Accessorize Your M14 Rifle
The M14 rifle has a strong following as the greatest battle rifle of all time and spawned the popular M1A and SOCOM 16 civilian counterparts. The M14 has made a great comeback in the US armed forces despite the Clinton administration’s best efforts to have them all destroyed. The M1A is selling better than ever and a whole industry has grown up out of taking this 1957 era rifle and adding 21st Century technology that revolutionise its use in combat.
Muzzle attachments have come a long way since the simple flash hider. The Smith Enterprise M1A SOCOM 16 kit enables you to swap between a highly effective Vortex flash hider and an equally efficient muzzle compensator. Your night vision is protected by the curved slots which enable the flash hider to burn propellant that would otherwise have burned outside the muzzle creating flash. The compensator has side facing ports, again in a slanted configuration to provide the maximum compensation and defeat muzzle climb. A gas block replaces the original and is threaded to allow quick exchange of the two attachments. It is best to use a gas block wrench, sold by Brownells to fit this unit. As the new gas block is the same height as the original, you can use USGI or aftermarket units like the illuminated Smith Enterprise tritium foresight. The flash suppressor and compensator are CNC machined from 8620 bar stock and heat treated to give a hard outer surface and a tough inner core. The gas block is made out of 1144 stressproof steel for the longest possible life. A matte black parkerized finish is then applied.
The Amega Ranges M1A Scout Mount is a drop-in alternative for the front handgoard that bolts securely to standard spec. M14 and M1A rifle barrels providing a length of MIL STD 1913 Picatinny rail that can be used to mount intermediate eye-relief ‘scout’ scopes, red dot and holographic sights. The M14 Mini Scout Mount can actually increase the accuracy of your rifle by dampening vibration and many users report this in practice. It also acts as a heat sink and allows the use of the M1A rifle’s open sights. It also accepts flashlight mounts of various lengths that can be used to mount lasers of smaller red dot back-up sights. This US made, brilliantly designed and engineered kit will enhance the appearance of your SOCOM 16 as well as its function.
Troy Industries are well known in civilian and military circles for their great range of excellent rail interface systems and fip up BUIS. However, they have put a great deal of effort into revolutionizing the performance of the M14 rifle and it’s M1A and SOCOM 16 derivatives. The Troy M14 Stock or M14/M1A Modular Chassis System is a two part chassis with tunable bedding system that puts the recoil axis slightly above the line of the bore. This literally stops the muzzle from climbing. If you want to fit a compensator go ahead, if nothing else it will look suitably martial, but it will do little esle. The lack of muzzle climb literally has to be seen to be believed. The Troy MCS has four Picatinny rails with numbered slots at 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees offering a great flexibility in placement of optics. A single, unbroken top rail on the Troy MCS makes co-witnessing easy. Any AR15 stock or pistol grip will fit the Troy M14 MCS. This chassis system gives the M14 vastly superior M16 ergonomics.
Copyright: Alex N. Hatson 2011.
Say Yes – Spirit and Soul Open Mic Night at Troy Bar 9th November 2010 – 9/11/10
Tags: bar, design, finance, reference, shopping, troy barbell, troy bargel, troy barker, troy barnes, troy barnes quotes