My Sino-American Retro Nostalgia Project M-14(S)

Further to the bayonet installation...

Here you can see how the pommel strikes the gas plug just before it's able to lock on.
2013-10-20008.jpg

I'm wondering if making a relief cut into the pommel could destroy the bayo--the plug contacts
right where the tang (handle shaft) is fixed to the pommel. Cutting into the tang may cause the
pommel to come loose. [: ^0

Here's how much more I need to move aft...
2013-10-20006.jpg


I'd like to find a plug like the stubby SOMCOM, except with a metric thread. I could maybe solve
the mounting problem by throwing more money at it-- Ordering a new SAE usgi/aftermarket
gas tube and piston plus the stubby plug, but then I'm getting near to what I spent on the rifle...
The other 'Plan B' is to find a machinist/gunsmith able and willing to turn out a plug for me that
won't cost as much as the rifle did in the first place :)0 |

I'm open to other ideas.
 
Just loving this thread, what a sweet build.
I'm notoriously cheap and always looking to fix things for as little as possible, so don't be offended by my suggestion.
Looking at the pictures there seems to be the possibility of shaving the head of the gas plug to get the clearance you need.
I realise this is a sacrilegious statement to many, but it is only a minor alteration.
There is probably some engineering/sciency reason why this is not advisable.
Good luck anyway.
 
Rob Peter and rob Paul?

Hey, Lo!
Thx for the compliment and the suggestion. I am not offended by that idea. It's not that I'm 'cheap' so much as poor. I'd just love to spend the money to have nothing but top of the line equipment, but in fact, your idea was my very first 'Plan A' for fitting the bayo. The only thing is--

The plug is 7 mm thick at the front, and I need 5 mm altogether, so that much thinning would leave the head of the plug too thin.

I may be able to steal maybe half of the distance from the pommel, ie "splitting the difference" by shaving ~ 3 mm off the plug, and make a 3 mm
cut into the tang/pommel...

So that's now become my 'Plan of last resort' unless a better idea comes along that won't cost me several day's pay.
Stay tuned! :)0 ]
 
In one month I've gone from "suffering" with the Chinese polymer stock...to finding a USGI fiberglass (and top cover) from an Edmonton surplus shop for $70...yea, it's in rough shape, someone kinda botched a "glass bedding" and the top sides of the stock have rough material on it. But I think it's fixable and I plan on bedding it myself at some point. Then I decided I wanted a wood stock to make it look good, and a guy on the EE sold be a beautiful Boyds (Walnut I think?). And just last week I noticed someone selling a really nice USGI wood stock that looked to be in great shape...and I just couldn't help myself!

And I only have the one M-14 to put these on! LOL!

I really like this build of yours!

Questions:
- how much was the fake selector switch? Overpriced in your opinion or reasonable? Does it seem like it'll be solidly mounted?

- where should I try to get a genuine USGI M-14 sling? and was there more than one kind of sling issued to troops? Meaning, was there a leather one, cotton one and a nylon sling? Or just one type? Price?

- where would I get a USGI magazine pouch, and how many mags would it carry? 1 or 2 each? Or something different? Price?
 
USGI FG stocks...

Crazyest Canuck said:
I really loved this thread. By any chance are you going to be at the gun show clinic on the weekend that M14.ca is putting on? I want to pick your brain about doing this to one of these USGI fiberglass stocks I got laying around.
Click to expand...

Hey Crazy,

If you're attending the seminar on the weekend, I'm sure that "Laz" will be covering the topic of those USGI fg stocks. Did you get the course handout he wired out the other day?
I was in my inbox-- about 20 pages! :0)
Tom
 
Crazyest Canuck said:
I really loved this thread. By any chance are you going to be at the gun show clinic on the weekend that M14.ca is putting on? I want to pick your brain about doing this to one of these USGI fiberglass stocks I got laying around.
Click to expand...

You needed to sign up for the seminar in order to get the course handouts. Sorry, I thought you meant you were attending.
 
So many choices...!

RickR1100 said:
In one month I've gone from "suffering" with the Chinese polymer stock...to finding a USGI fiberglass (and top cover) from an Edmonton surplus shop for $70...yea, it's in rough shape, someone kinda botched a "glass bedding" and the top sides of the stock have rough material on it. But I think it's fixable and I plan on bedding it myself at some point. Then I decided I wanted a wood stock to make it look good, and a guy on the EE sold be a beautiful Boyds (Walnut I think?). And just last week I noticed someone selling a really nice USGI wood stock that looked to be in great shape...and I just couldn't help myself!
And I only have the one M-14 to put these on! LOL!
I really like this build of yours!
Questions:
- how much was the fake selector switch? Overpriced in your opinion or reasonable? Does it seem like it'll be solidly mounted?
- where should I try to get a genuine USGI M-14 sling? and was there more than one kind of sling issued to troops? Meaning, was there a leather one, cotton one and a nylon sling? Or just one type? Price?
- where would I get a USGI magazine pouch, and how many mags would it carry? 1 or 2 each? Or something different? Price?
Click to expand...

Well, let me begin by saying 'congratulations' on your stock hunting expedition! Yes, I think you need at least one more M-14 ;0)

I'm posting a note on the selector switch later on.

The only slings we had for our issued M-14s were O.D. canvas. I splurged recently for a classic 1907-style leather sling. I've put these on all my US military rifles over the years. Are they historically correct for an M-14? No, but I like the look, feel, and smell of the real leather. My dad had one on his '03 Springfield. I'll post some pics. In the meantime, there are several sources of slings on Ebay. Try "World War Supply". I got their dark leather model with brass hardware for under thirty bucks.

The ammo pouches may be a bit harder to get. Every American supplier seems to have a restriction on exporting anything related to the M-14. I found mine in CHINA! It was on Ebay (BTW--I've received a number of items from Chinese suppliers and have found them to be 'five star plus').
The pouches were designed to contain two 20 round mags each.

Keep me posted.
Tom
 
The 1907 pattern sling is a very useful device when properly employed. There is lots of information regarding the use of them on the net. I have one made by Les Tam on my SA SM a Turner biothane on an AR15 NM and a cheap one on my standard. The canvas sling can also be used on the upper arm but nothing beats the 1907 job.
 
The next installment:

I'm not sure whether I did the show and tell about this mod or not... :confused:

I was considering ordering a selector switch from Brownells to fill that gaping hole in the stock, but.... What? Fifty dollars for a piece of el cheapo plastic?!?
No, it's nicely finished steel... Still... $50, eh?--ouch!
I rationalize : Ordering this switch will save me more than it would've cost me in materials and time to fill that gaping hole, plus I'm certain I would
have made a big mess with the patch. A dog's breakfast, eh?
Anyway, what's fifty bucks buy you these days? A bag of groceries? Food vs Essentials... What to do? Decisions, decisions....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I took a ride on my motorbike down to the Post about two weeks ago, and there was a card in our box telling me that a parcel had arrived.
I went up to the counter to turn the card in, and they handed me a box about 10"x10"x10". It was too big for me to balance on the gas tank, and it was seriously light in the weight department. Actually, it felt like it was empty. I cut the tape off with my key so I could bin the box right then and there.
Inside the box were three plastic pillows full of air (helium?) and a tiny baggie containing the selector switch! What, was this Brownells' idea of a joke?
I popped that little baggy in the pocket of my jeans, hopped back on the Harley, and rode on home to have a closer look at it.

Whoa! It looks a lot like the real thing. It even twists to a 90 degree detent when you press and turn it!
2013-10-09001.jpg

I understand how the long screw works. I suspect that the roll pin is there to stabilize the rear of the switch since no screw is made that long and skinny?
You drill a 7/64" hole into the stock, then drive the pin in? (Providing installation instructions is not their forte)

2013-10-09007.jpg

Ach, it's a nice fit, with no fiddly adjustments or trimming needed so, "mustn't grumble", eh?

And, yes, I'll have that epoxy patch all matched to the stock by next week.
2013-10-12011.jpg



2013-10-12026.jpg
 
Last edited:
IMO that selector switch looks much better than a "fill" job. Gives it a nice look. You're build is looking awesome!
BTW...you should have bought a Bagger. But then again the 10"x10"x10" wouldn't have fit in the bags of my Streetglide either :)
 
My wife, the Bag Lady...

johNTO said:
BTW...you should have bought a Bagger. But then again the 10"x10"x10" wouldn't have fit in the bags of my Streetglide either :)
Click to expand...

Ha-Ha-HA! :cool: Hey, dude, we don need no steenking "Baggers". A modified SPORTSTER is all any real man needs. I ever have to tote any gear, I put my Old Lady on facin' backwards and the load goes on her lap. Works good--I can't even hear all the screamin' an' the whinin'. I remember this one time, she was holdin' on to so much stuff, I had to duct tape her on to keep her from droppin' it or fallin' off.
She didn't like it much at first, but I think she's gettin' kinda used to it now. I saved a big chunk of money by not gettin' one of them H-D chrome "luggage racks."
 
Thanks for your story and M14 project. It's a delight to read. I'm also working on a couple of M14 projects - a regular and a shorty. I just put the regular into a nice Boyd's walnut stock. The shorty is going into a modified Chinese plastic stock thanks to the ongoing thread by 45ACPKING. My M14s are a replacement for my FN L1A1s that sit gathering dust in my safe. They have the same feel (with the exception of the pistol grip) and punch of the FN C1A1s I used back in the 80s.
 
I'm off to see The Wizard...

OK, I'm off to the Vancouver Island Arms Collectors' Association gun show today, M-14 in one hand and maxxed-out credit card in the other.
Tomorrow is the the M14 Seminar put on by m14.com.

2013-10-12022.jpg


I'll file a full report when I get home. Wish me luck.
 
Sporting Lad said:
Ha-Ha-HA! :cool: Hey, dude, we don need no steenking "Baggers". A modified SPORTSTER is all any real man needs. I ever have to tote any gear, I put my Old Lady on facin' backwards and the load goes on her lap. Works good--I can't even hear all the screamin' an' the whinin'. I remember this one time, she was holdin' on to so much stuff, I had to duct tape her on to keep her from droppin' it or fallin' off.
She didn't like it much at first, but I think she's gettin' kinda used to it now. I saved a big chunk of money by not gettin' one of them H-D chrome "luggage racks."
Click to expand...

I felt the same way about Baggers once...who needs a fairing, radio, blah blah blah. Balls in the wind! At my age I enjoy the creature comforts and being able to bring an extra sweater, gloves, sunglasses, ammo. Sporters are nice bikes..Does Harley make a Man's version? LOL
Anyway, I digress but would love to see a pic of it and enjoyed the story about your Bag Lady. Enjoy the seminar and tell us all about it.
 
Last edited:
Do it with your thumb...

JimDO said:
... But it sure looks good. So it screws in nice n tight?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's surprisingly solid. I put a dab of Gorilla Snot on the threads and on the pin before I fastened them down, but I prolly didn't need to.
Oh, yeah-- WARNING If you put one of these on,
you'll want to use a different method of racking the bolt-- If you're used to doing it with the palm of your right hand facing up and your pinky on the
op rod handle, the inboard edge of your hand will come to grief when it drags across the switch. I use my thumb on the op rod, pointing down, and have my palm facing in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom