West Coast M-14 Clinic February 20: Pic Heavy

Rugerman

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On Saturday, February 20 in Abbotsford, 10 lucky guys got to get together with some very knowledgeable people and learn about the ins and outs of their M-14's. There was something for everyone as the clinic dealt with basic and advanced topics. Questions and discussions were encouraged. Tom opened his home up to everyone and there were boxes of Timmy's cofee and a million calories worth of donuts, cookies etc., piled up on the kitchen table.

Calvin came up from Washington State to lend a hand with the clinic. Calvin is quite knowledgeable about M-14's. Thanks to him I finally understood the meaning of "navy sights", having heard the term but never actually having seen them or having understood why they call them "navy sights".

Calvin had a multipurpose tool with him from Battle Arms (model Bad-T1) called The Armorer that did just about everything except income tax. It measured throat erosion, muzzle wear, was a disassembly tool, extractor remover, spindle valve tool, and even had a built in greaser for the roller on the bolt. There was a lot more it did but I can't remember them all. Definitely worth getting if you spend a lot of time working on M-14's. I, personally, wasn't aware of all the things that my cleaning tool handle will do either. Did you know that part of it is designed to help push off rounds through the stripper clip guide when charging the magazine?

Joey Guiseppe was also there and helped Tom out all day. He was very patient and knowledgeable, moving around helping anyone who asked. He knew a lot of procedures and short cuts that made various jobs a lot easier.

Tom covered basic rifle disassembly, cleaning and lubing, trigger groups, indexing, sight adjustments and disassembly, front sight and flash hider removal and inspection, bolt disassembly, removal, care and cleaning of the gas piston/operating rod, proper reassembly, headspacing and basic tools for the care and maintenance of the M-14 including making some of your own tools. At the end of the day everyone left with a properly headspaced, indexed, lubed and properly functioning rifle. All this and the clinic was free!

Tom felt that it was a good day and plans on holding another one in the future, perhaps this spring. A member of the Hope gun club offered the range and facilities at his home club for the next one which would include some range time, something Tom is considering.

Clinics like this are a great way to learn about your rifle but you also get to spend the day with like minded people. There were a lot of laughs, especially when Calvin gave his American perspective on things like mag sizes, CCW carry, etc., that carried on throughout the day.

Thanks guys!

Personally I haven't seen this many different M-14's all together in quite a while and this wasn't all of them.

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First off, rifle disassembly.
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Many hands make light work. Except when Buddy's get in the way!
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Tom's bolt dissassembly tool. It worked a lot better than the cheaper storebought ones as little stuff can't go flying off anywhere.
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Home made castle nut pliers: Very effective and a lot less money.
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You have five minutes to reassemble your trigger groups. Blindfolds please!
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The finer points of a good trigger job, perhaps best left to a gunsmith!
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Lubing inside the receiver.
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Lubing the operating rod.
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Checking for muzzle wear.

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Lots of questions. Lots of discussion. Lots learned.

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Checking Headspace

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Calvin was everywhere inspecting, checking, adjusting non-stop.
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Great pics ;)
Thans for posting them and the commentary.
The Battle Arms Tool is a complete "multi tool" for the m14 .... Google is your friend.
Also I don't think any sledge hammers were brought to bear at this clinic, although the princess auto giant friggen rubber mallet is clearly and proudly on display hehehe :D
 
Looks like you guys had a great time Tom and others like him are a great resource to people like us who have a thirst for knowledge for all things firearms especially m14s. Hopefully I will be able to make it to one of his clinics one of these days.
 
Had I known I would have gone.

There will be monthly clincs from now till summer ;)
I have two locations at private residences. My own as you see in the photos... A bit intimate but... Everyone has a front row seat.
The other location is the shop and if the weather is good, we will have an outdoor clinic/barbeque ;)
I'll announce next week.
I will also be eager to hear if we can secure range and work space at the range in Hope. I'm excited about this possibility ;) ;)
 
Thanks Rugerman for the great photos and commentary. The knowledge freely shared in your meet - and other M14 workshops - is reflective of the cooperative nature of this forum and M14 owners generally. Appreciate the detailed report.
 
The clinic was awesome. I will probably still need the manual but you can't beat hands-on experience.

Thanks Thomas, Calvin and Joey.
 
There will be monthly clincs from now till summer ;)
I have two locations at private residences. My own as you see in the photos... A bit intimate but... Everyone has a front row seat.
The other location is the shop and if the weather is good, we will have an outdoor clinic/barbeque ;)
I'll announce next week.
I will also be eager to hear if we can secure range and work space at the range in Hope. I'm excited about this possibility ;) ;)

Well I'm interested. Doesn't matter where or when in the lower mainland.
 
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