Scope mount options for L1Al.

[jimmyraythomason]

I recently aquired a Canadian made Century L1A1 in .308. It has been rebuilt by a local armorer with new(old stock)parts and a new 11.25:1 twist barrel. I am going to scope it and am looking for a solid bolt cover scope mount and have narrowed it down to 2 very similar brands. The first one is the DSArms SA58 Extreme Duty mount. The other is the A.R.M.S Picatinny FAL/L1A1 mount. Price range is very close and design is almost identical. Is one to be preferred over the other or are there better options?

 

[bozzman3]

Ask here http://www.falfiles.com/forums/index.php

 

[jimmyraythomason]

Thanks but I prefer to ask THR. The reason I say that is because gun/platform specific forums are generally full of fanboys who are fanatics about their favorite brands of parts/accessories and are very biased in their opinions. THR generally has a broader base of experiences and attitudes of members .

 

[bozzman3]

I understand what you are saying.Most of the people on that forum are mature and have a lot of knowledge.Typical people on the FAL forum have a broad range of gun knowledge.It seems to be because the FAL isn't a entry level rifle.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

There's nothing wrong with having a favorite firearm(I do too). If I had my druthers,I would have an M1a Springfield instead. I like the FAL style rifle okay but it needs optics to get the most out of it.

 

[bozzman3]

I went with this mount because I was told it would take a long time for DSA to ship.Also People said that the DSA mount could mar the receiver a bit so once it goes on it should stay on.I like the idea of sliding the dust cover off and sliding the scope mount right on.Down side is the scope sits very high on the rifle.

http://www.e-sarcoinc.com/fnstanagmountorignew.aspx

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I've heard the complaint that this type of mount mars the finish but the pictures I've seen that were supposed to illustrate the damage were so minor that I don't see a problem. It's a battle rifle afterall not a show piece. My particular rifle already has marring typical of this type of mount so.... Thanks for the link,that's the kind of response I was hoping for.

 

[Gordon]

I went with DSA on my inch L1a and my metric FAL and have never looked back. They are very good indeed.

 

[MCMXI]

I agree with Gordon. I have the SA58 PARA Extreme Duty Extended scope mount on my PARA and have been very pleased with it. I can't imagine a better way to mount an optic and I haven't had an issue with it marring the receiver.

http://www.dsarms.com/SA58-PARA-Extreme-Duty-Extended-Scope-Mount---620AEP-A/productinfo/620AEP-A/

 

[MCMXI]

Down side is the scope sits very high on the rifle.

No kidding!! I'll stick with a mount that allows me to mount a scope at the "perfect" elevation.

 

[Robert]

I went with the DSA on my FAL and love it. Installation was very easy, and my Nikon M223 is at the perfect height using Burris medium Zee rings.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I am planning on using my Leupold VX-11 3x9x50.

 

[Robert]

To clear that objective you will need high rings, maybe extra high. For that you will need a cheek rest of some sort.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I had another scope with the same objective on a flat top AR that worked "okay" without a cheek rest but I will be installing an add on or possibly replacing the butt stock with one built in for the L1A1. I do have other options if that proves unworkable.

 

[MCMXI]

I do have other options if that proves unworkable.

The obvious one is to choose a different scope. I had a Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40mm on my PARA but felt that it was wasted on the rifle. Now I have a Leupold Mark 4 1.5-5x20mm (1" tube) on the PARA and I think it's going to stay there for a long time. I have the scope mounted with Warne QD rings in case I need to use the iron sights.

 

[Robert]

MagPul does make the PRS stock for the FAL, just a thought.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

MagPul does make the PRS stock for the FAL, just a thought.

I like that thought!

 

[MCMXI]

MagPul does make the PRS stock for the FAL, just a thought.

That's a heavy stock though. I have a PRS on an AR15 and an AR308 but both of those rifles are 0.5 MOA capable and qualify as "precision" rifles. Putting a heavy "precision" stock on a rifle barely capable of 2 MOA on a good day seems like putting lipstick on a pig.

It doesn't make sense to me to choose the optic and then go to a lot of trouble to make the optic work on the rifle, but everyone's free to do as they please.

 

[jimmyraythomason]

I had the VX-11 on my FNAR and it was a good match. While this rifle isn't a bench rifle it does have a new 11.25:1 barrel which I expect to be fairly accurate deserving good optics. As I said I have other options,scope wise