A few of the things I enjoy most about shooting is the company this activity allows me to enjoy, and the complimentary hobbies that spawn from taking photos and blogging about it.
One of my earliest goals for this blog was be to invite people to participate here who have had some impact in the realm of online shooting forums, and in particular to help publish readily available material with regards to personal experiences on particular shooting platforms for new and experienced shooters alike to consider.
I interviewed one such person, who many of you may already know as “H20man”. Some of you know him from popular forums such as ar15.com. He appears here in this popular distributed demonstration video on the suppressed M1A rifle system.
Now, as a shooter living North of the Canada/US border, I often hear shooters here lament about the firearms we cannot buy. While this often feels and rings true, we occasionally find that we are more fortunate here in Canada than it would first appear.
As I processed through the text of our interview, one clear instance of this condition presented itself — the inexpensive, readily available , and hotly debated Norinco M1A.
H20man, can you tell us a bit more about yourself?
I am a water quality improvement specialist with 22 years of experience here in the US. My hobbies include performance vehicles, Golf and military style Homeland Defense Weapons (HDW)The very first rifle I learned to shoot was a WWII bring back Garand that saw action at the battle of the bulge. Even though I was hooked on battle rifles, I spent the next 12 years shooting AR type rifles.
When did you first start collecting the M14 rifle series?
I purchased my 1st M14 type rifle in 1999. It was a Springfield Armory Scout Squad. Unfortunately, this problematic rifle was built without any USGI parts and required 4 warranty repairs. Fortunately, every warranty repair included a new TRW part. Springfield finally got it right – however, in my quest for increased reliability Lee Emerson (Different) directed me to Ron Smith of Smith Enterprise, Inc. and things started getting better.
What specifically attracted you to the M14 family of rifles?
I look at the M14 type rifle as a Big Block V8 that benefits from balancing and blue printing.
I was attracted to the platforms reliability, accuracy and power.
Has your attraction or tastes for the M14 changed over the years? How so?
Yes. I find I prefer pistol gripped stocks and less accessories. I also prefer iron sights and forward mounted Scout type optics.
You’ve taken quite a few photos of M14 rifles and shared them around the community. Which particular rifles are your favorites, and why?
I have plastered my photos all over the net… my favorites are the SAGE stocked Crazy Horse MK14SEI Mod 0 and MK14 SEI Mod 1. I also have a new synthetic E2 stock on the way from LAW483 that should be light and durable.
Do you favor rarity or shoot ability in your collection?
Both! I just wish I had more time to shoot.
What do you look for when identifying a good buy?
A good buy for me here in the states is a Chinese M14.
Forged receivers, forged 1-piece op rods, chrome lined barrels and great trigger groups. The Chicom rifles we have in the states are great, they benefit from a little tweaking and they are excellent to build up on.
Some photos are floating around shooting boards of the first LRB forged receiver (that I know of) here in Canada. What is your opinion on these receivers?
If you can not acquire a Chinese receiver the LRB is the next best thing.
Can you describe what parts would go into your dream M14 build?
I consider myself lucky to own 4 dream rifles. All four are SEI builds on forged Chinese receivers. Two are Norinco with USGI TRW and SEI parts. Two are Poly Tech with TRW, Chicom and SEI parts.
The M14K is the dream rifle I don’t own yet. I have a Norinco receiver set aside for this build, all I need is the green light from Ron Smith.
What advice would you give to someone starting out collecting M14 rifles today?
Whatever you buy, have a qualified M14 smith go over it and tweak it as needed and don’t fear modernization efforts. Plenty of quality ammo, magazines and grease are a must. Above all – stay safe and enjoy the M14 platform.
From the readers and contributors here at gregpopik.com, thanks for taking the time to talk with us about your experiences growing with the M1A platform.
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H20man maintains his own website relating his experiences with the M1A rifle family, and more of his work can be viewed here
by Greg
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