New to me M305 - specific questions about tweaks

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Hello all

I have a new-to-me 18.6" barreled Norinco M305in a Blackfeather chassis. I am planning on making a few tweaks to it in order to get it more closely in line with that I'd like a rifle to do for me. I have owned three Norincos in the past, and worked on all of them myself courtesy of the skills I picked up from Barney at an M14 clinic. I sold all of them to friends before moving to the US for a number of years because 922(r) will make your d!ck fall off....

I am not a rank novice when it comes to tweaking Norincos, but now that I have the rifle in my hands I do have a few questions for the hive mind:

#1. It currently does not have a rear sight (just a scout scope that I happen to think is a great match for the M14). I'd like to rectify that. So far, this part seems easy - I just dropped in a BM-59 rear sight that I had sitting in my parts bin. Easy peasy on the install. Given that the BM-59 was intended to operate with a 22" barrel, will I have issues using these sights with a front sight that is located on top of the gas block? Or (worst case) a front sight located on top of a Smith "Good Iron" brake, or an M14 flash hider?

#2. It currently does not have a front sight. I have a couple "vanilla" Norc front sights in my parts bin, and I purchased an SEI gas lock with a dovetail on top for a front sight, but encountered an issue when I went to install it. The threads on the barrel mate perfectly with the Smith gas lock (no surprise there since I bought the metric threaded version) - but the threads on the gas lock only extend part way through....meaning that they are too short to thread in to meet up with the front of the gas cylinder. Maybe that's because the Smith gas lock is made to fit a SOCOM 16? My hunch is "that's the way she goes boys" is the only realistic response to this problem, but I'm open to input.

#3. I had assumed (my bad) that given the lack of a front sight, it had started life as a 22" barrel and had been cut/crowned/threaded. I was wrong. Pulling off the Troy "DNA Collector" flash hider that was on the rifle revealed the classic Norinco oddball metric thread. If I cannot make the gas lock front sight work (which seems likely to me) I will probably end up looking for a muzzle device that integrates a front sight - or at least a dovetail to allow me to mount one of the spare Norinco front sights that I have kicking around. Any suggestions on what might work?

#4. EDIT: Nevermind....I realized that I don't have a gas plug plug for the NM gas cylinder that's in my parts bin, so I'll stick with the Norc cylinder, plug, and piston that were on the rifle when it arrived.

#5. If I choose to re-install the Troy muzzle device, it's definitely going to need a crush washer or something similar. Any suggestions on what sort of interface I should be using in order to get it properly timed on the barrel? If I tighten as is, it's 180 degrees out of position, and would vent the majority of the gas straight down. Even though the description of the part that is online specifically says that no crush washer is required, when the threads inside the device engage the castle nut threads on the barrel, it tightens up to a point that is very definitely incorrectly timed.

Any input from folks who have tackled similar questions would be very much welcome.
 
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to answer your front sight question, you will require a Springfield Armory Bush Rifle Front sight for an 18" barrel
you can mount this on the gas lock front sight base , it is designed for this purpose and is taller to compensate for the reduced sight radius.
we used to be able to order direct from springfield so you will have to email or call them.

as for the troy device.... this is a slip on unit with internal threads?
if so, you will need to pull the barrel and have a smith turn the muzzle to the correct position so the muzzle device will time correctly. These type of muzzle devices jam against the muzzle instead of a crush washer. Personally I'd ditch it and go with the Smith Enterprise Good Iron brake that you mention..... awesome muzzle device.

good luck with our project .
 
45ACPKING said:
as for the troy device.... this is a slip on unit with internal threads?
if so, you will need to pull the barrel and have a smith turn the muzzle to the correct position so the muzzle device will time correctly. These type of muzzle devices jam against the muzzle instead of a crush washer. Personally I'd ditch it and go with the Smith Enterprise Good Iron brake that you mention..... awesome muzzle device.

good luck with our project .
Click to expand...

Yes, the troy unit has two sets of threads, actually. The larger set is closer to the chamber end of the barrel, and freely slides over the full diameter of the barrel. The smaller, second set of threads is closer to the muzzle end of the device, and it engages the threads on the barrel where the castle nut would normally find purchase. Here is a pic of the device:

9-72012_1__02401.1537508010.jpg


I can absolutely see the issue with a crush washer in this application, because there is not a proper shoulder on the barrel for it to seat against.

What you're saying makes complete sense, on both counts. The Smith Good Iron brake is looking better and better - primarily because it solves both issues at once. It will provide a correctly timed muzzle device when mounted onto the threads that are currently there, and will provide a platform to mount the front sight that I already have. The fact that it's an excellent brake, designed specifically for the M14 is a bonus. The end product will end up very similar to the Springfield Scout Squad configuration in terms of gas system, front sight, and muzzle device....and in my mind that's a good thing as I happen think that's the best overall package for an M14.

My hunch is that when I get the assembled rifle to the range, I will be filing that front sight - it started life on a Norinco with a 22" barrel. I know that for irons that will only be backups, this is in the area of "style points"....but I'd like to do it right the first time, and I do have a bottle of cold blue kicking around. It sounds especially good when that little bit of file work will save having the barrel re-threaded, and purchasing a new front sight that may be a pain in the hind end to obtain.
 
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using a front sight from a 22" inch barrel on a gas lock front sight, or on the muzzle device of an 18.5" barrel, will require adding material to the front sight post, or raising the sight entirely. This is why I recommend the Springfield Armory Bush Rifle front sight. It has a raised base, keeping the sight ears and post the same. These are specifically made to be mounted at the gas lock or on the sight base of a muzzle device, on an 18, 18.5 and 19" barrel.
 
the DLASK unit was designed to use the 22" height front sight, the base is "taller".

The DLASK units are also no longer in production, I have no idea if they are doing them in small batches from time to time or not, but the website has been out of stock for about a year....
 
shawn said:
Heed 45acpking

It was/is literally his job, an m14 gunsmith

Shawn
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Agreed - I've been kicking around CGN long enough that his "cred" is already established with me. I am taking what he's saying at face value - while I am not a complete novice, I know only a fraction of what he does.

45ACPKING said:
using a front sight from a 22" inch barrel on a gas lock front sight, or on the muzzle device of an 18.5" barrel, will require adding material to the front sight post, or raising the sight entirely. This is why I recommend the Springfield Armory Bush Rifle front sight. It has a raised base, keeping the sight ears and post the same. These are specifically made to be mounted at the gas lock or on the sight base of a muzzle device, on an 18, 18.5 and 19" barrel.
Click to expand...

Thank you - not sure how I ended up with an understanding of the question that was backwards.

I have not had any luck finding the Springfield 18" article, but Tech Sights does make a rather odd little piece that essentially puts an M16 front sight (thus elevation adjustable) into a mount designed to be installed on a Springfield Scout Squad. It's longer than I like, but it's the best alternative that I've found so far to adding +/-6mm to the front sight with JB weld and then filing to the correct shape.

Thank you for spending the time to share your knowledge - it's much appreciated.
 
notsorichguy said:
the DLASK unit was designed to use the 22" height front sight, the base is "taller".

The DLASK units are also no longer in production, I have no idea if they are doing them in small batches from time to time or not, but the website has been out of stock for about a year....
Click to expand...

I saw that unit, and I absolutely believe that it would work...but I found the same, out of stock and not available.
 
Speaking of front sights designed for 18" barrels....XS Sights seems to make a Tritium "big dot" version that it identifies as "Springfield M1A Scout, Bush Rifle, 18" bbl". While I don't necessarily like the idea of going to a thicker front sight post or see the need for tritium on this rifle, it does strike me as a much cleaner solution than the Tech Sights offering. The stock Springfield Scout Squad looks to have the front sight mounted directly onto the flash hider....does anyone know if the required height difference for the 18" barrel is added in the base that is part of the muzzle device, or in the height of the sight itself?
 
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notsorichguy said:
the DLASK unit was designed to use the 22" height front sight, the base is "taller".

The DLASK units are also no longer in production, I have no idea if they are doing them in small batches from time to time or not, but the website has been out of stock for about a year....
Click to expand...

The SA "bush rifle" front sight works perfectly on my 18.5" Shorty with the Dlask GLFS....the Nork 22" front sight didn't, so I guess I just got lucky.
 
I forgot to mention..... but there is now a SAI warranty centre in Canada. Grech Outdoors.

If you don’t mind being ignored, and made to feel like you're wasting their time when they do talk to you and told to email (which they WILL NOT REPLY TO), they are a canadian source for M1A parts....
 
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