How To Remove The VLTOR Rail Cluster From A M1A Socom II

INSTRUCTIONS ON REMOVING THE VLTOR RAIL CLUSTER FROM A SPRINGFIELD ARMORY SOCOM II

Hello to all of my fellow SOCOM II owners!  I am pleased to bring you a detailed description on how to remove the VLTOR Cluster Rail from your rifle in a few easy steps. From installing a mod-stock, to simply not having a use for your rails any longer, I will have you ready for whatever plans you have in store for your SOCOM II.

The VLTOR cluster rail removes easily and only requires a few minutes of your time and some very basic tools.  Here is what you will need:

1.)   One 5/32 Allen Key

2.)   One standard size socket wrench with a 3/8” socket attached

3.)   About 10 minutes of time to remove rails

4.)   A small amount of elbow grease

Step One

Locate the two 3/8” bolts on the left side of your SOCOM that attach the rear of the rail to the receiver.  Set your socket wrench to remove the bolts and begin turning them counter clockwise.  My bolts were set very tight and required a little assistance from my wife.  While my wife tightly held the rifle in place, I removed the bolts which eventually broke free and were unscrewed the rest of the way by hand.  The two bolts have washers attached, so be careful not to lose them.

 

Step Two:

Remove the lower portion of your rail cluster from the upper rail assembly.  This is easily done by simply depressing both of the rail locking tabs located on both sides of the lower rail attachment.  Push them in at the same time and simply pull the lower rail away from the upper rail assembly.

Step 3:

Now you have to remove the receiver/barrel from the stock.  This has to be done in order to reach the Allen bolts that secure the upper rail assembly to the barrel.  First start of by removing your trigger group.  This is done by simply pulling out and upward on your trigger guard.  Once the trigger guard is fully opened, remove the trigger group by pulling straight up.  After removing the trigger assembly, the stock should simply lift off of the receiver.  However, my rifle’s stock was very, VERY tight around the receiver and required a little bit of elbow grease.  This is most easily achieved by pulling up on the rear portion of the stock, whilst pulling it towards you to clear the lip that holds the stock ferrule.  Once the stock is off, we move on to the next step.

Step 4:

Now we move on to the actual removal of the upper rail assembly from the barrel.  This is very, very simple.  You will now need to use your 5/32 Allen key.  You will see a large rounded band that curves around the barrel, with two Allen screws on either side.  This is what secured the upper rail assembly to the barrel.  Insert your Allen key and turn counter clock-wise, loosening and eventually removing both screws.  After you have removed both screws, push firmly against the band to loosen it from the rail.  Once it breaks free it should come right out.  Now is the most gratifying step.  Pull the upper rail assembly away from receiver and barrel.  It should come off with little or no effort.

Step 5:

My suggestion at this point is to re-attach all bolts, screws and hardware back onto the rail cluster.  This will prevent you from losing any hardware, should you ever decide to re-install or sell your rail cluster.   It should be noted that there is one piece that is particularly important on the rail cluster that will fall out if not secured back in by the original 3/8” bolt that you removed in the beginning (see photos).  This piece holds the rail tight against the hand-guard clip slot, used to secure the standard rails to the barrel.

Closing:

Now that you are all finished removing the rail cluster, re-assemble your rifle the same way you disassembled it, just perform all actions in reverse(if that makes sense – lol).  Now you are ready to put on that scout rail and hand-guard that has been patiently waiting to be installed…or maybe a new mod-stock?  Whatever you plan to do, do it safely and enjoy that M1A!!!!!

M1A Deal of the Day: Camo M1A Synthetic Stock With Harris Bipod Stud

Don't miss out on this M1A Stock!

Check out this deal on a Camo M1A Synthetic Stock with Harris bipod stud!

Hey M1A lovers! I was browsing ebay when I stumbles across this crazy deal. According to the auction description it's a USGI M1A Synthetic stock painted in a 3 tone camo scheme. The stock was picked up at a gun show and the description states the owner doesn't know what type of paint was used. The stock itself is in very good to excellent condition with some minor handling marks underneath the paint.

The front swivel was replaces with a Harris bipod stud adapter which allows you to attach Harris or Harris style bipods.

You can view the item by clicking the image or link below. Good Luck!

At the time of this post the item has ZERO BIDS and the starting price is ONLY $89.99, HURRY!!

Click here to view the m1a Camo Synthetic Stock

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M1A Video: How to White Letter Your Guns

M1ARifles.com member Sappnasty shows us how to white letter our guns, mags and accessories. Check out the video below.

Materials needed

1. China White marker
2. Rubbing Alcohol
3. Clean cloth
4. Q-tips

Did you like the video? Have something to add or comment? Leave your thoughts below.

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Get Paid to blog here on M1ARifles.com!

Yup, it's true. I'm paying for your experience and opinions about the M1A/M14 rifle.

I'm using my GI bill to go to school and my m1arifles.com blog is slowing down as far as content goes. That's why I'm offering to pay for your M1A/M14 experience and opinions.

I'm willing to pay the following prices for content:

* A single 300-500 word article - $25 ($30 with pictures)
* A single video review or "how to" - $50
* Combination of both video and content - $75

The content could be anything related to the M1A rifle like accessory reviews, m1a history, product reviews, "how to" (ex. "how to disassemble your m1a rifle") new rifle/gun laws, marksmanship, or any other idea you might have.

Your name will be kept as the author on your content, however, you must agree to ONLY publish the content on m1arifles.com. You can't publish it elsewhere. This is to protect m1arifles.com with Google's terms of service regulations.

If you are interested, use the contact form here http://www.m1arifles.com/contact-us/ and send me your ideas for content. If I approve, I will give you the go ahead and wait for the content. Also, respond here in this thread and let me know if you would be interested.

**I will make payments to you via paypal, make sure you have an account, IT'S FREE.**

I look forward to your replies. Comment below

Jerry

Admin

www.m1arifles.com

M1A Deal of the Day: M1A Rifle Stock Tiger Camo Starting at $24

I was browsing ebay and stumbled upon this beauty. It's a USGI fiberglass m1a rifle stock set. Handguard is included. It is slightly used but the paint is pretty fresh. At the  time of this writing the starting bid was at only $24.99 with ONLY 1 bid. The seller's user name is ellicottdepot and has a 100% positive feedback rating which makes this listing the M1A deal of the day.

Time left: 4d 22h (May 09, 201019:25:22 PDT)

You can View the auction by clicking here.

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Another M1A Contest: Win a New Burris FastFire II Red Dot Sight

That's right! M1a Rifles is throwing another contest with a sweet prize. Don't miss out on this opportunity to win a New Burris FastFire II Red Dot Sight with Mount.

It's time to make the m1a forum hyper active again and this contest will do just that. So head over to this post to read the forum contest rules.

M1A Deal Of The Day: Springfield M1A Fiberglass Rifle Stock With Recoil Pad

M1A Deal of the day is something that I will implement from now on here on M1ARifles.com. I will find the hottest M1A Rifle related deals on the net. These deals will be sourced from various sites like ebay, amazon, gun broker and more. All will be related to the M14/M1A. Items to be included will be M1A rifle stocks, slings, rifle scopes, rangefinders, cheek pads, bipods and more.

M1A Deal Of The Day: Springfield M1A Fiberglass Rifle Stock With Recoil Pad

I was browsing through ebay and found this beauty. A Springfield M1A Fiberglass Rifle Stock With Recoil Pad. Here is what the description has to say about this m1a stock.

Up for auction is a rifle stock for the Springfield Armory M1A sporting rifle a rifle that is legally sold in all 50 states and is not a banned rifle under e bay guidelines.

This stock was taken off a new rifle the owner went with a McMillan stock and did not want this.

It has the factory recoil pad and is black it has checkering on the rear and forearm area unlike the USGI issue Viet Nam fiberglass stocks.

Both sling swivels are included and this does not require the metal liner as does the wood stock.

No foreign sales please do not ask.

Thanks for looking and good luck bidders

Click Here to go to auction

The Bidding Started at $0.01

and is currently at only $10.50 with 2 bids. Hurry and jump on it before someone else runs away with this steal of a deal!

Click here to be taken to the auction.

Shooting 1000 Yards with your M1A Rifle: What You Should Know

The M1A rifle is not an inexpensive rifle—the standard model typically costs between $1000 and $1800. So, understandably, people who purchase it want to know if it is reliable and effective. They also want to know how it performs at shooting 1000 yards. Can the M1A rifle shoot 1000 yards, as some people say—or is this just nonsense? Read on to find out.

Background of the M1A

The M1A is actually a high-quality reproduction of the United States M14 rifle that was used during the early years of the Vietnam War. Actually the M14 rifle is still being used in some branches of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marines. Some countries around the world use variations of the M14 as well. So, this should indicate just how reliable and useful the M1A rifle is.

The M1A is classified as an assault weapon if it is equipped with a pistol grip or flash suppressor in many states. In those states, people can get a legal muzzle brake for the rifle. It would be wise for anyone to check local laws before purchasing this rifle.

Shooting 1000 Yards with the M1A

It is definitely possible to shoot 1000 yards with this rifle—no nonsense here. However, it is not simple to do. Anyone—even the most experienced rifle shooter—is likely to have trouble starting out. After all, take a look at any 1000 yard high-power match and you will see that there are very few service rifle entries. And, the people who have entered with service rifles are typically from the military. But this simply points to the fact that the M1A can (and does) shoot 1000 in experienced hands. Why? Well, the military entries in the high-power matches are using the M14 rifles—and these are like the very close relatives of the M1A’s.

Tips on Shooting 1000 Yards

You really need a lot of practice with your M1A in order to be able to shoot 1000 yards, of course. However, there are a few tricks you can try in order to boost your odds of succeeding. Give these tips a try:

• Choose the right bullets. For long-range shooting, you need bullets with the highest ballistic coefficient (BC).

• Try a steady prone position. While this doesn’t work for every shooter (bench shooters), many people still use the prone position for an accurate shot —which, therefore, helps to get their bullets to go further.

• Get a rifle scope. Try buying a M1A rifle scope that is sealed, waterproof, and fog proof. This might help you to get better precision in your aiming, which could help with your distance.

When all is said and done, it all comes down to this—you are going to need to practice. The accuracy and shooting potential of the M1A is exceptional, but only if you put in the time and effort. And, yes, this rifle is definitely dependable and worth the cost. It is excellent at shooting targets, of course, but it can also be put to work for hunting and for tactical uses.

Hog hunting with Your M1A Rifle and What You Should Know

Hog hunting can be a lot of fun if you do it right. An M1A is an ideal hunting rifle, but you have to make sure you can find hogs to shoot. You'll need to find natural hog trails so that you can put feeders down for the hogs to find. If you put the feeders in obscure places, you're diminishing the likelihood that you'll get to bag a hog. Put the feeder where hogs travel. Find a trail or a wallow and that’s where you'll need to put it.

Using hog scents is as effective as using feeders, but again you must put it where the hogs naturally travel for them to be able to find it. Choose dominant boar urine or heat scent, and be sure you're actually putting it where hogs will naturally be near a stream, wallow or trail.

You'll also want a good hunting light to shine on the feeder. Being able to light up the target will make all the difference in both how much enjoyment you'll get from the hunt and how accurate your shots are.

Get yourself a good hog hunting light to hunt at night with. A good feeder light will make those late night and early evening shots much easier to make. Also, you can help attract hogs to your feeder by adding sweetness to it. Any sort of sweet, fruit-flavored powdered drink mix will work as long as you can smell it when you drop it into the feeder and it smells sweet. This tends to attract the hogs.

As far as using an M1a for hog hunting, you'll find it's a bit heavier than some other hunting rifles you may be used to. But the biggest factor in making sure you have a successful hog hunt with your M1A is going to be your scope. You're going to want to be within 100 yards of the target for best results, so a scope with at least 7x magnification should be ideal. Also, the smaller the MOA the better so go with 2 over 4, for instance.

Neck and head shots are the best for bringing down a wild boar, and in order to get that precision shot you don't want to be too far away with a poor scope. Any shot you make typically in the head and above the shoulders of the hog should be a fast, fatal shot. Otherwise, there's the risk of only injuring the creature. Shoulder and front quarter shots are undesirable because of the animal's tough hide and fat, and lack of vital organs. You can avoid the bad shots by making sure you have a well-secured scope and the proper setting on your sight so that you can get a good aim at whatever yardage you're sitting away from the hog.

You also don't want to get too close and alert your prey, because they can be dangerous. Standard .308 ammunition works well for hog hunting, if you go with the heavier bullets.

M1A Scout Squad rifle vs. the M1A Match rifle

As with any firearm, it is important to find the one that fits the requirements you have for your own needs. When comparing quality made rifles, it is important to know what makes one rifle different from another, such as the M1A Scout Squad rifle vs. the M1A Match rifle.

Both are products of Springfield Armory, Inc. and are semi automatic rifles. The basis of their design was the M14 rifle used by the military. The M1A Match rifle and the M1A Scout Squad are good for both target practice and hunting but can also be used for security. It is not recommended that these firearms should be modified to be fully automatic as it would make the rifle unstable and potentially unsafe to operate.

There are actually two versions of the M1A Match rifle – the National Match M1A and the Super Match M1A. These rifles are more geared towards the commercial market, especially for shooting competitions. The National Match M1A is the more basic of the two while the Super Match M1A has the ability to be customized. As with many rifles available in the market today, various accessories can be added to a M1A Match rifle. It is important to research and most importantly test out the accessories and/or customizations before making your purchase.

The M1A Scout Squad rifle is the version that is mostly marketed to law enforcement for their use. This is an ergonomically designed firearm that is compact and powerful with a reportedly high accuracy rate. While it can be a fairly heavy firearm, the M1A Scout Squad rifle has a clean operating system that is easy to use. Make sure that you have good ear protection with this model as while it has a proprietary muzzle stabilizer, it can discharge quite loudly.

When comparing the M1A Scout Squad rifle vs. the M1A Match rifle, both are known for their sturdy design, dependability and excellent accuracy. It is essential to experience the performance of these firearms personally as you will be able to choose the best one for you. You can also compare their performance over other similar firearms on the market today.

Both the M1A Match rifle and the M1A Scout Squad rifle is on the average more expensive than their semi automatic counterparts also offered on the market. While in today’s economy cost is a major factor with any purchase, it is important to consider value for the money. If you pay more up front for a quality made firearm and have many good years of use, it may cost you less to pay more. A less expensive, lower quality firearm may not be as dependable and may need replaced sooner, therefore costing you more money in the long run.

Keep in mind that avid gun collectors are very particular as to the brands and makes of guns that they collect, as they add value to their collection. When comparing the M1A Scout Squad rifle vs. the M1A Match rifle, you will find that whichever you choose, you will have a quality rifle.

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