M14 Forum

lwssdk · September 18th, 2011, 12:19 PM

Thank you RAMAC. Worked like a charm. I think working with older actions had made it easier in the past. Thank you.

lwssdk · September 21st, 2011, 06:12 PM

rammac new question. after removing the op rod the spring clip that I thought is supposed to hold the bolt roller in place is located between the bolt and the roller. Not between the roller and bolt. Is this a new alternative to the old or is there an inept person at Springfield Armory. As it it is, when I purchased the rifle the elevation knob was cracked. It doesn't effect use but is a bit disconcerning considering the price for a new weapon from S.F.I..Is this normal for the new generation of rifles from springfield?

lwssdk · September 21st, 2011, 06:16 PM

RAMMAC. Carify previous. Clip is located between the main body of the bolt and roller instead of inside of the roller and bolt.

RAMMAC · September 21st, 2011, 09:12 PM

Is there a grove on the shaft that the clip is on? If the clip is not in a grove then it has slipped out of place. If there is a grove and the clip is in it but the clip is not inside the roller then they really mucked up the construction of the bolt. That clip has to be inside the roller and in a grove in order to function correctly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lwssdk

RAMMAC. Carify previous. Clip is located between the main body of the bolt and roller instead of inside of the roller and bolt.

RAMMAC · September 21st, 2011, 09:13 PM

Well ya' gotta' admit, at least we have several ways to skin the cat, one of 'em has got to work when a person is having problems.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BagemTagem

I tried it but for some reason i could not fit any of my screwdrivers under it. The technique that i use, I learned from Art Luppino, works like a charm every time. I have seen other How-To's where people simply apply finger pressure and out pops the op-rod

lwssdk · September 22nd, 2011, 05:15 PM

RE: bolt assembly. The grooves are there. A little disappointed in some of the manufacturing problems of a $1500+ rifle. Just looking for verification of the problem. So.. now I need the fix. Is there a trick to getting this clip on without the specialty pliers? I plan to check Brownells for extra clips. Fortunately, less than 100 rounds fired at this point so no real damage done yet. didn't even have to worry about this with older mil stock weapons.
Thanks again for the breakdown info for the op rod, I wouldn't have found out about this until damage was done to the bolt. Otherwise S.A produces a quality weapon
.

omni · December 29th, 2011, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAMMAC

If you are having a hard time getting the op rod off you can try this method. You don't have to use any force, the wedge shape of the small flat bladed screwdriver does the work. Notice that I use only my thumb and index finger to remove the op rod.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0dolKPoDvQ

Thanks for the video. I'm glad it worked for others, but as another poster said, I simply didn't have enough room under the op rod to get even the smallest screwdriver under it. What worked for me was the pry and tap method shown in this thread.

The question I asked there, and would really appreciate your insight RAMMAC, is... Is this a manufacturing tolerance problem or by design to break in with use?

Thanks again

RAMMAC · December 29th, 2011, 01:04 PM

I'm not a gunsmith and I've only tinkered as an amateur on M1As so I can't really say with authority which it is, but my gut says it's more of a manufacturing tolerance issue than anything else.

As some of the real gunsmiths have mentioned, they will sometimes cut the notch a little to make it easier to remove and reinstall the op rod. I would assume that if a gunsmith is cutting the metal, rather than fitting the part by working it with some kind of metal cutting paste, it is because there is a lot of metal to remove...more than would be normal to wear off with reasonable use. That implies to me that somebody is not doing a very good job of fitting the op rod correctly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by omni

Thanks for the video. I'm glad it worked for others, but as another poster said, I simply didn't have enough room under the op rod to get even the smallest screwdriver under it. What worked for me was the pry and tap method shown in this thread.

The question I asked there, and would really appreciate your insight RAMMAC, is... Is this a manufacturing tolerance problem or by design to break in with use?

Thanks again

omni · December 29th, 2011, 01:34 PM

Makes sense. I probably had an hour in trying to work this out by hand before resorting to prying and such. I don't think my garage heard that much cussing since I tried to get the rusted bumper bolts off a 71 cutlass..

brassmagnet · December 29th, 2011, 01:37 PM

My Armscorp receiver needed some milling too in that notch area. They didn't go quite deep enough and left a ridge, making it almost impossible to lift the rod out. Being as hard as it is, and end mill is probably the best way to do it - at least for me it was. I suppose a Dremmel might work, but it might leave a messy fix?

stainless1911 · December 29th, 2011, 02:18 PM

My gunsmith suggested that I file the top of the "block" shaped section on the op rod just enough to radius the 90* edge off of it, allowing it to more easily rotate out of the slot in the reciever. That worked pretty well. I wont take the op rod back off the gun again until something breaks, not worth the fight. At that point, I'll just send it back to SA and let them argue with it.

RAMMAC · December 29th, 2011, 02:22 PM

I've heard others suggest that too, I guess it comes down to what you consider to be the less risky route. If you do the work yourself it would be best to make the change to the op rod. If you make a mistake you can afford to replace them; if you mess up the receiver then the rifle is basically a really big paper weight.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stainless1911

My gunsmith suggested that I file the top of the "block" shaped section on the op rod just enough to radius the 90* edge off of it, allowing it to more easily rotate out of the slot in the reciever. That worked pretty well. I wont take the op rod back off the gun again until something breaks, not worth the fight. At that point, I'll just send it back to SA and let them argue with it.

stainless1911 · December 29th, 2011, 02:28 PM

Thats why I think my gunsmith went that route. I couldnt afford to pay him, but he was good enough to show me exactly what to do to fix the problem.

As a result of this kind of service, whenever anyone asks me if I know a gunsmith, I send them to him and if I get into a position of needing something done, the job is his.

omni · December 29th, 2011, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stainless1911

My gunsmith suggested that I file the top of the "block" shaped section on the op rod just enough to radius the 90* edge off of it, allowing it to more easily rotate out of the slot in the reciever. That worked pretty well. I wont take the op rod back off the gun again until something breaks, not worth the fight. At that point, I'll just send it back to SA and let them argue with it.

I'm pretty handy and made the same conclusion myself when I had it disassembled. Made 6 or 7 light passes across the top corner of the block with a fine mill file. We'll see if it helps the next time I need to take it apart.

Thanks for the continued information.

angelonm · December 29th, 2011, 08:54 PM

My brand new built in June and received in July SAI M1A never had this issue.
When i took home my rifle the first thing i did was disassemble and clean it. The op rod came right out as if the rifle had 1000 rounds through it.
These videos are great in that they show there are more that one way to accomplish this task.
This might save a few people from breaking something. A man designed and built it. A man can repair and maintain it.
Thanks again, now only if that target sling came with directions.