Springfield M1A

[Larry Ross]

I am looking at buying a standard Springfield M1A for tactical and "civil unrest"... I have looked at several scope mounts, the vary greatly in price. I am not happy with the one screw that most have. Some have the top rail open in the middle. Some one commented that the ejected brass hit his scope, so he was going to go with a solid top rail. I would appreciate any comments based on experience with the gun and mounts.

Thanks;
Larry

 

[Dusty Stevens]

go check out www.m14forum.com you really get what you pay for on an m14 scope mount. and just FYI all m14 scope mounts only have one screw but make sure it has a part that goes in the stripper clip guide. I've seen em all and never seen one that didnt but you never know if somebody has really made a POS ive never heard of. I'll give you some of my experience- springfield makes aluminum and steel mounts. the steel ones kinda work but the aluminum ones sure dont. the best mount is the bassett machine (not the prettiest but very good). what works for one dude may not work for you as all recievers are different and the m14 is the most violent abuser of scopes ive ever seen (a bmg aint got nothin on an m14). if you put a scope on it less than $1000 and up you wont like it (a mk4 leupold is minimum). any other questions just ask

 

[digrazir]

I have a NM M1A. I went back and forth on what type of scope mount and scope to use. The scope mounts that sit lower can cause ejection issues. The ones that are higher are difficult to get a good cheek weld without building up the stock with a add on cheek piece. Now I know there many, many scoped M1A rifles out there including those still being used by the U.S. Military.
I finally decided to not scope the rifle and just use the iron sights, which turned out to be a lot of fun. I love shooting it.
In my humble opinion there are other 308 semiautomatic rifles that are better suited for your intended purpose. AR10 types lend themselves to the easy mounting of optics and can be had for similar money. I went with a Scar 17 with a Nightforce 2.5-10x42 for my "just in case" rifle. Ray

 

[Jet]

Sadlak Industries makes a few models to choose from They are rock solid and very well built. If you choose to go this route, be prepared to place a cheek rest on your stock since all M1A/M14 scope mounts require the scopes to be mounted significantly higher than the iron sights. There are some aftermarket stocks that directly address this issue. Large objective scopes require a very high check rest.

Like Ray said below, there are much better choices out there if you want/need a 308 semi automatic weapon. If this was 1965, the M1A would be my choice. Today, we have a lot of better choices that cost less, are more accurate, are much easier to maintain and have much better reliability.

http://sadlak.com/si_rifle_parts_sm.html

Good Shooting

Rich

 

[flatlander]

Dittos on the comments on 'better choices for a scoped semi-auto'. I've owned my M1A since 1986, but didn't build my 1st AR10 until 2006. Now have four of the AR10s in various chamberings, while the M1A sits in its padded case in the closet. Not only are M14/M1As hard on scopes, they're also hard on brass. Mine's still in my possession only because of its nostalgic value.

 

[chkunz]

Larry, since I am going to give you a recommendation that you may have difficulty with let me establish some credibility. I have been shooting the M1A/M14 in competition for forty years and have wore out more barrels than you could haul in a wheel barrow. The M14 is not in the accuracy class of the AR and other rifles being shot in competition today. The accuracy of the Springfield Armory Standard rifle (aka rack grade) does not warrant a scope. If you have an expert or master high power classification and shoot the rifle you refer to from the prone supported position and shoot three ten shot groups at 100 yards with the iron sights you can expect to get an average group size of about six inches (all shots count and no throwing out "fliers"). A good scope set up would improve on that some but not more than an inch or two. And a good scope set up would cost as much as the rifle. To improve on this level of accuracy would require a gunsmith knowledgeable of the old AMU M14 accuraziation and would probably be over 60 years old and this would cost yet even more. M14s are fun to shoot but do not get serious about accuracy unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money. If you insist on going down this road contact me and I will show you the way but I do not recommend it. Take care, Clyde.

 

[dragman]

I went on an M1A kick a while back and bought a NM version to shoot and do targets with, and SOCOM II with an EBR stock for PLAY.
I ended up going the AR route also and now I am selling my springfields.

 

[DR1586]

If you want to go the M1A route, call Isaac McCaskill down at Casatt Gunworks in South Carolina. He's the finest M1A builder around as far as I'm concerned. Has a lot of winning rifles to prove it.

 

[rminut]

If you want to go the M1A route, call Isaac McCaskill down at Casatt Gunworks in South Carolina. He's the finest M1A builder around as far as I'm concerned. Has a lot of winning rifles to prove it.

AND, Isaac is still out there shooting his M1A. He's a regular at Perry. He's DD, I guess that's no big deal around here, what with all the F-Class zombies.

 

[DR1586]

I should have known better to even bring up Mac on this board. Just his name is getting people all riled up. Seriously, Mac is a long time friend and a world class rifle builder. He is brutally honest, which is a good trait in a gunsmith.

 

[rminut]

I had him rebarrel my double lugged a couple of years ago.

 

[Larry Ross]

Thanks to all of you, I really appreciate the info. I did not know what I was about to get into.

Some time ago I had a AR flat top, I never did get comfortable shooting it, it just did not seem it was designed for "human consumption" that was one of the main reasons for looking into the Springfield (plus the fact I wanted my gun in a 308)

I will go back to square one and re-think my project. What other 308's might I look into? Scar 17 was mentioned. Don't know a thing about it, I will look it up.

Again I really appreciate your time and input to all of you that responded.

Larry

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Come on dont give up on the last real battle rifle! The longest active duty serving rifle in US history! Just go check out that forum at the accuracy that can be had. Just go shoot it without a scope or whatever- you cant really compete with one anyway so why use one? Thats real steel and quality.