M14 choices!
- Thread starter MartyK2500
- Start date
Things have changed,
In the past i have owned up to 3x M305s at once,
And my only regret, is parting with my USGI birch stock and USGI slotted handguard , these seem about impossible or very spendy to find right now.
it's quite easy to make a slotted handguard out of a standard one.....
Norinco handguards make good donors because they are slighty stiffer/thicker.
I have done it by clamping two guide blocks on each side of the handguard on the drill table. The handguard slides between them.
Lay out the slots on a strip of masking tape and then transfer the tape onto the handguard. Tilt the drill head to the appropriate angle and use a 3/16 ball nose cutter/reamer.
easy peezy
Those handguard looks cool but they are not solid. I'd be affraid to break mine if I take it out to the field. Also when the barrel heats up you see a mirage of heat and it makes it harder to get a proper sight picture.
Got a local M305 specimen afterall, I must admit it's the nicest factory setup I have ever seen.
Will have the wolverine IDF parts kit coming in for it. At 650$ I feel it's priced right, once I sell parts I don't need and such, I estimate being in the sub 1000$ overall.
In the meanwhile, I will eyeball the rockola veteran edition M14s if they have more crossing.
At 1800$ at a retailer, with a brand new bula forged receiver, criterion barrel, and USGI parts, I feel like it's a great deal.
So the M305/IDF will be used anytime any scenario, the beater gun
The (maybe) one day rockola will be a safe queen and rarely used.
Will have the wolverine IDF parts kit coming in for it. At 650$ I feel it's priced right, once I sell parts I don't need and such, I estimate being in the sub 1000$ overall.
In the meanwhile, I will eyeball the rockola veteran edition M14s if they have more crossing.
At 1800$ at a retailer, with a brand new bula forged receiver, criterion barrel, and USGI parts, I feel like it's a great deal.
So the M305/IDF will be used anytime any scenario, the beater gun
The (maybe) one day rockola will be a safe queen and rarely used.
Buying a rockola and not using seems like a colossally ill-advised course of action. If you get the Rockola, sell the M305 and use the better rifle - you will NEVER wear it out.
Thanks for the suggestion,
I may change it to : use M305/IDF in foul weather, use rockola in nice weather.
I really want a vietnam M14 to be kept in collector-ish condition.
I still window lick your M14 ad btw, right now i wish to keep my liquidity for something else, and holding off IDF kit as id be 650$ closer to buying your gun. The local M305 was 380$ so that was a no brainer, great deal.
Rockola on the other hand, once it comes out again i could only swing it on my CC and pay it in 3-4 months with minimal interest.
I am surprised you haven’t sold that rifle yet tbh.
The rifle is sold, FWIW. Important to note that the cheapest receiver you will find is a $300 used Norinco if you are lucky. IDF kit will be more like $800 after you buy it, pay tax, shipping, etc. Assuming you have skills and own every tool required and all the IDF parts gauge as still usable (which if often NOT the case), you are now $1200 into a basic rifle with a stock that is useless unless you have a scope mount and will be really really rough. All IDF stocks have a giant cheek rest that precludes use of irons and restoring IDF stocks to a normal GI fibreglass stock configuration is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Ask me how I know 
The cheapest decent scope mount will be over $100. Or a decent non-IDF stock, another $200. Now you're up in the $1400-1500 range, and you've bought no tools, paid no labour, haven't refinished anything, and you do all the work yourself.
Food for thought.
The cheapest decent scope mount will be over $100. Or a decent non-IDF stock, another $200. Now you're up in the $1400-1500 range, and you've bought no tools, paid no labour, haven't refinished anything, and you do all the work yourself.
Food for thought.
The rifle is sold, FWIW. Important to note that the cheapest receiver you will find is a $300 used Norinco if you are lucky. IDF kit will be more like $800 after you buy it, pay tax, shipping, etc. Assuming you have skills and own every tool required and all the IDF parts gauge as still usable (which if often NOT the case), you are now $1200 into a basic rifle with a stock that is useless unless you have a scope mount and will be really really rough. All IDF stocks have a giant cheek rest that precludes use of irons and restoring IDF stocks to a normal GI fibreglass stock configuration is incredibly difficult and time consuming. Ask me how I know
The cheapest decent scope mount will be over $100. Or a decent non-IDF stock, another $200. Now you're up in the $1400-1500 range, and you've bought no tools, paid no labour, haven't refinished anything, and you do all the work yourself.
Food for thought.
excellent advice man
Tools alone will run a fair penny but there are folks here that may lend out things and M14medic for those guys who don't want to invest in building themselves.
Barrel Vice and torque wrench is a few hundy if you go the brownells route
headspace guages another 100 bucks
castlenut pliers, rubber mallet, roll pin and center punches, grease, lapping compound and other miscellaneous 150.00
Jerry Kunhaussen 30 cal service rifle shop manual ...... essential
probably a safe bet to budget 500 to 600 for tools
I have at least that into M14 tools (probably many times that, actually), though many also translate to other gunsmithing work.
I can't say I am likely to lend out tools to anyone who is not a known quantity - typically they come back with issues whenever I used to be a good samaritan.
Travis Bickle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Upper Lower Middle Alberta
