Norc M14 Misfiring

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Old Farmer

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I have a Norinco M14 that I bought a few years back when they first came out. I put a few rounds through it when I first got it and then put it into the gun cabinet. Last year I had a coyote stalking my sheep so I quickly grabbed the gun and to my suprise all I got was a series of misfires. I chalked it up to surplus ammo.

Later tried some new factory ammo and had the same problem.

Has anyone else had this problem? Anyone got a suggestion before I take it to a gunsmith?
 
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I would strip it down, thoroughly clean the bolt, receiver, op rod, relube and reassemble and test. I'd also clean the gas piston and cylinder.

What sort of misfire?
 
If you are able to, go to one of the M 14 clinics coming up. For the price of having a gunsmith just look at it you'll be able learn how to fix it yourself. The money you'll save from the tips , tricks and tuning is far beyond the price of admission. If you can't, then you might want to include a bit more info about what happened when you pulled the trigger and what the ammo looked like when you took it out of the gun (ie was there any indentation on the primer from the firing pin?) It could be any # of things. Check the simplest first- did you clean your rifle between the last time you fired it and now? Maybe just field stripping it and a good cleaning is all it needs. Check the stickies, too; there's a lot of good info. on the M14 there as well. Good luck.
 
+1 on Hungry's clinic.

In the mean time, some basic questions:

1) Does the firing pin move freely in the bolt?

2) What do the primers look like on the misfired rounds? A photo would be really helpful.

3) Is the bolt going completely into battery (i.e. are the lugs fully rotated into locking position)? This has to be checked with a live round, stripped from the mag, so safety comes first.

4) Just to be sure, how are you chambering the rounds that are misfiring? Are they being stripped off the mag, with the bolt slamming home, or are you feeding by hand, and riding the charging handle? It's really important to let the rounds strip off the mag and have the bolt "slam" properly into position. A certain amount of inertia is necessary for proper bolt rotation and lockup. The rifle will (hopefully) not fire if the bolt is not fully rotated.
 
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Thanks for for the input. I think the problem was as simple as the bolt not slamming home. I was easing the cartridge into the chamber.
 
I'll bet that's the problem. When I first got mine and was shooting it from the prone position I was riding the charging handle and had the same problem. Let her slam!
 
Juster said:
http://www.fulton-armory.com/SlamFire2.htm
Click to expand...

I think many Norc14 users share this fear when we drop the bolt home.
I've chambered 7.62 SA suprlus with no problem but I should really try putting a few rounds of new factory .308s.
 
You want good factory rounds? Try Hornady 150gr SSTs or Winny ballistic silver tip 165gr.(hunting loads) Do not use light mag loads.

Don't baby the rifle's action. Same goes with every modern gas operated hunting semis. Crank it, period. Don't koochie koo it:shotgun:
 
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