What is your favorite M1A configuration? Is the standard 22" barrel still the best? Do the benefits of the 16" SOCOM outweigh the drawbacks? Is the 18" Scout the perfect median or a victim or compromise?
Also, are you shooting them stock or have you pimped yours out?
The two I owned years ago, were the standard 22" barreled versions, before there was such a thing as the M1A with an 18" or 16" barrel. I prefer the standard 22" barrel, because to me the 16" or the 18" barrel makes the rifle look odd and not proportioned correctly. I also do prefer the stock in walnut. Close to what looked like that was issued to our soldiers.
I have the Scout with a synthetic stock. I over scoped it with a Konus 4-16 X 50 because I am half blind and I don't like carrying binoculars in the field. No it doesn't look or feel like the original; I wasn't trying for that anyway. I put a few rounds through it getting the scope dialed in but never finished, and it got put up. Looking forward to finishing that project someday.
I hold my full sized rifle built by someone sometime as a prized rifle. All GI national match parts. Heavy but a tack driver all these years later. I had reached out to springfield armory 10 years ago about it and got this.
I have a SOCOM II but I'm not a fan of the ugly ass plastic stock or the cheese grater rail system. Plastic stock feels cheap and I would prefer original wood stock. Quad rail is useless to me since I don't want to mount a lot of tacticool stuff on it. I really want a smooth fore end.
I had a Scout Squad for a couple of years. It was a good shooting rifle but didn't blow my Kilt up....
But My CMP M1 that really gets my blood flowing when I shoot her.
Love the Old M1 she's got a better trigger and I cam really keep her on target better.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I bought someone's Scout Squad off Texas Gun Trader. Maybe sometime in the next six months I can find some .308 ammo so I can actually shoot it.