Soyoman1980
Regular
- Location
- Cold Lake, AB
Hey folks just a little look and first impressions post on the Choate M1A/M14 telescoping stock. First some pics.
Little bit closer on the stock.
So now the rundown.
Right away you are going to need to do some work to this stock if you are planning to throw a Norinco in it. The base of the receiver on Norinco's have a slightly angled section on the charging handle side, which goes almost the entire length back. These Choate stocks were originally a polymer USGI from Springfield I believe (that have been cut down and a tube added), which is made for M1A's our yankee-doodle counterpart from Springfield and the like, which have slightly different receivers where the same section of the receiver is actually partially cut away by design (except for true M14's where it actually runs the full length of the receiver, presumably to re-enforce the select fire mechanism back in the old rock & roll days of the M14).
This slightly angled portion of the receiver will not drop into the factory notch on the stock, it has to be cut or filed down to match the existing notch angle to the appropriate length in order for it to fall into place snugly (see pic above). I personally spent the time carefully filing the notch back until the receiver and the trigger group seated together properly and snugged tightly to the stock. But unfortunately the work does not stop there.
Once everything was seated to my satisfaction it was time to check the action. Again, right away a problem became apparent, the action most definitely did not want to come all the way back to the rear. So I opened it back up and sure enough, the charging handle was rubbing against the inside of the stock. So you will need to file this area down as well until your charging handle can clear it without any extra force exerted.
So again after a bit of filing I finally got the charging handle to clear the stock without removing too much material (see pic above).
The stock itself is extremely light, mainly due to the removal of the metal butt-pad but also due to, and I know some folks are going to snarl when they read this, the fact that there is no metal frame to which the receiver and trigger group latch to. That's right, everything crimps down into the stock itself, and very tightly I may add. The stock as a whole, is very thick, solid polymer/fiberglass. Which is great for those of you who would be inclined to drill and add rails.There is absolutely no movement once it's together, in fact the only part that makes any noise is the telescoping stock itself, a little bit of play in the tolerances of the tube. But if that bothers you, you can always replace it.
Speaking of replacing, the pistol grip is also removable. So there is some room for customization. The pistol grip that comes with the stock also has a sling ring build into it so if you like to run a short sling system or a bi-pod in place of the traditional front swivel, you have that option.
And speaking of options, you can remove that front swivel with ease since it's mounted with two Allen screws where it's usually riveted to the stock. So now you can throw a rail on instead of that front swivel for accessories or bi-pods. Very nice for me since I use my M305 more as a marksman rifle with a bi-pob rather than a 100 meter plinker.
Another little feature that's hard to notice at first glance are two storage tubes build into the butt stock on either side of the tube. Now before you say "Awesome! They made a place for my cleaning tools!", think again. Unfortunately neither the Norinco cleaning rod kit nor the multi-tool will fit in these storage compartments. I know, I was disappointed too. But we can't have everything can we. On the bright side, these tubes fatten up the cheek well making it much more pleasant than a standard telescoping stock to rest your jowls on. Anyone who's shot a C7A2 for any length of time knows what I'm talking about...
The stock has four length adjustment positions. It disassembles and assembles just like any other telescoping stock. It features two sling points, one much like the traditional M14's rear sling-point, the other a rotating swivel which you can add a ring to, such as Remington's quick release rings. And if you want to run a single-point sling, it has a slot in the pad section to run a strap through.
My overall impressions are that it appears to be a solid stock, it has lots of customization potential. The only downside is that it is not a drop in chassis if you are shooting a Norinco. But if you have an actual M1A or the tools it's well worth it for a lightweight customizable stock. Personally, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight, adjustable, bare-bones chassis.
This particular stock cost me $275 (which from all appearances is the standard going rate at the moment) from Wolverine Supplies, www.wolverinesupplies.com and I got it within 4 days of placing the order here in Cold Lake, AB. They also have the folding stock version, which I personally feel looks a bit flimsy but to each his own.
Hope this review was helpful, please feel free to ask me any questions and when I do take it to the range I'll update the post and let you know how it shoots. Until then happy shooting!
Little bit closer on the stock.
So now the rundown.
Right away you are going to need to do some work to this stock if you are planning to throw a Norinco in it. The base of the receiver on Norinco's have a slightly angled section on the charging handle side, which goes almost the entire length back. These Choate stocks were originally a polymer USGI from Springfield I believe (that have been cut down and a tube added), which is made for M1A's our yankee-doodle counterpart from Springfield and the like, which have slightly different receivers where the same section of the receiver is actually partially cut away by design (except for true M14's where it actually runs the full length of the receiver, presumably to re-enforce the select fire mechanism back in the old rock & roll days of the M14).
This slightly angled portion of the receiver will not drop into the factory notch on the stock, it has to be cut or filed down to match the existing notch angle to the appropriate length in order for it to fall into place snugly (see pic above). I personally spent the time carefully filing the notch back until the receiver and the trigger group seated together properly and snugged tightly to the stock. But unfortunately the work does not stop there.
Once everything was seated to my satisfaction it was time to check the action. Again, right away a problem became apparent, the action most definitely did not want to come all the way back to the rear. So I opened it back up and sure enough, the charging handle was rubbing against the inside of the stock. So you will need to file this area down as well until your charging handle can clear it without any extra force exerted.
So again after a bit of filing I finally got the charging handle to clear the stock without removing too much material (see pic above).
The stock itself is extremely light, mainly due to the removal of the metal butt-pad but also due to, and I know some folks are going to snarl when they read this, the fact that there is no metal frame to which the receiver and trigger group latch to. That's right, everything crimps down into the stock itself, and very tightly I may add. The stock as a whole, is very thick, solid polymer/fiberglass. Which is great for those of you who would be inclined to drill and add rails.There is absolutely no movement once it's together, in fact the only part that makes any noise is the telescoping stock itself, a little bit of play in the tolerances of the tube. But if that bothers you, you can always replace it.
Speaking of replacing, the pistol grip is also removable. So there is some room for customization. The pistol grip that comes with the stock also has a sling ring build into it so if you like to run a short sling system or a bi-pod in place of the traditional front swivel, you have that option.
And speaking of options, you can remove that front swivel with ease since it's mounted with two Allen screws where it's usually riveted to the stock. So now you can throw a rail on instead of that front swivel for accessories or bi-pods. Very nice for me since I use my M305 more as a marksman rifle with a bi-pob rather than a 100 meter plinker.
Another little feature that's hard to notice at first glance are two storage tubes build into the butt stock on either side of the tube. Now before you say "Awesome! They made a place for my cleaning tools!", think again. Unfortunately neither the Norinco cleaning rod kit nor the multi-tool will fit in these storage compartments. I know, I was disappointed too. But we can't have everything can we. On the bright side, these tubes fatten up the cheek well making it much more pleasant than a standard telescoping stock to rest your jowls on. Anyone who's shot a C7A2 for any length of time knows what I'm talking about...
The stock has four length adjustment positions. It disassembles and assembles just like any other telescoping stock. It features two sling points, one much like the traditional M14's rear sling-point, the other a rotating swivel which you can add a ring to, such as Remington's quick release rings. And if you want to run a single-point sling, it has a slot in the pad section to run a strap through.
My overall impressions are that it appears to be a solid stock, it has lots of customization potential. The only downside is that it is not a drop in chassis if you are shooting a Norinco. But if you have an actual M1A or the tools it's well worth it for a lightweight customizable stock. Personally, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a lightweight, adjustable, bare-bones chassis.
This particular stock cost me $275 (which from all appearances is the standard going rate at the moment) from Wolverine Supplies, www.wolverinesupplies.com and I got it within 4 days of placing the order here in Cold Lake, AB. They also have the folding stock version, which I personally feel looks a bit flimsy but to each his own.
Hope this review was helpful, please feel free to ask me any questions and when I do take it to the range I'll update the post and let you know how it shoots. Until then happy shooting!
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