M14 Specialty Tools

This page will be growing with a selection of tools chosen to build a fleet of M14 rifles. As time allows we will add links to as much product as possible to help you find vendors for tools. Many you can make yourself and if you can't tweak on tools you may not need to be twisting on guns. Keep checking back and will add more as we trip across photos and have time to sort them. Remember can click on all photos for a larger view.

SOME HOME BREW TOOLS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER & RIFLE HAPPIER

Note photo number one. There have been a number of adaptations of the M14 bolt roller retaining ring installation tools over the years, mostly made by grinding down pliers of different shapes and drilling the proper hole for the bolt roller shaft. Have made a bunch of these and never quite found one that would work the way I wanted it to. Always seem the smooth surface in the hole would allow the clip to slip out just as trying to put the roller into place. Soooo, in the middle of the night after installing a pile of clips, came up with an inexpensive solution that works perfectly.
Took a set of small locking hemostats, warmed the jaws and formed them around the proper size drill bit. Now, easy squeezy, slip the clip over the bolt roller support into the recess, clip the tool in place and lock. That frees up that spare hand that has been trying to hold the clip. The bolt can be held in one hand the the roller pushed into place with the thumb. The serrations on the inside of the jaws hold the clip wonderfully.

Pictures two and three are a home built Chamber Polishing Case. Its used with very light polishing compound to polish the inside of the chamber polishing case. I might suggest properly sizing the case in a quality small base sizing die to ensure your not out of specifications anywhere so not to wallow out a good chamber too much. The case can also be used to debur and polish the mag feed lips for precision smooth cartridge feeding and chambering. May want to make two, one for chamber and one for magazines as your only out two cases and two small bolts.

MORE SPECIALTY TOOLS FROM OBSCURE ORIGONS

Photo one is another pretty cool tool is using a 28mm diamond core bit to shorten shoulders on a barrel that hand times too far off to index. Neat thing is this tool does a very nice undercut so it works great.. The second and third photos are an Op Rod Guide install tool. Its made from a brass thick walled steam pipe from the 1800s. Someytimes you have to be creative and then work for a tool.

HOME BREW FRONT SIGHT FILING TOOL

Above photos are of a home made front sight blade filing guide. Fashioned from 1/4" square stock 4" long. Like to put a chunk of electrical tape over the ears as protection from the file. Angle of the cut that I like is a little steeper than most would prefer. Works great to keep the top of the blade flat and level. Just make yours to suit preferred angle or may want two. If know a knife maker can have him harden your filing guide once you have fashined to suit you for long life.

BASSET SCOPE MOUNT & ROLLER GREASER TOOL

Thes came up on a discussion forum. What is the extra hole in the Bassett mount tool for. Learned this with a little spoon feeding, probably the whole world knew. Roller greaser. Who would ever have thunk dat.

BOLT DISASSMBLY TOOLS & TRICKS

Getting started with taking a bolt apart and putting one back together for the first time can be a pain. On my bench do it hundreds of times every year. Most often used tool is a spent casing drilled into the side of my standing workbench. Cheap, fast and always close at hand. Start with the extractor facing down, compress the ejector spring with the palm of the hand then using a small punch, push the extractor shaft down and the extractor should just drop out. Putting back together, the extractor is easiest to install from the top down. A couple of times using this method and it becomes second nature.

Third photo are standard bolt disassembly tools always close at hand. Just remember when using one, hold it in your hand and not on the bench because that will depress the extractor removal button and make putting the bolt back together a real pain.

MORE TOOLS TO COME SOON

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