Finished some upgrades to my Springfield M1A Scout/Squad.

It started life like this:




And now this:



I installed a Sadlak TiN coated gas piston and Blue Force Gear Padded VCAS sling.

I replaced the plastic handguard and factory scout mount with an Ultimak M8. This allows the Aimpoint PRO in a low mount to cowitness with the iron sights.

And I replaced the factory gas lock and combination front sight/flash hider with a Smith Enterprises Hooded Gas Lock Front Sight and AAC Blackout 51T flash hider. This shortens the overall length, and results in the Scout/Squad being just barely longer than the SOCOM 16:

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RogueJSK,

Bad ass rifle right there. I have a stock scout squad, with synthetic furniture, that I was looking to tinker with. I like the thought of the forward-mounted red dot. I will be looking into the set-up you have there. Thanks for posting.

Alsmot did the SE converiosn as well for the same reason. SOCOM 16 OAL with 18in barrel is the business.

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
SOCOM 16 OAL with 18in barrel is the business.

Yep. In addition to the extra 2" of barrel length, the Scout/Squad's iron sights are also more precise, compared to the SOCOM's wider rear aperture and chunkier front post. And unlike the SOCOM, it doesn't use any proprietary gas system parts.

I ended up selling the SOCOM recently. The Scout/Squad is better in every way.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by WARPIG602:
SOCOM 16 OAL with 18in barrel is the business.

Yep. In addition to the extra 2" of barrel length, the Scout/Squad's iron sights are also more precise, compared to the SOCOM's wider rear aperture and chunkier front post. And unlike the SOCOM, it doesn't use any proprietary gas system parts.

I ended up selling the SOCOM recently. The Scout/Squad is better in every way.

Agreed, my SOCOM 16 wehnt away long before my Scout did. If my SCAR sells, the Squad will come back setup just like this.

Very nice! If I bought an M1A, it would be a scout/squad, seems like a great all-around configuration for that platform.

Sweet, already for some BlackHawk down reenactment! <humor>

Is it the light - or does the upgraded version seem to have a darker wood finish?

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteguy:
Is it the light - or does the upgraded version seem to have a darker wood finish?

The first photo is a stock photo of a factory Scout/Squad. I don't have any "before" photos of my actual rifle, from when it was in standard factory configuration.

Looking good Rogue! I haven't tried that particular scout hand guard, only the M14.CA. I'll have to try one of those. The 18.5" barrel length is the only length I'm missing, currently.

I recently bedded one of those factory scouts into its original wood stock and shimmed the gas cylinder. It shot amazingly well, even with the scout rail still on the barrel. It was probably a fluke. I called it the scout with an identity crisis because it shot like a super match.

I used to tell people that the scout has the second to least desirable barrel behind the SOCOM 16. After that experience, now I just say you never really know.

Let us know how she shoots! Hopefully the hand guard acts as a heat sink and perhaps adds rigidity to the barrel as it heats.

Tony.

Rogue, do you need any special tools to do these modifications or is it something one could do on his own? After coming to terms with the fact that I’m really not a fan of the AR-15, I’ve given some thought to an M1A and your setup is really appealing.

No specialized skills needed. Only one specialized tool is needed, a castle nut plier, which you can get for ~$15 online.


The factory front sight/flash hider assembly is held in place with a hex screw and a castle nut. Unscrew the hex screw on the front of the sight base. Then use the castle nut pliers to loosen the castle nut and slide the front sight/flash hider assembly off the front of the muzzle.

The factory gas cylinder lock unscrews like any other M14 gas lock. The new gas lock front sight screws back on in its place. The new muzzle device simply screws onto the threaded end of the muzzle.

The factory handguard is removed like any other M14 handguard, by prying the retaining clip out of the grooves on the barrel and lifting the handguard off. The factory scout mount is held in place with 6 hex screws, which are unscrewed and the scout mount separates and lifts off.

The Ultimak takes a few steps to install, which wouldn't make any sense to describe here, but it comes with good printed directions, and install only requires a couple hex keys, which are included. It's held in place with 8 hex screws. A small bubble level can be handy for install, but isn't mandatory.


All told, it's ~20 minutes total work to go from factory to that setup.


While you have everything off, you might as well shim the gas cylinder too, to wring maximum accuracy out of the rifle. (I did that on mine, but neglected to mention that in my original post.) That's another 5 or so minutes of trial and error to find the right shim from the set to ensure tight lockup with the gas lock.

I always wanted an M1A Scout Squad....

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
And now this:



Sadlak TiN coated gas piston...Ultimak M8 Handguard...Smith Enterprises Hooded Gas Lock Front Sight...

All told, it's ~20 minutes total work to go from factory to that setup.

Now I REALLY want one....That is So Freakin' Awesome!

quote:

RogueJSK

Is there anything else needed to get the Blueforcegear sling to work with the SpectreGear attachments?

Do I have to buy both slings to make this work?

No additional hardware needed.

I'm not sure if Specter will sell you just the adapters or not.

I got them off eBay for cheap, several years ago.

Please educate me on how it runs suppressed? I always thought about suppressing an M1A..

Dunno... Never suppressed one myself either.

Very nice. I kick myself for getting one these years ago as I have always wanted one. How much louder is it with the muzzle brake now? Does it make any difference?

Looks nicely done. Here's mine, after I won this stock in a drawing.

quote:

Originally posted by patw:
How much louder is it with the muzzle brake now? Does it make any difference?

The 51T on my Scout-Squad is a flash hider, not a brake. And it's not any louder than the factory muzzle device, at least from what I can tell.

The Socom's factory muzzle brake, on the other hand, is noticeably louder.