M305 Barrel onto M-1 Receiver

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tiriaq

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Working on a hybrid project - M-1 backend, M305 front.
Beretta receiver, take-off M305 barrel. Barrel screwed in with an excellent fit, stopping just slightly short of indexing. Took .004" off the shoulder, and the barrel pulled up just right.
With one of the Springfield M-1 bolts from TradeEx, headspace is perfect, without adjustment. Closes completely without effort on the GO, partially on the NO GO, and not at all on the Field.
Turned a bushing from a piece of scrap rifle barrel for the M305 op. rod guide, to reduce the internal diameter to suit a M-1 operating rod.
 
The barrelled action drops right into a M-1 stock, and clamps in place. A M-1 band will have to be installed on the M305 barrel to engage the M-1 forend, and secure a M-1 handguard. The M-305 guide rod bushing will necessitate a bit of inletting.
I've been looking for a pooched M-1 op. rod, with a defective piston end. It will be cut and plugged to engage the M305 piston. Don't want to cut up a good ($$$) one. Sarco has op. rods from Italian .308 rifles that are a half inch short, for US$80. Least expensive I've found so far.
I have a M-1 and a M-305, so I can borrow parts as the project progresses, and only buy the balance of the parts when I know the project is successful.
Haven't decided if I will leave the barrel at 22", or shorten it, and install a brake. If I do that, I'll need to work out a front sight mount, or use one of the gas cylinder lock G3 style units.
Right now, a photo wouldn't show much - just a sort of M-1ish rifle with a M305 barrel sticking out.
 
This isn't an original idea, I think it has been done before, although I've not seen a picture of one.
Bought one of the $50 receivers, just because, but I have a sweet shooting M-1 in .308, and sold the other couple of '06s that I had. So, thought I would try this.
The fit of the Chinese barrel to the Italian receiver was just excellent.
 
Well, I think I have got an op. rod coming. Piston head had come loose, someone tried to weld it back on, ruined the end. Rest of the op. rod looks good.
 
Received an operating rod today with a spoiled front end. Someone had tried to weld in a replacement piston. And failed. Exactly what I was looking for.
 
Hit a roadblock. I made a bushing for the op. rod guide to match the diameter of the M-1 op. rod. Seemed OK. So I whittled a new one out of a block of steel on the lathe and mill. Here's the problem. The op. rod hole in the guide must be relieved to clear the transition zone on the front of the M-1 op. rod. But if the transition zone of the rod clears the guide, the front end of a modified rod would come back further than the guide with the bolt open all the way. It would be hanging free, unsupported, when the bolt is fully open. The problem is that the operating stroke for a M-1 is longer than for a M-14. Trying to figure out a way around this impasse.
 
mrbeil said:
How did you get that op rod out of the states? Sarco refused to sell me one a few years back
Click to expand...

Wasn't from Sarco. It is a M-1 rod that someone damaged trying to replace the piston.
As it happens, Marstar has the Italian T2 rods in stock...
 
You could build up an area in front of the barrel boss with Devon. Then secure the guide in place at a forward location. Or create a split bushing and Devon in place....

It may not be permanent, but would give you an idea of where to go.....
 
Why not cut the op rod and weld in a piece to make it the correct length?? It will take a bit of heat treating as well but it should be doable. Marstar should have a couple of hundred of the Typo II op rods on hand after the last bit of trouble the recently went through.

Give Purple a shout. He has done a lot of conversions to 7.62x51. I don't know if he has done it with a Norc M305 barrel or not though. He is a tome of information and knows his stuff.
 
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