I got a new to me Springfield Standard M1A in ODG composite stock. I shot a few rounds out of it to make sure it worked as it should. Groups were not that bad; but I was shooting close targets so no surprise. The recoil was closer to my bolt guns; so it took me a little by surprise. Enter a master gunsmith named Steve Edwards (Trained by and good friend of "Hook") that is new to ODT from
TheGman
invitation (Thank you Keith!). He is on here as @nsussf and to say he is a Great Guy is an understatement. He replaced 2 items only (Smith muzzle brake, and a Natl Match spring guide rod) to keep in my planned budget. Well, he took the time to work over my gun and it doesn't feel like the one I dropped off even though it looks like it. He mechanically trued the barrel/receiver (needed it), put a 4.5# trigger job on it (oh so nice), reworked the sights (more than once to his specs), checked and shimmed the gas system (he makes his own shims no less), drilled the gas plug (to help cycling), fitted the stock and hand guard, changed out the flash hider to Smith "Good Iron" brake and reinstalled the front sight using a mic (to the 1000th). I'm sure that he did other stuff I'm forgetting and lubed it up. The end result is that the gun will outshoot this owner most of the time. Recoil is about 60% less now, and much nicer. We did find out it likes 175gr SMK ammo as I was able to put a couple sub MOA at 100 yards (I got lucky) after trying several other weights. As an added bonus, I got a shooting lesion (probable worth more than work the did for free) and was able to stretch it out some on his private shooting range. Having him tell me how to change the DOPE on shots and hitting steel targets was awe inspiring. His last words were to practice, practice, practice on the trigger and the techniques he showed me. If you have an M1 or M1A, it is worth the drive to let Steve work his magic on your gun. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed and wonder why it took so long.
TheGman
invitation (Thank you Keith!). He is on here as @nsussf and to say he is a Great Guy is an understatement. He replaced 2 items only (Smith muzzle brake, and a Natl Match spring guide rod) to keep in my planned budget. Well, he took the time to work over my gun and it doesn't feel like the one I dropped off even though it looks like it. He mechanically trued the barrel/receiver (needed it), put a 4.5# trigger job on it (oh so nice), reworked the sights (more than once to his specs), checked and shimmed the gas system (he makes his own shims no less), drilled the gas plug (to help cycling), fitted the stock and hand guard, changed out the flash hider to Smith "Good Iron" brake and reinstalled the front sight using a mic (to the 1000th). I'm sure that he did other stuff I'm forgetting and lubed it up. The end result is that the gun will outshoot this owner most of the time. Recoil is about 60% less now, and much nicer. We did find out it likes 175gr SMK ammo as I was able to put a couple sub MOA at 100 yards (I got lucky) after trying several other weights. As an added bonus, I got a shooting lesion (probable worth more than work the did for free) and was able to stretch it out some on his private shooting range. Having him tell me how to change the DOPE on shots and hitting steel targets was awe inspiring. His last words were to practice, practice, practice on the trigger and the techniques he showed me. If you have an M1 or M1A, it is worth the drive to let Steve work his magic on your gun. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed and wonder why it took so long.
