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New to M14's: What to do/not do?

130K views 165 replies 129 participants last post by  tonyben 
#1 · (Edited)
As the title says, I'm new to M14's.

Actually, I don't even have one yet, but will have a Springfield Scout Squad soon.

What I'm looking for are tips/advice on what to do/not do with the gun.

For example, it is not good to let a 1911 slide slam shut on an empty chamber.

Is it bad to let an M14 bolt slam on an empty chamber?

What places on the M14 need lube?

Is CLP fine for an M14 or does it require grease?

I'm looking for little tidbits of advice like this on the M14.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Welcome,

I've never heard any caution against letting the bolt "slam" freely into battery on an empty chamber with the M14.

NEVER single load a loose cartridge and allow the bolt to slam shut on it. That practice can cause a slamfire. ALWAYS load the cartridge into a magazine to allow the bolt to strip it from the magazine before chambering it. This will slow the bolt down enough to avoid a slamfire.

I'm sure there'll be more!

HTH,

Al
 
#3 ·
Sherlock308 said:
Welcome,

I've never heard any caution against letting the bolt "slam" freely into battery on an empty chamber with the M14.

NEVER single load a loose cartridge and allow the bolt to slam shut on it. That practice can cause a slamfire. ALWAYS load the cartridge into a magazine to allow the bolt to strip it from the magazine before chambering it. This will slow the bolt down enough to avoid a slamfire.

I'm sure there'll be more!

HTH,

Al

Thanks sir.

Tips like this are exactly what I'm looking for. :)

Perhaps this thread should be stickied after it fills up some more to help other newbies. :)
 
#4 ·
First, congrats on purchasing a great rifle.
The instructions with the rifle should provide details on where to place grease - also there is a technical area in this Forum that has the GI field manuals that will detail where the grease goes.

CLP will be good for the bore and exterior as a rust preventative, however, it will fly off the parts requiring grease. A std automotive moly-type grease from auto parts store is what I use.

Its OK to dry-fire it, I would not let the bolt fly home on an empy chamber, but this is my opinion. No grease or oil is to be used on the gas system piston, however, I use a little Hoppes #9 and it works for me.

Always use the magazine to load rounds rather than loading single rounds into the chamber with fingers then allowing the bolt to slam home without a mag locked in. There is a chance of an out of battery firing or slam fire otherwise -again, your instructions should inform you of this issue.

Keep your screws tight on the gas plug and rear sight

Other than these items I have found it to be a forgiving rifle
 
#5 ·
I guess the general rule of thumb is that anywhere you see the park on the metal wearing down, you should grease. Generally anywhere metal contacts metal. Also make sure the bolt roller is nice and greased, as well as the oprod hump.

When cleaning the barrel, make sure solvets/lube doesn't get into the gas system. some people turn off their gas system via the spindle valve (make sure you turn it back on though if you want a semiautomatic rifle!) while others just clean their rifles upside down.

Also don't engage the safety if the weapon is not cocked/hammer down - it can break the tip of the safety off.
 
#6 ·
Never let a friend borrow it or he will never want to return it.

Do not shoot Indian ammo.

Use a bore guide and clean with a one piece rod, or get an OTIS cleaning kit.

Do not oil the bolt, use grease.

Buy copious amounts of ammo, you will want it.

Do not buy magazines on Gunbroker from bananamag guy unless you want to change the spring and follower. But them from Armalite or Elite.

Good luck,

Regulator
 
#7 ·
Best advise I can give ya, is just save you money till you can buy two at the same time, and you will be happier. They are quite addictive, and pretty soon you will have four or more.
All joking aside I will reccomend getting a coupy of Scott Duff's M14 guide, as well as Jerry Khunenson (spelling) copy of The U.S. .30 Cal. Gas Operated Service Rifles Vol.1&2. Both of these books are very informative and will answer a ton of those newbie questions as well as all the senility ones too.

Use grease not oil, keep the gas cylinder clean and dry (no grease/oil)
Buy USGI mags, (although some have had good luck with the TYPE 57 mags, I didn't)

Most important is buy lots of ammo as these puppies are HUUUNGERRRRYYYY!
 
#8 ·
I’m just like this guy, except maybe I’m paranoid when it comes to these kinds of things. It’s like I wanna know everything I can about ’em just before I buy it. I need to know what you think I should know about them rather than having to learn it along the way and possibly screw something up in the process. It’s like I want to know what to do concerning this this and this, etc. And he listed specific things--just to cite examples of other tips you might offer--he wanted answers to but he also wanted to know about things ALONG THOSE LINES as do I since I’m going to be a upcoming M1A purchaser myself. Essentially the mindset is; tell me all of what you know about them considering I know next to nothing about them at least not the very intricate, involved, in-depth technical type things veterans to M1A’s like all yourselves know of them. Really it’s like I’d only be comfortable with some master armorer guy always at my side when shooting the thing so I can be told right then and there if I’m doing something wrong and what I need to do instead--in areas such as application of lube and maintenance and general shooting/use of the thing. Like I said; I’m paranoid. Anyway I hope this helps to add to this post.
 
#9 ·
Thanks guys.

1) Can anyone provide links to good online manuals/tutorials with pictures showing disassembly for the M14?

2) What sort of grease do you recommend for the M14? I use CLP only on all my firearms and have not researched grease at all.

3) Any more tips??


Thanks!!! DI5
 
#10 · (Edited)
Hello All,
I have owned Ars,Aks,HKs,BMs FNCs etc.etc. --- TODAY I am waiting for my first M1A rifle !!!!!
I also have been reading this post and have learned a few things. So ,all you"OlTimers" go ahead and tell us "newbys" all the things we should already know.
Thanks one and all ---- GF aka Bird
 
#13 ·
cmshoot said:


Wow. That's quite a list.

Thanks a lot for compiling it!

Do I really have to have all that stuff just to clean & lube my M14?? GI3
 
#14 · (Edited)
Drjones said:
Wow. That's quite a list.

Thanks a lot for compiling it!

Do I really have to have all that stuff just to clean & lube my M14?? GI3
Well, not really, but they make it easier.
The Bore guide and Ratcheting Chamber Brush are necessities

You can do without the gas cylinder lock wrench if you use a padded vise to hold the cylinder/lock while removing/installing the plug.

You'll eventually need the drills to clean the cylinder, but you don't need to buy the "special" ones with the cool handles unless you want to. They're standard sizes.
Piston body: #P (0.323")
Piston shank: #15 (0.180")
Piston gas port: #26 (0.147")

The "solvent port" is a luxury IMHO.

You can do without the roller greaser, but it makes it easier to do the job properly.

It's not listed here, but included in the buttstock cleaning kit (with the chamber brush), but you should also pick up an M14 combo tool. It has a 3/8" box wrench built into one end for loosening the gas cylinder plug. Of course at the bench, you can substitute any 3/8" wrench or socket.
 
#15 ·
I suggest you go over to the Armory section as well as getting Duff & Miller book as suggested by Shadow. It is the next best thing to having a Armorer with you as you will get, unless you kidnap an armorer GI8 . Anything written by Bill Rica, Ted Brown or Warbird, read them all. I'm sure I left a few others out, not on purpose, poor memory GI4 . The M14 type rifle is very resilient & can take a certain amount of abuse without much harm to speak of. Do stay away from Indian ammo. If your not sure what surplus you have or plan on getting, check the Ammo Bunker. Shoot safe & shoot strait. GI8
 
#17 ·
Jack Orr said:
I suggest you go over to the Armory section as well as getting Duff & Miller book as suggested by Shadow. It is the next best thing to having a Armorer with you as you will get, unless you kidnap an armorer GI8 . Anything written by Bill Rica, Ted Brown or Warbird, read them all. I'm sure I left a few others out, not on purpose, poor memory GI4 . The M14 type rifle is very resilient & can take a certain amount of abuse without much harm to speak of. Do stay away from Indian ammo. If your not sure what surplus you have or plan on getting, check the Ammo Bunker. Shoot safe & shoot strait. GI8
Scott Duff's Book will give you a lot of info on general usage and to dos and nots. Its a cheap $20 investment.
 
#18 ·
I second the Scott Duff book.

-I use Tetra, the little yellow GI greasepots or white silicon grease--whichever is closest to my hand. I like to apply it with an acid brush, cycle several times, then wipe off most of it.

-Support the gas system, not the stock, when you tighten or remove the gas plug--use a gas cyl wrench or place the gas cyl lock in a padded vise that just barely makes contact. This will keep the splines on the barrel tight.

-Use penetrating oil overnight (Marvel's Mystery Oil or Kroil) to loosen that stuck gas plug. Patience won't damage the rifle like excessive torque will.

-Clean the barrel with the rifle upside down, muzzle slightly downward. This will keep solvent out of the gas system and out of the stock where it will tend to deteriorate the stock fit.

-Use a muzzle guide and extra care when you use a cleaning rod. Barrel steel is soft and the muzzle crown is the most important part of the barrel for accuracy--it's also very delicate. This is one of the hazards unique to a rifle that must be cleaned from the front end and a lot of people are unaware of the risk.

-Before firing, check that things are tight--gas plug, suppressor, rear sight tension (in the M14 field manual, FM 23-5 under the heading Regular Maintenance).

-Paint a witness line across your gas plug/gas cyl lock so you know how far to tighten the plug

-After you sight in the rifle, count how many clicks it takes to bottom the rear aperature, then write that number down (I have a sticker under the hinged buttplate). Even if you fiddle with the elevation drum, the number of clicks up will always be constant for a given type of ammo.

-From 100 to 200yds, add 2 clicks. From 200 to 300yds, add 3 clicks, from 300 to 600yds add 12-14 clicks ("two for 200, three for 300, twelve for 600"). This will put you on paper for any ammo you can feed the M1 or M14.

-It's not a bad idea to drop the hammer and unlatch the trigger guard prior to storing--it will help minimize the compression of wood around the receiver. Also, after oiling the barrel, remove the excess with a single dry patch. This will keep oil from running down into that sensitive area of the stock.

-Always focus on the front sight, not the target (and don't shift your focus between the two either).

Additional good reading:
http://web.archive.org/web/20030705071825/http://www.jouster.com/lanestips/
Ty
 
#20 ·
Someone had mentioned a bolt roller tool used to grease the bolt roller this is not realy needed but is nice too have. I have used a trimmed down piece of .45 brass for alot of years I lost it or a buddy aproperated it form me no big losss 2min later I had a new one that works as good as the old one and the cost was free and a little time.
 
#23 ·
Phil McGrath said:
Someone had mentioned a bolt roller tool used to grease the bolt roller this is not realy needed but is nice too have. I have used a trimmed down piece of .45 brass for alot of years I lost it or a buddy aproperated it form me no big losss 2min later I had a new one that works as good as the old one and the cost was free and a little time.

Could you post pics or describe in greater detail how exactly to do this?

Thanks!
 
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