Art, If my memory serves me correctly, Don reamed the gas cylinder ring to ensure clearance to the barrel. How'd I do? Rick

 

Well Art, I always thought that Don's secret was that he know how too bend a op-rod and make it live not dead like most rifles are today. The front of the op-rod with its piston was dead center inside the G/C this was done by feel and visually confirmed that the piston was centered inside. The quick check was to apply upward pressure about two inches back from the G/C directly on the op-rod you could feel the piston make contact only at 12o'clock and spring back to its center after pressure was released. If there was op-rod saddle contact on the underside of the barrels chamber area, the saddle was lightly dressed down or the saddle and underside of the barrel was polished.

When I spoke too Gus about the rear ring clearance on the G/C he said something too the effect of The Marines went too 8-4 clearance because it lasted longer keeping the rear of the G/C centered longer than a full 360* that the Navy used and that a G/C/L that timed/stopped at 6'oclock was the ideal for both.

 

Art and Phil, I was told that when peening the barrel splines, one should only peen at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions but Don might have peened at 10, 2 and 6 o'clock to keep the gas cylinder square to the barrel C/L. Rick

 

Rick and Phil

You are both correct, thanks you for reminding me and others. Mac was an advocate of the "Live Rod" system, he was also one of the few that could bend a rod in minutes by eyeballing..

Even with the rear ring reamed, it seems unlikely the short purchase area of the front splines would be sufficient to support the back-end of the cylinder.. during firing, perhaps it will...

Mac had a Golden Rule about handling one of his Match Conditioned M1's. Never pick up the rifle up anywhere but from under the stock near the trigger group.. Woe to anyone that violated this policy if Mac caught you..

While Woolly's Mc Coy M1 was in my possession I had the opportunity to visually inspect it in detail. The bedding was interesting in that it extended forward into an area difficult to keep the bedding material from sagging out of position, another of Mac's secrets. As you know that rifle is an excellent shooter of high accuracy as well as fairly high round count..

Just a personal choice, but I always liked the M1 in 7.62mm. One problem did come up once in awhile,,, a few receivers had tight en-block entrance, the 7.62mm rounds are a bit wider, spreading the clip that made things difficult to load them..

If I can get this camera to work I hope to Post a few pictures of how to Modify the M14/M1A rear gas cyl. ring. Maybe when Neil comes down he can give me a camera lesson... Art

 

You are both correct, thanks you for reminding me and others. Mac was an advocate of the "Live Rod" system, he was also one of the few that could bend a rod in minutes by eyeballing..

Even with the rear ring reamed, it seems unlikely the short purchase area of the front splines would be sufficient to support the back-end of the cylinder.. during firing, perhaps it will...

Mac had a Golden Rule about handling one of his Match Conditioned M1's. Never pick up the rifle up anywhere but from under the stock near the trigger group.. Woe to anyone that violated this policy if Mac caught you..

While Woolly's Mc Coy M1 was in my possession I had the opportunity to visually inspect it in detail. The bedding was interesting in that it extended forward into an area difficult to keep the bedding material from sagging out of position, another of Mac's secrets. As you know that rifle is an excellent shooter of high accuracy as well as fairly high round count..

Just a personal choice, but I always liked the M1 in 7.62mm. One problem did come up once in awhile,,, a few receivers had tight en-block entrance, the 7.62mm rounds are a bit wider, spreading the clip that made things difficult to load them..

If I can get this camera to work I hope to Post a few pictures of how to Modify the M14/M1A rear gas cyl. ring. Maybe when Neil comes down he can give me a camera lesson... Art

Thanks Art, Its nice too get one right, if you get the chance can you take a few pictures of Wolley's bedding. The young Jedi of the PNW is getting my 7.62mm M1 sometime later in the summer for some bedding. The "Live" op-rod, I've been shown by Jim Devenchec down in Tucson. I don't know it you know/knew him but he has a few of Mac's children one is a Long Range M1.

The 7.62 round being short and fat is more noticeable when your trying too load up the M1's en-block, however you really see how much wider they are when you load them in the rifle. There fit much closer too the inside of the receivers sidewalls, the ping that they make when they fly out empty is also louder.

 

Pictures

Wooely has the M1 now... maybe he will send pictures...

Didn't know the Jim you refer to in Tucson, missed him while we were there..

The odd part about Mac's bedding is how much material he uses on the counter-recoil areas... The Marines did not apply anywhere near that much bedding forward of the receiver in the M1's or the M14's.....

 

The odd part about Mac's bedding is how much material he uses on the counter-recoil areas... The Marines did not apply anywhere near that much bedding forward of the receiver in the M1's or the M14's.....

The other thing about Mac's bedding is that he'd bed the receiver high and away from the stock, especially so on the rear-lugged ones; in fact, the ears of the front band would need to be opened up to fit in the stock ferrule properly.

 

Art&Phil,
I will be watching this one. Just about ready to do my last build which will be a retro type NM rifle built on an LRB T44 receiver. My first Match Rifle I was going to do was pass on to a retired NMA from the Army and Fred really did a incredible job. This match stuff is really where the big dogs run in my mind. Building my own will let me know if I can screw on a piece of pipe and bed. After that its time to step up on the line with Bamban.
Pfc out

 

Likewise here (watching that is)

 

full moon & cats

 

PFC Thomas and Deiter

The Match M1's are difficult to construct today for the reason the quality of wood is not around any longer, the new stocks are fine, pretty, but the wood is seldom cured and shrinkage happens quickly.. Do they make a good fiber M1 stock today???

You need to get information on bedding in the front end draw pressure required, like the M14/M1A's,, have/had... To locate a rod that has an oversized piston head may not be around any longer either.. good luck anyway. Art

 

Hardest part building a match m1 is finding a steady supply of ground up unicorn horn.

 

Phil thanks for clarifying this. The little tricks only come from experience of sorting things out.
Pfc out

 

Mac really opened up those rings.

 

Mac really opened up those rings.

Yea, looks like the barrel is little thicker between the G/C ring and the front sight that may be the reason why its so thin or thinner than normally is done.

Take it apart so we can see the bedding areas that Art mentioned, the forward area of the receiver and the counter recoil area.

Take one for the team and open it up, this way Tonyben can see it and clone it into my rifle...Pretty please........

 

Thank you!!! now if we can get RoadKing and Wolley too post up there's we will have the trifecta. I also see your rear lug was threaded I knew that Don did his own lugging and would tread them at the owner request, but felt that threading them wasn't really needed after adding the lug.

 

lots of unicorn horn in that rifle. shes a beauty

 

Phil, give me some time and I will get some pictures. I've never cracked this one...and will do so for the benefit of your project. The other won't be coming out, it is lugged with a torque screw.

I really wish I would have taken more pictures.

 

That's the picture that I didn't take, actually only seen this area on my McCoy once just after I got it, that and today are the only time it's been out of its stock.

 

Thanks for the pic's.

 

awsome

 

I'll try and get some pics up this evening.

 

Great pictures, Thank-you so much

 

This picture of the bedding is not like that in Wolleys Mc Coy rifle. This job may have been done by the young man Mac was training, maybe not...Art

 

So are you saying it's not the real McCoy? GI1

Sorry, I couldn't help myself... GI5

Tony.

 

The real Mc Coy?

Ben,
I said: Quote, " The stock pictured in this Thread of the receiver bedding does not look like the bedding in Woolley's M1, which is typical Mc Coy.

What I recall of Wooley's bedding is: The material is Bisonite, I do not know what is used in this man's M1... There is no evidence, or very little, of bedding material in the counter recoil areas... This abundance of bedding in Wooley's M1 in the counter-recoil areas was one of the points of my original Thread because it was typical McCoy style. Nobody ever found out how Mac managed to get the bedding material into that area and keep it there.. Hence, the Mc Coy Secrets.

Mac told me he was training a young man to take over his business when we last spoke.. My opinion is: Having worked with Mac and having been the proud owner of a number of his Matched M1's, I am of the opinion this pictured bedding job was done by some else..

I have no reason to denigrate this man's M1, nor am I passing judgement on the quality of the work, only expressing an opinion.. Art

 

Ahhhh, help the Big Slow Dummy out who's rifle are we talking about again? Roadkings....

 

Both examples posted are the same style Phil. I'd be surprised given the fact the rifles I owned were built in Don's garage/shop by him, for the previous owners from San Diego. GI1

McCoy had to have used more than just Bisonite (Brown/Red) bedding? Only the ones I have seen have been Grey, or Devcon color. (Same as Ron Foos) As a matter of fact, other owners have observed as much.

There is an M1 by Don on Gunbroker right now in .270, looks the same. Do a search for McCoy it will come up.

 

That particular McCoy is notable because of it's triple lugs, I've read that Mac only made 3 triple lugged M1's, but I have no way of confirming this.

 

I don't think Don really cared for one brand over the other, he had done so many over the years he left that decision up too the rifles owner. I've seen Ron's rifle and knew it was done with Devcon. When he got it the first match that he used it down in Tucson, he crushed the 300 rapids and that's when I got his 135SMK load data.

 

Your close, he made many triple's. But only made 3 Long Range M1's converted too single shot that were triple lugged heavy match barreled with a 8.5 twist.

 

What I read about the three 1000 yard guns states the guns were built to shoot 190gr. projectiles, article says there's also a video of Mac building the three 1000 yard guns that came with the rifle; I'd sure like to see that one GI2

 

The rifle in that vid is owned buy a guy that I've seen post on other forums as Latigo? I didn't remember what his barrel spec's were. He snagged his for a on-line auction and he did even know what he had for a long time.

I know of another Long Range triple lugged McCoy M1 and its barrel is a heavy Obermeyer with 8.5 twist 5R its fed a steady diet of 200SMK with large loads of IMR-4350 under them. You don't even have too know how too read the wind too hit the X-ring. BOOM and for what feels like two mins later the target comes up with the spotter in the X. Its owned by a Tucson shooter that owns more than his fair share on McCoy rifles.