AliExpress M14/M1A Scope Mount

M

mewse

Member
Rating - 100%
4   0   0
Location
Winnipeg, MB
So I bought this thing on AliExpress for ~$30 CAD with free shipping.

It seems really nice except for the primary screw to attach to the receiver.

YqWgj6v.jpg


It comes with allen keys and the dovetail guide thing.

y9fmUZv.jpg


Here it is pressed against the receiver, pretty good fit.

WcPMJSg.jpg


While pressed against the receiver, the dovetail shows a pretty good alignment.

2p7Ws2V.jpg


Everything in this photo is straight except my front sight post (what's the opposite of straight?)

XmBYl2n.jpg


This is the real problem: the main mounting screw is far, far too small to interface with the threads on the receiver. It can literally fall in like so:

dHte5Ou.jpg


So I have a couple questions: What's the threading on the receiver hole supposed to be, and could I pick up a screw from a hardware store to mount this mount?

Thanks for reading and hope I help someone looking to purchase one.
 
Sorry to sound like a dink but throw it away - it will never hold zero and you will waste a fortune in ammo. Buy ARMS 18 or Sadlak if you want to retain irons but if you are not set on keeping the iron sights get the CASM from M14.ca

Cheers and sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Bob
 
I'm going to have to go with what Tomochan said. The reason the arms18, SEI and sadlak mounts costs what they are is because they are made to a very specific tolarance. This insures a proper fit to the receiver. For the $30 you pay for, this is what you get.
 
this is the same mount as the Leapers UTG one 4 points contact mount, which is what I have for more than a year now, holds zero since day one, I did locktite all the screws. Those who have not tested it please S-T-F-U :D
 
not doubting that yours has held zero without issue. BUT how hard do you use it? The others mentioned above are made to withstand hard field use, not just walking up to the range table and sitting down.

I agree with the above, throw it away and get one of the others. ARMS 18 sits very very low and you will have issues with ejection if you dont trim the springs, mine did, so i'd get one of the others before it.

d1ce said:
this is the same mount as the Leapers UTG one 4 points contact mount, which is what I have for more than a year now, holds zero since day one, I did locktite all the screws. Those who have not tested it please S-T-F-U :D
Click to expand...
 
Although the quality is questionable at best, one way to see if it will somewhat hold zero is to check the fit of the rails in the channels on the receiver.
Put a bit of grease or plumbers putty in the grooves and squeeze the mount as hard as you can against the receiver as if it was being tightened by the screw. (Normally would just install the screw but....)
Now remove the mount and see if the rails bottomed out in the channels or if they just made contact on the walls of the channels.
If it bottoms, it will never hold zero because it will wiggle in the channel, if it doesn't, it just might be worth the $30.
 
This fit is normal for what I've seen with mounts that use the dovetail, very normal for Nork receivers that I've seen. It doesn't line up properly as you can see in the 3rd photo you posted, there is a gap between the mount and the dovetail. The evidence that it doesn't work is in the 4th photo and you can see that after you tightened the dovetail, it twisted the mount clockwise. Make a spacer to fill the void and then tighten up the dovetail and that problem will go away. What won't disappear is the fact the cheap mounts for this rifle usually are garbage, especially aluminum ones.

WcPMJSg.jpg


2p7Ws2V.jpg
 
sawzall said:
Is it steel or aluminum construction?
Click to expand...

Feels like Aluminum.

MasterMC said:
The threads size on receiver is #12-32UNF which is hard to find even on eBay. You may need to check at gun shows or make it yourself.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's disappointing. I was hoping there'd be a $2 fix.

Katana said:
The evidence that it doesn't work is in the 4th photo and you can see that after you tightened the dovetail, it twisted the mount clockwise.
Click to expand...

I didn't tighten down the dovetail for that photo, I was just press fitting it against the receiver. My front sight is screwed up and tilts to the left visibly.

To everyone saying to junk it, I probably will. I have a promag mount coming at some point, I just wanted to share my experience with this mount. I rolled the dice because it was only $30.
 
The mount you bought is an airsoft dedicated mount. The tell tale sign is the undersize side mounting bolt.
I have not looked at all the pics you posted, but I've seen this mount before, sent in by rifle build customers requesting me to install.
It's hard breaking bad news but it happens from time to time.
It's not to say that other mounts exactly like that one can't be retrofitted to fit and function correctly as is evidenced by the many guys using such mounts.
Depending on if it will work on that mount..... You can order a replacement ARMS 18 side bolt direct from ARMS , just tell em you lost yours LOL don't tell em about the cheap mount. Hehehe
Then, if possible, replace the other mounting/locking screws with quality ones
And you will want to blue loctite everything. Also at end of insstall with a side bolt not designed for this mount, very important to verify there is no side bolt protrusion into the rifle's left bolt lug raceway.

Or, as some of these guys have suggested.... Spend a bit more on a decent mount.
Arms 18, smith enterprise or sadlak ..... The best in the industry right there.
 
I wonder if bedding the mount and as Thomas mentioned replacing the kiddie hardware with something fit for the job would get it serviceable? OP you should try some stuff and see if you can get it to work. The price difference is immense so why not give 'er the 'ol college try?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom