Question for M1A/M14 Owners

[Pilgram]

I finally broke down and bought an M1A Scout to replace my 30 cal carbine as my "go to" rifle. By my definition, a "go to" rifle serves as home defense, hunting (lots of large critters where I live) and just fun shooting.

Now, the question revolves around "accessories."

What would other M1A owners recommend in the way of optics? The options are:

1. No optics at all, iron sights are fine and everything else is doomed to break anyway. Save your money for ammo and those insanely expensive M14/M1A magazines.
2. Add a scout scope (Burris or Leopold) with long eye relief to mount on the existing scope mount
3. Add a "real" scope even though it means adding another scope mount and a cheek pad for those really long shots (that I won't be making or attempting by the way)
4. Add a red dot sight. It's about as accurate as the scout scopes and cheaper.

Thoughts? What did you fellow M1A owners add (or not)?

 

[Winston_Smith]

IMHO M14/M1A are meant for iron sights. That is their attractive feature for me. If I was going to put glass on a semi-auto, I would go for an AR10 variant.

In your case, for a do it all rifle, I would not suggest magnified optics.

 

[boricua9mm]

Tough call. I think you'll have to decide what ranges you see yourself using this rifle. The Scout is a good "in between" in that it is handy for closer confines, but it still has enough barrel to give some promising results at a distance.

I would suggest using the irons for a little while. You will come to appreciate them (they are much better than the wide aperture and large front post found on the SOCOM). You will have the benefit of understanding the irons should you need to fall back on them.

Don't sweat the magazines. They aren't THAT expensive. Visit http://www.44mag.com and pick up some of the CMI mags. They are the current USGI supplier and the mags are as good as it gets.

I have a full sized rifle and I set mine up as a mid to longish range heavy hittin' semi-auto. The furthest distance which I shoot this rifle is about 600 yards, on human-sized targets. It's really going to depends on what niche you want it to fill the most. While making your choice, keep in mind that there really is no "one rifle that does it all." There are compromises with every firearm setup.

 

[Onmilo]

I'm still looking for the perfect optic for the M1A.
I have decided on an ACOG or Leupold but don't have the loose cash to buy right now.

 

[Z-Michigan]

Here are your mags:
http://www.44mag.com/category/m1a_m14_magazines_usgi

Now up to $27, glad I bought some at $20.49. Still not "insanely expensive." Gotta shop around!

As for scope, I would personally choose a scout scope on the scout model, followed by a somewhat distant 2nd of the red dot option. Yes, the iron sights are great, assuming you have great eyesight and it's bright daylight. Not as useful in darkness, and the smallish rear aperture makes them not that fast to use.

 

[Justin Holder]

A scout scope in QD rings so you can revert back to the iron sights if needed.

 

[Acera]

I've gone back to irons on mine.

 

[pikid89]

how about one of the new trijicon accupoints variable power that have true 1x glass...with the german post reticle

 

[Pilgram]

Mucho thanks for the leads on the CMI magazines! The best deal I found was for some Taiwan-made magazines that looked too good to be true.

http://www.keepshooting.com/firearmaccessories/magazines/m14_mag_20rd.htm

I ordered two of the CMI mags this very evening. Free shipping. Who'd thought that was possible these days.

Everything except for the $50+ Springfield mags on the usual sites --Midway, Cheaper than Dirt -- had poor reviews. Can't bring myself to spend $100+ for two magazines.

 

[bpl]

I'm pretty sure that CMI makes the Springfield mags too.

 

[3:00hold]

I own an M1A scout. In my opinion, leave the damn thing alone. The irons are as good as you are.

The m14 was the last US battle rifle, and was meant to be shot with iron sights. My m1A will shoot 2-3" groups fairly easily with factory winchester 7.62 ammo, and I'm sure the limiting factor is me.

Yes the mags are expensive, but the rifle was expensive too, right? I've never had a misfeed/jam/etc. with the Springfield mags.

 

[valorius]

Depending on your locale one has to seriously weigh the wisdom of using 7.62x51 as a home defense round. The potential for over-penetration with most 7.62 NATO/.308 Win ammo is just too great in most residential settings IMO. 5.56mm XM193 is a much less over-penetrating cartridge that still delivers very good terminal effects. (It also kicks way less, allowing you to put more rounds on target faster). A 12ga shotgun makes even more sense, especially if you're in "big critter country," as you stated.

As far as sighting systems for a short range(ie home) defensive weapon, a tritium front sight post is far more than enough, and is largely idiot and murphy's law proof. FBI stats state that the overwhelming majority of gunfights occur at 7-10 feet.

 

[Pilgram]

Where I live, overpenetration is not an issue like it is for you city slickers. I could stand outside my house and fire 360 degrees and not hit anything or endanger anybody. My closest neighbor is maybe 1/2 mile away with a hill in between. No cell phone service at all where I live. No land line telephone service -- wireless internet toiwer about a mile or two away. No over-the-air TV service at all. 911 is a joke -- maybe 1/2 hour response time on a good day. Two Sheriff's deputies on duty who cover more than 550 square miles.

Predatory critters are seriously big -- think black bear, bobcat and mountain lion. Lost a cat to a lion last year. (Although a plugged in vaccuum cleaner is probably more effective against predators than a firearm <grin>)

Abandoned meth lab a couple miles from me. The "benefits" of rural life these days, I guess.

 

[hso]

I put a Leupold CQ/T on mine sitting on a McCane mount.

 

[valorius]

I wish i lived in a rural setting too. Where i live, a 7.62 would not work well.

Use tracers on the meth lab...nice boom effect.

 

[Al Thompson]

I think the most cost effective solution is a Aimpoint on a scout mount. I have that on a FAL and it works great.

 

[kmcintosh78]

7.62 over penetrate, blah blah blah.
The quest was not if his setup for 'go to' is what you would use.
The question was for "What would be the optics setup" he would use.
Personally, my M1A has the high rise Bassett Mount, Vortex low rings and Vortex Viper 6.5-20X44mm. I can use the irons without removal of the scope, and when needed, shift my cheekpad and reach out and touch what ever I want.
I would also check out www.nitesiters.com. You could use that to get those irons for use at night.
As for Mags, CMI mags are the best and they are what the Military use. 44mag.com is the best source.

 

[Z-Michigan]

On mags - CMI does make Springfield mags, notice the price difference though?

CMI are the best mags currently in production. Supposedly some of the prior USGI makers from decades back did a better job, but CMI mags work fine.

The Taiwan Type 57 mags also work fine - I believe the US made and sold them the tooling! They are a good deal for range or backup mags. For "serious" use I would use the CMI mags, but the Taiwan mags are good for spares etc. and I've had no problems with them either.

 

[longdayjake]

I use iron sights on mine and it has done wonderfully for me. That said, I actually shoot better with iron sights.

 

[Red State]

Congratulations on your Scout purchase.

I have the same gun and have done a bit of experimenting with optics:

1. I tried mine with just the iron sights. It was fine, but I did feel limited by the short sight radius.

2. Next I put on a Burris scout scope. I liked this better than the irons. The mount was nice and low and it made for a nice, compact package. Given the effective range of the .308 (even from an 18" barrel), I still felt that the gun had way more capability than the x2.5 scout scope was made for.

3. So I put a AMRS 18 style mount and a 3-9x40 scope on the gun. Its a bit heavier, but I sure enjoy shooting it. If a person has a carbine or shotgun for close work, I would recommend setting up the M1A/M14 for ranges of 100+ yards.

4. I didnt seriously consider a red dot for this gun because I have other smaller, less powerful guns (like the OP's .30 carbine) that are better suited towards a non magnified sight.

 

[Red State]

PS. Here is my M1A as currently configured:

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=527436

 

[kimberfan]

i put a 2x aim point with 1MOA dot on mine in a scout rail set up and love it!

 

[kimberfan]

oh btw i use type 57 mags and have yet to have a single jam/problem in 500 rounds though that 1 mag, pretty sure they are good to go

got mine for $12 each at midway usa

 

[Geno]

I had an Aimpoint on my M1A "loaded"s. However, I do agree that the iron sights are awesome.

Geno

 

[Welding Rod]

Iron sights.

If you want optics there are better choices to exploit them than a M1A.