M14 Forum

mustang7

Just cleaned my gas system on Springfield M1A yesterday with my new Sadlak drill bits. I was extremely disappointed to find some pitting or corrosion on the gas piston. My M14 owners guide by Scott Duff says not to use any abrasives such as steel wool to clean it. I cleaned the outside with a cloth and Hoppes #9 and got most of it off but still left a slightly rough patch. Is this normal? Will it still function OK or do I need to repalce it. Just over 400 rounds through the rifle.

Wayne M

Not unusual at all. Gas pistons have a hard time of it in there and it doesn't take much shooting for them to show it. Try soaking in Hoppes for a few hours then scrape with a penny and see what happens. Slight pitting and burning is just normal and as long as you don't have holes throught the body you can use it. Looks aren't everything and as long as it runs free you're good. There are also different pistons available from stainless steel to coated pistons. Take a look at the Sadlak website for some great M14 products.

losok

We are also looking into, and have done a batch or two of these in black nitride and they resist the corrosion very well, as well as running a bit smoother, as the surface is very slick.

mustang7

Thanks for the replies. I thought the corrosion was from lack of maintenance. I've resisted taking it out more from what I've read you're not supposed to. The Sadlak gas pistons I saw were NM and are to be used with 173 grain bullets. I use 155 and 168 with my reloads. That would not be beneficial to me. As long as it is normal I'm ok with it.

M21guy

I find any pitting can cause shifts in POI and total accuracy is off. I'd fling it and replace if you find that to be so in your groups.

As to Sadlak pistons. There is the normal ones without the groove, and the ones they label NM with the groove. I run the grooved one in mine. I was shooting 145gr yesterday with it. Still ejected them well past the guy next to me. Your mileage may very, but problems with shooting anything that light having been seen by me yet.

One has to note though, when coming to pistons. Pistons can make a huge difference in your accuracy and the same exact piston one one gun to the next can be different. Even two of the same in the same gun. It's a crap shoot. Most of us are not well off enough to have a handful of pistons going to the range, but that is actually what we outta do.

I just replaced my gas plug and now it seems to be slightly different. Slightly off from where it was. Anything you do can and will change it slightly to a lot. I probably wouldn't notice it if cutting bullet holes wasn't my thing, but since it is, I do. One of the things that make the M14 rifle fun, yet something that will drive you nuts also.

M1A's r BEST

I have always (over 30 years) wiped my piston off with the same oily rag I wipe the outside surfaces of the rifle (metal parts) off with. Its not sloppy with oil but its not dry either.

never, not once, any issues from having that light coat of oil on the gas piston. It doesn't seem to affect the PolyTech either.

Even stainless steel will rust/corrode/discolor/stain/pit or whatever you want to call it. I wipe my SS handguns down with a lightly oiled rag as well.

Mac45

A good fix for this problem,IF you want to spend the money is to replace it with a Sadlak titanium nitride coated piston w/NM groove. I have one in my M14s and their NM guide rod. Good piece of equiptment.

Mocos

Hi..

Not very encouraging...assuming the gas pistons are cnc machined, their dimensions are identical within certain tolerances and that if any pitting will affect accuracy for those who strive to punch holes withing holes...it will never happen if every time you send one downrange, you deposit come carbon into the piston cavity....then you clean it and you start all over again.

Is the only way the piston is not a factor is when you single load it with the gas port off?

With that, what differences about the piston makes it a hit and miss item in your quest for one holers.....and to put it in perspective, where on a list of 1 to 10 of accuracy to do's, would you place it.

Gus Fisher

You may enjoy reading this new thread:

M14 Gas Pistons, Maintenance and their effects on Accuracy

Mocos

read it this morning and along with another thread about the frequency of cleaning the piston.......tends to support my thinking that the sub moa holy grail will be elusive for a long time to come...and even if attained it would be at considerable expense, time and at a high level of constant maintenance for a relatively low round count between servicing intervals.

Mocos

great article...read it this morning and along with another thread about the frequency of cleaning the piston.......tends to support my thinking that the sub moa holy grail will be elusive for a long time to come...and even if attained it would be at considerable expense, time and at a high level of constant maintenance for a relatively low round count between servicing intervals. What I would like to be comfortable with is list of to do's that will subsequently allow me to operate a m14 platform over an extended number of rounds, all the while maintaining a certain level and reliability with the minimun amount of maintenance. I would rather be spending time putting rounds downrange than cleaning.

Gus Fisher

A 1 MOA M!4 rifle was not illusive at all as early as the early 1980's. Our acceptance standard for every rifle issued to The Marine Corps Rifle Team was it had to fire a 10 shot group at 300 yards and be at or under a 2 1/2" size group, which is 1/2" smaller than minute of angle and for an entire 10 shot string. Matter of fact, we almost went to a standard of a 2" size group at that range because so many rifles shot that or under, but not all of them. That's a 2/3 MOA rifle. Those are not an easy standards for a lot of bolt action rifles to emulate, though it is certainly easier and cheaper to get a bolt action rifle to shoot that well vs a "Gas Gun."

For those unfamiliar with the highest levels of NM competition, yeah, what we did probably sounds very intensive and time consuming and perhaps anal at times. For us, it was "business as usual." When there are dozens of High Master Shooters competing and all with rifles that will shoot close to or basically the same accuracy, the winner normally is the shooter who pays the best attention to what seem to be miniscule details and as importantly, does not make a mistake. The latter was really the reason most shooters lost on any given match day.

Edited to add: When the difference between second or third or more places vs winning a National Match Championship is often one point or sometimes a single extra "X," and with that many excellent shooters all vying for it, it is the tiny details that matter the most.

JBS

And could Dope the Wind

Gus Fisher

Absolutely correct! Good point.