"Tacticool" on the Cheap

Tomochan

Tomochan

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
341   0   0
Location
The Cariboo, BC
A few years ago I bought one of the $399 M14s from Marstar and, as this was my first experience with that platform, I read all I could, went to Tom's (M14Doctor) clinic and learned a whole lot about the rifle. Of course I hated the Chu wood and replaced it with USGI walnut and put in a USGI op rod. I spent a lot on a quality mount and put on a Falcon Menace. Tastes change though and I rarely shot it after aquiring a Garand and so it got sold. Anyway, fast forward to 2010 and I broke down and got another one - a 2009 with the black plastic stock (thanks Weimarjack ) but this time I decided to be a cheap b*stard and, just for fun, wondered what I could do with no more than $150 worth of add-ons.

First thing a mount - eventually found one on e-### for $25. Was a ##### to install as it wasn't a perfect fit but a hand file and a hammer solved that problem. Then a scope - now to be "tacticool" one has to have an appropriate scope and again, courtesy of some fellow in China, a perfect copy of a Leupold Mk4 Tactical showed up. Costing only $65 it is a "velly, velly good copy and last you loooong time" :) Well, we shall see about that, but it did come with genuine "aeroplace aluminium tacticals scope mounting rings" so I am a happy guy. I temporarily removed the Blackhawk cheekpiece from my Kimber Tactical so that I can get a sight picture and now I'm ready to go.

All fitted together it looks very Mall-Ninjaesque. I shall shoot it this week to see how it works. What's the betting as to how much ammo it will handle before it falls apart ? I give it two boxes of Federal 150g LOL!!!

Note to newbies - please don't do this. I am just playing around to see how cool you can look for the cheapest price possible. If you are seriously looking to mount a scope please get an ARMS #18 or similar and nothing less that an Elite 3200 10X.

Note - no pics cus can't upload but I'm sure you all know what this looks like anyway.

After the games I will do something more proper - probably a Garand sight - and use it as an iron-sighted rifle.

Bob.
 
Sounds like a great and fun experiment. Glad that you know what you're doing (upgrading on the cheap) while still aware of what is doable within the price limitations.

Thanks for the disclaimer warning the newbies not to do this unless they really want to. I would personally, my M14 only hangs around the 100m range these days.

And yes, I also have TWO Reupold's from Xzhina for $ 100 each. Both are sitting on light recoiling rifles, but they look so cooool while hunting earth pigs (.223) and plinking at 50m (.22LR CZ452 Style). Lots of fun. Dunno if I would chance mounting them on a .308!! :rolleyes:

Keep us posted!

Barney
 
$250 or less will allow you to swap out your rear sight with a Garand rear sight system, plus an upgraded op rod spring guide (Rauch or Tartan), and a Springfield or GI spring. You might even have enough money left for a couple of cans of Krylon Camo to customize your stock.

Additional Edit -- Any scope mount can become immovable with red loctite. Just be sure you want to go that route.
 
Well, Saturday will be the big day - I am hoping to get two boxes of ammo out of the "velly good copy scope" before reticle snaps :)

I have a Badger Ord op spring guide ready to install and other accurising to do after this experiment but I am really interested to see how this works. Actually, it would be a bummer in a way if it all works like a dream - would be one of those "oh man, I just spent all that money on a NXS when I just could have gone with the Komunist Xinese stuff" LOL!
 
no snapped reticle, but definitely a wandering zero that needs constant attention. I also didn't lock-tite the mounts at all, and they keep coming loose, just cause i will probably get a "better" scope at some point and am too lazy to get it off afterwards :p..
 
These Oriental built "Reupold" scopes have surprisingly good optics for the money. I held one up beside the genuine article, and in dim light, at 200 yds, with the lower power settings, I could NOT see a difference. AT full power, I could detect a slight difference with the genuine article ... but at 1/10 the price for the Oriental clone, I definitely did not see ten times the difference.

As for durability and longevity,
well you pays your money and yous takes your chances.
but I personally would not trust them long on an M14.

Instead,
on my personal El Cheapo M14,
built from all the spare parts left over after picking through the best parts for paying customers, I mounted an Airsofty Aimpoint T1 clone on a Chinese built UTG railed handguard. Good enough for me and my personal "beater / throw it in with the rest of the gear when going camping / trunk gun".
PS:
I have sold five of those "Reupold" tacticool clones, with specific instructions NOT to put them on an M14, which whiplashes the scope both on recoil and when the op rod Clangs forward to load the next round, and rings the scoope like a bell.
[You M14 guys and your fascination with ... PINGggggggggggggggggg!]

One scope went to a guy who definitely knows better ... an A class shooter, professional soldier, serious three gun competitor. But he wanted something to experiment with that was cheap. And at the price, with the Hois speed lo drag tactiooll rings [ CLONES as well ] that came with the scope, looked like a great bargain.

Two other guys liked these cheapo scopes so much that they came back and bought a second scope. Great scope for the money on a 10/22 Tacticool build. One scope went to a serious target shooter, who put it on his .22 250 bolt rifle, another to a .223 bolt action shooter.

This was a couple of years ago, and I see these guys every gun show and ask them how the scopes are holding up. So far no complaints.

I also know another VERY experienced shooter, who was once a Leupold dealer. He bought one of these clones to test to distruction ... and it DID self destruct ... eventually.

When he took it apart, he found the lens retaining screw in rings did not have any Loc tite on them. He reassembled with loc tite, and was good to go ... for a while any how.

remember, as with any advice you get for free on the internet,
YPMMV
LAZ 1
 
On that note I have 69.00 6 - 18 x52 with bell end parralax adjust from 50 to infinity.
The obscure brand, VisionTac, shipped from hong kong 4 years ago , has seena few thousand rounds of 308 and 303 and has been mounted and remounted countless times on various m14 builds and hunting on m14 and my 303.
Still going strong ;)
 
"Tacticool" on the Cheap - update

So I gave the el-cheapo version of my scoped M14s a try out on Saturday. For film buffs, this set up looked like the rifle the Delta trooper "Doyle" used in the movie "28 weeks later" - but without the paint job :)

I had predicted a scope failure - I mean how good can the "velly, velly good copy Leupold Mk 4 Tactical" be ? The answer is that the scope held up surprisingly well, but the e-### scope mount ( $25 bucks or so ) failed after 15 rounds - I had used blue loctite but the mount still came loose which required a retightening ( brutal cranking ) of the screws and, of course, the zero was then totally teats-up but there was enough space under the mount to use the iron so I carried on.

The rifle shot fine with no mechanical problems - the totally crap iron sights put rounds waay left and I wasn't risking an adjustment so I just compensated with point of aim and the best group put three rounds into about an inch and a half at the 50 meter target ( my older eyes can't shoot irons worth shi*e at any further ) which pleased me.

I used two boxes of Remington 150g Core Lokt factory ammo as my handloads are too heavy ( 175 g SMK ) and too hot ( 44.6 Varget ) and of course no UMC or similar FMJ is available anywhere I shop.

So, for less than $150 I had a fun experiment. I have a fake scope that may well now see service on a .22 and a $25 mount that will join the junk under the workbench LOL!
 
Drewz, A word of advice: read the first post, wherein at the penultimate line I wrote the following:

Note - no pics cus can't upload but I'm sure you all know what this looks like anyway.

Next time save your nail polish from damage by reading before typing. BTW - I ain't of a generation that does well with "dude" or "WTF" :-(
 
Well then if you like send me the pics and I can post them for you. Also when people make posts of interest to others it is more than natural to ask for pictures, it is a sign of respect as well that we are so interested to see what you are playing with.

Not sure why a term or abbreviation would cause you any disress either, I can take my nail polish of anytime I want but what are you gonna do about that thin skin of yours? Relax, I am interested in what you are doing since I own the same gun and am looking to do some experimenting as well which is why I posted in your thread in the first place. ;)
 
LOL - Drewz that response of yours "I can take my nail polish of anytime I want but what are you gonna do about that thin skin of yours?" was a good one and I apologise. Bad day, lunar cycle, pissed at computer etc etc - nevertheless as the current expression goes "my bad".

Bob
 
No problem at all. If you have issues with posting pics let me know and I can help you out. I am a real smart a$$ for an older guy. I am not the usualy young pup with a mouth.....;) I just finished up my tacticool on the cheap SKS I am going to post up, I like budget gun and 4x4 builds as the quality can be very good, I would rather spend time then cash unless it really needs to be spent!!:D
 
Spearhunter said:
I'm putting an NCstar pistol scope with intermediate eye relief on mine. We'll see how that goes.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking of trying the same thing with the NC Star 2-7x LER illuminated reticle on a Leapers UTG. S&K Scope Mounts sells, (recommends?), NC Star pistol scopes for Mosin Nagant M44s so maybe it will have a chance on an M14. Worst case is I'll be out $75 plus taxes and shipping.
 
Here are the pics, Tomochan can quote and add text if you like to explain them. Glad to help!!
m14002.jpg

m14004.jpg

m14005.jpg
 
Many thanks to my new buddy Drewz for helping out re the picture posting. The pics are self-explanatory really - the $25 e-### special mount, knock-off Leupold Mk 4 Tactical which came with free rings. Blackhawk cheekpiece borrowed from my Kimber Tactical. Total cost ( excluding cheekpiece ) well shy of $150. I think if I had used red loctite all would have been well :)

Note:- the loaded mags were for illustration only. The mag in the rifle wasn't loaded :)

Cheers,

Bob.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom