So i bought a M14

[cassius]

The M14/M1A has a straight operating rod, as opposed to the Garand's S-curved model. The Garand's starts bent, the wrong / higher gas pressure puts stresses on it that make it bend further in the direction it's already going.
You can shoot just about anything you can properly chamber in an M14/M1A.

[Rob454]

That's an OK price for a Poly if it didn't have USGI parts.

As an FYI, I would not shoot commercial 308 in Polys; not because of bullets or powder but rather headspacing. Polys and Norincos have notoriously large headspace with some pushing a 7.62NATO Field gage. Therefore I only shoot 7.62NATO in my stock Polys and Norincos due to the slightly thicker NATO case and slightly less powerful loading. You should keep an eye on your headspace and if it starts to get past a 7.62NATO Field gage, have a USGI bolt installed on it by someone like Warbird. Otherwise Polys and Norincos, while on the rough side, are probably a closer clone to a USGI M14 than the M1A.

You'll also want to go here and do some light reading: http://www.imageseek.com/m1a/welcome.html

Yeah i thought it was a good price simply because when I see on for sale its in the 1200$ and up range. But it sounds like I made a rush decision if the rifles are that needy I may just put it back up for sale. I dont want somethin that needs work to make it right. Someone may be looking for one to do the exact work it needs to make it a perfect rifle I dont know. I really should of bought a AR and be done with it.
Thanx for all the info guys
Rob

[Sunwolf]

Don`t despair,I have been shooting a poly since 92 and have had 0 problems but oh lord,did everyone around me who had Springfield Armory had problems,trigger groups ,bolts,op rods even to the butt plate falling off.Good thing,Springfield honors their warranty and for the most part has good customer service.

[jd1911]

I have a polytech M14S as well and all of the forums that I have read talk about some bolt conversion to a GI bolt before shooting commercial .308. Everything I have read states that you can shoot 7.62x51 surplus ammo no problem. I wish I had all of the websites for you but I just finished reformating my hard drive and do not have my backed up favorites list yet.
I would do a google search on the Polytech, which gives you the truth about these rifles. alot of people bash them but if you really research all of the threads you find out it is a great rifle. You'll hear everything about defective soft metal bolts and soft metal trigger groups and headspacing checks, and then you'll hear about how great the rifle are and so on and so forth. Also if you feel like you need more info maybe you can contact Smith Enterprises or Tim at Warbirds and ask their opinion (they work on Polytechs and Norinco M14S models. Hell I love shooting mine, I have a Springfield Standard model as well and besides the ugly A$& wood stock, I like my polytech just a little better. Just a little.

[popeye4]

The M14/M1A has a straight operating rod, as opposed to the Garand's S-curved model. The Garand's starts bent, the wrong / higher gas pressure puts stresses on it that make it bend further in the direction it's already going.
You can shoot just about anything you can properly chamber in an M14/M1A.

Well, perhaps YOU can, but I wouldn't recommend anyone else to do so with THEIR gun. Your post is the first I've ever seen with this advice.....

[vf111]

Yeah i thought it was a good price simply because when I see on for sale its in the 1200$ and up range. But it sounds like I made a rush decision if the rifles are that needy I may just put it back up for sale. I dont want somethin that needs work to make it right. Someone may be looking for one to do the exact work it needs to make it a perfect rifle I dont know. I really should of bought a AR and be done with it.
Thanx for all the info guys
Rob

Don't fret - get a 7.62NATO Field gage (not a 308 Field gage - they're different) and just stick to 7.62NATO ammo. Keep an eye on the headspace and as long as it stays below 7.62NATO Field you'll be OK.

The Chinese M14's actually have some really good parts to them: drop forged op-rods and receivers and excellent chrome-lined barrels (despite the metric castle nut & gas lock threads) - it's all the other parts that are hit & miss. It's for this reason I don't consider them a good beginner's M14 like an M1A with its lifetime warranty.

[Rob454]

Im gonna look at the gun show and see if i can find a NATO field guage. I was planing on selling my Savage and using the M14 to hunt with ( figured the 308 caliber for hunting) but I may just hold on to the savage also.

[popeye4]

Im gonna look at the gun show and see if i can find a NATO field guage. I was planing on selling my Savage and using the M14 to hunt with ( figured the 308 caliber for hunting) but I may just hold on to the savage also.

Buy headspace gauges from a reputable dealer (such as Brownells) and don't use Forster. Here's an explanation (you'll have to register to see it, but you should do that anyway): http://m14tfl.com/upload/showthread....eadspace+gauge

Here is another Fulton Armory article on the Chinese M14: http://www.fulton-armory.com/M14S_Eval.htm

I'd also look through some of the threads at http://m14tfl.com/upload/ as those guys know M14's inside and out.

[Rob454]

YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN GREAT. I APPRECIATE ALL THE HELP

[smle-man]

Yeah i thought it was a good price simply because when I see on for sale its in the 1200$ and up range. But it sounds like I made a rush decision if the rifles are that needy I may just put it back up for sale. I dont want somethin that needs work to make it right. Someone may be looking for one to do the exact work it needs to make it a perfect rifle I dont know. I really should of bought a AR and be done with it.
Thanx for all the info guys
Rob

Shoot the sucker and have fun with it. Stop worrying about soft bolts and excessive headspace. From my research, talking with long term PT owners and some other sources the bolt replacement that is urged on all PT owners has the aroma of hype from the outfits who make good money doing the swap. I haven't heard of one blowing up yet, compared to say some M1As that have come apart for various reasons. I had one in the early 90s, shot it, traded it and just got another from a Calgunner. After some settling in shots this rifle is easily as accurate as my M1A. I replaced the stock and handguard with walnut and also put an SA Inc muzzle brake on it.

[Rob454]

Shoot the sucker and have fun with it. Stop worrying about soft bolts and excessive headspace. ]

Youre right. Ill do this one like my other rifles. i go and shoot the crap out of them. cant wait for next weekend to get some ammo