Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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took polly to the range today, shot a decent (not great) group at 25, a bigger one at 50, at 100 yds 5 of 5 on the paper plate. i think the weak link at this point is me, the shooter. wondering if a smaller rear sight (NM?) aperture would help, at 100 a 9" plate is a tiny blur. rear apertures are relatively cheap.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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K9s wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 10:26 pm If it isn't too much trouble, try the smaller aperture (or something more precise). That isn't bad shooting at all.
at this point in my life, i'm afraid that may be about the best I can do without "help". i'll take another rifle next time and see if i do better with different hardware. maybe something about the passage of time. why are those black specks in the sky circling overhead? not happy about... what was i saying?
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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Nice. Glad to see it's finally shooting about as it should be. A 4" spread is about what a good battle rifle should be able to shoot at 100 if you do your job perfectly, so not too horribly off that mark with minute of plate.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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I will say, I've seen more people at the range with fancy ass AR's that can't manage to be better than minute of backstop at 100- sometimes even with glass. Buying your way into being a better shooter doesn't work- so you're outshooting them by a mile :)
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”
- Maya Angelou

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Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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shinzen wrote:I will say, I've seen more people at the range with fancy ass AR's that can't manage to be better than minute of backstop at 100- sometimes even with glass. Buying your way into being a better shooter doesn't work- so you're outshooting them by a mile :)
Ain't that the truth. Took a client/friend to the range for the first time last week. Dude in the bay next to us had a $3000 cerakoted Gucci Glock 17 with all the agency arms parts, compensator, and a RMR on top, plus the cringe camo "I stand for the flag" t-shirt and 5.11 tacticool pants. Dude was printing 12" groups at 5 yards and was even missing the paper entirely on some shots. Dude in the bay on the other side didn't have a Gucci Glock but was wearing a DPMS shirt and was still a lousy shot. My friend who was completely new to guns asked me "are you an exceptionally good shot or do these guys just suck?" I had to explain to him that most "gun guys" especially those that love to talk about it and show it off, don't actually put much focus on the fundamentals. They think their guns are extensions of their dicks.

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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shinzen wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 9:06 am Nice. Glad to see it's finally shooting about as it should be. A 4" spread is about what a good battle rifle should be able to shoot at 100 if you do your job perfectly, so not too horribly off that mark with minute of plate.
Sighting in iron sights and getting a 4" centered group is, unfortunately, good enough for me. I don't use a sled, bipod, or other contraption, though. I should, but I don't.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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I'm glad to hear you are getting a reasonable group, but don't give up trying to get a better group if you want to keep shooting that awesome looking rifle.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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lurker wrote: Thu Jan 23, 2020 9:53 pm took polly to the range today, shot a decent (not great) group at 25, a bigger one at 50, at 100 yds 5 of 5 on the paper plate. i think the weak link at this point is me, the shooter. wondering if a smaller rear sight (NM?) aperture would help, at 100 a 9" plate is a tiny blur. rear apertures are relatively cheap.
Try a change in ammo brand and see what happens. some of the cheaper ammo can vary enough to effect your groups.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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TrueTexan wrote: Mon Jan 27, 2020 5:50 pm Try a change in ammo brand and see what happens. some of the cheaper ammo can vary enough to effect your groups.
i've tried 4 or 5 low-end milspec brands, magtech, ppu, pmc, win, etc. none noticeably better than the others. may order in some lake city. handloading would be the ultimate solution, i think i've got the dies. it's been years since i've used the press.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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eelj wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:14 pm So lurker, 4 page thread that started last July, can you answer your own question posted in the OP, are they any good? Do you have any regrets?
yes, the polytech is good. there are some inherent merits to the poly, first, it starts out a comparatively cheap m14. forged rcvr, oprod and chromed bore, so in some senses better than the run-of-the mill american m14 clone.

but don't get too enthusiastic, there are issues too, some of that money you saved you will spend fixing it up. maybe the rear sight. shimming the gas system, replacing the op-rod spring and spring guide. some people replace the chinese wood, mine came to me with USGI. if you want, a real flash hider w/ lug. headspace was ok on mine but check it, bolts run 200 and up.

i like my thermold magazines, but a bit fiddly. stick with USGI or checkmates.

i'm still not entirely comfortable with it, and i think i can wring more accuracy from it. thinking of rounding up a GI-style cheekpiece, sarco listed them cheap but sold out before i could look.
it shoots 7.62 NATO, not .308, so WM won't stock it.

it's a big rifle, clunky even, worse still if you want to mount a scope. i understand why we ditched it as general issue.

i've a bit under $1,100 in mine, scope, accessories, repairs and all. you can almost get a basic used M1A for that.

YT's AR10 is likely a better, lighter, easier-handling, softer shooting, more accurate rifle out of the box. but there's no history to an AR10.


in summary, the m14 (all of them, chinese or not) is a niche piece. if that's what you want, get the polytech, because an M1A isn't a real m14 either. you'll spend the rest on ammo or goodies. plan to keep it, i don't know that you can expect to get your money back out.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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lurker wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2020 6:41 pm
eelj wrote: Sun Feb 02, 2020 3:14 pm So lurker, 4 page thread that started last July, can you answer your own question posted in the OP, are they any good? Do you have any regrets?
yes, the polytech is good. there are some inherent merits to the poly, first, it starts out a comparatively cheap m14. forged rcvr, oprod and chromed bore, so in some senses better than the run-of-the mill american m14 clone.

but don't get too enthusiastic, there are issues too, some of that money you saved you will spend fixing it up. maybe the rear sight. shimming the gas system, replacing the op-rod spring and spring guide. some people replace the chinese wood, mine came to me with USGI. if you want, a real flash hider w/ lug. headspace was ok on mine but check it, bolts run 200 and up.

i like my thermold magazines, but a bit fiddly. stick with USGI or checkmates.

i'm still not entirely comfortable with it, and i think i can wring more accuracy from it. thinking of rounding up a GI-style cheekpiece, sarco listed them cheap but sold out before i could look.
it shoots 7.62 NATO, not .308, so WM won't stock it.

it's a big rifle, clunky even, worse still if you want to mount a scope. i understand why we ditched it as general issue.

i've a bit under $1,100 in mine, scope, accessories, repairs and all. you can almost get a basic used M1A for that.

YT's AR10 is likely a better, lighter, easier-handling, softer shooting, more accurate rifle out of the box. but there's no history to an AR10.


in summary, the m14 (all of them, chinese or not) is a niche piece. if that's what you want, get the polytech, because an M1A isn't a real m14 either. you'll spend the rest on ammo or goodies. plan to keep it, i don't know that you can expect to get your money back out.
Well seriously I'm glad you're happy with it. I think you might seriously consider reloading for it. With good brass and a couple pounds of IMR 4064 to start with you might find something that really works at the proper range of 100yds. Just a thought.

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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i'm definitely planning to reload for it. it's the only way to get quality ammo without paying an arm and a leg. right now i've a lee loader for 7.62 nato, and will eventually get a set of dies for my press. my best shooting ever was with reloads out of my krag, so i'm optimistic, and i have a growing pile of brass.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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lurker wrote: Mon Feb 03, 2020 2:25 pm i'm definitely planning to reload for it. it's the only way to get quality ammo without paying an arm and a leg. right now i've a lee loader for 7.62 nato, and will eventually get a set of dies for my press. my best shooting ever was with reloads out of my krag, so i'm optimistic, and i have a growing pile of brass.
Is it easy to find/buy brass for reloading 7.62 NATO? I looked at brass and it wasn't cheap.
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re: polytech m14/s any good?

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i've got about 100 cases of various manufacture and will resize and reload them. when i do, i'll be looking at more consistent powder charge and neck tension than i normally get in commercial cartridges, and consistent loads should give consistent POI. i've had good results with this process with 5.56, 30-40 krag, 30-06 and 45acp.
and i was wrong, i don't have a lee loader for 7.62x51, i have 2 LLs for 45-70. not sure how that happened. who wants a never-used lee loader in 45-70?
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

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