Hello everyone.
The wife has been gone for a month and a half now hiking the Appalachian trail and needless to say, the good idea fairy has set up shop. We shoot team matches such as snipers unknown and the mammoth sniper challenge together. My geniuses idea is to run a M1a at the mammoth in January.
I bought the rifle in 2010 from a gun show thinking it was a SA national match. All current signs are pointing to that being a lie. No hooded rear sight. I have not put more then 150 rounds through it and the only things I have done is throw it in a archangel stock and put a SA rail (peened and lock tight). To be honest I never shot a group with it at 100 till this afternoon. With m118 I produced 3x 5 shot groups at 2.14 inches average.
My questions:
1) Is the Accuracy exceptable in the M1a community? Coming from a trued 700 with a m24 hart barrel shooting 3/8 groups all day I'm not impressed. I know it's a apples to cucumbers comparison.
2) will someone point me to a source for reloading information. I have always heard over pressure is REALLY bad in this platform. What velocity can I expect to get out of 20 inch barrel shooting 175s, 168s, 155s?
3) my hand gaurd interferes with the stock, again not even pretending to be an expert...but... it seems bad. Can I float it some how or is trimming it to have clearance all I can do.
4) gas cylinder. Not even gonna open the can of worms regarding what method of unitizing is better. I'll buy what ever I can find... don't really want to get this one welded, it looks cast. Second issue with it is the fitment of the gas cylinder lock, I have just over 1/4 turn of over travel. Baring the fact that I want to find a unitized cylinder and most likely having the same issue with the new. Where do the shims go? Logic tells me between the lock and cylinder but let's not forget I'm knee deep in what it's right now. Also, Does a adjustable gas plug or new piston help?
5) op rod. Does a sadlak or badger guide and new spring help? The op rod itself looks like a 12 year old in auto shop turned it on a brake lathe during lunch time. It's not smooth where it interferes with the guide.
6) The stock is incredibly ridge, clearances well down the channel and seems to hold the action firmly on both sides of the action where I would expect it needs it.
Thanks for entertaining me and my crazy quest for a sub MOA M1a.
