its cheaper to buy a new barrel and have a gun smith install it, you could get a match one and have it installed for around 350-450$ or! you can do like me and get a gas lock front sight and a troy midevil muzzle break, this drops 3 inches off the gun and makes it look awesome, as far as a scout mount you can buy them from Springfield but they get hot fast and can fry optics so i would get a ultimak M8 scout rail it doesnt get hot at all and has more space on it to mount stuff.

p.s. you'll want a better muzzle break anyway (the factory ones are wayyy too long) and the gas lock front sights are nice i think, this also sets it up for a QD suppressor system.

 

Can the gas lock front sights be damaged or anything during extended shooting? And who makes the best Scout-length, preferably chrome lined match barrel for a reasonable price?
You are very helpful KF, thanks!

 

I don't exactly understand your question, but the design of the M1A is a slightly modified version of the M14 which was a full auto main battle rifle. I do not think the act of shooting, either extended or otherwise will harm the front sights.

The issue you will have with shortening a barrel on an M1A is managing gas pressure. The system uses the back pressure of the gasses behind the bullet to operate the action. If you shorten a standard barrel, you need to increase the diameter of the gas port to allow more volume of gas into the gas cylinder. How much you enlarge the gas port is related to how much you shorten the barrel.

If you rebarrel your M1A, you run the risk of increasing the cost to the same or more than a Scout Squad or other factory option. Rebarreling M1As is not easy. Because of the barrel timing, most aftermarket barrels are short chambered and a pull through reamer is required to get the headspace correct. In other words, very high labor costs, not to mention that chrome lined barrels for this application run a lot more than the average rifle barrel.

My advice? Get the rifle you want the way you want it with out having to work on it.

Or, get a quality FAL. Pros for the FAL:
- Shoots any ammo without any muss or fuss.
- Can be cleaned from the breach end.
- Light years ahead of the M1A on field repair.
- Can be had in almost any practical barrel length.
- Superior ergonomics for 99.44% of humanity.
- At the time of this posting, quality magazines are slightly cheaper than quality magazines for the M1A.

Cons for the FAL:
- Not quite as accurate as the M1A.
- Iron sights are not as precise as those on the M1A.

As for twist rate, 1:11 is pretty standard for NATO rifles. It will handle anything up to and including 175 grain lead core bullets with aplomb.

 

Also, what's the best Twist rate for the barrels, I know SA uses 1 in 11".

 

I had a hard time finding a Scout Squad as well. I got mine here. Free shipping too! They have it in Walnut if that's more your thing. Took it out the range 2 days ago, fires like a dream!

http://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/50220/brand/SPRINGFIELD

 

FALphil, I meant the sights that are attached directly to the gas lock, instead of the standard way of attaching it to the barrel. I thought that maybe being directly ON the gas lock, it would get a little hotter.
I agree, the barrels I've looked at are either too expensive, or nowhere near what I want.

I thought for a while about the FAL, but that extra accuracy is more important to me. And though I didn't play with it for long, the only FAL I've handled felt much less comfortable to me than the M1A.
Thanks guys, y'all are all extremely helpful!

 

I only just worked up the dough and courage to buy (at long last) a Springfield M1A Scout, but now they're dang near impossible to find for under $1900.

You can chop the existing barrel, but as kimberfan mentioned, it's probably better to have your favorite M14 armorer replace the current barrel with exactly what you want. I had Smith Enterprise replace two standard length barrels with 18.0" barrels, one is standard weight, the other is medium heavy and both have 4 grooves and a 1:10 ROT. I also like the M8 from UltiMAK and I could never get comfortable with an FAL.