I have a SAI M1A Socom 16 and a question. To those with SAI M1A's, is the spring recess for the bolt lock centered between the two lugs on your receiver or is it off-center? The spring on mine is not straight up and down, it leans to the rear. The recess is a little closer to the front lug. SAI said it was normal, I do not believe them. Can anyone advise if theirs is the same?
All the documents I've seen, indicate the spring hole for the bolt lock, is supposed to be CENTERED BETWEEN THE EARS. And the spring hole is supposed to be straight down.
The new Fulton I just got is that way - and the spring hole is straight down at a 90 degree plane to the surface of the receiver at the bolt stop.
Now, I'm not talking my Super apart to see - but the photo is of my '97 - with SEI extended bolt stop.
Pretty much - if the spring maintains the stop centered between the bosses, and doesn't "bunch or bind" when the lock is depressed - it should function OK.
Now - is yours 100% CORRECT TO PRINTS?
Probably not.
Is SAI going to replace it (the receiver) under warranty?
Again - probably not, unless your bolt stop is MALFUNCTIONING.
All the documents I've seen, indicate the spring hole for the bolt lock, is supposed to be CENTERED BETWEEN THE EARS. And the spring hole is supposed to be straight down.
The new Fulton I just got is that way - and the spring hole is straight down at a 90 degree plane to the surface of the receiver at the bolt stop.
Now, I'm not talking my Super apart to see - but the photo is of my '97 - with SEI extended bolt stop.
Pretty much - if the spring maintains the stop centered between the bosses, and doesn't "bunch or bind" when the lock is depressed - it should function OK.
Now - is yours 100% CORRECT TO PRINTS?
Probably not.
Is SAI going to replace it (the receiver) under warranty?
Again - probably not, unless your bolt stop is MALFUNCTIONING.
The recess for the bolt stop spring is not perfectly centered between the ears or the opening. Measuring off the front face of the receiver, the center of the ears is at 3.783" and the hole is at 3.7795", .0035" forward of center. The hole in the bolt stop is also 0.001" off-center. The hole in the receiver is not centered because the spring hole is supposed to be biased to the front of the ears, and the bolt stop when pushed fully forward in the ears by the bolt, have a slight spring bias to spring back when the bolt force is released.
The hole in the bolt stop is not perfectly centered, as you have to define locations from real surfaces, not theoretical centerlines.
The problem here appears to be the bolt stop is too narrow or the distance between the ears too wide. The original design had a maximum clearance of .037" between the length of the stop and the width between the ears
Just like the scope mounts on SAI's are truly milspec and no one has ever had issues mouting a scope on their M-1A. Close enough for government work just ain't good enough sometimes....
This is my Springfield M1A Loaded. Based on the drawing that RSConsulting posted, it looks like it should be centered. I think I could have done a better job of centering that hole by hand with my 18v Makita. I think everyone should post pictures of bad craftsmanship on their rifles. That way manufacturers would be on notice to slow down and do it right or the world will see it.
This is my Springfield M1A Loaded. Based on the drawing that RSConsulting posted, it looks like it should be centered. I think I could have done a better job of centering that hole by hand with my 18v Makita. I think everyone should post pictures of bad craftsmanship on their rifles. That way manufacturers would be on notice to slow down and do it right or the world will see it.
Apparently I need some pointers on how to post pictures. All I see is a place holder but if I click on the place holder it takes me to the picture.
Almost looks like the bolt stop itself is too narrow (or the ears are too far apart). There shouldn't be quite that much "daylight" between the stop and the ears.
That, and the spring should be straight up/down between the hole in the receiver and the hold in the stop.
Wanted to bump this thread. This is my Socom 16, looks off center and also has about 1/8" play side to side with the SEI extended bolt release installed. Anyone else's offset like this?
I haven't looked closely at any but my own, upon installation, but that 16 is the wonkiest I've ever seen. Don't know what you can do about that, except mayb e small washers on the rear side to keep the bolt stop more forward, over the hole. As long as it functions, i assume there is no warranty coverage, but you could ask SAI.
My SOCOM has play back & forth , the Spring can be a little off , but it works fine , & I thought about shimming it , just so I knew it was centered , but its has not failed to work & hard to see unless you'r looking for it , so no big deal to me .
Both my early 1994 preban M1As have the spring slightly off center as well, but there is hardly any gap between the stops and ears on either rifle. Operation is smooth on both stops as well...
The offset bolt hold open spring well on Springfield Armory Inc. M1A receivers is pretty much normal.
I do not know why they have not addressed that issue a long time ago; it seems like it would be a easy thing to fix at the manufacturing level.
If you are expecting perfection on a M14 type receiver, do not look for it from SAI.
That's a prime example of tolerance stacking one or all of the parts could be off..... My 238K SAI loaded isn't anywhere as bad looking as some have posted pictures of and my USGI SA heeled rifle is dead knutz perfect..
This is an interesting observation, I'm glad this got resurrected as I missed it the first time around.
My black Miss September M14OTM s/n 129,xxx has the angled spring, my other green J.A.E.-100 M14OTM s/n 145,xxx is dead "nuts" even. Weird as there is not a bunch of time between the receivers.
m14brian
corners will be cut when making a cheaper m14 type rifle. As long as the end result is safe and reliable is what matters most. Now if I paid LRB prices and got SAI quality, I would not be happy and would not accept it. To this day, my SAI M21 has not had one jam or hiccup and has been superbly accurate, so I can overlook a minor flaw .
That said, I will not be buying another sai product.
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