New m305 chamber!!!

CDHWild

CDHWild

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Smithers BC
Hi all new to the forum. I bought this rifle new just before Christmas. Been reading lots here about the MIM bolts so been a bit sketched to do much and with all the pandemic bs going on i figured i would finally have some time to play with it. Took it out today to put a round or two through it to get some headspace measurements n the first one jammed. Had to go home n use a rod to drive the empty out of the chamber, check the chamber n see the grooving in it. I posted a link to a youtube vid i did cuz i couldnt figure out how to post pics yet, only have a handheld device no computer. Please ignore the background noise. Pretty sure this thing is no more than scrap for a shooting iron at this point. Any body seen this before with one of these new norincos?

https://youtu.be/HudNQq5PgfI
 
That does not look good. Why are these guns still allowed to be sold???

Can you get it replaced under warranty or refunded?
 
Yep.
You can always buy the IDF conversion kit and send it to M14 medic. I just did with my rifle after discovering the MIM bolt.
If you're lucky, you'll end up with a rifle on par or better than a springfield M1A.
Or you can try to sell it.... not that anybody should fire it in it's current condition. You could get 4 - 5 hundred bucks from somebody looking to use the receiver. Unless you got the cast receiver too?

Also, wouldn't this prove that Norinco rifles are not being proof tested perhaps not even test fired?
 
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Kevin32 said:
Yep.
You can always buy the IDF conversion kit and send it to M14 medic. I just did with my rifle after discovering the MIM bolt.
If you're lucky, you'll end up with a rifle on par or better than a springfield M1A.
Or you can try to sell it.... not that anybody should fire it in it's current condition. You could get 4 - 5 hundred bucks from somebody looking to use the receiver. Unless you got the cast receiver too?

Also, wouldn't this prove that Norinco rifles are not being proof tested perhaps not even test fired?
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Hi Kevin. Yeah i would say its a cast reciever based on comparison to my older early 2000s forged one. Dont really see a lot casting marks but the finish is way different and significantly less machining. Pretty sure this one was never fired but i guess if they will pass an MIM bolt why would they care about a jammed cartridge thay had to pound out with a rod? QC is on point but the point is greatly reduced from past build quality thats for sure. Big dissapointment.
 
North Sylva for the win!!!

This is not your problem - it's either the retailer's problem or North Sylva's problem. The chambers are chrome lined, so don;t let them accuse you of having done anything to the gun - you can't gouce up a chamber and then re-chrome over the gouging. It was just made bad to begin with.
 
I can't understand how the groove was cut into the chamber in the first place. Somebody please educate me?

To me, if it was a reamer problem, the whole chamber (up to that spot at least) should have been enlarged.
 
yonderin said:
I can't understand how the groove was cut into the chamber in the first place. Somebody please educate me?

To me, if it was a reamer problem, the whole chamber (up to that spot at least) should have been enlarged.
Click to expand...

chambers can be cut / finished several ways

a drill ... then boring bar .. rougher ... finisher
or
a drill ... then boring bar finisher
or
rougher ... finisher

or just a finish reamer .....but very hard on on the tool

i think this one groove was cut with a boring bar .... operator went wrong way .... or a big chip on the reamer
 
Tom Morrison said:
The older M305s were a great deal at $450.00, but those days are over. Why anyone would pay more for a current version is beyond me.
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They're still the same price. 600$ today is equal to around 450$ about fifteen years ago.
The one I picked up last year had a MIM bolt and forged receiver AFAIK. I picked it up on sale from a retailer for 520$ including tax.
If I had known of the mim bolt at the time I'd probably delay. Maybe get a springfield M1A instead. Now I'm 1700$ into the Norinco project and it's 12 weeks before I'll see my rifle.
 
It looks to me like the roughing reamer was either dull or improperly lubricated and swarf got stuck on the cutting edge and galled the chamber enough that the finishing reamer didn't clean it up. It happens, but QA/QC should have condemned the barrel, assuming the chicoms even have a QA/QC program on these.
 
Kevin32 said:
They're still the same price. 600$ today is equal to around 450$ about fifteen years ago.
The one I picked up last year had a MIM bolt and forged receiver AFAIK. I picked it up on sale from a retailer for 520$ including tax.
If I had known of the mim bolt at the time I'd probably delay. Maybe get a springfield M1A instead. Now I'm 1700$ into the Norinco project and it's 12 weeks before I'll see my rifle.
Click to expand...

I bought my shorty new for $450 about 5 years ago. The current version I was referring to are the cast receivers, but the MIM bolt would be a deal breaker for me as well. Why would you want to reward a company that sells an unsafe product? A forged Norc receiver is a decent one, but it's not much to look at.
 
Why would you want to reward a company that sells an unsafe product? A forged Norc receiver is a decent one, but it's not much to look at.
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I doubt Norinco cares, and Canadian retailers probably buy these rifles wholesale "as is where is", and eat any time and/or money loss on bad products. It has been a few years since I went to one of the M14 clinics that don't seem to be as frequent now days, but even some forged Norinco receiver batches were off spec. Depending what you want to do, it's probably not a good idea to buy an m305 sight unseen. It seems to have always been a bit of a gamble IMO.
 
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