sweeeet... who makes the stock??? sweeeet... who makes the stock???I had an Aimpoint CompM4 on that barrel-mounted rail because it's so far forward only a 1x optical device could provide enough eye relief. I can't think of any magnifying device that could provide over 12 inches of needed eye relief, so a 1x device with super-wide field of view is the only thing that will work.
When I wanted to get away from the Aimpoint (it will go back on something intended for more in-close work), I had to start thinking about a standard scope mount for the M1A/M14. There are lots of great, but expensive, M14-type scope mounts that bring the scope back to your eye, over the bolt. But that to me meant I couldn't have enough rail length to handle some sort of scope that I hadn't even picked out yet.
Troy Industries came to the rescue with their aluminum M14/M1A stock chassis. Miles of rails (more than I can ever use), including the top rail that goes from where the rear sight was, all the way to the front edge of the handguard.
The other bonus was that the Troy Industries chassis ends with the same type of threaded hole the M16/M4 lower receiver does. That means any form of M16 stock, or anything else that can thread in that hole, can be used for a stock. I just bought the bare chassis from Troy, and the parts for a folding stock from ACE Ltd. Since there are no mechanical devices to the rear of the trigger guard, the stock can be empty, and therefore foldable.
It ain't cheap, but the base M1A isn't either. The finished product is still something I would trust with my life without hesitation.
The scope is an Elcan 3x which I grabbed when on sale. With the ARMS "riser" I was able to have a super-low BUIS on the rear, a Docter red dot in front of the Elcan, and still have the Troy Industries folding front sight.
There's more to my ongoing M1A project, including some cosmetic goodies, but overall I'm quite happy on putting the M14 action into a 21st century setting.