Norinco M305
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
- Introduced
- 1990
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Norinco M305 is a Chinese-made, semi-automatic clone of the American M14 / M1A rifle, chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Winchester) and built by Norinco (China North Industries Corporation). It retains the M14's gas-operated, rotating-bolt action, 22-inch (559 mm) barrel, and detachable 20-round box magazine, and is praised for its high-quality aperture sights and robust steel-and-wood construction. Sold as the M305 (and as the M14S sporter), it became hugely popular in Canada and other markets where Chinese rifle imports are permitted, offering an affordable full-power battle-rifle platform. The M305A variant is rechambered for 7.62x39mm using AK-pattern magazines, and the M305B carries a shortened 18.5-inch barrel.
Norinco's M305A took the all-American M14 and rechambered it for the Soviet-bloc 7.62x39mm AK cartridge - a 'communist heresy' that let owners feed an M14 clone with cheap surplus ammo through AK magazines.
Norinco M305-pattern rifles are barred from importation into the United States under the 1994 ban on Chinese-made firearms, but are widely available in Canada. The rifles are substantially heavier than comparable platforms such as the SKS but are valued for their inexpensive operation and pleasant shooting characteristics. Quality is generally regarded as good for the price, though fit and finish vary between examples.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Norinco
- Category
- Battle Rifle
- Country
- China
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 1990
- Variant of
- Foreign production
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 559 mm
- Overall length
- 1126 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.20 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated short stroke
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Capacity
- 20
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Parkerized
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 853 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 3457 J
- Effective range
- 500 m
- Maximum range
- 800 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Rotating bolt
Aperture rear sight
Adjustable sights
Chrome lined barrel
Stripper clip guide
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 86 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 4.20 kg | 4.30 kg | Lighter than about 60% |
| Overall lengthAmong 85 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 1126 mm | 1025 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 559 mm | 458 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 87 7.62x51mm NATO battle rifles | 20 | 20 | Near the median |
Answers
Questions about the Norinco M305
How much does the Norinco M305 weigh?
The Norinco M305 weighs 4.20 kg (9.26 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Norinco M305?
The Norinco M305 is chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO.
How many rounds does the Norinco M305 hold?
The Norinco M305 holds 20 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the Norinco M305?
The Norinco M305 is 1126 mm (44.3 in) long overall, with a 559 mm (22.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Norinco M305?
The Norinco M305 is made by Norinco (China).
When was the Norinco M305 introduced?
The Norinco M305 was introduced in 1990.
How does the Norinco M305 operate?
The Norinco M305 uses a gas operated short stroke action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Civilian sport and hunting market
- Canada
Provenance
Confidence in this record
74%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/norinco-m305' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "norinco-m305", "name": "Norinco M305", "manufacturer": { "id": "norinco", "name": "Norinco", "countryCode": "CN", "foundedYear": 1980, "website": "https://en.norincogroup.com.cn", "logoUrl": null, "description": "China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (Norinco), a state-owned enterprise founded in 1980 and headquartered in Beijing. Among the world's largest defense contractors, producing firearms and military equipment.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:45", "version": "5286c8a850a565bc4d9bd2e7a8e4b18084a491b62d93d828ac7de90983853065" }, "category": { "id": "battle-rifle", "name": "Battle Rifle", "description": "Selective-fire rifles chambered in full-power cartridges" }, "country_of_origin": "CN", "year_introduced": 1990, "barrel_length_mm": 559, "weight_empty_g": 4200, "action_type": "gas_operated_short_stroke"}