Hookster Posted May 11, 2010 Author Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hey tinman! Thanks for all the great tips, Between The Complete Assembly Guide and what you've told me I think that I'll have no problem making it happen. For some reason I was thinking that the gas cylinder would be pretty hard to get off the spline grooves on the barrel but it doesn't sound like that is the case. The one thing I'm still wondering is about the hole alignment. Shouldn't it pretty much be correct if I have it shimmed for correct lockup of the gas cylinder lock? Thanks Again! Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman1975 Posted May 11, 2010 Share Posted May 11, 2010 (edited) Hey tinman! Thanks for all the great tips, Between The Complete Assembly Guide and what you've told me I think that I'll have no problem making it happen. For some reason I was thinking that the gas cylinder would be pretty hard to get off the spline grooves on the barrel but it doesn't sound like that is the case. The one thing I'm still wondering is about the hole alignment. Shouldn't it pretty much be correct if I have it shimmed for correct lockup of the gas cylinder lock? Thanks Again! Hookster Not necessarily, gas locks all vary and some lock up in different places than others...which is why they give you different size shims to use. It is possible that in order to lock up at the 5:30 position some people end up using two thick or even all three shims to get to that point. But some times if you have to use the two thickest shims or all three...it is possible to push the entire gas cylinder too far forward and you end up shooting past the point of proper port alignment. Also you can flip the gas lock the other way and see if that aids in taking up some of the slack. You just have to trial and error until you find the right combo, but try to shim as little as possible to get the proper lockup. From the sounds of it misalignment of the port is a rare occurance and most cylinders use a combination of the thinnest and one other shim. And as far as the splines, all of mine slid right off...but if your rifle was previously owned, some people peen the splines in order to make a tighter fit, but even then the soft taps with the plastic mallet should make it a breeze Edited May 11, 2010 by tinman1975 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Not necessarily, gas locks all vary and some lock up in different places than others...which is why they give you different size shims to use. It is possible that in order to lock up at the 5:30 position some people end up using two thick or even all three shims to get to that point. But some times if you have to use the two thickest shims or all three...it is possible to push the entire gas cylinder too far forward and you end up shooting past the point of proper port alignment. Also you can flip the gas lock the other way and see if that aids in taking up some of the slack. You just have to trial and error until you find the right combo, but try to shim as little as possible to get the proper lockup. From the sounds of it misalignment of the port is a rare occurance and most cylinders use a combination of the thinnest and one other shim. And as far as the splines, all of mine slid right off...but if your rifle was previously owned, some people peen the splines in order to make a tighter fit, but even then the soft taps with the plastic mallet should make it a breeze Thanks tinman! I'll get some shims and castle nut pliers and give it a go. Right now my gas lock goes to about 7 o' clock. Here's a pic cause pics are fun! Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylaboy Posted May 12, 2010 Share Posted May 12, 2010 Hey Hookster, Looks like Tinman pretty much covered it. I will just +1 what he said about getting a good pair of Castle Nut Pliers. Just make sure they are the real strong Anodized kind or apparently they will bend to ****. I have shimmed my system a couple times and All I needed was those, and the Wrench. The Gas System comes off pretty easily, but you may need to tap it a little bit on the back of the Cylinder where the Op Rod connects with a plastic hammer to encourage it to slide off. Otherwise, its pretty easy. I would also suggest checking the tension and ensuring it bites down at the 4-5 O clock position before you put everything else back on. Usually took me two tries each time to find the correct Shim set up. Let me know if you have any questions, but you seem to be on the ball with all of this stuff already. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 12, 2010 Author Share Posted May 12, 2010 Hey Taylaboy, You said you've done your system a couple of times. How long do the shims seem to last for you? Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylaboy Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Sorry, I should have clarified why I did it twice now. First time I did it right after I got the rifle. Then I had problems with the weapon and had to send it back to Springfield Armory. They Replaced the Barrel, fixed the head spacing and Ejector for me. They were diligent enough to include the original set of shims when the returned the weapon after fixing it. So, I had to do it again, but because of the new set up, it took a different combo of shims. As far as I know, they dont suffer from wear and tear. But who knows, you may have to adjust it later down the road after lots of firing. You get yours on yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 13, 2010 Author Share Posted May 13, 2010 Thanks for clarifying, some guys on TFL say they do wear out after a while but I haven't heard a useful life round count. I haven't received mine yet but I have some shims and castle nut pliers on the way. The Complete Assembly Manual and M14 Owners Guide and Match Conditioning Instructions are both on my nightstand for bedtime reading every night. I know, I know......I have problems Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Legend Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Hookster, I have to thank you for the link to that video. A scope mount that doesn't make you remove the clip guide is a godsend. My crappy Chinese Polytech m14 refuses to give up it's clip guide and I'm not about to pound on it so much that I break the receiver, so I was resigned to use iron sights for the rest of it's life. I love how simple it looks to install and uninstall. Now I just have to wait for 2-4 weeks for it to get to me. Thanks again Hookster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylaboy Posted May 13, 2010 Share Posted May 13, 2010 Hookster, That owners manual is my Bible. Every little problem or mod I have had to fix couldnt have been done without it. Let me know how the Shimming goes, it's pretty straight forward. Just take your time and you will be proud BTW, I Got the BAD T1 Armorer and love it. It's worth the money bro, especially now because you have a couple of those rifles. The owner was even cool enough to send me one of their wrenches for free because I bought the tool before he had a chance to email me with a discount code when they got the new ones in. Get one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 14, 2010 Author Share Posted May 14, 2010 Hi Broken Legend, I'm sure you'll like the mount! Did you get the regular Picatinny? Do you know what kind of scope you'll be mounting on your Polytech? Taylaboy, You've got me thinking about the Bad T1 again. They are very cool http://www.battlearmsdevelopment.com/badt1.php I received a few goodies today for my US Optics scope: A 2" sunshade with removable honeycomb ARD http://www.usoptics.com/accD.php?recordID=SUN-37 http://www.usoptics.com/accD.php?recordID=SUN-100 Anti-cant folding level indicator http://www.usoptics.com/accD.php?recordID=BBL-350 Later Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylaboy Posted May 14, 2010 Share Posted May 14, 2010 HAHA. Hookster man.....you're worse than ME!! I usually always have something coming in the mail. But nobody is as bad as Skeeter. I am still waiting for that boy to post a picture of a Tank or something he found and is fixing up. Get the T1. I wouldnt steer you wrong. The Tool completely takes apart that weapon by itself (almost.) In my opinion, it would be a good investment for you. Fits right in the buttstock too. I understand though: one thing at a time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 15, 2010 Author Share Posted May 15, 2010 OK T-Boy, The BAD T-1 is going on my list. My shims and stuff will be arriving next week. I ordered everything from Fulton Armory: the castle nut pliers, stainless steel shim set and I also ordered a 2nd set screw and castle nut just in case anything got damaged during the operation. I also ordered one of their stock liner wrenches so I can check the tightness on mine once in a while. I may also be meeting a FFL this week through a mutual friend and I was going to talk to him about ordering a LRB through him although I have some thinking ahead of me about the options I want. Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman1975 Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 OK T-Boy, The BAD T-1 is going on my list. My shims and stuff will be arriving next week. I ordered everything from Fulton Armory: the castle nut pliers, stainless steel shim set and I also ordered a 2nd set screw and castle nut just in case anything got damaged during the operation. I also ordered one of their stock liner wrenches so I can check the tightness on mine once in a while. I may also be meeting a FFL this week through a mutual friend and I was going to talk to him about ordering a LRB through him although I have some thinking ahead of me about the options I want. Later, Hookster Well you got plenty of time to think. Sounds like LRB is backed up about 10-12 months on receivers at the moment. And to think how much people were upset over 3 months for a carrier comp tube:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 16, 2010 Author Share Posted May 16, 2010 Well you got plenty of time to think. Sounds like LRB is backed up about 10-12 months on receivers at the moment. And to think how much people were upset over 3 months for a carrier comp tube Hi Tinman! Yeah I'd seen postings on M14TFL that that was the current wait time No problem though, sometimes you got to wait for the good stuff. I've got plenty of stuff to stay busy with in the meantime. It will make for a long year though. Hey...Did you get to shoot your newest M1A since you shimmed and added the NM spring guide? Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman1975 Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 Hi Tinman! Yeah I'd seen postings on M14TFL that that was the current wait time No problem though, sometimes you got to wait for the good stuff. I've got plenty of stuff to stay busy with in the meantime. It will make for a long year though. Hey...Did you get to shoot your newest M1A since you shimmed and added the NM spring guide? Later, Hookster Unfortunately no I havent been able to yet. I have had a crazy last few weeks and havent had any "me" time. I may try to sneak away thursday...ill let you know how it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texas skeeter Posted May 16, 2010 Share Posted May 16, 2010 But nobody is as bad as Skeeter. I am still waiting for that boy to post a picture of a Tank or something he found and is fixing up. HaHa!! No tank yet, i havent found a place to park it yet!! but iam restoring an early 70's T.A. 455-H/O.. but new pics coming soon from all my latest purchases. it has something to do with my "Mad Max leisure suit"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylaboy Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Hookster, The Bad T-1 Has a built in "Stock Liner Wrench/Tool" The new versions they have now are harder and better than the first Generation. Just keep it on your hit list, it will save you money in the long run from buying other small tool's for those rifles, which is the reason I just caved in and bought it before they were sold out again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broken Legend Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 Hi Broken Legend, I'm sure you'll like the mount! Did you get the regular Picatinny? Do you know what kind of scope you'll be mounting on your Polytech? I got the new low Picatinny mount. I thought that lower is better since I don't have a riser on my stock. I'd like to see the iron sights, but I figure I can just take the scope or mount off quickly. I'm actually shopping for a scope right now. Any suggestions? I found this one on Amazon for what looks like a good price. Not looking for a $500+ scope right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 I got the new low Picatinny mount. I thought that lower is better since I don't have a riser on my stock. I'd like to see the iron sights, but I figure I can just take the scope or mount off quickly. I'm actually shopping for a scope right now. Any suggestions? I found this one on Amazon for what looks like a good price. Not looking for a $500+ scope right now. Hey BL, I don't know much about that Nikon Scope, It seems to have a lot of good reviews on there though. The BDC reticle would be cool if it was accurate for the ammo you planned on using. A lot of guys are very happy with the SWFA Super Sniper for scope in the under $500 range. Later, Hookster http://swfa-ss.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 22, 2010 Author Share Posted May 22, 2010 Hey T-Boy, I got the gas cylinder shimmed and everything back together no problem. The muzzle brake was an easy remove/replace, the gas cylinder required a bit of persuasion to get off but not too bad. I hit the magic combo of shims on the 3rd try (.005" + .010" was just right) Can't wait to get to the range now and try it out! Now I'll have to do the SOCOM too! Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojunior Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 Troy rail does look good! I may get one as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 24, 2010 Author Share Posted May 24, 2010 Hey Jojunior, Yeah.... the Troy's are nice. What kind of M1A/M14 would you be putting it on? Later, Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojunior Posted May 24, 2010 Share Posted May 24, 2010 socom. because I have sold my Vltor rail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookster Posted May 26, 2010 Author Share Posted May 26, 2010 socom. because I have sold my Vltor rail Didn't like the Vltor? Do you like the Sage EBR? Hookster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jojunior Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 Vltor is a bit heavy for my taste. I like Sage as well but it is a totally new platform. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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