M14s Gas Escape Hole

[paulz]

My Boyd's walnut stock has the gas escape hole and forward sling swivel cutout in a different place than my Norc Chu wood stock.

The Boyd's hole/sling position is about 5/8" further forward. On the Norc, the place where the gas cylinder and the op rod meet is exactly centred over the gas escape hole, on the Boyd's it is not. Is this a problem? Will I have functioning issues?

I have contemplated filling the current hole with epoxy, and drilling a new hole in the right place, but I want some opinions before going ahead. No sense in doing it if it is not necessary. Since the Boyd's stock is discontinued, and I have already 90% finished it, I don't want to try an exchange or to get another one.

anyone out there with the same issue?

 

[t-star]

it's a DRAIN hole, has nothing to do with the gas system- used for letting the water out- it just happens to line up with the gas relief - lots of folks use it as an easy way to mount a sling stud for a bipod, but i wouldn't- drilling out one of the sling swivel rivets works much better

 

[paulz]

Cool! Thanks for that. I assumed from its location and how it lined up so conveniently that it was for venting gas. Learn something new every day!

 

[8ball]

Yes it "looks" like a gas escape hole but it isn't. Like T-Star said it is a water escape drain hole that is usefull to clear the gas system as fast as possible. A good example would be when when a brook is passed by a soldier and the rifle get accidentally under water.