Well, after half a year's work, I think I've finally achieved my own M14, version 1.0.
First, I bedded the action into a Boyd's walnut stock that I picked up on sale as a poorly finished and inletted second for a whopping $79 bucks. It was my first attempt at bedding a rifle, and it worked out as well as could. Sadly, the bad inletting is such that the liner sits slightly askew, and subsequently, you feel a little drag on the mags when changing. I use stripper clips anyway.
Which brings us to the Ultimak rail. It's nicely made and all, but holy crap was it a fight and a half. The clamps were essentially slightly larger than the corresponding lugs milled into the underside of the rail itself, which made doing them up a real #####. But, it's on there now, snug as a bug, and it's definitely not moving. Ultimak wasn't kidding when say that you can't strip those screws unless you are possessed with "unusual hand strength." Years of diligent self abuse has not rewarded me thus, apparently. I did have to file a little away in the op-rod area, and I polished both surfaces to reduce any binding, should they slide across each other occasionally. When I was finished, I was surprised to see how little room I had between it and the stock on either side; there really isn't a lot of wiggle room with it.
Then I modified and fitted a Dlask rail underneath. I merely removed the vent hole boss, machined two brass bushings (to protect the stock from being crushed by the tapered machine screw heads), and a brass wedge to move the rail away from the stock slightly and allow it to sit parallel to the stock's profile. All in all, not a bad way to spend $30.
Then I took the gas system down to the local welding shop, where a buddy threw on the three tack welds to affix the hand guard bracket to the gas cylinder. Cost? Free.
With the gas system done, I bought myself a Smith muzzle brake of the coast guard variety. Cost me $200, which I struggled with at the time (it didn't seem like there's all that much to it, for the cost), but when I received it, I suddenly got it: it's a damn nice piece. Put it on, replaced the front sight, and was blown away by the reduction in recoil and muzzle rise. Follow up shots that would have been utterly impossible before are downright easy now. Another piece I'd definitely recommend.
And finally, I attached a Vortex Sparc and the piece de resistance: an RCBS Precision bipod. The Sparc's not a bad unit by any stretch, and it works well. It's nice to shoot both eyes open, that's for sure. Also, it co-witnesses the irons, which is a bonus. That said, it'll probably be replaced by a Leupy scout scope with turrets, as I like crosshairs, magnification, and the ability to dial in distance and windage.
But the bipod... well, that's definitely staying. I rolled the dice on this one, as I couldn't find anything written up about it, but I don't like spring-type bipods, and I didn't want to spend the coin on an Atlas. Now, I'm not going to say the RCBS is as nice as an Atlas (it's not), nor is it necessarily as rugged as the big GG&G, but I'd call it equal to the smaller GG&G, and very nicely made. It's mostly aluminium, so it doesn't alter the balance too much, and it deploys very quickly. The leg extensions are accessed by giving the thumb nuts a quarter turn, and the tilt is tightened by the thumb nut underneath the mount.
And lastly, I stuck a Magpul RSA I had sitting around onto the forend rail, opposite the op rod. I sling to carry while hiking, and it stops the rifle from trying to pivot around and stab me in the back with pokey bits. I may replace it eventually.
First, I bedded the action into a Boyd's walnut stock that I picked up on sale as a poorly finished and inletted second for a whopping $79 bucks. It was my first attempt at bedding a rifle, and it worked out as well as could. Sadly, the bad inletting is such that the liner sits slightly askew, and subsequently, you feel a little drag on the mags when changing. I use stripper clips anyway.
Which brings us to the Ultimak rail. It's nicely made and all, but holy crap was it a fight and a half. The clamps were essentially slightly larger than the corresponding lugs milled into the underside of the rail itself, which made doing them up a real #####. But, it's on there now, snug as a bug, and it's definitely not moving. Ultimak wasn't kidding when say that you can't strip those screws unless you are possessed with "unusual hand strength." Years of diligent self abuse has not rewarded me thus, apparently. I did have to file a little away in the op-rod area, and I polished both surfaces to reduce any binding, should they slide across each other occasionally. When I was finished, I was surprised to see how little room I had between it and the stock on either side; there really isn't a lot of wiggle room with it.
Then I modified and fitted a Dlask rail underneath. I merely removed the vent hole boss, machined two brass bushings (to protect the stock from being crushed by the tapered machine screw heads), and a brass wedge to move the rail away from the stock slightly and allow it to sit parallel to the stock's profile. All in all, not a bad way to spend $30.
Then I took the gas system down to the local welding shop, where a buddy threw on the three tack welds to affix the hand guard bracket to the gas cylinder. Cost? Free.
With the gas system done, I bought myself a Smith muzzle brake of the coast guard variety. Cost me $200, which I struggled with at the time (it didn't seem like there's all that much to it, for the cost), but when I received it, I suddenly got it: it's a damn nice piece. Put it on, replaced the front sight, and was blown away by the reduction in recoil and muzzle rise. Follow up shots that would have been utterly impossible before are downright easy now. Another piece I'd definitely recommend.
And finally, I attached a Vortex Sparc and the piece de resistance: an RCBS Precision bipod. The Sparc's not a bad unit by any stretch, and it works well. It's nice to shoot both eyes open, that's for sure. Also, it co-witnesses the irons, which is a bonus. That said, it'll probably be replaced by a Leupy scout scope with turrets, as I like crosshairs, magnification, and the ability to dial in distance and windage.
But the bipod... well, that's definitely staying. I rolled the dice on this one, as I couldn't find anything written up about it, but I don't like spring-type bipods, and I didn't want to spend the coin on an Atlas. Now, I'm not going to say the RCBS is as nice as an Atlas (it's not), nor is it necessarily as rugged as the big GG&G, but I'd call it equal to the smaller GG&G, and very nicely made. It's mostly aluminium, so it doesn't alter the balance too much, and it deploys very quickly. The leg extensions are accessed by giving the thumb nuts a quarter turn, and the tilt is tightened by the thumb nut underneath the mount.
And lastly, I stuck a Magpul RSA I had sitting around onto the forend rail, opposite the op rod. I sling to carry while hiking, and it stops the rifle from trying to pivot around and stab me in the back with pokey bits. I may replace it eventually.
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