From: bartb@hpfcla.fc.hp.com (Bart Bobbitt)
Subject: Re: queries on mods M1A and AR15
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Fort Collins Site

Clark Towle Gunsmith (towle%gunner.dnet.dec.com@nntpd.lkg.dec.com) wrote:

:  The receiver should already have a threaded hole on the left side along with
: a longitudinal and a vertical groove put there specifically for a scope mount
: attachment point. There are several aftermarket suppliers of scope mounts for
: the M1A that require no modification at all to the rifle.

Then our Marvelous Moderator added:

: 	[MODERATOR:  The original poster tried those, and found them
: 	 to be less than stable.  The mount being discussed uses the
: 	 hole you mention *plus* a hole in the stripper clip guide as
: 	 a second anchor point.  A guide w/ hole is already provided
:  	 with the product, there is no extra drilling necessary.  The
: 	 key question was whether the extra hole counted as an external
: 	 mod, and the unanimous opinion so far is that "it does."]

In the 1960s, top military units rebuilding M1s and M14s for competition
did a rather unusual thing to mount a scope for accuracy testing.  The
rear handguard was removed, then a metal band was placed tightly 'round
the barrel's reinforce.  A scope mount base was attached to the top of
this band, and another scope base replaced the rear sight.  Scope rings
with scope inside were attached to these bases, then the rifle was test-
fired.  Results were extremely good; test groups at 600 yards were under
6 inches with a good lot of match ammo.  After the rifles tested OK with
this modification, the bases and barrel band was removed, then the rear
handguard was epoxied back in place.  This system worked quite well as
the rifles seemed to shoot to the same accuracy level, as best folks
could tell with military match sights, after the handguard was epoxied on.

They tried to get the M14s to do well with the intregal scope mounting
system, but it just didn't do as well as the above method.  Some M14s
rigged as scoped sniper rifles have been used with acceptable accuracy.
But none shot as good as the Rem. 700s with McMillian (1960s make, not the
ones made today) barrels did; even with the exact same Redfield 3X9 Sniper
scope used on both rifles and the best-matched lot of M118 ammo for each.

BB