[Greenhorn]

Just wanted to give everyone a heads up so nobody makes the same mistake I did...

If you are ordering a Brownells barrel vise and want the bushings to work with M1A/M14 pattern rifles DO NOT order the kit...Get your barrel vise and bushing kit separately.

If you order the vise and bushing kit together, you only get two bushings. A large and a small. Even though they advertise it as M1A/M14 kit, it is not compatible.

It will work with an M1 Garand, however any M1A/M14 barrel requires two LARGE bushings.

If you order the bushing kit separately, it actually comes with three bushings instead of two...Two large ones and the small one.

Nope, they aren't selling me another large bushing separately. I would have to buy another 3 bushing kit, according to gun tech and customer service lines.

 

[ripsaw]

Your luck sounds like mine. I bought mine and use wood , red oak bushings, then walk out to a pine tree, and scrape the resin that is bleeding off it for bite power. Works like a charm. After three barrel or so, just cut out another set of them, wood is cheap.

 

[Greenhorn]

Thanks Ripsaw! Thats a great idea. Never would have thought of it if you hadn't brought it up.

I am gonna have a machinist in town hog out the small M1 Garand bushing to match the other one tomorrow, and just make Garand ones out of wood, maybe.

 

[ripsaw]

Thanks Ripsaw! Thats a great idea. Never would have thought of it if you hadn't brought it up.

I am gonna have a machinist in town hog out the small M1 Garand bushing to match the other one tomorrow, and just make Garand ones out of wood, maybe.

You are very welcome Sir, my need arose out of necessity and things handy at the time. I live too far out in the woods to drop everything and run to town. That pine tar will grab the heck out of it, and cleans up easily with a gasoline wrag....That's a good idea to hull out the ones you have,....see, you are getting it already, good job !

 

[MemphisMachinists]

Probably easier(cheaper) to make new ones. If you can't find a local machinist to help at a reasonable price let me know. I will try to help. Lots of machinists are gun nuts and don't mind helpin a bro out. All I need is the I.D, of the hole in your vise, how long you want them and what kind of material you want them mad from. I had never thought about making them from brass, but it might be a good choice, because of the available stock brass bushings. It would be likely that bushings close to size would be available. Turn OD, bore ID, split with saw and walai less than 1 hr. bushings.
Edit: I just looked in Brownells catalouge. It says bushings are 3" long and 1 3/4" diameter. Is that what you have?

Thanks Ripsaw! Thats a great idea. Never would have thought of it if you hadn't brought it up.

I am gonna have a machinist in town hog out the small M1 Garand bushing to match the other one tomorrow, and just make Garand ones out of wood, maybe.

 

[leadbug]

Thanks for the heads up. Great idea ripsaw. I guess I will go through all these issues soon enough.

 

[Greenhorn]

Hi Memphis,

Thanks a lot for the offer! Its much appreciated. I ended up using a dowel of the proper diameter and just rough sanding out the back end of the M1 Garand bushing until it fit around the M14's barrel and it worked...took a lil elbow grease, but I wasn't too concerned with not having the M1 Garand bushing. When I need it I'll try the wood ones, and just use a little vaseline and food colouring on the M1 Garand barrel just as if inletting a stock.

If you ever want to make your own M14 bushings, let me know and I can send you the unaltered one as a reference...Brass does sound like it would work just fine, good idea! Got the perfect brass stock around here in the form of worn out planetary gears from a forestry tractor too GI1

If I had to do it over again, I think I would just use Ripsaw's wood bushing idea from the start...but these ones work now. I wonder if using a square piece of wood stock would make it possible to use a regular old flat sided bench vise? Hmmmm

Leadbug, if you go the Brownells route, happy if I saved you from my mistake. Get the 3 bushing set separately from the barrel vise.

Edit: Pics or it didn't happen, right?

The short barrel that just came off the receiver is a Norinco I used to practice back when I was learning the lathe. Cut back to SOCOM length and threaded for a muzzlebrake.

The normal barrel is whats going on next. A 1963 dated TRW, little rough on the outside, but on the inside its a peach. Very nice lookin chamber, bore and crown. Should be a shooter.