M14 Muzzle break removal ..eh?

BBq_Woa!

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 95.3%
61   3   0
Hey there.
my laser boresight doesn't sit straight because of my M14S's muzzle break. it's very slightly off, and as you know, thats no good for boresighting.

I was hoping to remove the break, boresight and adjust my scope at 100, and then when that's all done, re-attach.
I think I understand how to take it off by looking at it, and trying..
remove the retention screw, turn the knurled knob, remove.. but the knob won't budge.

anyone got instructions/diagram/video of it? or some trick that i'm overlooking?

thanks very much for any help!

-Derek
 
With the setscrew backed off, the castlenut should unscrew. Do you have the proper pliers?
Once the castlenut has been loosened, you will be able to determine if your flashider is welded on.
 
oh god welded? oh god..
ok
propor pliers.. probably not.
i've tried normal...pliers and needlenose.. i've gripped REALLY HARD and tried turning.. doesn't budge.
i've tried both directions as well.
which way does it loosen?
if i'm looking down the barrel as if I'm shooting it, does it loosen counter-clockwise? or clockwise?
thanks so much
 
You can also remove the castle nut with a thin blunt end punch and light hammer, using the punch to turn the castle nut by putting it in the notches and tapping it lightly counter clockwise. Usually the flash hiders are welded as tiriaq mentioned, and require a lot of force, potentially some fine grinding, and elbow grease to remove. More daunting than it sounds, I've done a good half dozen, some easy as pie some BRUTAL.
 
You can also remove the castle nut with a thin blunt end punch and light hammer, using the punch to turn the castle nut by putting it in the notches and tapping it lightly counter clockwise. Usually the flash hiders are welded as tiriaq mentioned, and require a lot of force, potentially some fine grinding, and elbow grease to remove. More daunting than it sounds, I've done a good half dozen, some easy as pie some BRUTAL.

I never have luck with anything. so I'm hoping I will for this.

ill get the castle nut off, use my friend's pliers which seem to be the same, and the flashhider will pop right off with 2 taps

:)
 
why not just take a big piece of paper with you and play around with shot placement to get her on target?
or start at close range and move as needed?
it would seem easier and also more enjoyable as all shooting is good shooting, and wrestling with your flash hider sounds like a PITA!
 
the very early ones are done just like the original m-14, the rest are welded- as to the trouble it is to remove it, it's a job for a very competent person with a drill press or a grinder- the welds themselves can be a you know what to get through- unless i was wanting to put a bayonet lug on, i'd used the old tried and true round and paper method- besides, i've never been all that impressed with boresighters anyway, as you still need to verify your sights- it's just a step to get you on the paper roughly, which you should be able to do at 25 yards anyway- and , btw i have 2- the bushnell optical and a laser from rect-t fier- the bushnell works, the rect-t - isn't near bright enough to see , even with their fancy reflective target
 
You can also remove the castle nut with a thin blunt end punch and light hammer, using the punch to turn the castle nut by putting it in the notches and tapping it lightly counter clockwise. Usually the flash hiders are welded as tiriaq mentioned, and require a lot of force, potentially some fine grinding, and elbow grease to remove. More daunting than it sounds, I've done a good half dozen, some easy as pie some BRUTAL.

My two were both brutal, but glad they're off. Good luck. Did the first one myself and even had a gunsmith's help with the second. Those welds are damn hard!
 
hmm.
I went today to a freind's shop.
he had a tool that he thought might work, turned out to be too big (the teeth, that is, too big to engage the holes in the castle nut)
upon consideration.. i actually think I'll use SignGuy's method of putting a normal laser pointer with a flat rear into the action, seating the round front into the chamber, and lightly closing the bolt around the rear so it all snuggles in.

according to him, it has worked for him several times ,
I'll do that in the next couple days to get the general placement of the scope, and do the rest at the range I suppose.
depending on how well i get it with the laser, might not need much tweaking later.

thanks for all your help everyone! what great folks you are always!

-Derek
 
Hey Derek- did you say your flashhider is a bit off, as in not straight? I think I remember hearing that bullets could hit M14 flashhiders, throwing off the point of impact...if it is indeed crooked, I'd get it off personally and replace it with a GI hider with bayo lug.

Corrected to say, I see you just said that the hider throws your laser bore sighter off, not that the hider's bent...

Some on here have said they took a block of hardwood and after removing the set screw, used a punch to unscrew the castle a bit, then give the hider a few bands with a hammer on the block, then back off a bit more, a few more taps etc. Sometimes they come off fairly easily, sometimes they're a bear.




according to him, it has worked for him several times ,
I'll do that in the next couple days to get the general placement of the scope, and do the rest at the range I suppose.
depending on how well i get it with the laser, might not need much tweaking later.

thanks for all your help everyone! what great folks you are always!

-Derek[/QUOTE]
 
Last edited:
We had this situation at Hungry's clinic in July, and Tiriac learned the lesson - if you really really really need to remove the flash suppressor, drill or mill the spot welds. If there is no good reason to remove it, leave well enough alone.

We had this situation at my clinic in Aug, and three guys broke a half-dozen drill bits and still did not get the flash suppressor off. The next tools (since no one brought a vertical milling machine in their trunk) will be a round grit abrasive Dremel grinding bit, safety glasses and patience.
 
why not just take a big piece of paper with you and play around with shot placement to get her on target?
or start at close range and move as needed?
it would seem easier and also more enjoyable as all shooting is good shooting, and wrestling with your flash hider sounds like a PITA!


bore sighter, whats that :D

good lord just shoot the dam thing, check to see if the bullets are going to hit the flash hider first :runaway:

then start at 25m and sight in, should be farily close at 200 :rolleyes:

closest thing I have to a boresighter is to take out the bolt and look down the barrel. on My M305 (m14) I locked the bolt back and used a dental mirror

then using a yellow sitckey with a 1" black dot lined up the rifle and then zeroed the scope about 1 1/2" above the dot, good enough to get it on paper at 100m

dam young whippersnapers and all these fancy new fangled technology gadgets :evil:
 
bore sighter, whats that :D

good lord just shoot the dam thing, check to see if the bullets are going to hit the flash hider first :runaway:

then start at 25m and sight in, should be farily close at 200 :rolleyes:

closest thing I have to a boresighter is to take out the bolt and look down the barrel. on My M305 (m14) I locked the bolt back and used a dental mirror

then using a yellow sitckey with a 1" black dot lined up the rifle and then zeroed the scope about 1 1/2" above the dot, good enough to get it on paper at 100m

dam young whippersnapers and all these fancy new fangled technology gadgets :evil:

I had a boresighter once... sold it before I used it. I don't get the point personally... :confused: Just go shoot! Usually takes 5 rounds to get ballpark, then a few more to tune and you're done. I've also used the look down the bore method to get on paper, worked like a charm.
 
I had a boresighter once... sold it before I used it. I don't get the point personally... :confused: Just go shoot! Usually takes 5 rounds to get ballpark, then a few more to tune and you're done. I've also used the look down the bore method to get on paper, worked like a charm.

I went to the range one time (well many times actually) but this one time there were a bunch of new freshly out of basic troops and a few of us old crusty buggers. Poor little tropies were in a tizzy because they didn't have a bore sighter to zero their scopes before they went to shoot. :confused: :runaway:

Well at one time we were zeroing the scopes by just looking to see that the gaps were parallel between the scope and mount ad that the gaps in the front were about equal :eek:

But we (old guys) have moved on to the more technical method of removing the upper and bolt and then looking down the barrel. and with the help of a sandbag rought zero the scope.

Poor little troopies were so confused :D
 
I thought I invented that idea...



But we (old guys) have moved on to the more technical method of removing the upper and bolt and then looking down the barrel. and with the help of a sandbag rought zero the scope.

Poor little troopies were so confused :D[/QUOTE]
 
M14 Muzzle break removal

Well, I really needed to remove mine to install a Sage EBR stock. Tapping with punch was not sufficient, started the recommended drilling process, then stopped, thinking I would try one more thing...
Grabbed a small soldering torch and applied small amounts of heat to the suspect weld areas, then was able to easily tap off with brass punch.
Not recommending this to anyone, but I did have a spare M305 in case I mucked things up too bad...
Range result: 5 shots grouped <.5inch at 100yds with Fed 168gr gold medal match, off a crappy rest, by a crappy shooter.
Gotta love a properly bedded Norinco!
 
Took mine off with a hammer and large brass drift. Took about 8 hits and welds broke loose. Barrel was well supported and protected in a vice.

If at first you don't succeed...get a bigger hammer
 
i put mine (m14s) in a b&d workbench and taped-up a bit metal bar--then gave a few good whacks to the bayonet lug area with a hammer.the welds are underneath either side of the cut-off bayonet lug.i didn't even take the park off the flash suppressor.of course,before doing this,you have to loosen the set-screw and loosen the castle nut.
 
Back
Top Bottom