M14 Bolt assembly, what a PITA

kaskirov

kaskirov

CGN Regular
Rating - 100%
88   0   0
Location
Calgary
A Chinese M14 rant:

I was cleaning my M14 and noticed that the firing pin seemed a bit sticky, so I decided to remove it for cleaning.
What a horrible idea.
Who thought this was a good design?
I guess its safe to assume that soldiers never disassembled their bolts for cleaning.
I fought with it for a long time, read several instructions online, and watched quite a few videos.
It appeared that I needed 3-5 hands to make this work, and the CASM mount sure wasn't making things easy.
Lucky there is a tool! That costs $80... plus shipping from the US.
So I called a couple of gunsmiths. One said they were too busy to take my call, and the other said $135+

Fought with it some more today.
Removed the scope and CASM mount.
Here is my problem:
3VSaCc8.jpg

The extractor spring needs to be compressed a large amount of course, but there isn't an easy way to do that... while compressing the ejector spring... and hammering the ejector down.
I devised a method (using ratchet straps and bungee cords) after a few hours that seemed to get me close to success. But then this happened:
Au1uwHz.jpg

Hard to see, but the extractor spring is bent in half in between the bolt and extractor. The tip of the extractor spring sheered right off.

Well norinco, what am I going to do now?
Pay a gunsmith $150?
buy a pack of springs and keep trying?
Or maybe its time to sell as parts and just buy a new one. It seems silly to spend $150 to fix it when the whole rifle can be had for $500-$700. Cost wouldn't be that much different when you look at parting out my current rifle. Round count is probably around 1500, is it worth fixing?

Maybe it is a sign to move to another platform...
 
Don't blame the Chinese for that, M14s are a US design.

If you had read the stickies you would have been for warned about how hard they are to reassemble.

I had mine apart once. You need two sets of hands involved to get her back together. Never again.

If you ask nicely maybe someone will lend you their bolt disassembly tool for the cost of postage.

M
 
I used a C-Clamp vise grip on the charging handle to the receiver. It holds the bolt forward for you while you can use one hand to compress the spring and the other to push the extractor in. Makes things much easier. Using something else other than your thumb to push the extractor in also makes things easier.

I don't think you sheared the tip off the extractor spring. The detent just sits their in the spring. I lost mine and had to go searching for it on several occations. Its a tiny part too and I've been really lucky being able to find mine. I bet its somewhere around where you're working.
 
Have you checked out TonyBen's video? He makes it look super easy using a 30-06 casing (reassembly of bolt at 33min and 48 sec):
 
I have used suitably sized punch held in a vice to push the ejector in. Then it is easy to push the extractor on. I would wear gloves and safety glasses just in case.
 
Don't sell it just because of this ...get some new springs and if you ship it to me I will assemble it as I have a bolt tool.
I live in Ontario though. Is the barrel indexed correctly ..is you op rod guide nice and tight ?
If you need it I can fix those issues as well just ship me the rifle and I will sort it out .
Just pay the favour forward somehow.
Morgan
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
To reassemble a bolt without the proper assembly tool requires a spent 30-06 casing in the chamber.
Click to expand...

I also had success using an 8mm Mauser snap cap. You can use the op rod to compress the springs in the bolt (I think I had my thumb pushing on the op rod, while the fingers of that same hand held a brass punch, and my other hand held a mallet, and probably did 2 or three other things at once, but it is doable!

I almost lost my mind trying to get that bolt back together!! (Also chewed my hands quite nicely as well), but once I caught on to the spent casing trick, it worked out pretty well!
 
Mumbles Marble Mouth said:
I don't think you sheared the tip off the extractor spring. The detent just sits their in the spring. I lost mine and had to go searching for it on several occations. Its a tiny part too and I've been really lucky being able to find mine. I bet its somewhere around where you're working.
Click to expand...

Oh, it for sure sheared off. I found half of it on my table. The spring is also bent up

chalkriver2 said:
Don't sell it just because of this ...get some new springs and if you ship it to me I will assemble it as I have a bolt tool.
I live in Ontario though. Is the barrel indexed correctly ..is you op rod guide nice and tight ?
If you need it I can fix those issues as well just ship me the rifle and I will sort it out .
Just pay the favour forward somehow.
Morgan
Click to expand...

Might take you up on that. Anyone know where to get the springs in Canada? I have seen a few places in the US.
 
I bent a couple coils on my extractor spring too. Luckily it was only 2. I cut the bad coils off and reinstalled it which now, was easy. Went just as smoothly as tony ben's video. Ive had no extraction issues since chopping the 2 bent coils. The oversized case method is wonderful.
 
Drop it in the mail to me, I’ll reassemble it, no charge, return shipping is on you tho....

My trick is a cut down 308 case with the primer removed and the base is screwed to the front edge of the bench. Once the ejector is pushed in a pinch is dropped down the extractor hole. Now you can work with it in a rifle, or insert it into a bolt tool or pinch it in a bench vise with another cut-down case....

John
 
I just took my M305 to the smith this morning to check the headspace of the new bolt I installed. He took apart my bolt to check the headspace I told him I had a hell of a time putting that back together. I told him I did it the 30-06 casing method. He told me that’s the stupid method. He assembled that bolt in about 3 minuets. He put it in a bench vice, compressed the plunger and ran a punch through the extractor hole. With the extractor detent compressed, he pushed the extractor in and as he was pushing it in, the punch was coming out. Simple. He had it done in 3 minuets.
 
I use the 30-06 method. Only takes a minute and click done. Really easy with USGI parts. The extra long spring on the extractor detent of norinco origin complicates things greatly. Need a 3rd arm, or cut off a couple coils.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom