Norinco M14s Jamming

BattleRife said:
It sounds to be short-stroking. Can be caused by:
- underpowered ammunition
- low gas volume (undersized/blocked gas port)
- too much friction in the mechanism ( improper lube, rough or sharp surfaces because it is new).

The ammo or the excessive friction are the most likely culprits.
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This one gets my plus one vote. My experiance with the M-14 short stroking is one of these problems. Also a stiff spring can be an issue that works itself out with use or can be remedied with a little polishing of the op rod and oil, To reduce friction or resistance during break in. I would check your ammo first....I've had cycleing problems with Portugese surplus ammo, some works well others boxes didnt cycle worth poop. But quality ammo always solved that problem.

Next check your op rod and spring, when cycleing your bolt feel for resistance as you are hand cocking the rifle slowly and try to eliminate those spots of resistance by polishing or lubrication. If a change of ammo doesnt fix the problem. and you dont see any problems with the op rod or cycleing go to the gas system. Check cleanlyness of the piston and gas port hole. If you need to go beyond that, get help.....PM the hell out of HUNGRY and check out his video or grab a good book on m-14 maintanance.

Im still in tinker mode with the M-14 so if in doubt on any of what I have said they are opinion based on what I have found solved my problems. You should check with Hungry for serious tech details, when he was born he was holding an M-14 so legend has it.:p:D
 
CPONSAK;
If those mags came from us, we would be pleased to exchange them free of charge and will pay shipping both ways....
John
 
+2 BattleRifle and Long Range Canuck.
I had exactly the same problem a while ago. Mags are often first to blame but I found different cause.

Two things to check:
- gas plug - tight?
and, more important,
- op rod itself and where it slides on receiver, as well as bolt lugs must be GREASED, NOT JUST OILED!
 
johnone said:
CPONSAK;
If those mags came from us, we would be pleased to exchange them free of charge and will pay shipping both ways....
John
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I assume you are from Marstar? I got the rifle from a local dealer but he did say it came from you. As such I have no proof of purchase from you directly. If that isn't a problem, a change in ammunition doesn't solve the problem and you believe it may be a problem with the mags we could do an exchange. I need to place an order anyway.

I'm on the road at the moment so I'm not able to try anything else. The likely cause is probably the ammunition. I stripped the thing and cleaned it completely before I left. Everything looks in good order and there is no dragging or resistance when sliding the bolt.

I'll update the thread with what I find out when I get back home in a day or so.
 
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One more thing worth noting. Do not use lead round nose ammo. When the actions strips and feeds a new round, lead will strip off and foul the action, chamber and bore. FMJ, ballistic tip or NM ammo is the only way to go. Do Not use light mag loads ever.
 
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c_poncsak said:
I just bought a Norinco M14s and had a chance to take it to the range last night but the thing kept jamming. Well Jamming might not be the right word for it. It would eject the spent casing fine but it wouldn't grab another one from the mag. Also when the mag was empty the bolt wasn't locking open.

Could this be caused by the bolt not sliding all the way back? Possible adjustments? Its brand new so is it possible I just need to pull the thing apart and properly lubricate it?
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Are you using a rest? If so, don't block the gas exhaust hole. This happened to me.
 
Check to make sure your gas piston move's freely and there's no cosmoline/ grease or oil in the gas cylinder or the piston opening itself.

It should ALL be oil/grease/cosomoline free. Use a 3/8ths wrench to make sure your piston nut is on tight.
Try rotating the gas shut off valve to make sure nothing's hiding there also.
 
Okay,

Lots of great suggestions here. Can you get back to us and let us know what's improved or changed ? Are things better now ?

Cheers,
Barney

PS... Still in Vegas right now. Gonna see Le Reve at Wynn Hotel on Mon.
 
I haven't had a chance to do much with it. I'm still waiting for my PAL to come in so I'm stuck going to the range whenever someone else wants to. Alas that restricts my ammunition buying experience as well :) Don't worry though, I'll keep you updated once I have a chance to shoot a few rounds off.
 
Maybe dumb, but did you check that the gas cut-off screw is in the proper position ? Could be halfway or something and cause these sorts of things to happen.
 
Just thought I'd post an update.

Had the chance to fire some regular commercial ammunition through the gun the other day, no change. There are still plenty of things on the list for me to try so I haven't lost hope yet. I just wish time was a little more abundant.
 
c_poncsak said:
Just thought I'd post an update.

Had the chance to fire some regular commercial ammunition through the gun the other day, no change. There are still plenty of things on the list for me to try so I haven't lost hope yet. I just wish time was a little more abundant.
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I have the same problem with one of mine, though I'd say it doesn't fully cycle 25% of the time. I have two others that work just fine with the same ammo.

The problem M305 has the fewest rounds through it < 250. I have to do a few of the suggested "fixes" and then will try again.

Good luck to us both.
 
When I bought mine last winter I got one 5 round mag and 2 20round pinned
mags.only one of the 20 rounders would latch in properly.the others I had to
pound on the bottom of the mag to get them to latch in.my solution was to
file the bottom of the latch piece on the mags a bit at a time untill the rifles
mag catch can grab them properly and release them easily.now they all work
like they should.
 
Had the same problem with mine and found that the gas plug was not seated properly from when I took it apart and cleaned it for the first time. It sounds as if you are having the same problem. Both my buddies and mine did it and we rectified the problem right at the range by properly installing the gas plug and tightening the plug screw.

Hope this helps.
 
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