M14 upgrades

I really enjoyed shooting my M305 shorty but never cared for the cosmetics. Realized quickly that changing stuff to make it "look" better would be costly and change the original configuration(which is what does it for me). When I received my SA SOCOM16 there was no comparison in the visual quality and fit & finish vs the Norc. All my firearms are "range toys" so ya looks count for me. Nothing needs to be changed AFAIC.
If I used my firearms for hunting etc., I wouldn't be too picky about its looks after a day in the woods. The expression...."lip stick on a pig" comes to mind. YMMV
 
Thomas...thanks for the heads up re the roller contact and Tony for the vid. I'll have to check mine out. Looks like an easy fix if its a problem.
Did West Jet just get banned?....for this comment ^^^
 
If you read his other posts, I think they as a group are responsible for the ban
T

johNTO said:
Thomas...thanks for the heads up re the roller contact and Tony for the vid. I'll have to check mine out. Looks like an easy fix if its a problem.
Did West Jet just get banned?....for this comment ^^^
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PitBull1973 said:
To call a Springfield junk because of its bolt roller issue , which can be corrected very easy isn't fair. I would emagine that not every rifle has this problem. It seems that the ones that don't own a higher end rifle are the first to bash them but that's another topic. The reason I asked about upgrades is because SA's web site is very limited with specs. Thanks Tony for the videos
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I've been on this site, sharing advice and building/repairing these rifles for near a decade so... Ya, I can call them junk based on my own experiences with numerous rifles.
I personally own an LRB M25 with a krieger ss DMR barrel and all NOS USGI parts....
And a norinco receiver, krieger 18.5 barrel and all NOS usgi parts...
I am farrrrr from having rifle envy over springfields LOL
 
45ACPKING said:
I've been on this site, sharing advice and building/repairing these rifles for near a decade so... Ya, I can call them junk based on my own experiences with numerous rifles.
I personally own an LRB M25 with a krieger ss DMR barrel and all NOS USGI parts....
And a norinco receiver, krieger 18.5 barrel and all NOS usgi parts...
I am farrrrr from having rifle envy over springfields LOL
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In fairness Thomas you have also stated a dislike for them based on principal. If I'm not mistaken you don't care for the fact that they adopted the US military armory name and possibly some other issues I'm not aware of. That's your right and I'm not going to tell you that it's wrong to feel that way. I guess you'll understand that some of us don't care for communist China duplicating and profiting on an American design. I hate that the market is flooded with cheaply made and priced goods from there. Also many of us bought Springfield's when as far as I know they were the only other game in town aside from the Norinco. The LRB has only been widely marketed in Canada for a few years and the Rockola even more recently. Are we supposed to dump our garbage and step up to a admittedly better rifle for no other reason than ours are not quite as good despite the fact none of us will ever know the difference? An LRB is almost double the cost of an M1A. Rockola almost one and a half times.

I sure don't have Norinco envy despite the widely known fact that a shim and spring guide makes them varmint rifles with a tasco and commie ball.
 
45ACPKING said:
I have found trigger issues and or bolt roller contact on "most" of the SAI rifles I have examined in the past few years. Matter of fact, on december 6th at my M14 clinic in surrey, espresso604's beautiful springer showed bolt roller contact... Brand new rifle I believe.
The problem still exists.
Maybe they just send the junk rifles north LOL
I didn't need another reason to trash on SAI rifles... But now I'm convinced that they are just overpriced, over hyped junk
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Sorry to further derail this thread but I hope the Supermatch is put together better than my 2014 loaded model.... about 1000 rounds so far and trigger, piston and Op rod issues. Still fires after I repaired the trigger assm., has good accuracy, but for how long? Would/ could let this go if dealt with by springfield but 2 emails and a voice mail call asking for assistance so far with no response for over a month now and ... nothing. still hoping for the best.
Rodney
 
HK45auto said:
Buying myself a new M1A Loaded within the next few months...importing one actually....should I be concerned?
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I wouldn't be overly concerned as much as I would be observant. It probably wouldn't cost too much to correct it if the condition exists. None of the other receiver makers have had this issue, AFAIK. Rock-Ola's are a safe bet so far and they get more attention than a SAI. The LRB will be perfect out of the box but cost much more.

My goal is not to bash any current makers of M14 clones but rather to help users identify issues and show them how to fix them. I let the owners and viewers draw their own conclusions. I actually see value in getting an imperfect M1A in my hands. It's an opportunity to document issues and fixes.

Tony.
 
Part of owning one of these rifles for me is my interest in their design and history. I know I'm not alone in that as there are many knowledgeable guys right here that share the interest. There are a number of good books on the subject including a pair by Duff and Kuleck that take you through the building of a rifle from receiver to finished product. Even if you don't decide ever to build one what you will gain is worthwhile. The bolt roller contact that can also be present on a Norinco by the way and is explained and addressed in the build.

There are people here who will urge you to buy a Norinco. Many of these guys are competent and not afraid to work on them. They accept there may be minor issues.
Others will tell you LRB are best and they probably are. At $1500 for a bare receiver I would hope so.
Recently we are seeing a bunch more support for the M1A's. I don't think you would regret purchasing one. I don't.
If you can afford it and rack grade is what you want not match grade I think Rockola would be a great choice. I have no experience with one but if they are everything they are cracked up to be you should be very pleased with it.

And lets not kid ourselves. You are likely to have more than one.
 
I've NEVER met a norinco/poly tech receiver with bolt roller/receiver contact at lock up....

As for buying any of the "brands" of the semi auto m14.... It pays to be informed.
Things like... If you have your LRB built in canada... There is no warranty (from LRB). LRB' are nice but I've run into issues with them as well. Spent a few long phone conversations with Tim at Warbird Customs to get his advice on dealing with these problems.
Or springfields are nice rifles but "common" problems still exist and it seems that they may not be honoring warranties for canadian sales (check rodauto's current dilemna)
People can stuff their heads in the sand on the springfield issue but I refuse to be one of those people. I came to this by hands on examinations of CGN'ers rifles. Not by making up stuff to be combative on the internet.
Yer money guys, spend it as you will
Like Tony Ben mentioned , we find and try and pass on the problems we find , to help our friends in the community make good decisions, don't hate the messenger.
 
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Should have said "with all due respect"

Not trying to be combative.
A Springfield Standard is $300 more than an LRB receiver. Not sure that qualifies it as over priced.
A Rockola is 1.5 X the cost of SAI standard. Put a few hundred $ worth of trigger parts and bolt parts in your SAI you have a decent rifle in my opinion. Of course it probably won't do 1 MOA.
 
Seafury said:
Should have said "with all due respect"

Not trying to be combative.
A Springfield Standard is $300 more than an LRB receiver. Not sure that qualifies it as over priced.
A Rockola is 1.5 X the cost of SAI standard. Put a few hundred $ worth of trigger parts and bolt parts in your SAI you have a decent rifle in my opinion. Of course it probably won't do 1 MOA.
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No worries , I didn't take anything you posted in a negative way ;) we all know that there are thousands of M1A's out there performing reliably and accurately, not even I can dispute that fact. But I do feel the need to expose the problems I find when guys ask if they are "worth it".
As a Canadian consumer... In light of recent developments, it would certainly pay to find out how and if the warranty is good north of the border. As an american consumer, one could make the purchase without that concern.
Food for thought.
 
HK45auto said:
What is the paper test checking? And why is it a concern? Soon to be an M1A owner and this has me worried! :(
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TonyBen said:
If the bolt roller hits the receiver, it will wear out the roller and it will eventually fall off or fail early.

Tony.
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Well….my SA SOCOM16 passed the roller/paper test tonight. I guess not all SA "M14"'s are junk.
TonyBen, thanks again for the great vids!
 
I think its pretty sad the american rifle manufacturer's are using the border as a way to get out of honoring warranties.
That seems in my eyes like a real shady business practice considering how many sales they get up here.

These are 2000-3000$ guns not airsoft's , a Rifle manufacture should stick beside their product Canada , Us , Mexico wherever it may be.

Imho if your going to ship rifles out to another country it should be law to have some sort of warranty process in place within that country even if its though the importer themselves.

In any other industry they would not get away with this sort of practice.
 
leonard said:
I think its pretty sad the american rifle manufacturer's are using the border as a way to get out of honoring warranties.
That seems in my eyes like a real shady business practice considering how many sales they get up here.

These are 2000-3000$ guns not airsoft's , a Rifle manufacture should stick beside their product Canada , Us , Mexico wherever it may be.

Imho if your going to ship rifles out to another country it should be law to have some sort of warranty process in place within that country even if its though the importer themselves.

In any other industry they would not get away with this sort of practice.
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Hopefully it is not a case of no warranty just slow response. Still hoping for the best! Hoping to get a range report from Pitbull to see what his rifle will do, as I said I am very happy with the accuracy on mine and its just a loaded in a USGI wood stock, not bedded but nice tight lock up. As with most things if I had bought from a dealer I may have had my issues resolved already. We are going through similar issues now with scopes where you need to prove it was bought through an approved dealer to even be considered for warranty. If you buy used or lose your invoice......
Rodney
 
leonard said:
I think its pretty sad the american rifle manufacturer's are using the border as a way to get out of honoring warranties.
That seems in my eyes like a real shady business practice considering how many sales they get up here.

These are 2000-3000$ guns not airsoft's , a Rifle manufacture should stick beside their product Canada , Us , Mexico wherever it may be.

Imho if your going to ship rifles out to another country it should be law to have some sort of warranty process in place within that country even if its though the importer themselves.

In any other industry they would not get away with this sort of practice.
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According to recent postings on more than one forum... The canadian warranty outfit for sprinfield M1A (and possibly other firearms) went under recently.
 
I'm not worried about anything for 2 reasons. First this rifle was purchased from Wanstalls and if there is any out of the box problems they will make it right. Second after my first inspection if I feel that something looks or is strange , I will give Barney a call and have him look at it further . I'd like to thank ACP King and Tony for there knowledge that they share with us
 
45ACPKING said:
No worries , I didn't take anything you posted in a negative way ;) we all know that there are thousands of M1A's out there performing reliably and accurately, not even I can dispute that fact. But I do feel the need to expose the problems I find when guys ask if they are "worth it".
As a Canadian consumer... In light of recent developments, it would certainly pay to find out how and if the warranty is good north of the border. As an american consumer, one could make the purchase without that concern.
Food for thought.
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Few would argue your experience with the platform. Myself I was considering selling my standard and buying a Rockola. That would be a $1000 hit for what? I have a USGI barrel and I've done the bolt and trigger parts. She shoots reliably and looks good to boot.

I purchased a USGI trigger and McMillan fat bastard from Hungry. Going to get the rest of the USGI parts from Treeline. Then despite the cost an LRB receiver and Krieger barrel. Here comes my $4000 Super Match. Worth it? It will be to me. Would I pack it around? No. I also have an Armalite with all NM parts and a ATRS installed Lilja barrel. If I could shoot better I could hold my own on the line at Camp Perry.

I've never bought an extended warranty in my life. If I thought it was going to fail I wouldn't buy it.

To each his own.
 
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