my springfield armory M1A scout squad has been 100% reliable with steel cased wolf for well over 2k rounds. fun rifle. i considered the socom but the scout uses typical gas system, barely any longer, better sight radius and I think the scout runs a bit cheaper. if you're looking for a precision rifle to put a scope and shoot tight groups, look elsewhere. if you're looking for an old school iron-sighted Boba Fett-style blaster then it's the right choice.
advantages:
-old school feeling
-fun to shoot
-
phenomenal iron sights
-100% reliable
drawbacks:
-optics mounting is a nightmare
-NOT a precision rifle
-maintenance requires special tools to access the gas system
-can be magazine-picky; el cheapo magazines are a waste
-mags are heavy and corners can rip up clothing
-can't clean from the breech
-compared to an LR-308, the M14 has more of a twisting recoil which I am told is due to the mass of the op rod along the R side of rifle
at first I used a QD mount along with the leupold FX-II 2.5x LER scope. if looking to run a scout optic setup this is a good choice. however in my case I found the irons more enjoyable to shoot so I removed the scout rail and replaced the factory cut-out handguard with a standard fiberglass handguard to cover up the hole where the rail used to life.
when I really feel like running optics I use a Bassett aluminum picatinny mount coupled to a SWFA straight 10x42 along with a Bradley cheek rest. the Bradley is stupid overpriced although quality is top notch and they seem to stand behind their product 100%.
while I like the springfield armory M1A's, there are other nice M14 models out there. if I were looking to build a scoped M14 I would get a Bula Defense XM21 that has machined steel rails into the forged receiver. Bula also sells barreled receivers to build up.
XM21 Ultra Precision 22″ Bull Barrel Muzzle Suppressor Ready
--
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvZEVZRuZoA&t=249s
--
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOdjYjOUFd8