Author Topic: My new rifle (Read 1871 times)

Kentactic · « **on:** August 06, 2016, 09:04:02 PM »

So I bought an M1A a couple months ago. So far so good. I'm seeing 2-3MOA out of it with consistent hits on 6" steel at 300 yards and good results on varying sized steel out to 500 as well as some "Ah what the hell it's there" hits on 600 yard steel. I put a Burris 2.75X20 scout scope on it and am pretty happy with it. The only thing that will change from the picture is I'm replacing that beautiful saddle leather sling with a GI Nylon sling.

JoJo · « **Reply #1 on:** August 06, 2016, 10:15:50 PM »

Beautiful, I'm jealous. Just kidding

Good luck with it.

ThePreppingAcademy · « **Reply #2 on:** August 07, 2016, 12:25:16 AM »

Nice Ken. I've been debating over getting an M1 or another AR10. I'm leaning AR10 still.... But it'll be a few months. Stocking up on more food.

Nemo · « **Reply #3 on:** August 07, 2016, 12:41:53 AM »

I have an M-1. Not an A or B or any such. A real life honest to goodness Springfield dated 1945, in very good to near excellent condition.

Yeah the magazine part of the As and 14s and all that is nice, but a real M-1-- like Mr. Patton said, the greatest battle implement ever devised by man.

Nemo

JohnyMac · « **Reply #4 on:** August 07, 2016, 01:51:20 AM »

Great buy Ken! If I had the money I would like one.

Just some of my thoughts nothing personal....

That wood stock will probably add a great deal to the rifle: Have you thought of picking up a synthetic stock? Maybe one with a pistol grip. There are a bunch out there, here is one.

The weight at the range is nice for recoil but wood tends to change characteristics over time. An example: Winter zero'd in will be different zero'd in during the summer.

By the way, That Burris scope is a good one.

Kentactic · « **Reply #5 on:** August 07, 2016, 10:24:42 PM »

Quote from: JohnyMac on August 07, 2016, 01:51:20 AM

Great buy Ken! If I had the money I would like one.

Just some of my thoughts nothing personal....

That wood stock will probably add a great deal to the rifle: Have you thought of picking up a synthetic stock? Maybe one with a pistol grip. There are a bunch out there, here is one.

The weight at the range is nice for recoil but wood tends to change characteristics over time. An example: Winter zero'd in will be different zero'd in during the summer.

By the way, That Burris scope is a good one.

The synthetic stocks actually tend to add weight. If you can find one that is lighter than the walnut stocks I may be interested. Weight is my main reason for staying wood at this point. The heaviest part of the wood stock is the fancy steel flip up butt plate. It's a good place to have the weight though to help balance out the weight.

EDIT: looking at the M1A's on springfields website for a weight number, it seems that the factory synthetic stocks make the rifle maybe .5lbs lighter. Likely due to the lack of the steel butt plate. If i could find one cheap i'd consider that. My last hinderance being...it's an M1A!...it needs to be WOOD... them and AK's... lol.. we'll see... Thanks for peaking my curiosity Jmac.

Edit:Edit: I do like this Burris scope. My only dislike is the reticle but it's not too bad for the realistic ranges i'm dealing with. Out to 300 I know my holds very well.

Kentactic · « **Reply #6 on:** August 07, 2016, 10:35:09 PM »

Side note, if you want to get a good laugh, watch this guys video. I've enjoyed his past videos but he is totally lost with an M1A and bashes it because of it. He thought you could adjust the gas system by partially taking it off!!..It's a self regulating gas system..... I'd let it slide if he didn't respond to the truth like a little girl that got embarrassed in the comments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXyUwBxMZKI

gadget99 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 08, 2016, 06:18:08 AM »

Great choice of rifle.

Yet must admit my opinion is skewed towards the M1A.

Carried the pimped version of it in Panama.

Mine had a synthetic stock that was bedded to the action and had a leiopold M3A scope mounted on it.

rah45 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 12, 2016, 02:06:47 PM »

Ken, I'm jealous of you. I've had my M1A for years, and haven't been able to do much of anything due to money constraints. Hang on a minute, I have a dedicated M1A forum to link you to. Full of older guys who really know the platform inside and out.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

rah45 · « **Reply #9 on:** August 12, 2016, 02:09:19 PM »

Okay, well Tapatalk is not giving me an option to provide a direct link, but if you search "M14 Forum" on Tapatalk you should find it. It's emblem includes two crossed M14 rifles.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

rah45 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 12, 2016, 02:09:57 PM »

Gadget, those pics are wicked cool, dude. Sorry you can't legally enjoy that rifle in GB.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

rah45 · « **Reply #11 on:** August 12, 2016, 02:16:53 PM »

LOL Ken! I glanced at the new threads on the M14 forum, and I found one where they're discussing that very video posted earlier in this thread.

http://m14forum.com/showthread.php?t=220409

(Oh, guess I can link to a specific forum thread, just not the forum itself...weird.)

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

gadget99 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 13, 2016, 01:30:05 PM »

Quote from: rah45 on August 12, 2016, 02:09:57 PM

Gadget, those pics are wicked cool, dude. Sorry you can't legally enjoy that rifle in GB.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Due to the fact that the M1A was used for so many years at the national rifle competition at Camp Perry. There is a huge amount of info on how to pimp one to the standard of the one I carried.

The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit created the rifle I carried. Kinda cool that I went on to serve the last ten years of my career in that unit.

Back to the subject though.

A good clean M1A will do you fine to reasonable distances. You want to reach out and touch though I suggest you get it modified.

Mine was good to 1000m with a good spotter calling the wind. If the target was withing 500m I had it.

The cool thing is that it held up to the Panamanian jungles just fine with care and cleaning. The better point is that in 1990 no form of body armor could stand up to it.

If I was in the states I could do the work for you. A bit Ironic being a gunsmith and ammo reloader living in the UK.

Cheers all.

Nemo · « **Reply #13 on:** August 13, 2016, 06:58:56 PM »

Gadget, you are not permitted to read this.

And the rest of you don't tell gadget I am asking but is there interest in putting together a replication of the Raid at Los Banos? gadget and company being the target? We would only have one a half dozen or so targets, not 2147.

Nemo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_at_Los_Banos

gadget99 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 13, 2016, 08:16:25 PM »

Quote from: Nemo on August 13, 2016, 06:58:56 PM

Gadget, you are not permitted to read this.

And the rest of you don't tell gadget I am asking but is there interest in putting together a replication of the Raid at Los Banos? gadget and company being the target? We would only have one a half dozen or so targets, not 2147.

Nemo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_at_Los_Banos

Dude....

You are priceless.

Things go bad here and I will REALLY think about moving the family to a secluded redoubt that can support as many of the Preppers here as possible.

On a side note. The wife has been trying to get me to go into business here supplying preppers.

If you get a chance check out the rediculace prices the prime prepper suppliers here are charging for stuff.

http://evaq8.co.uk/home.php

Nemo · « **Reply #15 on:** August 14, 2016, 10:00:26 AM »

gadget, note the first line. You were not permitted to read that. Its a secret plan in the making. Like Overlord was. Sheesh and Criminatley.

I guess we got to get a different plan.

And as you mentioned, the exchange rate on the dollar v pound ought to make that site and products a great deal. Even with the shipping calculated in.

Another thought. Put together a US visit and see what can be done to get into an Appleseed class. The Brits that come to visit may like the accurate and truthful recounting of history that goes along I'd bet the shooting instruction part would be well received.

Nemo

http://appleseedinfo.org/

CJS06 · « **Reply #16 on:** August 14, 2016, 07:19:56 PM »

Ken

Nice Rifle. You can get really decent accuracy out well past 300yds with out having to go to match ammo. If you do decide to go the match rout you can expect excellent results. Congrats. One thing to consider is a quality cheek pad/riser to hep you get your eye up to the level of the glass while maintaining a good cheek weld. Very helpful with the M1A. Gadget could give you better input regard that.

Chris

gadget99 · « **Reply #17 on:** August 15, 2016, 03:55:27 AM »

Quote from: CJS06 on August 14, 2016, 07:19:56 PM

Ken

Nice Rifle. You can get really decent accuracy out well past 300yds with out having to go to match ammo. If you do decide to go the match rout you can expect excellent results. Congrats. One thing to consider is a quality cheek pad/riser to hep you get your eye up to the level of the glass while maintaining a good cheek weld. Very helpful with the M1A. Gadget could give you better input regard that.

Chris

Good points there.

As has been said. A stock M1A can turn out pretty good accuracy. Within 300yds with non match grade ammo even without optics with a bit of practice. Yo can expect some great results.

Get some match grade ammo and optics going on and things get even better.

Getting a raised cheek rest for the stock is a must for when using a scope. As you can see in the pics. We made our own. Getting good sight alignment even with a scope is essential. So if you are using optics, raise the stock to cheek surface a bit to account for the raised sight line of the scope.

We used padding and duct tape to make ours back in the day. Now you can buy ones pretty cheap.

viking · « **Reply #18 on:** August 21, 2016, 09:37:34 PM »

Kentactic,

Congratulations on the fine rifle.

I think you will be very happy with it.

In the late '80s, I had the NM version with a Leatherwood ART IV scope and mounting plate. In a fit of utter stupidity, I let it get away in the mid '90s.

The idiot in the link you posted knows nothing about either rifle in his video.

Kentactic · « **Reply #19 on:** August 27, 2016, 04:21:50 PM »

Quote from: rah45 on August 12, 2016, 02:16:53 PM

LOL Ken! I glanced at the new threads on the M14 forum, and I found one where they're discussing that very video posted earlier in this thread.

http://m14forum.com/showthread.php?t=220409

(Oh, guess I can link to a specific forum thread, just not the forum itself...weird.)

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Yeah that's where I saw the video originally. Lol

Kentactic · « **Reply #20 on:** August 27, 2016, 04:30:20 PM »

Quote from: CJS06 on August 14, 2016, 07:19:56 PM

Ken

Nice Rifle. You can get really decent accuracy out well past 300yds with out having to go to match ammo. If you do decide to go the match rout you can expect excellent results. Congrats. One thing to consider is a quality cheek pad/riser to hep you get your eye up to the level of the glass while maintaining a good cheek weld. Very helpful with the M1A. Gadget could give you better input regard that.

Chris

We might have a different standard for "really decent accuracy" because I don't think any rifle is capable of it without match ammo. If you don't control the consistency of the ammo to match grade standards, the inherent accuracy is going to fall below really decent, in all cases, in my opinion. Standard M1A's are out of the box 3MOA rifles. If you do a few tricks like getting the gas block timed correctly as one example, you can get them into the 1MOA ballpark. But these are battle rifles with battle rifle tolerances. Once you get into the pricier models you can start to expect really decent accuracy.

FGMM is great ammo and at only $1a round, there's no reason not to shoot match grade.

I agree that I need to raise the cheek weld. I actually get a somewhat decent weld as it sits because it's such a small optic on Low rings but still not ideal.

Kentactic · « **Reply #21 on:** July 04, 2017, 01:13:57 PM »

I shimmed the front band and now it shoots a little tighter. Both pictures are 3 rounds at 100 yards.

CJS06 · « **Reply #22 on:** July 06, 2017, 12:11:36 AM »

Ken

Nice...what ammo are you using? Have you found what the rifle shoots best with?

Chris

Kentactic · « **Reply #23 on:** July 06, 2017, 12:36:12 AM »

Quote from: CJS06 on July 06, 2017, 12:11:36 AM

Ken

Nice...what ammo are you using? Have you found what the rifle shoots best with?

Chris

Federal Gold Medal Match 168gr is what I shot those groups with. It seems to shoot well in most rifles.

CJS06 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 06, 2017, 01:23:52 AM »

Nice. My LMT prefers Hornady 168gr A-Max. It is a 16"SS barrel with mid length gas. It shoots Federal GMM well but is more consistently tighter with the A-Max. I also had great results with 165gr Noslers.

News:

Author Topic: My new rifle (Read 1871 times)

gadget99

gadget99

gadget99

gadget99