M305 red dot or scope
- Thread starter KCCO1989
- Start date
scope- definitely- most red dots completely cover the target at 200- and that's battle distance for the 305- ie your zero- I had a red dot mounted on a 98k and that's what the dot does at 200- sure it's fast but what good is that when you can't see
I have a scout scope on my DA Socom, mounted in QD rings so that I can readily switch to an Aimpoint on a QD mount. I never switch! The ranging capability and accuracy of the rifle make the scope my go-to sighting system.
Optically, a decent scope is worlds ahead of most of the red-dot/magnifier combos I've looked at.
Optically, a decent scope is worlds ahead of most of the red-dot/magnifier combos I've looked at.
No different than any other rifle...where/how/how far/at what are you shooting it?
A scout mounted dot on a shorty M14 is a pretty damn effective and fun machine for 100m or less quick/dirty target engagement....and makes a crazy fun plinker/hunter for short range deer or varmint hunting.
Use a dot that has adjustable or smaller moa dots for best effect.
I am of the personal opinion that the M14 rifle is better off purposed and used as it was intended...an iron sighted platform.
It becomes a very unwieldly heavy unbalanced ponderous beast when scoped.......to shoot, carry, sling or pack.
The mounting system required are all less than optimal/bulky and range from limited effectiveness to total gongshow.
Yes it is possible with considerable money and effort to arrive at a decent setup....it will still struggle to maintain zero and other issues worse than most other rifles tho.
Yes it can be a effective DMR, especially from static positions or any time you don't have to carry/sling/pack the damn thing.
A fixed 10x compact scope in a quality mount isn't a terrible setup.
FYI the rifle will ass rape the optic/mount...so use high quality components and expect them to earn their living......
I have a shorty m305 iron sighted with a Dlask gaslock front sight and a BM59 rear sight.....awesome weapon.
I also put together a 22in m305 with a CASM mount, 10x fixed Vortex scope and custom muzzle brake in a Archangel stock.
Was a fun rifle to plink and shoot with from the bench and or off a pack or improvised shooting position.....a total pig to shoot offhand, sling, carry etc.
Rapid follow up shots...a lot of em'....in 7.62 is a seriously effective platform...that's why the military pressed the M14 into the DMR role outside of its original design.
Crazy fun as a plinker and can be a great hunter/varmint/ranch rifle too as a shorty iron or dot sighted machine.
Build BOTH...dats what I did....we are lucky to have m305's available to us at cheap prices...capitalize on it.
A scout mounted dot on a shorty M14 is a pretty damn effective and fun machine for 100m or less quick/dirty target engagement....and makes a crazy fun plinker/hunter for short range deer or varmint hunting.
Use a dot that has adjustable or smaller moa dots for best effect.
I am of the personal opinion that the M14 rifle is better off purposed and used as it was intended...an iron sighted platform.
It becomes a very unwieldly heavy unbalanced ponderous beast when scoped.......to shoot, carry, sling or pack.
The mounting system required are all less than optimal/bulky and range from limited effectiveness to total gongshow.
Yes it is possible with considerable money and effort to arrive at a decent setup....it will still struggle to maintain zero and other issues worse than most other rifles tho.
Yes it can be a effective DMR, especially from static positions or any time you don't have to carry/sling/pack the damn thing.
A fixed 10x compact scope in a quality mount isn't a terrible setup.
FYI the rifle will ass rape the optic/mount...so use high quality components and expect them to earn their living......
I have a shorty m305 iron sighted with a Dlask gaslock front sight and a BM59 rear sight.....awesome weapon.
I also put together a 22in m305 with a CASM mount, 10x fixed Vortex scope and custom muzzle brake in a Archangel stock.
Was a fun rifle to plink and shoot with from the bench and or off a pack or improvised shooting position.....a total pig to shoot offhand, sling, carry etc.
Rapid follow up shots...a lot of em'....in 7.62 is a seriously effective platform...that's why the military pressed the M14 into the DMR role outside of its original design.
Crazy fun as a plinker and can be a great hunter/varmint/ranch rifle too as a shorty iron or dot sighted machine.
Build BOTH...dats what I did....we are lucky to have m305's available to us at cheap prices...capitalize on it.
I can't find fault with anything terez has stated, but I'll add that IMHO the M14/305 is "a very unwieldy heavy unbalanced ponderous beast" whether scoped or not. I think it's all a matter of perspective; when you're accustomed to sleek lightweight hunting rifles, an M14 is a pig by comparison. Last year was my first experience hunting with one. It was fun...but I found myself frequently in disbelief at the idea that I was schlepping around all that weight, with all those rattly parts...and only getting the power of a .308 for my trouble.
My current one is a DA Socom which is proving completely reliable and (for a Chinese M14) crazy accurate, through no application of skilled gunsmithing on my part...just luck of the draw that I seem to have gotten a really good one. I put on a handguard scout mount similar to the OP's, and started with a HiLux 2-7x32 scope (one of the best values in scout scopes nowadays). It worked very well, but over time I found the highest power setting less and less useful; high magnification combined with forward mounting translates into very limited field of view. I eventually swapped to a Weaver fixed 4x scout scope just because I had one on hand. The Leupold 2.5x scout is more or less the gold standard here; I have several of them and would have gone with one in this application if I had a spare one handy.
ColKurtz, a scout scope is defined by having an eye relief that is intermediate between the 3-4 inches of a standard receiver-mounted rifle scope, and the arms-length 15-20 inches of a handgun scope. Ideally it sits forward of the action, so for most folks that works out to 11 or 12 inches of eye relief. Most of the fixed power scouts work well that way; many of the variables have a bit less eye relief, and need to mount with their eyepieces somewhere midway above the ejection port. The HiLux, as inexpensive as it is, is one of the few variable-power ones (along with the Burris 2-7x32) that still can be mounted entirely forward of the receiver. If your gun gives you enough forward mounting surface (the scout handguard on a M14 gives you lots) you can also use some handgun scopes as scouts, but now you're putting the weight even further forward and balance can suffer.
I think it's all a matter of perspective; when you're accustomed to sleek lightweight hunting rifles, an M14 is a pig by comparison. Last year was my first experience hunting with one. It was fun...but I found myself frequently in disbelief at the idea that I was schlepping around all that weight, with all those rattly parts...and only getting the power of a .308 for my trouble.My current one is a DA Socom which is proving completely reliable and (for a Chinese M14) crazy accurate, through no application of skilled gunsmithing on my part...just luck of the draw that I seem to have gotten a really good one. I put on a handguard scout mount similar to the OP's, and started with a HiLux 2-7x32 scope (one of the best values in scout scopes nowadays). It worked very well, but over time I found the highest power setting less and less useful; high magnification combined with forward mounting translates into very limited field of view. I eventually swapped to a Weaver fixed 4x scout scope just because I had one on hand. The Leupold 2.5x scout is more or less the gold standard here; I have several of them and would have gone with one in this application if I had a spare one handy.
ColKurtz, a scout scope is defined by having an eye relief that is intermediate between the 3-4 inches of a standard receiver-mounted rifle scope, and the arms-length 15-20 inches of a handgun scope. Ideally it sits forward of the action, so for most folks that works out to 11 or 12 inches of eye relief. Most of the fixed power scouts work well that way; many of the variables have a bit less eye relief, and need to mount with their eyepieces somewhere midway above the ejection port. The HiLux, as inexpensive as it is, is one of the few variable-power ones (along with the Burris 2-7x32) that still can be mounted entirely forward of the receiver. If your gun gives you enough forward mounting surface (the scout handguard on a M14 gives you lots) you can also use some handgun scopes as scouts, but now you're putting the weight even further forward and balance can suffer.
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Awesome information, thanks a lot.
My goal is to put together a scout-inspired rifle with a long eye relief or red dot for 25-100m plinking, something with a detachable mount i can remove if i want to shoot 200-300m with irons. I have no intention of using the rifle for anything farther than that, i cant really see farther than that ha ha. I dont hunt (yet) so weight is not a huge concern for me. Honestly i'm not even sure if its a project i'm going to procede with. Trying to collect knowledge/info while the idea percolates.
Apologies to the OP for hijacking your thread.
My goal is to put together a scout-inspired rifle with a long eye relief or red dot for 25-100m plinking, something with a detachable mount i can remove if i want to shoot 200-300m with irons. I have no intention of using the rifle for anything farther than that, i cant really see farther than that ha ha. I dont hunt (yet) so weight is not a huge concern for me. Honestly i'm not even sure if its a project i'm going to procede with. Trying to collect knowledge/info while the idea percolates.
Apologies to the OP for hijacking your thread.
Michael Dempster
Regular
One of my M14s shoots minute of pie-plate, so a 2moa red dot really doesn't hinder it's performance.
In the middle of building another one and hopefully I can squeeze some accuracy and precision out of it, but then again, it’s a battle rifle, not one of my bolt guns, so I’m not holding my breath. If it does anything close to 2MOA or less, I’ll consider putting some half decent glass on it.
Looks like the thread's been nuked.
In the middle of building another one and hopefully I can squeeze some accuracy and precision out of it, but then again, it’s a battle rifle, not one of my bolt guns, so I’m not holding my breath. If it does anything close to 2MOA or less, I’ll consider putting some half decent glass on it.
Looks like the thread's been nuked.
