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When I first got into hunting I simply followed a friend's advice and picked up a bolt action rifle. I had no real complaints about it, it did the job but... I probably spent a few days with friends of a 'tactical' nature and also watched a video of Steven Rinella get bluff charged by an momma Grizzly and after that I started thinking that a semi-automatic rifle could be a good thing.
Somewhere along the line I tripped across a reference to the Norinco M305 and it really tweaked my multipurpose tool fetish. I've long had a love for military vehicles and I justified that a military designed weapon, that fired a full power 30 cal cartridge could both be used for hunting and for feeding any of my end of the world fantasies, errrr. I mean target shooting with the tacticool buddies.
For those not in the know.. The Norinco M305 is a Chinese produced M14. (see Wikipedia links for the history of this rifle) . Also produced by Springfield Armory as the M1A
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M14_rifle
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springfield_Armory_M1A
It's a funny thing how we humans can fall in love with an idea, long before we have any hands on experience.
I really loved the idea of:
- the easy tear down
- simple and durable parts
- (relatively) cheap surplus ammo
- endless number of upgrades
Being a minimalist wannabe I also reasoned that I could replace my 30-30 and 30-06 bolt actions with the M305 and get everything I wanted from a centrefire rifle. e.g.
- Hunt up to Elk sized game
- Fun target shooting
- Less expensive ammo (surplus) than the 30-06
- One up my buddies with their SKSs
I was like a kid at Christmas when it finally arrived. However, fantasy soon turned to reality once I had it unpacked and got it to the range.
- First the good. I thought that the accuracy would be the primary point against the rifle
but on shooting 2 inch groups with the open sights, bad eyes and
factory ammo at 100 yards I was not concerned about it all. As expected, recoil was very manageable.
- Now the bad; the damn thing is crude. I drive a mid-80's diesel Landcruiser - it
rides like a buckboard. Did I expect a few rough spots and maybe some
required manhandling to bother me in a rifle? I sure didn't, but man did
it ever bug me.
I'm not a fancy rifle snob but I quickly learned that I expect all the controls of a rifle to be smooth, easy and consistent. I don't like wrestling magazines in/out, I don't like rough safeties and I don't like rough noisy actions.
I just couldn't imagine going through a cold day of hunting, being in and out of the truck a few times (have to be fully unloaded here in Alberta) and not wanting to smash the rifle against a tree out of frustration.
Even in my 60's vintage Savage 340a (was a cheap rifle even 40 years ago) all the controls are smooth enough that I don't notice them. - The damn thing was heavy. I'm 5'10ish and 180lbs and really didn't expect an extra three lbs over my bolt action to really bother me... but it did. Not so much in the carrying of it as much as in the actual handling.
A friend of mine that trained on the original M14 had fond memories of it and strongly advocated me keeping the M305 and 'working the bugs out'.
I knew from all the research that I'd done that a lot of the roughness in the controls could be worked out, but I have to say, I saw no value in investing the time.
Another point in me deciding against keeping the M14 clone was the action itself. If I'm crossing fences, climbing around steep obstacles or even just not actively hunting I prefer to not have a round chambered. With my Savage 116 and 340 this is simple. Drop the mag and gently cycle the bolt and the cartridge is in your hand; easily put back into the mag and back in the gun. It's easy and quiet enough that I don't consider it a hassle. Attempting anything similar with the M305 was not easy, quiet or hassle free.
If you are an M14/M1A fan, then you've probably worked out all these issues. All the power to you. If it works for you then that's right on. I really wanted to love this rifle.
If on the other hand, you're like me and haven't already tested a M305/M1A and are considering it as your main hunting weapon then consider carefully what I've written.
..and before I forget. What about the charging bear scenario? Isn't that one of the reasons I went with the semi-auto?
Well, I'm still scared by the thought of a charging Grizzly and more experienced hunters than I have miscycled their rifles under that sort of pressure. However, after a bunch of reading the smart thing seems to be, carry bear spray. Worst case, even if I'm really fumble-fingered I can always spray my hunting partner with it and plead incompetence if the bear doesn't maul him after I run away.
Joking aside it's also a numbers game. From 2010-2014 there were 10 fatalities in North America caused by Brown Bears.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_bear_attacks_in_North_America#2010
In 2011 there were 600 accidental deaths caused by firearms in the USA alone.
- http://www.nssf.org/PDF/research/IIR_InjuryStatistics2013.pdf
Based on those numbers I'll choose the rifle I know I'm safer with and focus on other tools and skills to keep me from being a bear snack.
