Sparrowhawk Dummy M14 Connector Rod/Knob

[DeWayne Hayes]

A few years ago, I bought one of these dummy selector set-ups from a gent named Sparrowhawk who has a website. Only just now getting around to contemplating mounting it on an M14 stock (for an M1A, of course), and I notice the connector rod itself appears slightly bent, with about the last inch and a half (end near the chamber) canted inward and slightly crooked (i.e. oriented to 11-and-5 o'clock instead of 12-and-6). I assume these rods should be dead straight.

My question is, has anyone ever tried to bend one of these? Am I going to snap the thing in two you reckon? I don't have a torch to heat it - was just hoping to clamp it down to a flat surface and use a padded wrench to do some twisting/bending.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
DeWayne

[jsaviano]

Try mounting it on a rifle first before heating & bending it.

[Major Tom]

And, with install complete and at your range, LEO's will look at it for sure! 8-)

[StockDoc]

What receiver are you using?

[Ted Brown]

The connector rod is fairly soft and can be bent back without problems. Note that it will probably require modification to remove the disconnect slot tab and to achieve clearance at the connector in the front of the receiver. I don't think Hawk was doing that part because each rifle requires custom fitting.

[DeWayne Hayes]

Thanks guys. I'm using it on a Springfield, Inc. rifle made probably 15 or more years ago. And roger on removing the tab - I realize I'll have to do that to make it work. Hope to get to it this weekend. Thanks for the info.

DeWayne

[StockDoc]

some of the receiver don't allow the connector rod, that was the reason I asked

[DeWayne Hayes]

That's what I've heard too - I'll be interested to see how it works out. It's rare I run into a problem a Dremel tool can' fix! (or utterly ruin).

[StockDoc]

It would have to be milled, it is quite a bit of metal. I have connector rods but no space in my Fultons, one of these days I will mill out the area.

[Ted Brown]

Alterations to the receiver so it will accept the connector rod are a violation of BATF regulations. It's OK to modify the rod so it will fit flush against the receiver rail, but not the other way around.

[nf1e]

As Ted mentioned, the connector is quite soft. Give it a smack and shape it the way you want. To mount one on a stock that is going to accept a Fulton receiver, you simply need to remove a small amount of wood in the stock so the base can move out slightly to accommodate Fulton's wide rail.

http://i1180.photobucket.com/albums/x413/nf1e/IMG_0331.jpg (http://s1180.photobucket.com/user/nf1e/media/IMG_0331.jpg.html)

This is a photo of a few of my earlier M14 type rifles. I use Hawk's kits on all of them.

Semper Fi
Art

[DeWayne Hayes]

Great pic! Thanks, guys.

DeWayne

[da gimp]

my guess is that he enjoys getting unwanted attention by LEOS............. always figured these were all the rage with the mall ninja crowd.........

[nf1e]

da gimp,
Most LEOS that would even recognize one of these have long retired.
Semper Fi
Sgt. USMC 66-72 RVN 67-68
Mall ninja membership #000
Made me chuckle.
Art

[DeWayne Hayes]

Returning the last wood-and-steel American battle rifle to the way it looked in 1959 hardly seems "mall ninja" to me. In fact, it seems kind of the opposite.

Mounting five rails, a flash light, and a red dot sight on an M14 ... now THAT would be ninja-esque.

[nf1e]

Returning the last wood-and-steel American battle rifle to the way it looked in 1959 hardly seems "mall ninja" to me. In fact, it seems kind of the opposite.

Mounting five rails, a flash light, and a red dot sight on an M14 ... now THAT would be ninja-esque.

My sentiments exactly. I told my wife about that post and she is still laughing. I may be a Walmartian , but sure ain't no 65yr plus ninja. We actually used those rifles against folks in black pajamas. That's what got my chuckle going.

[da gimp]

Just so you bums should know that I'm not opposed to good rifles of the "modern sporting rifle" military surplus type......We've had 3 CAR 15's since the early to mid 80's...... plus 2 more AR platform Service rifles...........one of those is by WhiteOak built on a Rock River with a 1-7 Kreiger , the other is a Colt Custom shop rifle, have two M1 Garands, one is a M1 Type I upgraded to Type II NM, & the other is what is now called a correct grade postage stamp IHC...........

we took an early 4 digit M1A that my brother in law sold me ($650.00 in 1994 or so... yeah he really porked me) & bought a complete set of new old stock TRW M14 parts sans barrel, receiver, & rear sight from the CMP for $160.00 or so & had our old retired armorer build us a NM grade M1A service rifle for competition with a nice blued Shilen barrel...........

I carried a badge for many many years............ & along with those damn BB guns & air soft guns that truly look like functioning real rifles, subs & pistols....... these kits are going to cause people to be checked down real hard, by some anti-gun LEO........ who will get some anti-gun judge to issue a search warrant for their homes, vehicles & possibly place of work too............. & bet on this......... if they want to find something illegal/ or hinky they will too.......then think on just how amazed & happy your wife is when you try to explain why you need to spend maybe $10,000 in legal defense fees because you want to look cool....................heck she probably won't mind it either.............. & if the LEO spots it in your car............ it'll be seized too & in the truly anti gun states........ you could even lose your house if they find something in it................... but it's your money & stuff kid............ go ahead..............

[nf1e]

If you say so, so it shall be. Now that you got that load off. Let's just enjoy the hobby and have a wonderful day. Sorry if a photo of a small part of my collection set you off sonny. I have never been one to intentionally break any sort of laws for sure. I don't ever expect to feel the need to look over my shoulder or cover my tracks. Your advice has been taken and stored in the proper area.
Thanks, I always wanted to be a bum. Yesterday I couldn't even spell it, now I are one according to a feller that claims to have carried a badge for many years. Must have been in Boss Hog's department. Geesh.
Semper Fi
Art

[DeWayne Hayes]

These kits have been available for several years now. I spend more time than I should (regrettably) on various milsurps forums and have yet to read of one (1) example of the scenario that you describe (or anything close to it). If you know first-hand of such an incident, or can direct me to one described online, please share.

DeWayne

[da gimp]

actually one of the guys here was at the range with a M1A equipped with one.................. he had to break down the rifle to prove it was just for "looks" was inert.............. the LEO's who checked him were not that friendly & he had the distinctive feeling that he'd just made their list of creeps........... He took the damn thing off & went back to using a civilian m1A stock.............under the basic good sense of who needs the headaches............... so far only the guy selling them & his friends say they've had no problems.

[StockDoc]

actually one of the guys here was at the range with a M1A equipped with one.................. he had to break down the rifle to prove it was just for "looks" was inert.............. the LEO's who checked him were not that friendly & he had the distinctive feeling that he'd just made their list of creeps........... He took the damn thing off & went back to using a civilian m1A stock.............under the basic good sense of who needs the headaches............... so far only the guy selling them & his friends say they've had no problems.

sounds like Commiefornia

[Michael Tompkins]

I made my own.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture088.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture088.jpg.html)http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture092.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture092.jpg.html)http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture090.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture090.jpg.html)

I went with the selector lock on this one.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/100_1399.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/100_1399.jpg.html)

Don't worry about the kits. I went to the BATF myself in Louisville and told them what I was doing and they had absolutely no problem with anything. They said, "Just as long as it does not make it fully-automatic, you're fine". Good enough for me.

[DeWayne Hayes]

So dagimp, "one guy" you know of had to open his rifle and show a P.I.A. busy-body it wasn't a machine gun. ... Hardly the nightmarish series of events you envision in your prior post. If this is the best example of a horror story you've got, I'm pretty comfortable with my odds of not winding up in federal court. Heck, I had to show a Game Warden that I had a valid fishing license one time and I'm pert near fully recovered from that incident.

All kidding aside, I'm just not worried about it. It would take a special kind of dolt to cause a problem, one who: A) understands how an M14 works enough to know what a selector switch looks like, yet B) can't grasp that if it's not actually connected to the rifle, it can't actually do anything. Statistically, there just can't be that many of those types wandering around out there.

DeWayne

[Oyaji]

Art and DeWayne, you guys better go easy on da Gimp. He is from Missouri, you know.

:banana100: :icon_lol: :banana100: :icon_lol: :banana100: :icon_lol: :banana100:

[nf1e]

Missouri ? Ain't that where the Japs signed their lives away?
I think I get your drift. With 5 yrs on the forum and 8,300+ post, it would appear the gent has a lot of time on his hands.
Must be a federal employee.

[StockDoc]

I made my own.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture088.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture088.jpg.html)http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture092.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture092.jpg.html)http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/Picture090.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/Picture090.jpg.html)

I went with the selector lock on this one.

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h116/tinbender-mike/100_1399.jpg (http://s62.photobucket.com/user/tinbender-mike/media/100_1399.jpg.html)

Don't worry about the kits. I went to the BATF myself in Louisville and told them what I was doing and they had absolutely no problem with anything. They said, "Just as long as it does not make it fully-automatic, you're fine". Good enough for me.


Very nice, which receiver did you use on the build?

[Michael Tompkins]

I used one of the older Springfield Armory, Inc Receivers. It had the thinner op rod rail that allowed use of the connector rod. Everything else was Winchester in all of the marked major components. Hardest part of the build was modifying the charging block by drilling and tapping for the ART II mount. It shot extremely well. I used it for many years to hunt white-tail deer. Sadly, it has moved on to another owner. It's the only rifle that I have ever owned that I regretted selling. :-(

[Ted Brown]

I had the pleasure of possessing a real M14 rifle for about 17 years. During that time I was never questioned about it being a class III weapon. A couple of my personal custom built LRB rifles have Hawk's selector kits installed and no one seems to mind. I do use the lock instead of the switch on my rifles. Seems like I'm always hitting my knuckle on the switch when opening the action and it hurts. The lock doesn't get in the way. Besides, the rifles are semi automatic anyway.

[nf1e]

Thanks Ted,
The M14s issued to me in the Corps all had the lockouts too. I only had a chance to use one with the switch a couple of times and thought it sucked big time. I do like the appearance of Hawk's kits, and the choice of button or switch. I have changed mine back and forth so many times over the years it make this old fart dizzy..
Happy Daze
Art