I have an opportunity to pick up a Poly Tech M-14 for $700 today from a local business. This would be my first foray into the M-14 world. Is this a good buy? I have not looked at the rifle yet, but have purchased from this business before and they have always treated me pretty good. They call me from time to time when they have odd ball things I might be interested in. I looked at one about a year ago ,but did not buy it as it was $1000. This seems more reasonable.
Poly Tech M-14
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seems very reasonable to me, provided it headspaces properly
otherwise still a good buy but will have to put in a GI bolt, OR a decent aftermarket bolt
otherwise still a good buy but will have to put in a GI bolt, OR a decent aftermarket bolt
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Buy it! Or let me know where it is, so I can!!
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I have three Polytech M-14's and they make the basis for an excellent M-14 due to their outstanding forged steel receivers, good chrome lined barrels and one piece forged steel op rods. I'd buy it so fast the seller's head would swim for $700.00.
Never but never pay asking price right off the bat, always try and negotiate the seller down. Let us know how it goes and we can walk you through what you'll need to do to turn it into a killer M-14.
By the way I recently bought a still new and unfired IDE Mich Imports side stamped Poly for $975.00 and I was thrilled to find it at this late date. Thanks to forums such as this one, the secret is out on the Polytech M-14/S and they're no longer considered Chinese junk, unworthy of consideration.
7th
Never but never pay asking price right off the bat, always try and negotiate the seller down. Let us know how it goes and we can walk you through what you'll need to do to turn it into a killer M-14.
By the way I recently bought a still new and unfired IDE Mich Imports side stamped Poly for $975.00 and I was thrilled to find it at this late date. Thanks to forums such as this one, the secret is out on the Polytech M-14/S and they're no longer considered Chinese junk, unworthy of consideration.
7th
OK....It's mine!!! $700 out the door. It has a five rd mag(?)so I bought a G.I. issue to go along with it.($30.00) I took it to a local gun show for some opinions since I know zilch. Opinion was that it was a pretty good deal and there were several offers to buy it at $850-$900. I had a fellow gun club member look it over that has two similar rifles. He was surprised that in the butt stock the original cleaning kit and tools were still there wrapped in oily paper. He also said it did not appear to have been fired that much. Some additional info...on the left side it is stamped M-14 S.308 IDE USA SFLD MICH PolyTech China . Serial # is in the 23,000 range.
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You did pretty well. Christmas of '10 I bought myself an unfired Poly for a grand. Had the cleaning kit in the stock also. I didn't want the fake flash suppressor so I replaced it with a USGI one and put a USGI trigger group in for 922 compliance.
Marty
Marty
Outstanding! buy Now read all the Poly posts here. For the time being, shoot ONLY surplus NATO ammo (no commercial) until you understand all the headspace issues, which you will discover by SEARCHING thru all the posts here.
You don't need to go out and do any expensive bolt conversions or barrel swaps at this time.
So long as your COMPLETELY STRIPPED bolt will not close on a NATO Field Reject (also called NATO MAX) guage you will be OK with NATO ammo.
Get this:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=41040/Product/7-62-NATO-MAXIMUM-CHAMBER-GAUGE
A standard .308 Field Reject will not necessarily be appropriate for now. But if the (completely stripped) bolt will not close on the .308 Field Reject gusge, then you are definitely OK for firing either NATO or commercial ammo.
You will need to get somebody familiar with the M14 (Not your average gunsmith) to measure the headspace, or thoroughly read the posts here.
The Polys were designed for NATO ammo so they headspace typically longer than commercial.
JWB
You don't need to go out and do any expensive bolt conversions or barrel swaps at this time.
So long as your COMPLETELY STRIPPED bolt will not close on a NATO Field Reject (also called NATO MAX) guage you will be OK with NATO ammo.
Get this:
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=41040/Product/7-62-NATO-MAXIMUM-CHAMBER-GAUGE
A standard .308 Field Reject will not necessarily be appropriate for now. But if the (completely stripped) bolt will not close on the .308 Field Reject gusge, then you are definitely OK for firing either NATO or commercial ammo.
You will need to get somebody familiar with the M14 (Not your average gunsmith) to measure the headspace, or thoroughly read the posts here.
The Polys were designed for NATO ammo so they headspace typically longer than commercial.
JWB
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It sounds just like my latest find and you got a good deal on an excellent rifle. It may not be all that it can be yet but tremendous potential lurks within and the fun begins now in the search for a select few USGI parts.
There is no rush, the hard parts over now that you've finally found your donor M-14/S rifle. For now only shoot 7.62x51 NATO ammo due to head space concerns and never shoot any .308 until after a few mods. Your rifle was chambered from the factory in 7.62 NATO as are the real USGI M-14's, there in lies the reason for not shooting .308 for now.
Welcome aboard the M-14 fan club.
7th
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571 Posts
It was imported with a solid fake flash suppressor. You can install a real one but you need to use the Polytech castle nut. Also to make it legal you need to replace enough of the Chinese parts with US parts. I did it by replacing the entire trigger group.
Mine LOVES Radway Green. First time I fired it, it put two in one hole and the 3rd about 1/2 inch away.
Marty
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No you most definitely do not need to use a Chinese castle nut. But you can reuse it if you don't mess it up too badly while removing it.
A USGI M-14 castle nut will easily screw right into place on your factory barrel and hold a USGI flash suppressor in place.
The only place on the factory Chinese barrel that has metric threads different enough from a USGI M-14 to matter at all, is the gas tube lock.
While the factory castle nut threads are indeed metric, the difference in thread pitch is so very slight as to not even matter. Any USGI castle nut will thread right into place on your barrel.
Check it out, all three of my Polytech's are sporting USGI castle nuts and so are many of the other Polytech M-14 owners rifles who post regularly here.
The other end of a USGI M-14 or US commercially manufactured M-14 barrel will also screw right into place and work perfectly on your Polytech's receiver. That is if you ever wish to change out your factory barrel for a USGI or commercial M14 barrel.
For now stick with your Radway or Lake City, or any other 7.62x51 with the NATO cross on the base.
7th
A USGI M-14 castle nut will easily screw right into place on your factory barrel and hold a USGI flash suppressor in place.
The only place on the factory Chinese barrel that has metric threads different enough from a USGI M-14 to matter at all, is the gas tube lock.
While the factory castle nut threads are indeed metric, the difference in thread pitch is so very slight as to not even matter. Any USGI castle nut will thread right into place on your barrel.
Check it out, all three of my Polytech's are sporting USGI castle nuts and so are many of the other Polytech M-14 owners rifles who post regularly here.
The other end of a USGI M-14 or US commercially manufactured M-14 barrel will also screw right into place and work perfectly on your Polytech's receiver. That is if you ever wish to change out your factory barrel for a USGI or commercial M14 barrel.
For now stick with your Radway or Lake City, or any other 7.62x51 with the NATO cross on the base.
7th
Welcome to the Dark Side, leadbug, maybe you'll add one to your LRB collection! DI5
JWB
For a complete discussion about this,
see
http://m14forum.com/reference/10687-chinese-m14-bayonet-lug-u-s-law.html
The complete trigger group takes care of 5 parts, US magazines are good for 3. USGI stock or a piston adds one more if you need it.
Easy to do. I routinely swap the trigger group for USGI (I use Garand parts, very easy to get...), add a USGI stock and USGI gas system, just 'cuz the USGI is stainless steel and the Poly is carbon steel. (Poly piston is chrome plated, but just the exterior of the actual piston.)
JWB
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No, they won't but a lot of the parts will interchange. Hammer, trigger, safety and hammer spring assembly plus the hammer and trigger pins.
Marty
Marty
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