Scoping my M1A

N

Noban

New member
I have a nice Leupold scope that I am planning to mount on my M1A. I saw an add in SGN (CDNN, I believe) advertising a "Generation II" mount made by Springfield. The price is right ($50) if they are worth a damn - any feedback?

Thanks

Noban
 
From what I've heard, the Springfield mounts are made of aluminum and will shoot themselves loose quite easily. I plan on getting a steel Brookfield Precision mount for my M1A after I've saved up enough pennies.
 
Forget the aluminum mounts. The best is still the Brookfield. Unfortunately, it's also not cheap either (around $225 when I bought one).
 
Get the brookfield. I have a GEN III I believe from spingfield it is pretty solid and made of steel with two mounting points, but the brookfield is better.Save up some money though. I bought the brook gas piston and guide rod they both look first rate, havent installed yet.

Hank, and others can the stripper clip female threads that springfield uses on their mount be used on the brookfield? My roll pin that I used to instll the stripper clip adaptor would only go in about 4\5th the way so I filed the nub sticking out. I was hoping I could us this adapter with the brook? Can you recomend how to get out old roll pin from underneath as it wont go any further down, maybe a fexible punch?
 
oberkommando:

I think the tool you are looking for is called a gunsmith. ;)

I believe the Brookfield has a different rear screw mount position than the Springfield 3rd Gen.

I have had a 3rd Gen. mount for about 3 years now and when properly installed, it does not shoot loose. You do have to pay attention to the installation though.

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If you're not a little upset with the way the world is going, you're not paying attention.
 
oberkommando, I don't have a Springfield mount so I could not tell you. I can tell you that the Brookfield and the Art II mount that I have on my M 21 version would not match up using the same lug in the stripper clip slot. I do have some roll pin acid however. It will eat through roll pins and nothing else! :) If it ain't broke why fix it?
Best
 
HankL:

How do you like the M21? I get mine in a week. Any recommendations on accessories, setup, tip and tricks, ammo choices, etc.?

It would be great to hear from a fellow owner with more experience than myself.
 
BJM, I like my M21 a lot. It is not the M21 that Springfield is selling these days though, I have had mine for 20 years or so.
The key item wiil most likely be ammo, the original M21 was set up to use M118 Special Ball with a projectile weight of 172 grains at 2640 fps. Enjoy your new rifle!
 
I keep hearing from some guys that the M1A is a lousy rifle to scope. Why is this true? Why isn't this true? I have been entertaining the idea of scoping my M1A for a year or so now, but hesitate due to people saying they shouldn't be scoped. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
It's really not that bad of a rifle to scope, but it's somewhat of a compromise. All of the scope mounts project over the top of the reciever and invariably get slapped by brass as it ejects from the rifle. The ejection port is also restricted severely. There are two ways to scope the gun so that this isn't a problem. One is to put a scout-type mount on the gun over the barrel. The other is to MAKE a mount that will place the scope beside the ejection port in M-1C/D Garand style. This is the way I would go. As for the AR-10 and FAL guns, these are both simple guns to scope. With the Flattop AR-10, you simply put rings on. The FAL takes many different kinds of mounts but most clamp over the upper receiver.

The whole debate comes down to what you want to do with the gun. It's a compromise in terms of sniping although certainly adequate as a battle rifle with iron sights. For sniping, any bolt-action will do. If you want a gun that will do both, I'd have to lean towards a gun that was easier to scope. I might catch some flack from fans or purists out there but it's something I truly believe. If you'd tell us what you want to do with the rifle or what your feelings are toward the factors I listed, it might just be that you can live with the defficiencies.

As for the generation thing. I think first generation has one bolt, second generation has two (one going through a block installed in place of the stripper clip guide) and generation three is mounted higher so that you can use the iron sights at the same time. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
Yes that is right far as I know, I have the third and you can see through the bottom to use iron sights. Problem is that the damn stock is not tall enought to get a good cheek weld and see through the scope, so you have to have an ajustable cheek rest to lower for iron or raise for scope. Anyone know if somebody makes a M-21 Style stock in laminate?
 
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