Project Gun – ROBAR M1A Scout Squad

By
Ben Battles
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After

Enhanced reliability, adaptability and all-weather performance

What do you get when you start with a Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad in basic factory trim and send it to ROBAR for the “Full Monty”? Read on, and you’ll find out.

It will come as no surprise to regular readers that we consider the Springfield Armory M1A Scout Squad to be one of the finest .30-caliber defensive carbines money can buy. And that’s why most of us here at On Target own one of them. The M1A Scout Squad is a relatively light (8 lbs. 4 oz.), eminently rugged, battle-proven design, and its 7.62 NATO cartridge packs a major punch, generating roughly two and a half times the muzzle energy of the 5.56 NATO round. If it really needs killing—from North American big game to threats of the two-legged, dirt-bag kind—then 7.62 NATO will produce the desired results.

Before
Before
After
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The motivation for this project was to create the ultimate M1A defensive carbine: the ultimate in functionality, reliability, adaptability—all while not adding a ton of weight. Starting with a staff-owned M1A Scout Squad, we sat down and made a list of all the things we’d like to change to enhance the rifle’s functionality. Since we think Springfield did an outstanding job on Scout Squad, it was a fairly short list: a collapsible buttstock, a pistol grip and a full-length top rail to provide the option of mounting short-eye-relief magnifying optics. As it turned out, our first choices to satisfy all three of these needs were provided by VLTOR Weapons Systems in Tucson, Arizona (Tel.: 520-408-1944; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.vltor.com).

The six-position Vltor stock provides adaptability and a proper cheek weld for use with optics. The buffer tube it rides on (also adjustable for height) and its associated hardware have all been NP3 coated by ROBAR.
The six-position Vltor stock provides adaptability and a proper cheek weld for use with optics. The buffer tube it rides on (also adjustable for height) and its associated hardware have all been NP3 coated by ROBAR.

The VLTOR M1S stock system for the M1A/M14 ($514.95) is a direct replacement for factory M1A buttstocks, and includes a 5-position Enhanced Carbine Modstock, pistol grip and replacement fore-stock in your choice of black, foliage green or flat dark earth. The buttstock includes a 1/2” thick rubber butt pad, one flat storage compartment, two tubular storage compartments, enhanced cheek welds, two quick-detach sling swivel receptacles and a molded sling loop at the heel. The stock slides on a machined aluminum tube, and attaches to a solid aluminum stock adapter via a bolt and nut that permit a half inch of vertical adjustment in comb height. The ergonomically shaped pistol grip has two tubular interior compartment for battery storage, and attaches solidly to the stock adapter, which, in turn, attaches solidly to the receiver and fore-stock. The fore-stock includes a forward-mounted sling loop.

The aluminum fixture that serves as an attachment point for the stock and grip on the Vltor M1S chassis has been Poly T2-coated, while the stock, grip and buttstock have been treated to Polymax. Just like our ROBAR-ized G21, the Vltor grip is treated to ROBAR’s grip texturing.
The aluminum fixture that serves as an attachment point for the stock and grip on the Vltor M1S chassis has been Poly T2-coated, while the stock, grip and buttstock have been treated to Polymax. Just like our ROBAR-ized G21, the Vltor grip is treated to ROBAR’s grip texturing.

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