Yes, they use a fair amount of cast parts, however the only ones I’d be concerned about are the parts in the trigger group. The hammer hooks in my experience are the weakest link.

 

They use a fair amount of cast parts, however the only ones I’d be concerned about are the parts in the trigger group. The hammer hooks in my experience are the weakest link.

its a little off putting , thinking im tabling the idea

 

I wouldn't put it off because of some cast parts. SAI has a lifetime warranty, yes it is a pain to send in for warranty, but they pay for all shipping to and from and are easy to work with. I have SAI and have changed hammer and trigger and shot 3000+ rounds from a couple and never an issue so far.

 

However, you don’t hear of many problems with them, and they have a lifetime warranty. I prefer forged parts, but I have a early 2000s m1a scout that functions great.

 

Might want to look over this thread as well.

https://www.m14forum.com/threads/basic-sai-parts-question.553890/?post_id=5102472#post-5102472

 

i may have to just let it soak in and get my head wrapped around it , but i do not see myself jumping anytime soon

 

Just build one. Use the best of both worlds. I guess you want some form of modular chassis/stock and a shorter barrel. Dress it up the way you want.

 

actually the Socom 16 i was only going to lose the forward pic-rail and put a full handguard on and use a more traditional scope setup and leave the rest of the rifle be

ive had my 5 line for a very very long time and it would devastate me to see happen to it that i see happen to some rifles ive seen in posts , so i find my self shooting it less and less and have been using my LR308 for my .308 fix more and more

ive been through this with other firearms ,matching german ww2 stuff , comes a point where i start to ask myself is it worth the risk , i understand most do not care what happens happens ,im not put together like that , its easier to brush off something newer than something thats been in the safe for decades thats survived the bad times where other pieces were not so fortunate and were sold off

i use to keep shooter P08 lugers, P38 Walthers , K43 ect , mismatched numbers , but those were always the first to go if i was in a bind

 

Hoop, imo, SAI subcontracts some excellent commercial parts. Bolts, oprods, GCers and TG housings are GTG. There MW barrels are excellent and can be bought here occasionally for very good prices. The only parts I change out on my commercial parts rifles are the trigger group guts and bolt guts. There are some very accomplished shooters here who shoot mostly commercial rifles.

 

Oh come on now hoops, get that socom from your favorite place, then just swap out the trigger and hammer for USGI. You might even have an extra trigger and hammer in your stash o’ parts, if not, then can always get them here. Now, am I pushing you to get the socom, OH HELL YES I AM 😇😇

 

It's a process , I can't mess with the process

 

 

I suppose that qualifies as good trigger discipline.

 

Even some USGI parts were cast.

The only suspect parts on recent M1A's are the hammer and trigger. Unless they are factory NM tuned, replace them with USGI.

Some small parts, like the elevation knob, are blued instead of parkerized. That would bug me.

 

I rebuilt an SAI commercial trigger group last spring that had around 8,000 rounds through it and had started to double tap from wear. Trigger pull was about 3 3/4lbs at that point.

 

Wasn't there a 16in barrel in the PX? If i remember it was extremely affordable. A stripped SAI receiver and a couple of LRBs new in box...

Nevermind apparently the socom barrel didn't sell. 40usd and it didn't sell?!

https://www.m14forum.com/threads/wts-socom-16-barrel-withdrawn.552965/?post_id=5088777#post-5088777

 

Wasn't there a 16in barrel in the PX? If i remember it was extremely affordable. A stripped SAI receiver and a couple of LRBs new in box...

Nevermind apparently the socom barrel didn't sell. 40usd and it didn't sell?!
https://www.m14forum.com/threads/wts-socom-16-barrel-withdrawn.552965/?post_id=5088777#post-5088777

there was, I was trying to get rid of it. End up just tossing it in the trash when no one wanted it 😔.

 

I have a unitized gas cylinder that I believe is from SAI. I got it from Midway several years ago. I believe it is a casting. It’s just enough out of spec that my 2 M14 wrenches(different brands) won’t fit, and it won’t allow a gas cylinder lock to “clock” properly, causing short stroking. I think I have fixed the issue. I should find out Tuesday.

 

I have many NOS/excellent condition gas cylinder locks that don’t time properly between 6 and 10 o’clock. Removing a little material from the lock fixes the problem. I use sandpaper on my tablesaw top. If the gas cylinder is installed against the shoulder, even a very badly timed lock shouldn’t cause short stroking. Maybe I’m missing something here?

 

I've been interested in the SOCOM but more recently, I think I like the Scout Squad better. I'm no expert at all, but considering modern manufacturing, I would trust the components to function as expected under fire. Maybe I'm just an optimist.

 

I have a Scout and for a range trip with inexpensive ammo out to 200 yards almost all the time I take the Scout and leave the Standard at home. It actually does better than a Standard. YMMV

 

Yeah there all cast parts

 

Hoop,

You're over thinking this.Buy a Socom if that mode of your choice, shoot it and get on with life. Anything breaks, SAI covers it or replace broke part with a US GI part. Before you pull that trigger, consider the Scout model closely, I think it offers the best choice ...and I own a Socom so I'll not cheer lead it over a Scout.

Parts: some here on the board can help if USGI parts desired.

Build: it ain't going to be inexpensive is all I'll say.

 

Gas cylinder locks are self timing. It's the same procedure whether or not it is unitized.

Tap the gas cylinder all the way on. Screw on the lock. It will probably go to 10 or 11 o'clock.

Back it down to 6 o'clock. Tap the gas cylinder forward, against the lock. Install piston and plug, tighten to 15 ft-lbs.

Assuming you tapped the gas all the way on in the beginning, there should not be any short stroking.

Shine a high intensity light thru the bore. Look into the relief port on the underside of the gas cylinder. You should see a perfectly round light.

 

Several years ago when the SOCOM was first introduced I purchased one. It had a commercial trigger group and I bought a USGI complete trigger group as a spare. I never used it and it became part for a later build.

For me, in order to get the most out of the SOCOM it was really a handloading proprosition. I ended up selling it and purchased an early Bush Rifle (Scout Rifle) which I was much happier with. I made it a tad shorter by installing a SEI Coast Guard muzzle brake and a screwed and glued gas system. It now resides in a Choate folding stock.

 

Seemed like more than average for a while, maybe my sense of time is off on it.
m14brian

 

I find it humorous that people here shun cast parts, as if they are glass or tissue paper.

In the AR world, cast parts are what you look for; and the only two forged steel parts on an AR are the least loaded parts in the entire design.

There were cast USGI hammers and safeties.

 

I find it humorous that people here shun cast parts, as if they are glass or tissue paper.

In the AR world, cast parts are what you look for; and the only two forged steel parts on an AR are the least loaded parts in the entire design.

There were cast USGI hammers and safeties.

Those cast parts SAI uses fail and it’s very common for them to fail . For example there extractors , there hammers, triggers, the elevation knobs they use wear down and stop working. Show me a USGI part that wears out like that

 

I find it humorous that people here shun cast parts, as if they are glass or tissue paper.

IMO, the poor online reputation of cast M14 parts can possibly be attributed to a batch of cast SAI M1A bolts from the early to mid-1980s that were not properly heat-treated, and a later batch of hammers, triggers and extractors that SAI used in the 2000-2001-200? era - after they largely ran out of USGI parts (at least form their standard rifles). Those 3 parts from 20-plus years ago seem to fail on occasion, resulting in all the pooh-poohing extrapolated to any/all cast parts. Of course SAI corrected the issue two decades ago, but you still see these threads pop-up from time to time…

I think the ‘date wheel’ on this cast “SA” marked hammer is pointing to “1.” So I presume this is a 2001 manufactured hammer.

…can the hammer hooks fail on old USGI M1 or M14 hammers? Yes, of course, but it seems the cast parts get all the attention when they fail:

…which leads some old-timers to post advice that I agree with - if the trigger group doesn’t have two specific USGI parts. (An unmarked hammer is a clue to being a commercial part).

…Those parts are still cheap and plentiful given the govt made a huge number of spare triggers and hammers back in the day. Metric M14 pinions are a little bit pricier, but they can be found as well.

Anyhow, some guys conflate that era of poor cast parts to all cast parts. That’s my impression re this topic..

 

20 plus years ago and the stigma pops up routinely . Once out in the net, it bounces back!

Kinda like an Elvis Sighting ...never stops.

 

Between 2000 and 2022, the US Military purchased 8,013 extractors, P/N 7791578. The largest single order was thirty-four hundred back on 2006, and all subsequent orders being less than 100 items per contract.

660 Hammers, P/N 5516008
975 Trigger Assemblies, P/N 7267090
429 Trigger Housings, P/N 7790196

All of these, were small volume purchases. How much do you want to bet that the piece parts that come from SAI, JR, LRB, etc., are made at the same facilities that the new USGI parts are made at?

 

Could you provide us with a breakdown of what manufacturers/cage codes provided parts for those contracts? Curious, I'm also sure @Different wouldn't mind the info for research purposes.

 

extractor - Lee Precision Machine Shop, Inc.
hammer - Precision Metals Corp., Smith Enterprise, Inc., United Standard Industries, Inc.
trigger assembly - Connectec Company, Inc., Tri-Technologies
trigger housing assembly - Advanced CNC Manufacturing, Inc., Pioneer Machine Products, Inc., USAC Aerospace Group, Inc.