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Springfield M1A and the A.R.M.S. #18 Mount

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Wayfaerer320

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I'm in the market for a quality (and reliable) scope mount for my brand new M1A and have narrowed it down to the ARMS 18 mount. However, all I keep hearing about is that the ARMS 18 mount is basically hit or miss with the M1A. So, couple of questions...


1. What are the odds that my new Springfield M1A standard's receiver (manufactured only a few months ago) will be out of spec with the ARMS 18 mount?


2. If there is an issue with the receiver being out of spec, is there anything that can be done to make it work with the ARMS mount?

OR

Is it not worth the risk? Better to find another mount instead?

Anyone running an ARMS 18 mount with a brand new (this year or last) Springfield M1A?
 
I have had 2 and still have one rifle with A.R.M.S. #18 mounts.I have have always liked the mounts.I have put them on Springfield,Armscorp,and Chinese recievers.I guess i am just lucky if there really are problems as of late.I say go for it.
 
1Sg (ret) said:
I have had 2 and still have one rifle with A.R.M.S. #18 mounts.I have have always liked the mounts.I have put them on Springfield,Armscorp,and Chinese recievers.I guess i am just lucky if there really are problems as of late.I say go for it.
Click to expand...

How old is the M1A you have with the ARMS 18 mount?
 
I have had the ARMS mount on two different M1As and think they would be less trouble than a Smith or a Sadlak. I don't think ARMS is better but IMHO it is easier to mount. I personally like the ARMS mount because it is the lowest mount. It is common for Springfield M1As to be out of spec here or there and not by design. I don't think this problem is just with the newer models.
Mike Sadlak has worked with me on some issues I have had with mine. If you do get or have an M1A check out Sadlak for upgrade parts which really increase accuracy.
Then read the installation instructions on his site for his scope mounts. It will provide you with insights on what could be out of spec and what the cures are. If I was buying a Sadlak mount I would pay a Smith to install it.
Sadlak is one of those places where you can call the shop and ask questions and if the person on the phone can't answer then he will get the boss on the phone to help. They are very proud of their products.
Ray
 
Name Enough said:
I have had the ARMS mount on two different M1As and think they would be less trouble than a Smith or a Sadlak. I don't think ARMS is better but IMHO it is easier to mount. I personally like the ARMS mount because it is the lowest mount. It is common for Springfield M1As to be out of spec here or there and not by design. I don't think this problem is just with the newer models.
Mike Sadlak has worked with me on some issues I have had with mine. If you do get or have an M1A check out Sadlak for upgrade parts which really increase accuracy.
Then read the installation instructions on his site for his scope mounts. It will provide you with insights on what could be out of spec and what the cures are. If I was buying a Sadlak mount I would pay a Smith to install it.
Sadlak is one of those places where you can call the shop and ask questions and if the person on the phone can't answer then he will get the boss on the phone to help. They are very proud of their products.
Ray
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info - good stuff.

I like the ARMS better because like you said, the installation is easier. I'm just not sure I want to chance it with my possibly out of spec SA receiver.
 
I've never used an arms 18, but I have put 4 Sadlaks on SAI rifles manufactured from 2007 to 2009. I like the titanium model the best, no issues with any of them.
 
If you are set on a multi point mount I would go Sadlak. You can see on their website how to determine if your receiver is out of spec. They also have a little kit they can send you to determine if your receiver is out of spec and will deduct the price of the kit from the price of the mount you end up buying. You could also check out Basset mounts. They are a no brainer to install and are supposedly not affected by an out of spec receiver. I have not heard a bad word about Basset mounts, which surprises me because they are so simple.
 
The lower the mount the more likely you'll have jams. I bought a sadlak and hoped I'd be one of those people where it worked great no problem but I wasn't, it was a headache. Jam jam jam jam some days and others it ran fine no rhyme or reason why. And the ARMS is lower than the Sadlak so you may have even more issues...or it may run great.

Personally if I were to buy another mount the Basset would be my pick. I would get regular height and either use rings or the picatinny model depending on the sort of scope you want to mount. The basset has the most clearance under it and the mount has a gentle angle to it to aid ejection I have not heard of jams with it however some people seem to report that it loosens over time.
 
I've heard good things about the ARMS mount. If you're worried about hit-and-miss spec on newer Springfields then I'd suggest
the Basset. I'm using the Basset low mounts on both my new Springfield M21 and my Springfield SOCOM 16. They install and detach in under a minute and have both been solid and reliable with zero fit or ejection issues. I like the low mounts because they bring the scope closer to the bore axis. The regular mount does allow you to use iron sights with the scope mounted, but the Basset comes off and reattaches so quickly
that my preference is to remove the scope when I want to shoot irons.
 
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I have two arms 18 mounts, one my m1a standard and the other on my socom 16. Major selling point for me was still being able to use the irons quickly just by taking the qd scope rings off (which it turns out I never do anyway). Mine fit perfectly on both and haven't had any jams on either using mostly old 7.62 milsurp ammo. When I was researching the mounts I read about a lot of people having issues ejecting the case and stove piping. Seems the remedy to fix this was to either replace the extractor/ spring and plunger with a usgi set or a cut a few coils off the springfield extractor spring so it ejects more to the right instead of up and to the right. I am not a gunsmith and would do some more research, but there is potentially a fix out there if you're having extracting issues with the low mounts. Make sure whatever rings you get have a full recoil lug on them since arms 18 has a gap down the middle for the irons. IMHO, they look the most natural on the m1a out of all the other mounts too.
 
FoxtrotUniform308 said:
I have two arms 18 mounts, one my m1a standard and the other on my socom 16. Major selling point for me was still being able to use the irons quickly just by taking the qd scope rings off (which it turns out I never do anyway). Mine fit perfectly on both and haven't had any jams on either using mostly old 7.62 milsurp ammo. When I was researching the mounts I read about a lot of people having issues ejecting the case and stove piping. Seems the remedy to fix this was to either replace the extractor/ spring and plunger with a usgi set or a cut a few coils off the springfield extractor spring so it ejects more to the right instead of up and to the right. I am not a gunsmith and would do some more research, but there is potentially a fix out there if you're having extracting issues with the low mounts. Make sure whatever rings you get have a full recoil lug on them since arms 18 has a gap down the middle for the irons. IMHO, they look the most natural on the m1a out of all the other mounts too.
Click to expand...

Good to know.
 
Well, I ended up buying the ARMS mount - should be here by the weekend hopefully. I also ordered a few more things - Sadlak NM Spring Guide, USGI Extractor and USGI Extractor Plunger and Spring.

From what I've been reading, it seems the angle the casings eject at can be a major source of the problem. Hopefully, if I do have any issues, replacing the extractor with a USGI one will help fix the problem.

I'll follow up.
 
BCP said:
EJECTOR and spring is what you want, not extractor. But an extra extractor is good to have as well.
Click to expand...

That explains why nobody on earth has them in stock.

I guess there aren't any USGI Ejectors left?
 
You might not need any of the parts.

Put the mount on, go to the range, if it works fine then you are done. If it jams on ejection (a spent casing sticking between the op rod and receiver) then you can try trimming your current ejector spring a couple coils at a time to see if it ejects differently. If that doesn't work then try the brand new ejector and spring. If that doesn't work ebay the arms mount and get a basset.
 
I had just the opposite experience on my M21 and a Sadlak titanium mount. It ejected fine with SAI bolt guts, I switched to USGI and got multiple jams, switched back to the SAI and its fine. The usgi are in my bag now as emergency spares.

Wayfaerer320 said:
Well, I ended up buying the ARMS mount - should be here by the weekend hopefully. I also ordered a few more things - Sadlak NM Spring Guide, USGI Extractor and USGI Extractor Plunger and Spring.

From what I've been reading, it seems the angle the casings eject at can be a major source of the problem. Hopefully, if I do have any issues, replacing the extractor with a USGI one will help fix the problem.

I'll follow up.
Click to expand...
 
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If you want simplicity take a look at the Bassett. They are simple, rock solid and if you get the "Standard" mount you can use the irons. I had a Bassett on my Scout with Vortex LOW rings and a Vortex PST 4-16x50 and liked the set up. I ended up selling the Scout because after 4 shoulder reconstructions it hurt to shoot after 50rds. Just a heavy rifle with a heavy recoil impulse into the 16 screws in my shoulder was uncomfortable.

Whatever way you go, do not go cheap on the mount. We have all seen guys pulling their hair out trying to zero their M1A at the range. One guy was using Federal match ammo, in a SA NM, with a Nightforce and he couldn't get a zero. He had a 1st gen SA mount and what would happen it would heat up and then he couldn't hold a zero. It was somewhat fun to hear the made up words he came up with every time he shot.

As others have said, SEI, Sadlak Airborne or Bassett would be my choice, and don't use the ARMS. Go to the M14Firineline forum and look in the want/for sale ads to get a deal on one. I just saw a SEI for $180. Just my .02
 
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