M1A/M14 with UTG rail - scope mounting issue resolved

Tomochan

Tomochan

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You know how sometimes even a blind squirrel gets a nut - well, yesterday I went looking for a riser for my soon-to-arrive LMT and while I was not able to get exactly what I wanted I did see a Millet M4 riser that, being extra long, seemed to resolve a M14 scope mounting issue I have wrestled with. The issue is this: I really like the look of my M14 with a UTG rail - just looks good to me - but I also wanted to mount a scope and the UTG bit that fits into the stripper clip guide is just junk ( not level with the rail ) and I am not a fan of scout-style scopes. Well, as you can see from the attached pic the problem is solved. I shot 50 rounds out of the rifle this morning and it held zero perfectly with no issues at all and there is ample clearance for the spent shells. I do need either a higher cheekpiece or lower rings fpr a perfect cheek-weld but that's easy.

So, issue fixed ( of course the rifle is for sale on the EE to pay for the aforementioned LMT but it's still nice to find a fix for something that was irritating me LOL ! )

IMG_0117.jpg
 
Unfortunately, the UTG M14 railed hand guard is NOT designed at the rear to securely and reliably hold a big / heavy scope. It can and will rotate, flex, and move under long term severe use. Adding a long heavy scope on a cantilevered mount is just adding leverage to the forces that will work against solid, reliable scope mounting with the UTG scout rail.

Much as I like the UTG M14 railed hand guard for what it is .... an inexpensive, light duty forward mount for light Scout scopes or eye relief irrelevant red dots,
there are better M14 railed hand guards, and MUCH BETTER solutions for securely mounting a BIG /HEAVY Conventional eye relief scope to your M14.

Remember,
advice you get for free on the internet may be worth much less than you paid for it,
and,
YPMMV
[;{)
LAZ 1

PS: we are in development of a SOLID rear attaching M14 scope mount,
that replaces the rear sight . While these are intended for use as a stand alone M14 rear scope mount, we anticipate making these with rail heights common to the most popular M14 railed hand guards, so a better railed hand guard compatible solution will soon be available.
TTFN
 
Thanks Laz - I agree with your comments and wouldn't dream of using this for hard use - sure, it held up perfectly OK for 50 rounds at the range but I know that is much different than real world use. My post was for those, like me, that want a workable and economical solution to an irritating problem. If I was to subject the rifle to a more serious workout then the rail (of course, there are better and more pricey choices than UTG) would have to be ditched and an ARMS #18 or Sadlak installed.
 
lazerus2000 said:
unfortunately, the utg m14 railed hand guard is not designed at the rear to securely and reliably hold a big / heavy scope. It can and will rotate, flex, and move under long term severe use. adding a long heavy scope on a cantilevered mount is just adding leverage to the forces that will work against solid, reliable scope mounting with the utg scout rail.

Much as i like the utg m14 railed hand guard for what it is .... an inexpensive, light duty forward mount for light scout scopes or eye relief irrelevant red dots,
there are better m14 railed hand guards, and much better solutions for securely mounting a big /heavy conventional eye relief scope to your m14.

[;{)
laz 1
Click to expand...

+1 :)
 
WoW that's news to me. I have about 500+ rounds down the pipe of mine and no issues yet.
hmmm...
Lazerus2000 do you know of any written articales on m14's with cantilevered scope mounts I can read up on this?
Because when I was reasearching this topic on snipers hide they seemed to be an acceptiable for mounting scopes. Or is it only for the UTG platform that you are reffering to?
Here is 1 of the thread's to witch I was talking about;
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1472417
 
Just buy a mount from e-bay. There is a guy ship it from Ontario. It's a 3 point type...I think. Anyhow works perfect on my 305.
 
michaelsabre said:
Just buy a mount from e-bay. There is a guy ship it from Ontario. It's a 3 point type...I think. Anyhow works perfect on my 305.
Click to expand...

this contains absolutely 0% usefull information for the OP

tomo- have you looked into the stripper clip guide rail from UTG ? repalces your stripper guide specifically so you can mount longer heavier scopes..
 
Satain said:
WoW that's news to me. I have about 500+ rounds down the pipe of mine and no issues yet.
hmmm...
Lazerus2000 do you know of any written articales on m14's with cantilevered scope mounts I can read up on this?
Because when I was reasearching this topic on snipers hide they seemed to be an acceptiable for mounting scopes. Or is it only for the UTG platform that you are reffering to?
Here is 1 of the thread's to witch I was talking about;
http://www.snipershide.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1472417
Click to expand...
I am looking for such a possible solution. Would the mount stand up to the hits and bruises possible in hunting?
 
hillmanr2 said:
I am looking for such a possible solution. Would the mount stand up to the hits and bruises possible in hunting?
Click to expand...
I don't know about the other's but La Rue is made to the strictest mil-spec tolerance's. So as the old saying goes...
Buy 1 & Buy right and you never have to buy again.
 
Satain,
it is NOT the cantilever that is the problem .... except perhaps for a theoretical increase in PINGGGG!!!! that might concentrate in the scope and vibrate the scope's internal gubbins more than usual. However, with a less than solid mount like the UTG hand rail, cantilever can increase the leverage working/flexing/rotating a heavy scope against the UTG rail at the rear mounting points.

An ADM/ Larue/GG&G mount that is SOLIDLY mounted to the receiver or to a SOLID reciver scopemount should be OK.
Probably!

The UTG rail is designed as a SCOUT mount, for forward mounting light red dots. With the UTG design, the most secure mounting location would be between the two clamp on collars that hold the hand guard to the barrel. The design of the rear of the UTG rail is NOT all that effective at preventing rotation or flexxing at the rear of the mount.

PS:
We have our prototype M14 rear scope mount almost ready for range testing.
This will be a standalone scope mount.

The next generation of this mount will interface with the rear of the UTG hand guard to firm up the back end and extend to the rea several more inches of usable rail surface.

TTFN
LAZ 1
 
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