M1A blues

[chopinbloc]

so back in october i bought a springfield "loaded" M1A along with a springfield scope mount. the mount didn't properly fit the keyways in the receiver so the scope was pointing way off to the right. i returned the mount to springfield and purchased a sadlak mount as recommended by one of the members here. this time i can actually see that the mount is at a downward angle from back to front, pointing the scope down and right, sending my shots high and left. there is not enough adjustment in the scope to even put it on paper at 25 yards. i will probably take the rifle, mount and scope to a 'smith to see what he can do about it or :shudder: ship the whole blasted thing to sadlak as they do offer a custom machining service. i realize that the problem may very well be my receiver as springfield has recently been putting out rifles that are mostly out of spec but if there is anything i can do at home before shelling out more cash, i'd like to hear it.

i eagerly anticipate your response.

 

[Geno]

Big Shocker--But Springfield WILL back you!

I have had two M1As--both flawless. The one XD that gave me trouble was corrected immediately and at Springfield's expense.

Please follow up. Re: options, if it IS the receiver, only Springfield should touch it.

Doc2005

 

[nbkky71]

Sorry for your pain chopinbloc.

You just might have a problem with the mounting grooves on your receiver. If you do send it to a 'smith, make sure they know & understand the M14/M1A rifle. SADLAK is supposed to do top-notch work, so I'm sure that they can find a solution to your problem.

The only problem I had with my M1A was with the bolt. Once I had it replaced with a USGI bolt my problems went away. She's been chugging away for the past couple years without a hitch.

 

[chopinbloc]

i know a couple of good 'smiths but neither really specializes in the M1A so if it didn't turn out to be a relatively simple fix it would likely go to springfield or sadlak.

i should have mentioned that the rifle itself is great. it runs just fine.

 

[30Cal]

If your smith doesn't specialize in M1A's, you could save money by botching it up yourself rather than paying him to do it. Call Springfield and have them fix it.

Ty

 

[chopinbloc]

30cal,

i trust both 'smiths not to do work outside their respective areas of expertise. that's one of the reasons that i've continued to use them - they've both told me at one time or antoher that they were unwilling to do work on a firearm because they weren't well versed in that type of firearm or work. main thing i'm looking for is for them to tell me whether i need to send the rifle to sadlak or springfield. with any luck, though, someone will pipe up and tell me that i made some mistake and i'll smack my forehead, shout "DOH!" and my wallet will be safe... for now.

 

[30Cal]

I've heard of guys bedding the mount to the receiver, but only when the issue was a shifting POI.

Sadlak does have that receiver gaging set. Honestly, you might save a couple trips back and forth between SA Inc if you just went that route and have Sadlak fit the mount.

If you do take the rifle out to your local guy, keep close tabs on it and what the smith is doing.

Ty

 

[Bwana John]

I would suggest learning how to use iron sights better.
The M-14 was not really designed for a scope.

 

[odysseus]

I would suggest learning how to use iron sights better.
The M-14 was not really designed for a scope.

Ouch!

Problem is that is not true these days with the gear available for it. It supports scoped mounts so well these days it has been in play and deployed specifically by our military with a mount and scope in the sandbox right now.

 

[swingset]

Send it back to Springfield Armory.....why keep paying for their screwup???

 

[chopinbloc]

the reason for the trip to the 'smith would mostly be to verify that i installed the mount correctly - i've been known to make a mistake every now and then. if it turns out that i didn't make any mistakes then i'll have to send either the mount or mount and rifle to sadlak or both the mount and rifle to springfield. hopefully the 'smith will be able to help me determine which company should do the work.

as for iron sights, i intended to make this a long range rifle from the beginning. i know some people can hit at 600m with iron sights but i have difficulty even seeing a target at that range, let alone 800m. with good glass this rifle should be easily capable of hitting at that range. my own capabilty with iron sights drops off quickly between 300 and 400m.

thanks for the input, guys. with any luck springfield will be able to take care of the issue. i've had good experiences with their warranty work before.

 

[Bwana John]

my own capabilty with iron sights drops off quickly between 300 and 400m.

I would bet that if you spent the money on ammo and practice with iron sights what you will be spending to do a good M-14 sniper (M-21) you will be able to thump a 600 yard sillioute every time using the issue iron sights.($300 BMT mount, $75 rings, $500+ on glass, $300 synthetic McMil stock to use scope with = >5k of good surplus 7.62)

 

[Gator]

I agree that you should send it back to SA Inc. They are well known for their out of spec receivers, but they will fix it for you.

And keep the Sadlak mount! They are many times better than SA Inc. mounts.

 

[chopinbloc]

bwana,
if you read my earlier post you would note that i said i have difficulty seeing a target at extended range. this is an unfortunate physical limitation that i have to deal with. i do, in fact have several thousand rounds of lake city m80 ball and several thousand of the south african stuff. unfortunately, i cannot buy better eyes. even lasic isn't likely to improve my vision beyond what eyeglasses can do for me. i have been using iron sights for about a decade and while i admit that there is always room for improvement, glass lets me reach out further. the bottom line is that my visual acuity or proclivity for iron sights is not the topic of my post.

 

[colt.45]

id think that springfiels should fix this. if need be: they will give you a brand new m-1a