M1A Review: Review of the Bassett Machines High Picatinny M1A Scope Mount

First off, let me introduce myself. I am Kyle. I am a USAF veteran, was in Law Enforcement in AZ for about 3 years and have since returned to the Telecommunications Industry. I am, at heart a technician. In the USAF I was a Telecom Tech, but I was also a Security Forces Extra. I was basically an extra base cop during exercises and so on. At every qualification, I obtained “Expert Marksman”. In the AZ Academy I placed second (using a Glock 22 in 40SW), with first going to an officer using a 9mm. I grew up around firearms, ranging from 22s to 30-06 and everything in between. I am an owner of a new Springfield Standard M1A 22” in the Walnut stock. I take great care in researching and learning every firearm I have ever owned, with the M1A being no exception.

I researched the M1A for 4 months before getting mine. In those 4 months, 3 months were spent researching scopes and mounts. Lets start with m1a scope mounts. As anyone knows, the mounts for the M1A are vast and really do not sell for under $100, with the top end at $400. I don’t know what some peoples budgets are, but mine was differently not at the $400 range for a mount. Through my research I discovered Bassett Machine, located in Dripping Springs Texas. Their website is really easy to navigate, and I found the mount subsection. They show 2 different styles of m1a scope mounts. One being the “Standard”, in two variants, the second being the “Picatinny” style in two variants. Being a modular kind of guy, I chose to start with the Picatinny style.

Bassett offers a “high” and “low” rail. Both being around the $150 range, now we are talking. I also wanted a mount that would not need to be removed to use the iron sights, I am a big believer in backup plans and options. My wants lead me to the “high” rail style, with the people at Bassett confirming that if the “high” rail is mounted on a SAI M1A, there would be clearance to use the iron sights without removing the mount or scope. From what I was able to also find, is that depending on if the receiver is of different manufactures, that the “low” rail could work, but it was a case by case basis. From the photos on the internet, the Bassett mount seemed very straight forward. It had a single bolt to attach to the rifle, with no other anchors. This intrigued and worried me, as I am a big backup kind of guy. I also had researched that SAI also had a single point mount, which received constant bad reviews. So, my research brought me to the reviews of the Bassett mount. I searched for about a month, looking specifically for reviews, and found nothing bad, only great comments and experiences.

Bassett Machine also had the instructions on how to install the mount on their website. It is very straight forward, hold mount in your hand, mate it to the left side of the M1A receiver, hand tighten the single bolt to the threading and use the included tool to torque the bolt to the machined specs. Ok, so now what was this “tool” they spoke of. Well, during the development of the mount, they discovered that the mount needed to be torque to 22lbs. Well, if I am out at the range or in the field, I will bet I do not carry a torque wrench. They thought of this as well and found that by using the weight of the rifle, and using a small piece of metal attached to the bolt, it would not only create the correct torque for installation, if using the tool every time, the mount would return within ½ moa after removal. The ring mounting area is designed to accept Weaver and Picatinny rings. This is important when putting together an optics package.

While Picatinny rings are great, they are often more expensive then their counterpart the Weaver rings. Both mount use claws and tension for mounting, but the difference is in the angles of the anchor points. Well, looks like Bassett thought of everything. Also, with any other mounts, there is no need to remove the strip clip guide of tighten down 3 or 4 allen head bolts with a tiny allen wrench. I like not having to remove factory items to add to something.

Well, with the price, ease of installation, included tool and great reviews, the purchase was made. I received my new M1A scope mount about 4 days after my web purchase. Out of the packaging it looks and feels rock solid. I have held many of mounts, with the UTG brand mounts feeling rather flimsy and was surprised with it in my hands. It included instructions with pictures and the special tool. Installation was a snap, and using the tool was a dream. First range trip out, it help up the Venezuelan and Argentine Surplus ammo, about 500 rounds and no movement. I was able to first sight the irons in, without removal of the mount or scope then moved to the scope. For the price and the final product, I am very very happy with the Bassett High Rail M1A Scope Mount and would recommend to anyone.

M1A Scope Mounts on Ebay

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

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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.

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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 Rifles Contest – September’s BSA Red Dot Scope Prize Not Claimed

Hey Everyone. I wanted to get this post out today to let you guys know that last month's prize was not claimed. The winner never contacted me.

So this means I will select at random another winner from the M1A newsletter subscriber list for September's prize. I will be selecting and posting the winner Saturday October 24th,  around 1pm PST. Be sure to check back here and keep an eye out for a newsletter email.

Good luck to all!! Remember this is for the BSA Red Dot RD30 scope.

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.

September’s BSA Red Dot Winner

September's BSA Red Dot Sight RD30 with sun shade winning results!

Congrats to September's newsletter winner, Griff Thomas!

Griff Thomas is our newsletter subscriber who was selected at random for our September prize which was a New Free BSA Red Dot Scope RD30 with sun shade.

An email was sent to Griff Requesting shipping information. Griff, you have three days to contact us with your shipping information. If we don't hear from Griff within three days then, we will select another M1A Newsletter subscriber as September's winner.

If you haven't done so already, sign up for the M1A newsletter NOW!! You're not going to want to miss next month's prize!!!

August Rifle Scope Winner!

Congratulations to our newsletter subscriber, Matthew! He just won a new Nikon Prostaff 3-9X40 rifle scope. His email was selected at random during our monthly raffle.

Make sure you are signed up for our newsletter for a chance to win next month's prize which is a new BSA RD30 Red Dot Scope.

Please continue to check M1Arifles.com for any updates and upcoming contests.

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