Norinco M14 Review

By on July 9, 2012 in Rifle Reviews

 Norinco M305 Review

The Norinco M14S (also called the M305) is a popular sporting rifle in Canada. It’s a copy of the American M14 rifle available in the common NATO 7.62X51mm cartridge and is semi-automatic with a magazine capacity of 5 rounds. It’s popularity is easy to understand when you look for a comparably durable semi-automatic rifle in .308 or 7.62X51. Other rifles in that category cost $1000+ and when compared to the M14′s $399, it’s hard to stop yourself from buying two! Due to an import ban against Chinese firearms in the US, Canadians have enjoyed inexpensive firearms without having to compete against American buying power that frequently results in supply and price issues north of the border. The American made Springfield M1A is pretty comparable to the Norinco M14S in initial accuracy, and both require the same further work in order to reach their top accuracy potential. Again, the price difference with the Springfield clocking it at ~$2000 is pretty staggering. This review will be for new potential buyers of the M14S in Canada and will review what it’s like to use and feed this beast. Want to see what the “shorty” 18.5″ barrel Norinco M14 looks like? Check out the Norinco M14 Shorty Review.

Build Quality

Defining the build quality on the Norinco M14S is a difficult subject, because in some ways it’s superior to alternatives and in some ways, inferior. The forged receiver, for example, is a better quality part than the typical cast Springfield. Dimensionally, the Norinco receivers are pretty accurate. Nothing to the quality of an LRB receiver, but at $800 for just the LRB receiver, you could buy 2 complete Norinco M14S rifles and double your chances at an accurate receiver. The sight adjustments on the Norinco are somewhat dodgy and the flash hider is just downright ugly. The plastic stock that came with mine also had sharp edged corners. These issues are mostly cosmetic. The flash hider can be replaced with a nicer unit for $50-$100, the stock can be sanded or replaced with a nice walnut stock from Boyds for $100, and why not mount a scope instead of using the iron sights? For real issues with the Norinco M14S:

  • Some bolts have excessive headspace. Not really an issue if all you shoot is military 7.62X51 ammo, but it can be hard on your brass if you reload.
  • Some barrels are indexed (tightened) too far or not enough and have misaligned gas systems.
There are other accuracy tweaks that are popular, such as replacing the recoil spring guide or unitizing the gas system, but they may not be strictly necessary in your rifle.

Mounting a Scope

Although the M14 was designed to accept a scope mount, it’s not the best design. Where any common bolt action rifle simply needs $10 bases to accept a scope, you can expect to pay $100-$300 for a good M14 scope mount AND it might not fit. The dimensional requirements to attach the scope mounts, as well as the punishing M14 reload cycle add up to challenging design problems. If you want to get a scope, you’ll also need a cheek rest or a stock that incorporates one, because the standard stocks aren’t really built with scopes in mind. Here in Canada, it can be difficult at times to import certain mounts. Click here for more info on availability of scope mounts in Canada.

M14S Accuracy

An important thing to remember is that this is not a modern bolt action rifle. While I’d expect 1″ groups at 100 meters with the modern bolt action, you can expect groups of 2-4″ with your M14S. There are tweaks that you can do to improve accuracy, but the cheap ones run out quick, and the expensive ones can take your $400 rifle north of $1000 in a hurry. If you’d like to make some of those cheap or expensive fixes, check out the Main Battle Rifles forum on CanadianGunNutz.com

M14S Usability

Usability is one of those areas where I think modern rifles have really excelled and handling a design of the 50′s seems to back that up. The safety on this rifle sucks. It’s loud, it’s stiff, and it can pinch your fingers or a glove. Pretty much any tang or crossbolt safety is better. Inserting and extracting the magazines isn’t terrible, but you can’t drop mags free just by pressing the mag release and you can incorrectly insert the magazine if you’re new to the rifle or trying to move too fast. It’s also not a light rifle. It won’t kill you to haul it around hunting, but any bolt action rifle would make for a lot more of a handy package and much more accurate to boot. But, if you’re hunting within 200 yards and you usually still hunt, the M14S can make for a potent hunting rig with a quick follow up shot and many Canadians use it to hunt deer, bear, elk, and more. When punching paper, the M14S is a lot of fun to shoot. The gas system and weight tame the recoil and the semi automatic operation makes it easy to just focus on the target and ignore the rifle while you fire off round after round. Bolt action rifles may be more accurate, but they won’t be as fun. And for all I complain about the usability, it’s not really an issue at the firing range. The bolt holds open after the last round is fire so all you have to do is pop in a new mag and tug the bolt back just a bit to release it.

Summary

The Norinco M14S is in a class of its own here in Canada. The Remington 750 is ~$800 but may have issues with wandering zero, the Browning BAR is a great 308 at $1000+, and the Winchester SXR being made by Browning is an even better deal at ~$900. But these are hunting rifles, and it’s hard to imagine that they’d handle the same abuse as a rifle originally designed for the military. Then there are the newer semi auto .308 rifles like the Kel Tek RFB, but at $2400, it’s a bit on the pricey side. Simply nothing touches the typical $399 price for the regular length barrel version or the $449 for the short barrel version. Considering the price, it’s hard not to justify buying one.

Other M14 Posts:

 

Norinco M14S Review

Reviewed by Adriel Michaud on Jul 9, 2012

An inexpensive way to get into a full power semi-auto
The Norinco M14S is in a class of its own here in Canada. The Remington 750 is ~$800 but may have issues with wandering zero, the Browning BAR is a great 308 at $1000+, and the Winchester SXR being made by Browning is an even better deal at ~$900. But these are hunting rifles, and it’s hard to imagine that they’d handle the same abuse as a rifle originally designed for the military. Then there are the newer semi auto .308 rifles like the Kel Tek RFB, but at $2400, it’s a bit on the pricey side. Simply nothing touches the typical $399 price for the regular length barrel version or the $449 for the short barrel version. Considering the price, it’s hard not to justify buying one.
Rating:4

About The Hunting Gear Guy

Adriel Michaud has been hunting all his life and tries to apply a practical point of views to his reviews. Find him on Google+
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  • mickelhogg

    M14S seems cool but its price is much higher than my expectation.

  • http://adrielmichaud.com Adriel

    $400 for a meaty semi auto is easily the cheapest around. You could pay $100 for a 22, or $200 for an SKS, but you won’t get close to the price of the M14S in a high power semi auto.

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  • TYgunner25

    I dont know where you got the info that you will shoot 2-4 inch groups at 100yds. I am putting them withtin 1″ at 100 yds quite easily. putting two in the same hole is not uncommon for my long barreled version. i dropped a buck at 314 yds with one shot, placing it directly in the lungs right where i put the crosshairs. they are extremely accurate guns and other than the excessive weight i would reccomend them to ANYONE!

  • http://www.huntinggearguy.com/ Adriel

    You’ve got a lucky rifle then, DON’T SELL IT. If you take a look through CanadianGunNutz.com, you’ll find that most owners experience 2-4″ 5 round groups without tweaking. With some handy skills in unitizing or shimming the gas system, installing a solid scope mount (not as straight forward as on most modern rifles), changing out the spring guide and optionally the spring, some can get to 1-2″. After replacing the bolt with a USGI unit, you can tighten headspace beyond the typically generous factory dimensions; you could also fix up the mediocre trigger, and if you also replace the barrel you may be looking at sub-MOA. Maybe. Or maybe it’ll still be over 1″ at 100. There’s a ton of info on accurizing these rifles at: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?38722-M14-FAQ-Tips-Help-amp-Info
    My brother still shot a deer this year with my M14, so I’m not knocking its capability as a hunting rig. It’s just not as easy to set up and get accurate than a plain old bolt action rifle. A lot more fun though ;)

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