But an M1A is not the most conducive to optics mounts.
So I lean for a fore rail ahead of the receiver and some sort of red dot scope. If I wanted to, I could swap off the Leupold Scout scope with its 16 inches of eye relief from where it now sits on the Garand.
But I am intirgued by ACOG and other Trijicon type sighting systems. Particularly the Accupoint. Why? The tritium illumination of the reticle and the fiber optic assist of same give these a good reputation in low light. And 4x magnification is more than enough for me. If I want to shoot 800 yards away I'll get 10x+. But, these Trijicon scopes have much shorter eye relief distances, and all the receiver mounts on the M14s out there are less than ideal.
Well maybe not this one. From Basset Machine. It's supposed to return to zero better than other options, and it has clearance for the iron sights to co-witness. Another data point for me to consider.
That mount isn't TOO expensive, either. I don't have to buy the $1000 scope now...
10 comments:
One problem I had putting a scope on my M1A was that the bell of the scope's front optic blocked the iron sights.
Another challenge I had was trying to use an aluminum mount on a hard-recoiling rifle. No matter how hard I tightened it, the mount always shot loose. I went with the steel Smith Enterprise mount and that solved the problem, but they're pricey.
But then I decided that a scope on a semi-auto battle rifle wasn't the right choice for me, so I went back to iron sights.
Ah, but I am interested in those nigh-bell-less scopes, Turk.
I'm still gonna go with the Sadlack Industries mount system. Able to co-witness the iron sights and it's proven by military use.
Call this my tester, to get me hooked on optics. It's cheap and simple enough.
I've got one of the 1.25-4x30mm Accu-points, and I can't recommend it strongly enough. It's great for low light hog or coyote shooting.
Also, overstock.com occasionally has them at pretty good prices.
I've been using a B-Square no-drill mount to hold a fixed 10x on a Garand. With the target knob carefully positioned to avoid unsightly brass marks, it seems to holding up better than I am. Or holding it up-I'm tempted to start drilling holes in everything. Rides like a Cadillac, and for similar reasons.
I've been looking at the trijicon 1x4 accupoint, heard lots of good thing bout them, the 1x looks f'n great and maybe an spr larue mount to push it back towards the eye. the 1x4 has a constant 3" eye relief through all powers which I like. $775 just seems a little steep....
I love my ACOG on my M4- great 4x scope. I'm not putting a scope on either of my M-1s, I'll 'suffer' with the iron sights.
These are worth considering:
http://www.rapidreticle.com/rr800-1.htm
Pride-Fowler makes two versions of the 7.62 Rapid Reticle-
variable 3-9x40 30mm
fixed 10x42 30mm
The Rapid Reticle is an interesting idea, providing hold-over for ranges and with 2.5 knot wind ticks. Although marked to 800, there is a simple technique for hold-overs to 1050. When ranges are known, but targets may pop up anywhere, the Rapid Reticle facilitate rapid accurate fire.
I put one on a Smith Enterprises Mount and another on a Sadlak mount, one variable and one fixed. Compared side by side with our old mil-dots, there is less to think about. These are truly rapid and more fun. Iron sites or scopes - My son and I cannot stop shooting these! (Your own mileage and/or expected scenarios may vary).
Rapid Reticle simplifies the fire control problem, but a separate system for range determination is needed. A laser range finder (lasers point both ways) can be used. Pre-sketched range cards of terrain/landmarks can be prepared in advance. Or a spotter with a mil-dot scope can work on target detection/ID and ranging. Long range shooting is normally a two man task. The Rapid Reticle supports accurate fire for engagements at quickly changing ranges, making the weapon more effective.
from the Pride-Fowler Rapid Reticle website...
Some examples** of cartidges that work with the rapid reticle RR800:
1.Sierra .308 175 gr. match king B.C. .505 @ 2600 fps. (.308 Winchester)
2.Sierra .308 168 gr. match king B.C. .462 @ 2700 fps. (.308 Winchester)
3.Nato 7.62 147 gr. FMJ BT B.C. .401 @ 2800 fps.
4.Sierra 6.5 140 gr. SBT B.C. .495 @ 2600 fps. (6.5x55 Swedish)
5.Sierra .284 168 gr. Match King B.C. .488 @ 2600 fps. (7-08 Remington)
6.Hornaday .224, 75-gr. A-MAX B.C. .440 @ 2700 FPS. (.223 Remington)
7.Can also be used with .556, 55/62/77 grain bullets out to 600 yards
** The above listed loads are just a few of the hundreds of possible combinations which work with the RR800
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