Hey all,

I know this stuff has probably been answered in separate threads, but my google-fu is weak. If it has been answered before, please link the thread.

On to the questions.

I am looking at getting a second SA M1A standard around the beginning of next year and already know how I want to build it. Looking at getting one in a wood stock so it has that classic charm of wood and steel.

I plan on putting it into the synthetic stock that came on my first M1A as that rifle is now in a sage and will never be going back to the old stock. I am swapping stocks as I want to keep the wood 100% and like to run rifles a little rough. Will a rifle in a wood stock fit a synthetic stock the same?

Will a GI butt plate fit a synthetic SA stock and install with the hardware from the synthetic stock?

Also looking into optics. I want to put a Leupold Mk 4 (51850) on it. Which mount and ring set up will allow me to still use the irons for 100 - 200 yd shots with out adding much height to the scope center line over the bore?

One last thing. Does anyone know where I can get a good quality sling for an M1A in leather and canvas?

Thanks for any help.

I think the buttplate will fit, but the nuts or screws, maybe both, are different between the wood and plastic stocks.


You're SOL if you want low scope mounting AND the ability to use the irons. You can have one or the other, not both.


A GI web sling can be had for $10-15 and would look correct on your rifle. A leather one from Turner is the best, but very expensive at $60 or so. If you're not shooting Service Rifle matches with the rifle, then a less expensive one will do for range work and as a carrying strap.

Thanks for the info Ironhandjohn.

So, which nuts and screws would I need for attaching the GI style buttplate to the synthetic stock? It currently has the rubber buttpad installed from the factory.

Which mount/ring combo would work best for allowing iron sight use?

iirc only the upper screw is different and you may be able to reuse the ones supplide with your stock for the metal buttplate assembly.  SA INC Syn stock used to be (may still be) a GI that they just addade a cheap crinkle finish to and filled in the selector cut.

Wood stock upper screw is wood thread while the syn is machine thread.
eta both lower screws are machine as they are held in place via the sling mount.

SA ran out of the GI stocks awhile back. The newer stocks they produce are some kind of really nice polymer. I got a newer one in green.

Found a site that has both used M14 buttplates and used mounting hardware sets for synthetic stocks in 'excellent' condition. I think I will order that tonight and see how it works out. Even if the hardware is the same, it's always nice to have spare parts.

Double check over at the CMP site.  

They had M14 wood stocks complete with all the metal work for $35.  The wood was refurbed by the army by in most cases sanding the ever loving piss out of them.  The metal is the value though, It may be original park or black paint over park.  Figure you're buying the hardware with a free maybe usable wood stock.  I bought two and found them a bit too sanded for my tastes but retain them for the hardware.   If you buy a McMillan glass stock or a Boyds wood, you will need the hardware.

I don't know what the current SAInc. synthetic stock and polymer buttplate uses for hardware.  I highly doubt it's the same as the USGI synthetic screws.  The USGI synthetic used a washer and fine screw with an oddball threading so it's hard to replace/find on it's own.

My personal preference would be to get a USGI fiberglass stock from Fred’s.
All the ones I have gotten from him came with a M14 buttplate.
The screw, nut holder, and nut seem to be getting expensive which I usually take as a sign something is getting scarce.

Ordered buttplate and hardware for synthetic stock a couple hours ago from treelinem14.com.

I plan on getting an M1A in a wood stock and am planning to use my spare synthetic stock as a beater stock. No stock coming with the buttplate.

I think I might remove the buttplate from the synthetic stock tonight and see what kind of hardware is holding the top screw in. From what I understand, it should be the same as the GI style stock as I have seen GI buttplates on new production SA synthetic stocks.

For the scope issues, if you want to go back and forth between scoped and irons, look no further than a Bassett scope mount. The low mount sits pretty low and it literally installs in SECONDS!!! Couple that with a Bradley cheek rest and you've got a quick on and off solution and can go from GI M1A with irons to a scoped M1A  very quickly. I'd say that the time to convert because of the time it takes to strap on a Bradley cheek rest would be 2 to 3 minutes and it requires no gunsmithing at all and no permanent modifications to the stock with no drilling.

I do M14 videos and this is one of the topics I'm going to cover in the coming month or two. I have the exact combo and it works very well for me. If you go with a 40mm objective, you can get pretty low with it and use some low rings. The Bassett will return to zero within 1 to 2 clicks upon reinstallation.

For a more permanent solution, look at the Sadlak. It's a very solid mount. For rings, you can go with Badger ordnance or Leupold Mk4 rings.

Tony.

The Guru has spoken.

The only thing I have to add that hasn't been said (that I saw) yet is to ditch the SAI plastic stock and replace it with a USGI fiberglass. The fiberglass stocks are MUCH more rigid and will help you squeeze a little more accuracy out of the rifle. SAI plastic stocks arw flimsy and cheaply built, so you dont want that.

Thought about that. Decided I would rather just use what I already have as it will primarily be a range gun. The rifle that was originally in the SA stock I will be using shot sub MOA at 100 yd, so I think it will work fine for my purposes with the second M1A that will live in it.

Thanks to everyone for your input. Looks like I got all my questions answered and then some.

I recommend an A.R.M.S. 18 scope base. It sits lower than the Bassett (and all others). You'll actually be looking through the iron sights OVER the rail surface, once you remove your scope. You'll need QD scope rings to make this work of course. I use the A.R.M.S. QD scope rings and it's extremely easy to remove the scope in seconds and switch to irons. It may even be low enough that won't need a cheek riser. I did without one for a few years, but finally got a Blackhawk for the increased comfort, since I hardly ever remove the optic. I just got more M14's for when I want to shoot iron sights, or E2 stock, or EBR. It's an addiction...



 

Good points! I've got an M14.CA mount for my chassis system and it's always scoped now. I've got a Bassett for my match legal LRB to use when testing accuracy loads and I'm building an M25 that won't even have a front sight on it because it's going to be scoped from the beginning.

To the OP, if you don't get good accuracy out of that new plastic stock, consider stiffening it with inlaid fiberglass or carbon fiber arrow shafts or get a GI fiberglass or even one of the newer carbon fiber stocks from AG composites.

Tony.

I read about someone using a Chevy 350 pushrod, Bondo, and a dremel to stiffen the front of his Savage 110FP stock, so don't be afraid to use your imagination to fix your M1A stock m

I layered in some fiber glass cloth and resin to help stiffen the front of my GI fiberglass stock.  It sill had some flex, so I epoxied in a couple of pieces of a graphite arrow shaft.  That seems to have worked well without adding weight.  I have just finished bedding the action which it really needed, and it is doing much better now.
1st 3 shots touching, then I got excited and blew it/

Wow the AG composites stock is sexy!

Carbon Fiber M1A stock

edit: added link

Good shooting.  Nice rifle and cool mount.  Which mount is that?  I remember somebody had some Israeli mount I should've bought a while back that looked like a good, solid single point mount.

that is an early model Ewings, which basicaly a low tech Bassett.  It is all steel, with the round pins a la Bassett, and a Weaver style base mounted to it.  the steel makes it a bit heavier than  a Bassett, so I have been considering swiss cheesing it to save weight.

I don't believe I've ever seen one of those.  INTERESTING.    I've said it before but I'll say it again.  When I started using the crappy GenIII springy mount as a single point, I didn't get a wandering zero.  But when I had it attached the rear stripper clip guide attachment block they give you, I felt like it wouldn't stay zero'd.  I would like to retest again sometime to see if it really is the case.

I'm sure a good 2 point mount is going to be more robust and be able to withstand more abuse and if done right, it would be more solid.  But I don't think the springy genIII is made as well as the other mounts.  So...  But the point being, the .gov used single point mounts on the M14 in service for a long time.  Maybe it wasn't optimum, but it worked for them at that point.

Is the optic well centered over the bore?  Or is it off to the left a bit?  I realize different height rings would adjust one way or another, but just curious how that all lines up for you.

I'm using low Weaver rings, and the scope is centered.  I had to move to the top set of holes so I could use the iron sights.  I have Bushnell Elite 3200 10x40 Mil Dot on it.  The later Ewings had 4 adjsutment holes insted of 3 that mine has.  I don't know if they are taller for a higher set up, or if the 4th hole is for a lower set up.  I picked this one up off of eBay last year.  There was also one of the 4 hole units there too.  I think there was a total of 3 mounts for sale.
To get the proper eye relief I had to flip the Weaver base around, and then move it up to the top.  Other than that, it has been good to go.

I would definitely need to see pics before I believed an M1A Standard could shoot sub-MOA in a plastic SAI stock. The suggestion to drop that and get a USGI fiberglass isn't just my opinion--it's a widely known issue with a cheap, easy fix. If it will just be a range toy, then that's even more of a reason to go for a fiberglass USGI, as they are ugly and intended for rifles that are shooters, not showpieces or match guns. You could easily sell the plastic SAI stock to fund a USGI one, which is a no-brainer IMHO.

So that day was probably a good day for my rifle. I didn't think of taking pics as that was the first time I had shot an M1A ever. Anyway, it is now impossible to try replicating those results as that rifle now lives in a sage chassis. As for swapping to a GI stock, I would really like to just use what I already have as I will already have an extra stock taking up space when I get the new rifle next year. Though it will be something I will look into when I have more space.

Alright, new question.

Found out why my stripper clip guide is loose. Brass hits it when the rifle ejects spent casings.

Anyone know which parts need to be swapped on a SAI M1A to correct this?