M1A Project - Finished

[Oldtrooper]

Well, I finished making the cosmetic changes to the Springfield Armory M1A to better represent an M14 rifle ... Here it is.

 

I put on a flash hider with the bayonet lug, a GI M14 stock and a faux selector switch. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

 

 

[timkel]

I like the wood. Is this recent Springfield armory piece? Are you happy with the accuracy, reliability, handling, ect?

[Oldtrooper]

I like the wood. Is this recent Springfield armory piece? Are you happy with the accuracy, reliability, handling, ect?

It was a NIB Springfield ... The only issue was that I had to disassemble the rear sight and basically recalibrate it as 100 yards was actually 1000 yards. After that I had the rifle zeroed in at 100 yards with 9 rounds. Function is 100% with no feed or eject issues. As far as handling it handles like any M1A. I'm very happy with the rifle. I lucked into the stock, as a friend gave it to me along with the GI handguard. Not often that an original walnut M14 stock can be found with no blemishes that has not been refinished. The walnut stocks that Springfield Armory uses today are worthy of using as a fencepost ... The wood overlap of the metal on the new factory stocks is 1/8 of an inch, and the new stocks lack the graceful contour of the original GI stocks. The factory stock reminds me of the Boyd stock that was on my most recent CMP Garand ... Maybe that is what Springfield Armory uses today. The fake selector switch actually rotates, and while maybe lame to have it on the rifle it seals up the hole in the GI stock where the original switch was positioned ... And it does look kind of cool.

[johnsonlmg41]

Looks great! I don't know if I have any stocks that are typical military dark like that? As you said today's stocks seem to lighter color and more polished. I think I have an older SA NM gun (probably 80's) that has a decent stock on it? I got a set of Lee Emerson books in that I'm just getting started in that has a ton of great info in it about the "aftermarket" guns and parts (stock) origins.

If there's a hole in the stock filling it is a better option than leaving it IMO. Somewhere I have one of those, but I don't recall it rotating? One of the FA guns here came in with the round knob.....that quickly got switched out!

[Oldtrooper]

Looks great! I don't know if I have any stocks that are typical military dark like that? As you said today's stocks seem to lighter color and more polished. I think I have an older SA NM gun (probably 80's) that has a decent stock on it? I got a set of Lee Emerson books in that I'm just getting started in that has a ton of great info in it about the "aftermarket" guns and parts (stock) origins.

If there's a hole in the stock filling it is a better option than leaving it IMO. Somewhere I have one of those, but I don't recall it rotating? One of the FA guns here came in with the round knob.....that quickly got switched out!

Thanks ... Actually, the factory stock is worthy of being used as a fence post ... So oversized that the wood overlapped the metal by 1/8" ... The switch rotates, and at least serves to plug the hole in the GI stock for the original select fire switch ... Plus it looks cool.