Problem with a SA M1a Super MAtch

doc · 01-21-2005, 09:34 AM

Hi,
I'd really like tho know if anyone out there has had this problem.
I just got a new SA 9805 Super Match. I want to remove the opperating rod to clean the gook out of the bolt and regrease it. I can not for the life of me figure out how to remove the opperating rod. I have looked at the manual, and all the info I can get on the web, including photos. But for some reason my gun does not disassemble that way. I SM has a Douglas barrel that is larger in diameter than the regular. But I can't figure this one out. HELP!!
Glad I'm not in a firefight!
Thanks
Doc

PAPA G · 01-21-2005, 09:44 AM

SA's are notorious for stubborn op rod removal. my mid 1970's standard M1a is the same way. all i can suggest is to keep fiddling with it but do not force the op rod, ala strong arm and big screwdriver. i just leave my oprod and bolt in place. and saturate with degreaser. i really do not see the need for detail stripping most weapons, even if they cooperate.

Gyrene is our resident guro on this subject. hang in awhile and he will give you good info, also check the archieves in the M-14/M1a forum.

PAPA G · 01-21-2005, 09:47 AM

whats up doc; i forgot to welcome you to G&G hope you stay a long time.

some subjects get pretty hot, but just jump in and hang on!!!

Shaun · 01-21-2005, 10:05 AM

Welcome to G&G doc

Gyrene · 01-21-2005, 07:53 PM

Doc - The op rod removes something like the M1 Garand op rod. Pull it all the way to the rear, there is a notch in the receiver rail to facilitate removal, and like Papa G said keep pulling upward and outward while jiggiling it forward and rearward. The operating rod guide on my Chinese M-14 is so loose the operating rod can turn outward up to 15 degrees while I am removing it (it still can shoot 459/500 as my friend did exactly that the first and only time he fired it in competition, and he had only fired 10 shots out of it before shooting it in the match).

It is very difficult, to remove the operating rod, because the operating rod guide connected to the barrel keeps it tightly aligned with the barrel and the receiver grooves. I wouldn't worry too much if you can't get it off the rifle, for now, it will shoot looser as time goes by.

If you really want to take the op rod off the rifle, then get a punch and remove the pin that holds the operating rod guide square on the barrel (do not make a habit of doing this, be sure to use the proper sized punch, and keep a new pin at hand, as you may need to replace the one you punch out). Even with the operating rod guide loosened, it is not easy to remove the operating rod, just go easy and do not get impatient. I wouldn't remove it more than once every 1,000 to 2,000 rounds, because as it loosens up, and removing it helps that process along, the accuracy of the rifle can diminish (like a 1/2 minute group may grow to a 1 to 1 1/2 minute group).

It can be adequately (not thoroughly) cleaned and lubed on the rifle, and the bolt can be properly cleaned and lubed without taking it off the rifle, as Papa G said.

Just remember you can't properly clean the rifle and you can't properly lube the rifle unless or until you disassemble it (called Field Stripping it). If you are trying to pull the operating rod out, you have already done what Springfield Armory, Geneseo, Il (commercial) recommends not doing, and I do not understand how they expect the M1A owners to maintain their rifles without doing that. It is a machine, and it needs lubrication (grease mostly, and a little oil), and cleaning to function as intended, and with the TLC that I am sure you intend to lavish on it, your M1A Super Match will be near flawless for a long time.

`

doc · 01-22-2005, 10:46 AM

Hi y'all,
Thanks for the help. I thought I was loosing it (which in fact might still be the case).I got a real helpful responce from SA. They said that I needed to "break in" the gun.
It is brand new, but there was so much grease and gook in and around the receiver that it wouldn't cycle. I cleaned all that out with BC gun scrubber (which removes the hair from your arms too) and wanted to regrease the roller on the bolt BEFORE i shot the living h--l out of it. After reading all the good stuff you all put out, I thought you'd be the perfect folks to ask. Turns out I was right, you are! SO, thanks for all the help.
I'll be around here for the forseeable future. But I have to warn you that I'm not infantry, I'm a sniper. So watch your back doors!!
Thanks again......................
Doc. (USN '67 - '71) Semper Fi

ScottD · 01-22-2005, 12:40 PM

So doc, is right about you guys? "Don't bother running, you'll just die tired." LOL

01-21-2005, 09:34 AM	#1
doc Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da South Side of Chicago Posts: 3	Problem with a SA M1a Super MAtch Hi, I'd really like tho know if anyone out there has had this problem. I just got a new SA 9805 Super Match. I want to remove the opperating rod to clean the gook out of the bolt and regrease it. I can not for the life of me figure out how to remove the opperating rod. I have looked at the manual, and all the info I can get on the web, including photos. But for some reason my gun does not disassemble that way. I SM has a Douglas barrel that is larger in diameter than the regular. But I can't figure this one out. HELP!! Glad I'm not in a firefight! Thanks Doc

01-21-2005, 09:47 AM	#3
PAPA G Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somerset, kentucky Posts: 12	ooooops.................... whats up doc; i forgot to welcome you to G&G hope you stay a long time. some subjects get pretty hot, but just jump in and hang on!!!

01-21-2005, 10:05 AM	#4
Shaun Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 8,592 Images: 1	Welcome to G&G doc __________________ "Homeland Security is the responsibility of an armed citizen" ME http://webpages.charter.net/s.s.v/

01-22-2005, 12:40 PM	#7
ScottD Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Evanston, IL Posts: 1,020	So doc, is right about you guys? "Don't bother running, you'll just die tired." LOL __________________ "Some people can not live without wilderness"-Aldo Leopold

01-21-2005, 09:44 AM	#2
PAPA G Guest Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: somerset, kentucky Posts: 12	SA's are notorious for stubborn op rod removal. my mid 1970's standard M1a is the same way. all i can suggest is to keep fiddling with it but do not force the op rod, ala strong arm and big screwdriver. i just leave my oprod and bolt in place. and saturate with degreaser. i really do not see the need for detail stripping most weapons, even if they cooperate. Gyrene is our resident guro on this subject. hang in awhile and he will give you good info, also check the archieves in the M-14/M1a forum.

01-21-2005, 07:53 PM	#5
Gyrene Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: CA Posts: 886	Doc - The op rod removes something like the M1 Garand op rod. Pull it all the way to the rear, there is a notch in the receiver rail to facilitate removal, and like Papa G said keep pulling upward and outward while jiggiling it forward and rearward. The operating rod guide on my Chinese M-14 is so loose the operating rod can turn outward up to 15 degrees while I am removing it (it still can shoot 459/500 as my friend did exactly that the first and only time he fired it in competition, and he had only fired 10 shots out of it before shooting it in the match). It is very difficult, to remove the operating rod, because the operating rod guide connected to the barrel keeps it tightly aligned with the barrel and the receiver grooves. I wouldn't worry too much if you can't get it off the rifle, for now, it will shoot looser as time goes by. If you really want to take the op rod off the rifle, then get a punch and remove the pin that holds the operating rod guide square on the barrel (do not make a habit of doing this, be sure to use the proper sized punch, and keep a new pin at hand, as you may need to replace the one you punch out). Even with the operating rod guide loosened, it is not easy to remove the operating rod, just go easy and do not get impatient. I wouldn't remove it more than once every 1,000 to 2,000 rounds, because as it loosens up, and removing it helps that process along, the accuracy of the rifle can diminish (like a 1/2 minute group may grow to a 1 to 1 1/2 minute group). It can be adequately (not thoroughly) cleaned and lubed on the rifle, and the bolt can be properly cleaned and lubed without taking it off the rifle, as Papa G said. Just remember you can't properly clean the rifle and you can't properly lube the rifle unless or until you disassemble it (called Field Stripping it). If you are trying to pull the operating rod out, you have already done what Springfield Armory, Geneseo, Il (commercial) recommends not doing, and I do not understand how they expect the M1A owners to maintain their rifles without doing that. It is a machine, and it needs lubrication (grease mostly, and a little oil), and cleaning to function as intended, and with the TLC that I am sure you intend to lavish on it, your M1A Super Match will be near flawless for a long time. `

01-22-2005, 10:46 AM	#6
doc Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Da South Side of Chicago Posts: 3	Hi y'all, Thanks for the help. I thought I was loosing it (which in fact might still be the case).I got a real helpful responce from SA. They said that I needed to "break in" the gun. It is brand new, but there was so much grease and gook in and around the receiver that it wouldn't cycle. I cleaned all that out with BC gun scrubber (which removes the hair from your arms too) and wanted to regrease the roller on the bolt BEFORE i shot the living h--l out of it. After reading all the good stuff you all put out, I thought you'd be the perfect folks to ask. Turns out I was right, you are! SO, thanks for all the help. I'll be around here for the forseeable future. But I have to warn you that I'm not infantry, I'm a sniper. So watch your back doors!! Thanks again...................... Doc. (USN '67 - '71) Semper Fi