M14 for hunting/brush gun?

whitetailwoodsarcher

whitetailwoodsarcher

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We'll I do a lot of hunting in open areas as well as thick woods. I've been toying on the idea of taking my so com 18 or m305 hunting. I'm just wondering though, how does the rifle hold up in really cold weather? What about in the rain? Does it rust easy? Should I keep an oil bottle of hand? Has anyone actually done a side by side comparison with one of these and a good iron sighted bolt gun? Should I just stick with my m38 mosin? I know weight would be a big issue but that doesn't bother me that much. Let me know your thoughts.
 
It's heavy for one... which is it's main drawback. Doesn't feel like it at first but after a while its like hauling bricks.

Synthetic stock hold up to cold no problem.

Wood stocks, depends on the quality.
 
Its no heavier than the M38, but the plastic stock is noisy and spooks game. The rifle itself has no problem and is easy to sight in the bush. I'd have no issues to pop a deer up to 150+ yards with the stock irons. The M14 loves oil, as with any gun you need to carry a few drops.
 
I've seen guys on here who use theirs as sled guns up in the north. It works just as well as anything else in the cold, the key is appropriate maintenance. What works in warm weather might jam your gun in cold weather due to the grease solidifying. That can just as easily happen to any gun, even manually operated ones. A spring or a gas system can only exert so much force, so if your trigger assembly has a bunch of tar-like grease in it it doesn't matter if you're shooting a single-shot.
 
Mine works great in any weather. The only thing I do is tape up the muzzle break (flash hider on a stock M-305) so no snow gets in and blocks the barrel.

I have mine in a troy stock, weighing in at 13 pounds loaded, and I still love it for hunting.
 
sometimes the weight or "heaviness" can be minimized by 1) changing the stock; go to a Fiberglas or something lighter- although you won't lose more than a pound or 2- that rifle is STEEL , hence the weight 2) since you're using it for a brush/hunting gun, either tape or remove the standard sling swivels and relocate them to the top of the stock and on the left front up beside the gas assembly- like a m-60, Bren or the like-this is an old snipers trick from nam - dig out some pictures of usgis using a 60 and you will see how it's rigged- use a good wide sling( like what comes on the 60- the nylon version that has a "fat" portion in the middle and is over 6 feet long- I have all of my m14s rigged like this and it alleviates the weight somewhat- those sling swivels were meant for the parade/marching function and are almost useless for hunting-
 
t-star said:
sometimes the weight or "heaviness" can be minimized by 1) changing the stock; go to a Fiberglas or something lighter- although you won't lose more than a pound or 2- that rifle is STEEL , hence the weight 2) since you're using it for a brush/hunting gun, either tape or remove the standard sling swivels and relocate them to the top of the stock and on the left front up beside the gas assembly- like a m-60, Bren or the like-this is an old snipers trick from nam - dig out some pictures of usgis using a 60 and you will see how it's rigged- use a good wide sling( like what comes on the 60- the nylon version that has a "fat" portion in the middle and is over 6 feet long- I have all of my m14s rigged like this and it alleviates the weight somewhat- those sling swivels were meant for the parade/marching function and are almost useless for hunting-
Click to expand...

you mind sharing some pictures of your setup? I would be curious actually!
 
For cold weather shooting use no grease(not oil either) at all or one of the greases made for use in the cold(pricey stuff though). If you don't your rifle might seize up as the grease congeals.
Plus the possibility exists that your ammo won't shoot as well or at all in cold weather. Has to do with the powder. Magnum primers are made for cold weather shooting. Mind you, 'cold' is a relative term. You get more than your share of it in Saskatchewan. So you know about it
Otherwise, you'll lose a bit of velocity out of a short barrel, but not enough to matter. Regular 165 grain hunting bullets will be dandy.
A synthetic stock drops the hauling weight considerably, but does not affect the felt recoil in any way. Have a semi'd Winchester M-14 with the issue synthetic. Still very pleasant to shoot and not ugly to carry. The hand guard does rattle a bit, but some gun tape(CF issue green duct tape. Any such tape will do) fixes that.
Rust shouldn't be an issue as long as you dry the rifle at the end of the day or leave it outside or out of any heat. Condensation is the enemy, not the cold.
Like Stevebot-7 says, all this applies to your M38 too.
 
I use mine as a truck gun during hunting season. I also like the fact that it is a reliable firearm that will function under any and all conditions. The M14 is not a closet queen and U do not have to worry about dings, scrapes, gouges etc. which is a huge bonus. The only thing U have to worry about is banging yur scope out of zero from rough handling which U have to take under consideration with any rifle. Not the most accurate choice of firearm but still minute of deer or moose.
 
Two years ago I hunted with mine. A couple of things I noticed. One, it is not quiet when loading a round into a chamber. At the gun range does not seem like much, but that rack-a-clack is really loud on a nice, crisp and quiet morning.

The second is that mine seemed to rust over pretty quick, especially in corner areas, even though I wiped with a light oil. It still seemed to dry out during the day and would start to show up. nothing major, just unsightly. I got it Arma-Coated this past year and that issue has all but disappeared. Looks damn cool too.

As for weight, I like hunting with beefy rifles (my 13 lb rolling block for instance), so that is not an issue. :p
 
I like to smear a light coat of marine grease on my rifle when it is going to get wet. It stays on better then oil and I have not had it rust yet.
 
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