ummmm what goes here?

[newcastle]

Noob to M14's here.

This is a polytech clone in what appears to be a USGI stock given proof marks etc
Quetsion is : what is missing / goes here?

Information

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[RogueAussie]

I'm most probably wrong but what it does look like it the cut out for a bolt handle

[oldfoneguy]

That's where the fire selector switch would be on a real GI M14.

ETA: phony switches use to be sold to fill up the hole but I have no idea if they are still made or where to buy one.

[RCS]

some of the phony selector switches attach to the stock inside, waste of money - my opinion

[newcastle]

Any reason I need to fill the gap? Its not like I'm in the trenches and mud and blood will gum up the works.

[oldfoneguy]

No real reason other than to keep out foreign matter. I have the gap on my fiberglass stock. It's purely personal preference to fill it or not.

[RCS]

Some shooters make a walnut piece and fill the hole while others buy a fake full auto switch
which could attract unwanted attention at a range.


training aids show the full auto parts for the M14

[Mark in Rochester]

[RCS]

After the M14 production ended, TRW did fabricate a few M14 rifles in 5,56mm using M16 magazines in an attempt to try and salvage something.

A few of these M14's chambering the 5,56mm were in civilian ownership too

[Brian Dick]

The late, great Hook Boutin told me that he liked to fill them with Devcon during the NM/M21 bedding process for added strength. In military service, they will crack from the selector relief cut to the magazine housing on rare occasion if getting heavy use. I never saw a broken stock during my time as an armorer but we only had M21's at that point. All of the straight M14 service rifles were long gone. I was told there were piles of broken stocks buried at Fort Bragg just before my time there in the 80's. I met a retired Colonel during my SCACA gun show days in the 90's who told me he witnessed dump truck loads of them being transported to a big dozer pit. He followed and managed to scrounge as many decent stocks as he could get at the time and made several trips as there were many good stocks along with stacks of broken ones. I remember when the Poly Tech and Norinco rifles were imported back in the 90's. I bought and sold quite a few. The PolyTech's being a bit nicer if memory serves. They had real forged receivers rather than investment cast so many bought them and rebuilt them into match rifles using common, (at the time), US GI parts. America's last true wood and steel battle rifle. One of my all time favorites.