Op rod alignment

Doogs

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My new M305's op rod does not line up square with the gas cylinder/piston. Everything else seems straight. The rifle functions well. Will this affect anything other than looks? Can I fix it with brute force and ignorance?
 
About 20 years or more AGO, the USGI M14 rifles from Israel all had 'near offset' op rod guides. That was acceptable. Now the Norcs come with some slight variation of offset, I can live with that. :D

What is goofy is that the high school shop class students keep using that thin-walled pin to keep that op rod guide in place and often they shatter under stress (sooner or later; sooner being the rule here). That's an easy fix.

At the last clinic in Milcun dot com marksmanship complex, I made CGNutter agrubin remove that crappy thin-walled pin, slide off the op rod guide and then dimple (automatic spring loaded center punch tool) a series of happy faces on the barrel and around the barrel in 360 degree pattern to 'raise' the metal. Then we reinstalled the op rod guide with some RED Loctite and slapped in a 1/8" x 3/4" roll pin of US manufacture (read: thicker walled roll pin). :)

There, I hope this helps fuel the addiction!

:cheers:

Barney
 
About 20 years or more AGO, the USGI M14 rifles from Israel all had 'near offset' op rod guides. That was acceptable. Now the Norcs come with some slight variation of offset, I can live with that. :D

What is goofy is that the high school shop class students keep using that thin-walled pin to keep that op rod guide in place and often they shatter under stress (sooner or later; sooner being the rule here). That's an easy fix.

At the last clinic in Milcun dot com marksmanship complex, I made CGNutter agrubin remove that crappy thin-walled pin, slide off the op rod guide and then dimple (automatic spring loaded center punch tool) a series of happy faces on the barrel and around the barrel in 360 degree pattern to 'raise' the metal. Then we reinstalled the op rod guide with some RED Loctite and slapped in a 1/8" x 3/4" roll pin of US manufacture (read: thicker walled roll pin). :)

There, I hope this helps fuel the addiction!

:cheers:

Barney


Thank-you for this, I ordered a couple from Brownells today... among other things... lol
 
About 20 years or more AGO, the USGI M14 rifles from Israel all had 'near offset' op rod guides. That was acceptable. Now the Norcs come with some slight variation of offset, I can live with that. :D

What is goofy is that the high school shop class students keep using that thin-walled pin to keep that op rod guide in place and often they shatter under stress (sooner or later; sooner being the rule here). That's an easy fix.

At the last clinic in Milcun dot com marksmanship complex, I made CGNutter agrubin remove that crappy thin-walled pin, slide off the op rod guide and then dimple (automatic spring loaded center punch tool) a series of happy faces on the barrel and around the barrel in 360 degree pattern to 'raise' the metal. Then we reinstalled the op rod guide with some RED Loctite and slapped in a 1/8" x 3/4" roll pin of US manufacture (read: thicker walled roll pin). :)

There, I hope this helps fuel the addiction!

:cheers:

Barney

Barney,

Is there such thing as a hand Knurling tool that could be used?
 
My new M305's op rod does not line up square with the gas cylinder/piston

Mine does not line up perfectly square, never has. Have many many rounds down the tube.
As long as it makes solid enough contact with the piston to move the bolt back and clears everything correctly, it will not matter for operation.
My 2 cents.
 
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Barney,

Is there such thing as a hand Knurling tool that could be used?

Yes, they do exist, but you are looking at close to $ 300 by the time you land it. So in the meantime, using a simple automatic spring loaded center punch tool gets the job done! :D

Save your money! :eek:

:cheers:

Barney
 
So why isnt any one welding it to the barrel - 180 seconds worth of work and all problems solved....


I have wondered the same thing myself. A couple of well place spot welds should not heat anything up too much... or would it ? Hungry or Doc please offer sage advice. I'm trying to think of a procedure that would require removal of the guide.
 
Well, I ain't a welder or a gunsmith, so I'm more comfortable 'raising' the metal with a knurling tool or a punch and then reinstalling the oprod guide with a drop or 2 of RED 262 Loctite... :D

:cheers:

Barney
 
Yes, they do exist, but you are looking at close to $ 300 by the time you land it. So in the meantime, using a simple automatic spring loaded center punch tool gets the job done! :D

Save your money! :eek:

:cheers:

Barney

I've been looking on ebay there's some hand tool models for less than 100 most new ones are +300. I was also looking at tool post (lathe type) and they're 75 and under for the most part ... which got me thinking about buying one and using a 'C' clamp and some how throwing one together.

Edit: Just found one at ENCO $37.98
 
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Well, I ain't a welder or a gunsmith, so I'm more comfortable 'raising' the metal with a knurling tool or a punch and then reinstalling the oprod guide with a drop or 2 of RED 262 Loctite... :D

:cheers:

Barney

Hey Barney.

For the life of me I cannot envision where you are raising the metal. Also, does raising the metal make it a tighter fit?
 
^^^ It's the metal of the barrel it's self on the area where the op rod guild goes. You gotta take it off first. If you hit the metal with a center punch with a hammer it'll make a little creater and raise the metal around the creater.
 
^^^ It's the metal of the barrel it's self on the area where the op rod guild goes. You gotta take it off first. If you hit the metal with a center punch with a hammer it'll make a little creater and raise the metal around the creater.

Thanks for the explanation...saves me a pile of typing! Cheers, Barney
 
I've been looking on ebay there's some hand tool models for less than 100 most new ones are +300. I was also looking at tool post (lathe type) and they're 75 and under for the most part ... which got me thinking about buying one and using a 'C' clamp and some how throwing one together.

Edit: Just found one at ENCO $37.98

GOOD SCORE!!!! Gonna get one myself.

BTW talked to Ron Smith about this subject not too long ago...he said not to go too crazy on the barrel in that area as it can distort the barrel inside. His use of expletives was awesome!
 
Any heat in a pin point location on any long metal object can cause problems. Welding causes a shrinking of the metal as it cools. Silver solder, maybe.
On my rifles , a knurling tool is the ticket. Setting the barrel on your knee or a rubber block and using a mechanical center punch, or light punches with a small brass hammer or finishing hammer and center punch is also an eccepted method. Make uniform rows of punches to raise/distort the metal.
Do NOT use the center punch method with barrel on a solid surface. The surface must offer some cushion if it doesn't, insert Ron Smith's expletives here LOL, as damage to the barrel is possible.
 
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