I put a lot of sweat and tears in doing such an extreme makeover of a M1A, and now I've also put blood into it. In checking things out, I forgot what I was dealing with, and pulled the bolt back with an overhand, rather than underhand, grip. My hand experienced some unplanned contact with the Duerke offset rear sight.
The only blood my weapons have ever drawn has been my own, so far. But this is not a religious ceremony, like a Gurkha blade that must taste blood each time it is unsheathed. This is just a simple rear sight, and a clumsy user.
With my bleeding stopped, I ground a radius on the front edge of the sight protector. It would not be needed on an AR15-type rifle, but this wasn't an AR15. I also emailed my story and picture to the manufacturer. I got back a nice email thanking me for my efforts, and they said they'd incorporate a radius in their new production. If I save one other klutz from ripping up his hand, it will be worth it.
It will also be worth it to me, when (not if) I get clumsy against. I'll still give my hand a good whack, but at least I shouldn't bleed.
The trip to the range proved interesting, and thankfully, not bloody. After sighting in the scope, this was the best I could do at 50 yards. Out of 20 rounds, it would be scored as 198/10X.
I have a lot of faults as a marksman, but this horizontal shot stringing is a new one for me. I'm not sure what to attribute it to. I can't brag about this kind of accuracy, but it's certainly more than adequate for zombie suppression.
I also learned that the straight-line style of the stock, with the recoil vector coaxial with the bore, makes for easier and more pleasant shooting than the ol' M14. The DPMS AR10 clones are even more shooter-friendly, and I attribute that to the much-maligned (but not by me) gas system, which puts all the moving parts on the same axis as the bore, and has less moving mass. In addition, the M1A operating rod and spring put an appreciable amount of moving mass below and to the right of the bore centerline, creating off-axis impulse vectors.
One thing I still have to test. That's a soft plastic op-rod buffer just in front of the receiver. It may soften that sudden stop the bolt makes before moving forward. Or it may interfere with a proper operating stroke, and cause malfunctions. Only range time will tell.
All of this has convinced me of the value of the $6 recoil buffer plastic pad, and the $4 black plastic "twang buster" disk on the rear of the AR15/AR10 buffer springs. Between the two of them, they do a good job of reducing internal noise, jerkiness, and metal-on-metal impact. I could feel a "grittiness" in the M1A that I don't notice in the Stoner family. A smooth-running rifle is more pleasant to shoot, and doesn't introduce more mechanical components to muddy up the accuracy equation.
Still, I love my M1A. It looks space-age, yet still weighs the traditional ton. It is easier for me to shoot, and easier to carry with the folding stock. I know that by saying this, I can never be admitted into the manly-man gun club, but I still think Gene Stoner designed better than he knew.
And I can still get a "filthy" M16 to the proper status of absolute cleanliness faster than a M14.