M14: Heavy Grain+Recoil Buffer=Good or Bad?

[sixty9santa]

I was curious to know if a recoil buffer is installed in an M14, would I be safely able to shoot heavy grains?

 

[canucklehead]

I don't think the recoil buffer would make much difference. If it did, I would think that little tidbit of knowledge would be all over the m14 forums out there.

I think the gas system is what takes the pounding more-so than the other parts.

 

[Mystic Precision]

Short answer is NO.

If all you are planning to do is launch a few bullets, no problem. continued use will damage the rifle.
Jerry

 

[m39a2]

The M-14 has a more or less self regulating gas system. The problem happens when you launch a heavy bullet, it goes slower there fore allows a build up of preasure in the system. Stick with 168 gr or lighter if you can. What weight of bullet were you thinking of?

Scott

 

[Skullboy]

A few 180 gr bullets for hunting won't hurt, but a Constant diet of them can do the following:

-Bend the op Rod
-Crack/loosen a glass/steel bedding job
-Hard on the gas piston/system

The main problem is the op rod.That tends to take most of the beating with heavy bullets.

When The U.S. Army & Marines were using the M14 as their match rifles, they shot up to 190 gr bullets.BUT they re-bedded their rifles every season, and had a nice armor's van following the teams with LOTS of spare parts. Most of us do not have these luxuries...........

Stay at 168 gr or lighter.Your M14/M305 will love you for doing that.

SKBY.

 

[PoFF]

In complement of the question first asked, how the rifle would behave with cartridges loaded with light varminting bullets, such as the 110 grains V-Max, or those 100 grains CCI TNT?

Would anything bad happen to the action with repeated use? I'm asking because I might take the rifle out for some varmint hunting this summer, as I sadly can't take the AR out in the field, and that the 17HMR is borderline for coyotes past 75 yards.

 

[t-star]

i'm thinking you're going to have troubles with cycling- i've never shot anything less than 130 grain myself, and reached max safe powder charge before it would cycle relaibly- every second or third round would short stroke- switch back to good old 7.62 ball ( 147-150 or so) and we're good to go- maybe not so much with the 5 round mag limit, but on the old 20 round mags it was a pita

 

[prosper]

The trick is not to go with too fast a powder. You may not get the fastest velocities possible with the really light-weight stuff, but that's the price to pay with a gas-op gun.