Springfield M-1A Scout

[Bucky]

Does anyone have any experience with this rifle.  Does it have a prounounced blast?  Is it very accurate?  What grain bullet does it digest most accurately (my guess is 168 gr. match hp).  How does it handle?  Most importantly, do you like it?

[John Traveler]

Buckey,

If you are referring to the Springfield Armory product that is a shortened semi-auto civilian M14, forget it.

I used to shoot military match with the M1 and M14 service rifles.  Our armourers played with accurazing the so-called "Tanker" M1 Garands, and were never able to obtain accuracy even approaching standard M1 accuracy.

The same would likely be true of a shortened M1A.

Get a standard model M1a.  They are much nicer shooting, and approximate a service rifle as used by our Marines in Afghaistan and Iraq.

[Larry Gibson]

Bucky

Guess I've got to disagree with John traveler.  I've currently 3 M1As of my own and have shot many, many M14s.  Have many years experience shooting Service Rifle (Master classification - both short and long range), IPSC and varmint hunting (coyetes mostly) with them.  Prior to SA making a "scout"  in the late '70s I shortened the barrel of one of my rack grades to 18" and remounted the flash suppressor.  I bedded the action into a GI fiberglass stock, stiffened the forend by bedding cut in half a length of conduet, removed the hinged butt plate and installed a recoil pad.  The front sight post needed to be welded up to make it higher to zero with the shorter barrel.  The "scout" weighed right at 8 lbs with a 10 round loaded mag.  

Accuracy was MOA with match loads of 150 or 168 MKs and right at  1 1/4 with Speer 130 HPs.  I would shoot most US M80 into 2 1/2 - 3 MOA.  Velocity loss was about 100 fps with the shorter barrel.  I used it quite successfully in IPSC matches and varmint hunting for some years just using the issue iron sights.  When SA announced to availability of the "scout" base that fit onto the barrel I immediately ordered one.  I mounted a 1.5X Burris scout scope.  How did I like it?  Well after about 15,000 rounds and the barrel reading a "9" on a throat erosion guage accuracy finally fell of to over 2.5 MOA with the 130 HPs.  I have since rebarreled it but haven't gotten around to cutting the barrel.

In the interim I have shot several of the SA produced "scouts" and their predecessor, the "bush" rifle.  All function fine and accuracy was very good.  The "scout" scope concept takes a littlle bit of getting used to.  But once you do it is indeed very fast and very worth while.  I don't get too excited over the absolute weight/length restrictions that Cooper does but the concept is definately valid.  I also do not consider a "scout" rifle to be the "end all" but they do accomplish many applications as well and quicker than a conventionally scoped rifle.  There are some applications they do not excell at but all in all they are very usefull hunting rifles for about 80-90 % of hunting situations.  I have 4 "scout" type rifles currently.

Of course if you inted to shoot registered SR matches the "scout" M1A is not "legal".  However, they are very nice rifles for the intended purpose.  Unfortunately some seem to mount every conceiveable gadget on them plus a crew served scope (generally about as big as the rifle)  in an attempt to make them a "sniper" rifle or some "do everything" rifle which they are not.  Keep them slim and trim with a 1.5 to 2X scout scope on them and they are very powerful and handy rifles yet useable for numerous purposes.

Larry Gibson

[John Traveler]

Larry,

My apologies for labeling the scout M1A as likely to be inaccurate.

I bow to yoru extensive and satisfactory shooting experience with them.  

Have you had any luck at accurate-shooting M1A rifles using the "non-flashider" type muzzle brakes?

John