Some work on my M14 / M305 stock

Grizzlypeg

Grizzlypeg

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I am working on improving the fit of the Boyd's walnut stock to my Norinco M14s, in particular, the tension between the barrel band and the stock ferule. This tension dampens the barrel oscillations and helps return the barrel to a consistent resting point.

Step one, I marked the receiver's fit to the stock's top surface with pencil. Note the previously relieved wood to accomodate the right hand op rod rail, and also the red popsicle stick piece to prevent the spring guide's pin from moving far enough laterally to disengage from the op rod spring guide.

You will need to remove the handguard from the barrel. Easiest way is to remove the gas plug and then unscrew the gas lock. You can then pull the gas cylinder forward, and slide off the handguard from the front. Just reverse to reinstall.

 
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This is a metal rod, slightly heavier than coat hanger, bent very slightly in the middle, approx 1/4" bend over length. It provides the centering and tension beneath the barrel against the stock forend during bedding. It will make a slight dent in the stock, but the handguard will cover most of it up. When the trigger group is installed and partly tightened, it will elevate the front of the receiver slightly, and create the tension between the barrel band's lug and the stock ferule.



Another view:

 
Make sure you put a little dab of grease at the ferrule / barrel band junction ...
this helps the barrel find the way back to zero consistently
[;{)
LAZ 1
 
I next drilled shallow holes in the stock to help retain the epoxy and masked off the edges with masking tape. The bedding is to be applied under the rails, and in a horseshoe shape under the rear of the receiver. A gap in the middle is left free floating.

 
Trigger group installed, partly tightened. Time to remove all excess epoxy and let it harden before removing the action and inspecting the work.

 
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This is how the finished job should look. Not my work.



I have done this on my USGI FG stock and the proper tension and positioning was created between the barrel band and ferule. Accuracy has been very good on my FG stocked rifle so I thought I would do the same to my iron sighted walnut gun.

Hope this description is helpful, and any old hands are welcome to chime in with critiques and suggestions.
 
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just curious as to what reference material you are using for your bedding job.
looks good ;)
I have pretty much done the same and taken it a bit further by boring into the stock at the heel location (horseshoe) and bored down to just above the trigger pad. then filled with bedding compound. After this i proceeded with a bedding job similar to what you have described. Next will be bedding the gas assembly to create the desired 40 foot pounds of torque on the forstock.
 
I am by no means an expert. I'm doing this based on advice and photo's I've gathered from other m14 shooters, and reading the posts on M14 Forums. Thanks to all who posted pictures and advice on M14 forums, and to Hans for his writeup of Gus's coathanger method.

I've now had a chance to separate the action from the stock and inspect the bedding. The parts separated cleanly. There are a few bubble voids in the bedding, but I don't think that matters as there is a large bearing surface under compression and JB weld is pretty hard to crush. With the action installed you don't see the bedding either. Also as was told to me, with the handguard in place, you don't see the dent in the wood made by the steel rod.

After reassembly, I can confirm that I now have solid contact between the barrel band lug and ferule. From a simple squeeze, I can tell it is less than the stiffness I achieved on the fiberglass stock, but the proof will be in the shooting itself.



The idea of a poured pillar going through the heel to the trigger pad sounds good. Has anyone tried brass or steel pins? That would be easy to drill and install with a bit of epoxy.
 
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Grizzlypeg,
Your picture helped me to finally understand how the tension is induced between the stock and barrel. I'm wondering if shimming under the gas assembly will do the same thing. Just for fun I stacked business card shims beween the gas assembly and the stock until there was almost 1/4" of space between the receiver and stock that required a squeeze to bring together. The barrel band came tight at this point as well. I don't know how much preload is desired, how high does your V rod shim hold the receiver above the stock before you pull it down?

45ACPKING,
When you speak of 40 pounds torque on the gas assembly does this mean 40 pounds to seat the action, or 40 pounds of pressure between the stock and gas assembly? How is it measured?
 
Dogleg, are you shimming this for the purpose of holding it under tension while you bed the action, or actually leaving the shims there permanently?

I believe what you are doing when you use the "coathanger method" of bedding, is flexing the foreend of the stock enough that the seated receiver is slightly canted upwards. That way after the receiver is frozen in place by the bedding, the tension will remain. You can't really see any effect of the V rod until you pull the receiver down with the trigger group. For my gun, it held the front of the action probably the thickness of three business cards off the stock. Try putting some paper shims under the front of the action and closing the trigger group. You will see if move the barrel up and close any gap between the barrel ring and ferule, and probably hold the two tight together. I've heard varying opinions as to how much squeeze it should take to separate the barrel ring from the ferule. 7 pounds and up to 40 lbs is what I've been told.
 
i have the kuhnhaussen shop manual. It has 13 pages of detailed drawings on simple to advanced bedding practices.

I have reread the section and i am MISTAKEN :D do not shim under your gas assembly. The drawing confused me somewhat. the stock and ferrule should actually be clearanced so there is NO contact with stock/gas assembly.
they do depict a shim between stock ferrule and gas cylinder band and a bedding method similar to grizzleypeg's combined together makes up the basic armorers bedding job.

It does mention that it should take 40 foot lbs (being optimal) to "pressure bed" the stock. A spacer averaging .900" (for a typical glass gi stock) is placed at rear of gas cylinder inside between barrel and stock . a clamping device is fashioned with key stock (hole drilled in center) that fits in and across the bolt lug groove in the receiver with a bolt and nut with a plate under stock (with hole drilled as well). bedding compound is applied to inside and top stock receiver bearing surfaces and receiver installed. tighten clamp to bring stock to level with 40 foot pounds of torque on the clamp tightening wrench.

once this procedure is complete.... you should have the desired barrel dampening pressure. I would not waste this effort on a chinese wood stock.
 
Grizzlypeg,
I was thinking that the shim would get the angle in the action while the bedding work was being done, then would be removed after the bedding set. It should do the same thing as your coathanger spacer, without the marks on the stock?

45ACPKING,
I'm following you on the clamp technique, but 40 footpounds seems like alot. Wouldn't that crush the stock? 40 pounds of seating pressure I could believe, 40 inch pounds on a threaded fitting doesn't seem out of line either. 45 foot pounds is the torque on a Chevy connecting rod.

I think I've heard of the kuhnhaussen manual. Isn't that the M14 bible? Is it still available? My stock is a Boyds walnut stock with the channels for bedding compound precut at the factory. Putting them to use seems natural enough, I just want to get the preload correct. Right now I'd say that I don't have any, judging by the way the barrel ring is loose.
 
You never want to apply great pressure to a receiver being bedded, as it would distort things and defeat the purpose. You only need enough seating pressure to hold the receiver down in the epoxy while it hardens. If you apply too much pressure, it will simply squash all the bedding out and seat itself at the lowest point against whatever hard obstacle it encounters. Don't get overly caught up in how much pressure. The trigger guard lightly pulled down, or a few wraps of surgical rubber tubing or black electrical tape is all it takes. All you are doing is holding it in postion while the epoxy hardens. The spacer simply ensures that position is elevated at the barrel end. Dogleg, I think your idea would work fine, if you are not concerned with ensuring the action is centred within the stock. The slight V shape of the coathanger rod, or the proper barrel spacer is to centre it, ferule in barrel band.

Try fooling around with some paper shims under the front edge of the receiver, and seeing how much pressure that creates between the barrel band and ferule. For me, around 3 business cards resulted in good tension.
 
Grizzlypeg,
It is not my intention to put 40 pounds (Or any amount of pounds) pressure on soft bedding, just to determine the proper amount of fore-end/barrel preload to apply while the action floats in the soft bedding. After it sets and the guard is snapped into place the pre-determined tension would remain.
The idea of the business card shims at the front of the action shold be sound, I have an old Dunlop book with bedding info on the Garand that suggests .025", which is so close to 3 of my business cards (.027") that I'd call that close enough.:D The trouble with that method is that the wood is cut away on one side for the bedding compound. I could construct a shim for that side, then shim both sides evenly but feel that would get me back to guessing. Maybe what I'll do is shim or use a metal spacer until it lifts the front of the receiver .025"on the side that is intact, with the trigger guard lightly pulled down. I can use feeler gauges if I have to.
 
In the coming weeks I will be doing a comprehensive full boat national match bedding job on a m14 stock. If time and schedules permit, I will see if Katana can video the whole operation.
I could scan and paste the kuhnhaussen pages but..... there is prolly some copywrite infringement by going down that road. Fulton sells the book for those who can find a way to get a copy outta them ( no non u.s. sales), relative stateside can order and send to you.... no laws against that.
 
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