Talk me into or out of a Norinco M305 short barrel, please

J

JamesM

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Bloomfield, New Brunswick
I need help folks, I need to know the positive and negatives to the M305 short barrel. What are the virtues of it other then to me feeling better in my hands?

I am envisioning it with a compact red dot or upgraded irons what else would it need to make it more useful as a range toy/short to medium range hunting gun?
 
Short is easier to carry if hunting. Having had and hunted with a 22" Norc, I think the 18 1/2" looks better shorter and sure handles better in the bush. Accuracy is a wash.
 
I have a shorty and it shoots every bit as good as my friend's full length m305. I have no problem in confidence dropping a deer at 150 yards or better. I don't think putting a Red Dot would do much over the factory iron sights, nor do I think it would stand up to the recoil.
 
fiddler said:
I have a shorty and it shoots every bit as good as my friend's full length m305. I have no problem in confidence dropping a deer at 150 yards or better. I don't think putting a Red Dot would do much over the factory iron sights, nor do I think it would stand up to the recoil.
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Running an Aimpoint PRO on mine, no problems so far ;)
 
fiddler said:
I have a shorty and it shoots every bit as good as my friend's full length m305. I have no problem in confidence dropping a deer at 150 yards or better. I don't think putting a Red Dot would do much over the factory iron sights, nor do I think it would stand up to the recoil.
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Don't know about my m305 as its still irons but I have a savage 99e in 308 that kicks like a mule (honestly iv never shot a rifle with more recoil) and its been wearing a bushnell trophy for 6 or 7 years with no issues..
 
It's not the .308 cartridge that makes the M -14 hard on optics.
Any good scope or red dot should be fine though.

I like both the long and short versions.
 
Look at some M14.ca kit. Frank is specifically targeting a build like you have in mind for the gear that he provides. I'd go with a CASM RD mount and a red dot (Burris Fastfire).

The new hand guards are nice as well (would love to see a pic of the new "LSP" - Long Sight Plane hand guard mounted), but these are more nice-to-haves. A Blackfeather with a nice folding stock looks quite tasty but then you're starting to talk real money.
 
If I were doing it again I would buy the long barreled version and have the barrel shortened and threaded to imperial threads. That would give me more options for the muzzle and I also wouldn't have to look at my damn ugly splines that are no longer any use.
 
WetCoast said:
If I were doing it again I would buy the long barreled version and have the barrel shortened and threaded to imperial threads. That would give me more options for the muzzle and I also wouldn't have to look at my damn ugly splines that are no longer any use.
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I am agree.
I like the style of the long barrel because it looks classic. But I also like the mobilize of the shorty.
Both barrel length shoots great and one thing the recoil on the shorty has more kick than the long barrel.
Here is the picture side by side and you decide which one looks better.


Cheese,

Kelvin
 
If it is your first M14-style rifle then get the 22" - everyone should have one rifle that looks like the real thing. If you have already got a 22" then by all means add a 18.5". I have a 18.5 Norc shorty and it handles very well - better in brush than the full size. Recoil is pretty much the same.

Scopes are battered by the doubling (ie back and then sharp forward) associated with the M14

M14.ca is the very best if you plan on replacing your irons.
 
I'm not talking you out of it
Impulsively a sweet little socom 18 found it's way into my hands today.
I prefer the short barrels myself.
 
And I'll add that within the kill radius of a properly placed .308 pill, on large game, there is no difference between a shorty or standard
Velocity loss is neglegible
Accuracy.... Is relative
If yer aiming to compete at long range past 500M then the shorty isn't the best choice
 
Talk you out of it??? Not me!!!

I do like the look of the shorties, but went with a regular length barrel 2007 Marstar M14 back when they brought them in & slowly made the rifle into one that has the classic look of an issued rifle. LOVE the look of the dummy SparrowHawk selector that I installed to fill in the holes on the USGI stock! Everyone needs one!

Ultimately, get the rifle that speaks to you & go from there!

Enjoy!

Cheers
Jay
 
JamesM said:
Follow up,what are the must do modifications for these accuracy wise or are they usually capable of hunting accuracy, 2-3" groups at 100 yards once you find a load it likes?
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James - The rifle may not need any mods to shoot 2-3" with a suitable load but performance varies a lot depending n how the rifle was assembled. Accuracy improvement has been extensively discussed on this forum and while none of the these are must-do's, they all help.

The easy (and cheap) ones are shimming, op rod spring guide replacement, toothpaste trigger job and maybe bedding.
 
Hmmm...I seem to recall that northern Ontario whitetail that I dropped with a shorty on last year's deer hunt.

I also recall how cool and fun it was to push the bush with that schmexy rifle.
 
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