SLR15 RIFLES M14 / M1 RIFLE ARMORER COURSE
When: March 24-25, 2014
Where: Rapid City, South Dakota
We conducted a 2-day (16-hour) M14 / M1 Rifle Armorer Course at the Outdoor Campus facility. This was our first course at this location. This course was done in conjunction with our AR-15 / M-16 / M-4 Armorer course on March 26-27. The training room offered plenty of table space, decent lighting, and a high definition media system that we were able to hook our laptop computer into that allowed us to show animated graphics of the weapons system, powerpoint detailed pics of gun parts, and especially when looking at finer detail things like machining, stress cracks & wear. The student base was all Law Enforcement.
Rifles represented in this course were all U. S Military issued Winchester-Olin, Springfield Armory, Harrington & Richardson “H&R”, Thompson-Ramo-Woolridge “TRW”.
On the morning of day-1 we started with going through the course manual that all students are given. Students were supplied with their own set of basic tools and cleaning equipment. The basic tools consisted of a bench block, hammers, Kroil, punches of varying styles and sizes, wrenches, torque wrenches, screw drivers, dental picks, etc. Everyone was supplied with a bottle of Slip2000 "EWL" Extreme Weapons Lubricant, a bottle of Slip2000 #725 Cleaner Degreaser, and a bottle of Slip2000 “EWL30” Extreme Weapons Lubricant 30 (basically a gel version). We also supplied cleaning rods, brushes, jags, patches, chamber brushes of both the USGI and aftermarket versions, etc. A short session of nomenclature was covered, at which time covered every feature and exterior piece of the rifle to include all the hidden design features that most people are not aware of, and everyone prepped the rifles for disassembly work. We went through a hands on session on cycles of operation. Everyone was also taught the procedure series of checks that we recommend and why.
Next we covered the proper way to field strip a rifle from the user level, showing our recommended method so people do not damage or drop things. Most of the rifles present were Military rifles that were converted to semi-auto, but still had the connector rods present, so we showed how to remove these. Once every rifle was field stripped, we went through basic maintenance with demonstrations on what and where to clean, how it is cleaned, and why some areas need specific cleaning attention, and what to use when cleaning. Everyone was tasked with cleaning the chamber and barrel. To clean the barrel, everyone was given a USGI chamber brush, and showed how to use it. We also showed several aftermarket versions of chamber brushes, and gave our opinion as to each. After chambers were cleaned, we moved into cleaning the bore. We showed the need for a good one piece cleaning rod, and a good muzzle guide. We allowed everyone to clean the inside of their barrels. Once the barrels were cleaned, we allowed everyone to use a bore scope inside their barrels. The bore scope showed any fouling, damage and/or erosion that was inside the barrel. We then showed what needed lubrication and why.
From there we moved into more detailed maintenance of the bolt assembly. Everyone was provided the USGI M14 Combo Tool, and used this to removed the extractor assembly, along with the ejector assembly and firing pin. Everyone then cleaned their bolt assembly. Once cleaned it was reassembled, of which a few people found the extractor assembly was challenging to reinstall. Once reassembled we showed the bolt tools, which are made to work on the M14 and M1 Garand, people used these and found that these tools have their own quirks. Lastly we showed the empty casing method, which many people found helped. Next was the bolt roller assembly. We showed how these work, and where to inspect to make sure it is not binding in a couple areas of the receiver track. Nobody had one that was binding, so we showed the damaged and problems associated with binding, and showed how to clean this up so it doesn’t cause problems. We showed how to remove damaged bolt rollers, and how to install new ones, to include a custom made tool to deal with the retaining clip. We had a couple of people that took advantage of using our tools and did bolt roller replacement.
We then went into the gas cylinder assembly. Everyone used their USGI combo tool to remove the gas plug. We also provided gas cylinder wrenches, which help people brace on the gas cylinder. Several of the gas plugs were very stiff, but we were able to remove them. We showed several examples that we have collected in previous courses of cross threaded units that came off of government rifles, and warned everyone to not force parts together, and showed how to get a cross threaded unit removed if they came across one. With the gas plug out, we showed how to clean these and why. Everyone cleaned their gas plugs, and found lots of carbon build up, several people commented that they had never done this before and it showed from the amount of build up that was removed. Gas pistons were removed, and we showed how to clean them with the proper tools and why. Several of the gas pistons had never been cleaned inside & out, as there was also a large amount of debris removed. Next we moved into the spindle valves, these were removed, several of them had so much fouling in them that the spring didn’t want to come out. Once everything was cleaned, the gas cylinder assemblies were put back together, and the gas plugs were torqued to spec.
After doing maintenance on the gas cylinder, we covered gas cylinder removal and installation, and flash hider removal and installation. The flash hider assembly has to be removed to get the gas cylinder off the barrel, so we showed how the flash hider is attached with a lock ring and locking screw. We supplied several different types of tools for getting these off, and once they were all removed we inspected for any fouling or erosion issues. Everyone in this group removed their gas cylinders, most came off fairly easy, and a few had to be coaxed a little. With the gas cylinders removed, everyone was able to see the gas ports in their barrel. Gas cylinders were gauged to make sure that they were within proper standards. With the gas ports exposed, everyone was able to see the fouling that occurs, and this gave them a closer view of the gas system and how it works. We showed several examples of eroded gas ports, and went through the effects & causes of gas port issues. With the gas cylinders off, we showed how the operating rod guide is attached, and how to do replacements if needed or desired. Gas cylinders reinstalled and gauged for proper alignment. We showed how and why to shim gas cylinders, and everyone who needed shims were supplied with them.
With the gas cylinders back on the barrels, we discussed muzzle erosion & damage, and how this occurs. We see lots of damage from improper cleaning with a cleaning rod, and showed everyone several examples of such. This damage caused when cleaning, reinforces the need for a muzzle guide when cleaning using a cleaning rod. With the flash hiders off, we were able to have people inspect & gauge for muzzle erosion. We supplied several different gauges for this, to include our favorite being a tapering gauge that we manufacture, which gives a more precise reading. Everyone found their muzzles to be within spec. Flash hiders were then reinstalled and locked down. One student’s rifle flash hider had damaged threads on the locking screw hole, we were able to clean up the threads to get it within spec.
With the trigger groups removed, we went through and did function checks. It is nice to see the trigger system working when it is removed from the rifle, as you can see how the safety works, and what the sear engagements are doing. The trigger groups were disassembled with all parts removed. We showed several problem trigger components, and the malfunctions that are caused by problem parts. We showed how to replace parts, and where and how custom fitting can be done if necessary. Everything was inspected for wear, stress, and to make sure it was in top order. Trigger groups were reassembled, then checked for proper function. We also showed how the select fire system works, and what parts are changed to make them semi-auto only.
From there we moved into the bolt catch removal, and installation. We provided customized tools for removal of this roll pin, and showed how to make these tools as well. With bolt catches removed, everyone inspected to make sure all parts were in working order, along with inspecting the receiver for stress or abuse. With everyone’s receivers and bolt catch assemblies in working order, they were reinstalled, and inspected for proper function. When people had their trigger groups disassembled, we were able to show how these lock into the firearm, along with how everything locks into the receiver bottom metal. Everyone removed their bottom metal, we did inspections on the stocks and bottom metal (To include stock bedding), once it was sure it was in working order it was reinstalled.
We moved into the sight system. Most of the rifles in this class that had optics mounted. We showed several versions of how optics are mounted. After looking at optics, we moved into the iron sights. We showed how the front sight system is attached to barrels, and how there are removed, installed, adjusted, and stock & aftermarket parts. When done with the front sight, we moved into the rear sight system. We showed how the rear sight is removed, installed, and adjusted. We had three variations of rear sights assemblies present, so we went through all three types.
Stock and hand guard systems were gone through. This class had mostly USGI stocks of wood and fiberglass, and we also had a few synthetic stocks present. We went through the stock metal of the sling swivels, ferrule, stock liner system, butt plate assembly, recoil pad systems, and storage compartment for cleaning equipment and the USGI tool. We inspected stocks for stress and cracks, and went through repairs if necessary. A couple of the fiberglass stocks present had already had some repairs. We showed how and why to bed stocks, and what bedding compounds are available. A couple of the stocks present had already been bedded.
The last part of the course was spent on going through the entire rifle for inspections and gauging. We started with a function check, going through the operation cycles, and emphasizing trouble shooting at the same time. We went through headspace, and how to gauge it, what happens if a rifle is out of spec, also covering the differences between .308 Win & 7.62x51 NATO. Everyone’s headspace gauged correctly. We went back through and gauged firing pin protrusion, trigger press, inspected chambers, muzzles, gas cylinders, etc, and went through problems associated with each area if it is out of spec. Once all rifles were inspected, we closed with a question and answer session.
CY6
Greg Sullivan "Sully"
SLR15 Rifles
TheDefensiveEdge.com
(763) 712-0123