Quite a job, and I learned a lot. It's hard doing this with no mentor or instructor over your shoulder telling you that you're doing it wrong. I've got just a few cosmetic touch-ups to do, but for now, it's shooting right at 1.2 MOA. I'm going to do a trigger job and switch up the ammo and see if I can bring it down to 1 MOA.

For now, the rifle is mechanically capable of cleaning the 10-ring with a high X-count on any service rifle target.
















This is built on a Bula Defense rear-lugged M14 receiver and has a nitrided 3/4-heavy Criterion 5R barrel, a unitized gas cylinder and NM 1/2 MOA rear sights. The receiver has 1/2 MOA windage detents which means it actually has 1/4 MOA windage adjustments since the windage threads are finer than standard sights.

The McMillan stock was uneven around the heel, so the epoxy filled in the voids and looks sloppy around the heel, even though its not. I got a McMillan touch up kit to color-match the exposed areas.

Thanks for looking.

Tony.

Benny, is the rear lugged receiver the same lug that was cut off of military receivers to render them semi only?

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Benny, is the rear lugged receiver the same lug that was cut off of military receivers to render them semi only?

No. It is a recoil lug that was welded on after the receiver was made. Springfield Armory rear-lugged receivers don't have a threaded hole for a screw. This one does as many others have in the past from other manufacturers an from the old military teams who welded them on to real M14's.





Here's a no-lug Springfield Armory receiver.


I had to make a custom length steel pillar that I bedded into the McMillan stock after the action was bedded. Once the action is bedded, you have to drill out the hole for the screw and the pillar, then bed the pillar and cut the screw to length so that it is not too long and doesn't interfere with the bolt.



It's a lot more work than it sounds.

Tony.

Nice! I bedded a Mauser action once. Dropping that action into the epoxy was an exercise in faith. But, it came out great. I could use off the shelf bits, too, no custom pillar, so that was an extra exercise for you, but it came out great!

Ahhh, I get it now....I had a real M14 NM rifle when I was on active duty. The guy who made it at Crane either forgot to use release agent or was told to glue the parts together, cause I couldn’t get it apart...shot great though.

I had anther after that rifle and it was bedded and had the lug for the full auto parts but they had beenremoved at Crane. It also shot very good, 1moa....sadly had to turn it in when I got out.

Nicely done!

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:
Ahhh, I get it now....I had a real M14 NM rifle when I was on active duty. The guy who made it at Crane either forgot to use release agent or was told to glue the parts together, cause I couldn’t get it apart...shot great though.

I had anther after that rifle and it was bedded and had the lug for the full auto parts but they had beenremoved at Crane. It also shot very good, 1moa....sadly had to turn it in when I got out.

I used to shoot with a handful of guys that had the real deal AMU M14's (selector lock was welded) that were handed out by the State Team


all were good shooters, and I don't recall anyone removing them from the stock, ever,

those guys had moved on to AR's when they M14's were recalled, but they were still bummed out when they turned them in

Well if they welded rear lugs on the receivers and used a screw to hold them in, yeah, I could see how impossible it is to remove it from the stock.

That being said, this was also the tightest bedding job I've ever done. I have to whack the buttstock with a large rubber mallet to break the action loose from the bedding. I cannot remove it with my bare hands.

Tony.

I took it out again today to see if I could get it to shoot any better. I lowered the cheek riser, as it was a little high. I also had no guests and fewer rifles and wasn't in as much of a rush as last time. I pulled off two consecutive sub-MOA groups...



Man, it's a lot of work shaving off .3 MOA off my last trip. I was mentally beat after those two groups.

Tony.

I know nothing about bedding a rifle, other than why people do it.

BUT that is a GOOD LOOKING rifle. I love the camo pattern on it. Glad that your first attempt that the rifle is very accurate. I think playing with ammo will get you sub 1 MOA. I'd try some different ammo types/loads before fooling with the rifle itself further aside from trigger work.

Looks like it works!

Very nice!