The SL8 Mods, Info and FAQ Thread

With that quality mag well it sounds to me too like the tabs are not removed from the receiver. Just take your time removing them and all will be solved.

Moe
 
The new bolt catch is required for the bolt to operate properly on the last round hold open function. It is longer than the stock one. The mags might be getting jammed between the old catch and front of the mag well.
Also, have you removed the two inside tabs inside the receiver? These also may be causing a tight fit. There are details of this near the bottom of post one on the first page if you are not sure about the tabs.

Just found the pics for the tabs and will get to filing them down til it fits. Thanks
 
Have you had any luck solving you issue?

No, I just got my rifle back from a very reputable gunsmith here in Vancouver. He said it looks like there's too much play back and forth on the bolt catch and due to the rounded nature of the bolt head, it pushes the catch forward and skips off it to close the breach after the last round is fired. I contacted the seller and they're going to order a new bolt catch and mail it to me. I do not look forward to pulling apart the trigger, safety, and bolt catch assemblies to try and replace the catch. (got damned springs!)

The catch they're going to send me is the standard HK SL8/G36 one so I don't know if it's going to work or if I'll just have the same issue.
 
No, I just got my rifle back from a very reputable gunsmith here in Vancouver. He said it looks like there's too much play back and forth on the bolt catch and due to the rounded nature of the bolt head, it pushes the catch forward and skips off it to close the breach after the last round is fired. I contacted the seller and they're going to order a new bolt catch and mail it to me. I do not look forward to pulling apart the trigger, safety, and bolt catch assemblies to try and replace the catch. (got damned springs!)

The catch they're going to send me is the standard HK SL8/G36 one so I don't know if it's going to work or if I'll just have the same issue.

If the old one and new one are both the standard catch, you only need to remove the the 2 pins and the hammer. The rest of the trigger can stay in place. You will just need to lift the trigger spring back over the catch, which can be a bit awkward with the trigger still in place.
 
I believe that's the Russian stuff I shot though mine in the fall. The worst accuracy of any ammo I've tried, maybe 3 MOA. Most generic stuff goes into around 2 MOA, and factory target ammo (steel match) nudges MOA.

Feeds and functions fine, though.

Agreed. Horrible accuracy, and keyholing into the target @ 50m. I thought my sl-8 was buggered somehow, until I tried another brand of ammo. Strangely, the 7.62x39 and .308 stuff by MFS seems reasonable...
 
Don't fret 3 moa from the Russian stuff. Not that I shoot much Norinco crap through my SL8 I did a group this weekend that gained a disrespectful 7.5 moa. Thankfully after some trigger tweaking I pulled some 0.65 to 1.10 groups with hand loads from hogie and cr5 to bring the smiles back.

Moe
 
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Lol... awesome. I just got my HERA trigger housing/FCG/Lower..... And im wanting to disassemble my SL8 FCG. Ive removed the stock, and the buffer spring assembly, but really don't know where to start when it comes to tearing down the SL8 FCG. The links on page 1 are dead. All the video's I see on you tube show how to assemble the parts into a G36 "lower", but I can't find a SL8 disassembly video, or thread. I mean, I can start popping pins and rip it down willy nilly, but I'm thinking there is a method one should go with! Just looking at it, I cant see how the selector(s) pop off, and such..... does anyone know of a working link for this?
 
Well, I got the parts out, and im attempting to get them back into the HERA lower.... DAMN. friken video on youtube, doesnt show the little things i need to see. I cannot for the life of me get the "locking lever" in. F%^K, and the damn spring loaded thing that rides against the safety thing keeps flying out of the lower, im not sure its in the right way... the video dont show that. he says now were gonna install the.... then a cut scene and its in there. no idea what orientation, ect.....

I dunno. i dont see how this thing is spring tensioned (locking lever), everything seems binding, i hate this.... I can do a 10/22 trigger pack from a-z blinfolded compared to this.... ;-)
 
Well, HOLY %^%$ I Finally got it all back together. Man.... All in all, if it wernt for the "locking" lever, it wouldnt be too bad at all.... LOL. But, now get this. There is a pin just above the trigger pin, that seems to keep the sliding plate from raising up. Well, it just falls out of the lower. there is nothing to hold it in place. Awesome.... If its not one thing, its another. I went through all my bits to see if I could whip something up, but nope. next one up in size is too big. ill head to town and get something figured out. I may just see if I can find a roll pin thats big enough, and long enough! Then I dont need to resize the hole.... That was really, really frustrating! I think ill see if I can buy all the parts, and put my other stock lower together, that way if I wanna swap back, it will be sooooo much easier! ;-)

Ill post some pics when im all done. I dunno, prolly look like everyone else's, but what the heck.

-Oh, yeah, im a member at HK Pro. Didnt find what I needed there either! Would be nice if the links wernt dead in page 1.... ;-)

Here she is, I think I may get a B&T Handguard yet... ;-) Oh, and How does a guy keep the rear stock from rotating? I have it tightened right up, but I can still twist it, also, I dont really like the gap at the bottom of the stock, between the HERA mount an the MagPul PRS. I should have bought a HERA V2.... ;-(

108dxds.jpg
 
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Anyone have an issue with the barrel being threadlocked into the trunion? I've gone way past the recommended ft-lbs in torque but that barrel ain't coming out.
 
Have you had any luck solving you issue?

Nope, no luck. I took the rifle to 3 different smiths here in Van and none could solve the issue. I had a replacement bolt catch sent from Wolverine but that didn't work. Then the dealer I bought the rifle from sent me a replacement lower that worked with his converted SL8. I was really pinning my hopes on this but I have the same issue with his lower as well as mine. The bolt simply will not lock back when the final round is fired.

Not sure where to go from here. I've uploaded some blurry photos. Anyone notice anything I need to fix?


Is there too much of a gap between the upper and lower? Would filing help?
SL8-1_zps9302487c.jpg~original


I couldn't get a better shot of the bolt catch but it seems to me like it's barely making contact with the bolt. Does this look correct?
SL8-bolt_zps8e78b0fa.jpg~original


Some shots of the trigger assembly. Everything looking OK here?

photo3_zps42a91960.jpg~original


photo1_zps0e12f175.jpg~original


photo2_zps1d4ae89c.jpg~original
 
ginnz - That pin that wants to fall out must be put back in. I know it does not appear to do anything, but it prevents damaging hammer over travel when cocking upon firing. Locktite it in place so you don't lose it. If you want the stock to stop twisting with that older lower you have, you need to use a punch and hammer to put a good tight torque on a castle nut on a different stock that uses an M4 buffer tube. Which would be almost any other type of stock than an AR15 solid A1,A2 stock and the PRS. Yes the gen 2 would have avoided all that.

Moe
 
Nope, no luck. I took the rifle to 3 different smiths here in Van and none could solve the issue. I had a replacement bolt catch sent from Wolverine but that didn't work. Then the dealer I bought the rifle from sent me a replacement lower that worked with his converted SL8. I was really pinning my hopes on this but I have the same issue with his lower as well as mine. The bolt simply will not lock back when the final round is fired.

Not sure where to go from here. I've uploaded some blurry photos. Anyone notice anything I need to fix?


Is there too much of a gap between the upper and lower? Would filing help?


Some shots of the trigger assembly. Everything looking OK here?

photo3_zps42a91960.jpg~original

Bogaty, read my post from earlier in the thread (and linked to in the first post):Click here. The top of the G36 trigger housing need to be sanded down as the bottom rails that it sits against in the SL8 are lower than what they are in the G36. Be careful, my gun was extremely unsafe until I did this, and the bolt hold open on the last round would seldom function properly. I am guessing that your retaining pins fit much tighter with the G36 trigger housing than they did with the factory one?

EDIT: I see that CNADNSL8-5 linked to my post in his first reply, so if that didn't work, I am not sure what the problem is. I notice from your pictures though that the top of it looks untouched, have you sanded it down 1/16"? I ask because, as I said in the linked post, my bolt hold open would rarely function properly until I did that (it would do it on an empty mag when I racked it, but seldom when I was actually shooting).
 
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No, I've not yet attempted to sand down the edges as you have done. That is my next intended step. I just wanted to confirm that this might be something I need to do before I actually started grinding away.
 
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