[M1AallTheWay]

...When I was reassembling the rifle I noticed that the trigger guard seems to be binding up and it is difficult to return to it's proper location. It does this in it's factory synthetic stock & a cmp GI walnut one. When I insert the trigger group into the stocks without the barreled action, it does not bind, in either stock. When I invert the action & insert the trigger group sans stock the trigger guard does not bind. It is only when assembling all 3 of the main groups together. There are two small "arms" (forgive my ignorance of the correct nomenclature) on each side of the trigger group that move when the trigger guard is rotated. They appear to be binding & I can see wear on them already...

First of all, welcome to the Forum!!

What you're describing is normal. The M14 operates best with some tension between the front end of the stock (the metal part, AKA ferrule) and the front band lip that hooks under it. The two small arms on the trigger group hook onto the receiver legs and pull the receiver down onto the stock as the trigger guard closes; like a see-saw, the barrel gets pulled up and creates that tension. Of concern would be no resistance when the trigger guard is locked up.

 

[M1AallTheWay]

I *think* my rifle is ok but it does seem to take ALOT of force to close the trigger guard. On the GI walnut stock, the tension starts before the tip of the trigger & on the factory synthetic, it barely gets to the trigger before it gets HARD. It also looks like I am actallly shaving off some metal from the small arms on the trigger guard. Is this too tight? Or am I just being a Nancy??

Question: before you start to lock up the trigger guard, is there space under the heel of the receiver? And as the locking up proceeds, does the space diminish so that when you're done, the heel is pulled tightly against the stock? If yes, then you might try making things easier for the trigger guard by using a bar clamp to pull the heel down on the stock and then lock up the trigger guard. What you're really doing as you pull the heel down on the stock is forcing the front of the stock to rotate away from the barrel (see "see-saw" in post #2). Since the front band lip is preventing that, you're essentially bending the stock (which results in that tension) and, to a lesser extent the barrel. With a stiff stock, the locking up process can be difficult and hard on the trigger guard. The bar clamp solves that.

 

[M1AallTheWay]

So in your opinion, would the stock being that tight be a good thing & not a problem to worry about?

"Tight" has more than one meaning in stock fitting. It can mean that simply sliding the barreled action into the stock takes some effort (i.e., it doesn't simply drop in), and that's good because once the action is in the stock, there shouldn't be any play. It can also mean difficulty during lockup of the trigger group, where the trigger guard is pulling the receiver's heel down onto the stock, while at the other end of the stock, the ferrule is being pulled down against the front band lip. Both situations are good things and nothing to worry about. Note that in the latter case, pulling the heel down involves bending the stock forward of the receiver, so the extent of resistance is connected to how stiff the stock is.