You're in the Devine forum. You might want to try the M14 or Modern M14 forums.

 

A cheek rest will make shooting the M1A with a scope more comfortable. It isn't totally necessary.

 

I have “low” rings and tried with and without cheek pad. For me I get better groups without a pad! 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

Hello all.

Great forum. Just ordered my M1A. Will be here Monday. I ordered the scope mount from Springfield Armory (4th gen).



Will I need a cheek riser for this rifle? I have ordered the scope as well.

Vortex Venom 5-25x56

Any suggestions on a sling?

I have read some reviews stating after shooting the screws come loose. Local gunsmith stated if that happens to add a bit of screw glue.

Any ideas on that?

Thank you all.

M1A stocks like Garand stocks were designed for a perfect weld for the average American service member. Stock profiles vary in eye alignment far more than most realize. Depending on the stock profile and the height of your scope you may need a cheek pad for perfect eye and cheek alignment. Accuracy depends on perfect repeatable alignment from shot to shot. The only way to be sure is to mount the scope mount of your choice and only torque the mount per the instructions. I start with medium height rings and shoot it at 100 and 200 with quality NM ammo from Federal or Black Hills to get your best groups. If you get MOA or sub groups in a nice grouping without vertical stringing with that ammo you’re golden. Adding a cheek riser will tighten up those groups and eliminate vertical and horizontal stringing if cheek weld is the problem. I shoot three shot groups to keep the barrel from heating up during testing so I can get closer to the cold bore result. When I get a perfect triangle group of .75 or less that falls within the width of the thickness of the scope reticle I am happy.

 

Major bugaboo for me. I have a longer face, so I can get away with more with cheek weld. I like scopes and red dots, but I really don't want the "mess" of a cheek riser. So I settled on a red dot, with a lower plane of sight. A scope with no riser, I feel like I am balancing on my chin, to get sighted.

 

Watch out for scope-bite in the prone position!

 

I've always needed a cheek rest for my M1A rifles when using a scope, but I know that there are people that seem satisfied without using one. Personally, I think it comes down to performance expectations and physical characteristics. Those are not things that are universal, and it's impossible to tell someone whether they need a rest or not.

 

I shot my scoped M14 without a cheek riser for a while. Adding the cheek riser was an improvement.

 

Soldiers have been adding improvised cheek pads to scoped M14s since Vietnam circa 1970…

…and 40 years later they were still adding improvised cheek pads to the M14 stock w/ scoped rifles…

…Why? The M14 stock was simply not ergonomically designed for a scope that has an optical center that sits about 1.5” above the iron sights. Just an fyi.

 

A proper and repeatable cheek weld is a must, I prefer the lowest scope mounting options possible, and went with a cheek rest.