M14 Forum

theogreabides

Here's the story... Back in 2008 I was conducting operations in a little hamlet of Bahgdad called Sadr City as a forward observer for a Stryker Infantry unit. We came under a nasty ambush that left several soldiers wounded including myself. During the course of the ambush my M4 went one way and I went the other via medevac. After some convincing on my part I managed to hop a ride out of the Troop Clinic in an attempt to get back to my platoon. Upon returning to the AO I discovered that my weapon had been sent back to our Combat Outpost along with our two destroyed strykers. So I began scavenging for a new firearm seeing as how the only self protection I had at this point was a radio which wouldnt do me much good.

I managed to find amongst an assortment of recovered weapons - A makarov, a PKM (with no ammo), several AK,s in various states of garbage and a blow gun (don't ask). None of this was going to make me a viable fighting soldier. I kept digging and while searching the wreckage of a destroyed stryker from another platoon I pulled back the Kevlar Blanket and as though placed there by divine intervention I found a USGI M14 in a pretty brown stock.

I wasn't very familiar with the platform but after some practice with the ergonomics I scrounged every magazine I could, de-belted some 7.62 and I was ready to go. I fell in love with that rifle first time I used her in a firefight. Though I never got the opportunity to zero it myself it was accurate and powerful at the close ranges of urban warfare. It gave me more confidence in a firefight then I ever had with my toy M4. Even lacking in optics I was as effective as ever.

Unfortunately my beloved was eventually taken from me when that battle died down. I was again wounded and medevaced to Baylor army hospital in 2009. After a long recovery I'm finally going to be reunited with my long lost love.

Functioning on the budget of a disabled vet I did some research and weighing opinions for and against it I decided to go with a polytech over a current springfield. Now for arguments sake if I wasn't living off a 75% reduced salary I would simply buy a pretty sparkling new SAI or a FA built to National Match standards. But this isn't a perfect world so here's what I've got to work with.

I purchase a IDE MICH stamped M14S for $900 the other day. It has never been fired, I had to degrease it when I got it. As far as I can tell there aren't any defects to it. I took it apart from front to back.

The gas system seems well installed, theres no play in the gas block and its aligned well. The piston is in good condition, it seems to fit well and drops slowly just by gravity. The Barrel and sights are aligned, the stock.. well it's a chinese stock so it's going away. The head space measures just right for 7.62 and commercial .308.

From what I've gathered about these they are pretty much hit or miss. I havent had an opportunity to take it to the range yet so who knows if I bought something affordable and decent or a great noise maker for the 4th. So I have been lurking the forums and scouring the internet for info on bringing this thing up to par. I've read alot about the bolts being soft, head space and all the other problems that occur with these.

My question is, before I take it out and start to do some range work on it what should I absolutely replace on it as far as the functionality is concerned?

Please remember I am a 100% disabled vet I don't have a disposable income and I'm trying to do this on a budget.

Thanks for your advice and sorry for the long winded post.

nf1e@snet.net

Welcome theogreabides. Grease her up and shoot the heck out of it. Chances are you won't have to do anything to your new rifle for now. Just keep an eye on the headspace and you should be good to go. I have had a couple chinese M14s for 20 years and have not had any trouble. I kept them original until a year or 2 ago. They are now all usgi except the receivers. By the way each had 5k rnds plus through them over the years with no change at all in headspace. Enjoy your rifle.
Semper Fi
Art

Dare2Think

I’d say you’ve done alright. What a cool story.

Thank you for your service, and welcome home.

markp

Great story....

I have two poly's and a SA, I am quite pleased with the poly's despite the stories about their "quality". I am sure that they could be better, but I was not disappointed with either one yet. You can always upgrade it later... :) As for the stocks, I agree... I put one Poly in a Sage EBR stock already and the other won't be far behind!

Thank you for your service!

The Cat

You need three things:

1. Ammo
2. Mags
3. Grease

Enjoy your new sweetheart!

theogreabides

Thanks very much for the welcome and easing my concerns. I'll be sure to keep some funding aside for future fixing and upgrades in the meanwhile I have a new stock/optics and mount on the way. I'm looking forward to my first day at the range.

Seventh Fleet

Outstanding war story troop! Welcome home, thank you for your service to the republic and welcome aboard our M-14 community.

You could not possibly have done better when it comes to a commercial M-14 than what you just bought! I have three Polytech M-14's and an unfired preban Springfield Armoury M-1A built with USGI parts, that I bought brand new back before the ban in the Spring of 94.

Two of my Polytechs are heel stamped prebans imported by Kengs Atl Ga, with serial numbers of under 1,000. My last Poly is a brand new unfired IDE Mich, just like yours that I recently found for $975.00 OTD. I actually paid $250.00 cash and traded a Dan Wesson Pistol Pack .357revolver for mine. I was tickled with the deal since I had less than $125.00 in the Dan Wesson Pistol Pack and that was in a trade when I got it back in 1991. I'd never even fired the thing and had always considered it to be nothing but trade goods and that' how it turned out.

My two heel stamped Polytechs have been converted to USGI parts, TRW on the first one and USGI Springfield on the second. With my latest IDE I've changed the stock for a CMP USGI walnut stock, Springfield trigger group and Springfield rear sight. I've added a CMP OD green USGI reproduction sling that I picked up at CMP South to all three of them. I haven't gotten around to shooting the IDE but I will next Spring when the weather breaks.

For the record, the receiver on your Polytech has the correct dimensions and proper metalurgy, in other words it's built from comparable forged steel just like the USGI M-14 you latched onto during your tour in the sand box.

Their barrels are chrome lined and are equal in accuracy to the three real USGI M-14's that I got for my police department under the Feds 1033 program. The op rod is one piece forged, just as are the TRW op rods and they are built from good forged steel and they work great.

None of those three things, (receiver, barrel and op rod) need to replaced or concerned about. Everything else could stand some attention. The rear sight is crap, which you will find out.

The gas tube assembly and piston were not built from stainless steel like the USGI M-14's were, instead they were built from chrome molly. The factory gas tube assembly will work and work well but down the road you might find a USGI gas tube assembly and piston... But there's no rush on this one.

The trigger group can stand some improvement, the hammer and trigger are soft, as are their pins. so I'd change them at some point too and you will be ok with the trigger group.

We aren't talking about much money here and you don't have to do anything right now, except maybe replace that rear sight. Then shoot the crap out of your new M-14 and enjoy it.

By the way a USGI M-1 Garrand sight will fit and work perfectly on your M-14. But be aware the Garand rear sight is calibrated in yards and the M-14 in meters.

You've already said that you intend to replace the stock with USGI. If you do you will have to replace the connector and it's little retainer pin.

The connector is the part that holds the operating rod guide in place on the bottom of the receiver. This is a cheap modification but must be done if you change to a GI stock. If money is that tight, then you can just leave the Chinese connector in your rifle and fill the indent in the GI stock, adjacent to the connector with JB Weld and call it good to go. That's up to you.

Good luck with your new M-14 and enjoy it as it for now but ultimately when you are finished with your project, you would not trade your finished M14 rifle for anything that SAI is currently building. Your rifle will be built from forged parts while the Springfield M-1A's are built with commercial casting from Taiwan and they are having issues with them.

When you are done with the modifications, your rifle will make you proud of your decision to buy it and do it yourself. Because your rifle will shoot like a house on fire and be a thing of beauty and pride to you.

If you need help we will be glad to walk you thorough making your M14 into what it should be. If you'd had bought an M-1A for $1500.00 you would have had to do many of these same things to it and still had a rifle built from castings. After you've been here you a while you will learn these things for yourself.

http://www.raparts.com/Products/m14parts.html

7th

deces

I'm sure there is alot of people on this forum who live in Texas who you could go out. and shoot M14's with. Welcome back.

m14brian

That is a fantastic story. Thank you for your service and sacrifice, and welcome.
m14brian

markp

BTW invest in two books:

The M14 complete assembly guide

and

The M14 owners guide and match conditioning instructions.

Bamban

Where in TX?

Al Mack

Welcome and thanks for your service and sacrifice. I didn't read all the reply's. So I'm not sure if anyone mentioned that you should replace the recoil guide pin when you go to a GI stock. No big deal, the Chinese ones are to short and can come loose. Easy fix, enjoy!

theogreabides

I live in Midlothian just south of Dallas and I'm always looking to go shooting. I got on ebay and ordered the recommended literature. I cant wait to get this girl ready to take to the range. The M14 community is as great as the rifle and there's so much information and history to be found.

Bamban

We shoot in Temple 3 times a month. 300 yards only. There is a 1K steel match in Crawford coming up. PM me if interested.

Dave P

Bamban - go for it! I will pitch in a few bucks to help this man out, if you say it is good.