9e0ebb.jpg

remrollingblock0062_zps7c532bc5.jpg


:dancingbanana::dancingbanana::dancingbanana::dancingbanana:
 
Don't Buy one, Buy two!!!!!! Or else you D*ck might fall off.......... I have one Norc 22'', and One Springfield NM M1A. I sold my shorty, thinkin I need to buy another as I'm missing it too much!!
 
bcexmod said:
My D!ck will fall off? How many should I get to ensure that doesn't happen?
Click to expand...

Just echoing the great advice of Barney AKA Tactical Teacher. As he always says, Prevent D!ck loss, don't buy one buy two :)

And don't worry about issues with the rifle. There are enough guys on here that have fixed lots of issues themselves with the advice of Tactical Teacher and 45ACPking, And Chalkriver too. They are all great guy with lots of knowledge. Read the stickies, and if possible buy from somewhere where you can inspect the rifles first after learning what to look for and you will not be disappointed.
 
Those are nice. I see lots of synthetic stocks out there that I'm sure are as good and better, but I am partial to a wood stock. The first with scope and bipod is the one I liked the most.

I read in one of the posts that the shorties might be more accurate. Is this right?

How much lighter are the shorties? 3.5" of barrel less(or so).

And what about the flash hider? I read there are a few types. Does the rifle have to have one? Is it heavy?

Regarding accuracy; what kind of MOA can I expect with a stock rifle(with a scope for sure)? What kind of cash outlay is needed to get the rifle somewhere near 1 MOA ?
I did read a post somewhere that mentioned rough prices regarding achieving more and more precision. I read in the stickies about a welding fix by the gas block.

Hightrailtracker said:
" I'll admit I've been bitten "

Ok , Just be careful , they can become addictive for some people hmmmmmmmmmmm , Have I been Bitten ?????

But Doctor there is just sooo many things you can do to them to make them better and nicer looking ......... lol

bipod%20install%20010_zps8v4twynu.jpg

walnutm305033_zps07e5de5d.jpg

stocksm305nhew004_zps5b9e0ebb.jpg

remrollingblock0062_zps7c532bc5.jpg


:dancingbanana::dancingbanana::dancingbanana::dancingbanana:
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The shorties come in 2 types..the regular one has the slotted flashider shown above and then Domion Arms (Canam) brought in the Socom 18 . It has a threaded muzzle, gas lock front sight and a reversible flashider . I cut the stock and added a buttstock adapter and a CTR buttstock with a 3/4 inch cheekriser shown in the 2nd picture .
Unitizing the gas system is something best left to a professional with a TIG welder .You can also cut a 22 inch barrel down to 18.5 inches and have the end threaded for a muzzle brake.
I am down to only owning 2 now . The Ultimak front rail and Eotech are now on my Socom18.
The Arms 18 scope mount is now on the one with the Archangel stock. It was cut down from 22 inches and the muzzle rethreaded to 28 x 1/2 and
I installed a Blackrose tactical muzzle brake and a gas lock front sight .


 
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