ARMS Mount Crooked?

[amprecon]

I'll have to post a pic later, but I bought the ARMS #18 Mount for my S.A. M1A Standard and attached it as instructed and even mounted the Nikon 6X42 to it. I then realized the rings I had bought, Xtreme Tactical aluminum 3-screw rings, were too thick and didn't allow the scope to be brought far enough to the rear for me to see through it properly without having my face all up onto the receiver. So I removed the scope and shipped the rings back to MidwayUSA to exchange for some Millet single screw extended steel rings.
Anyway, whilst handling my M1A with the ARMS mount still attached, and looking down the sights I noticed that it is tilted to the left some minute degrees and also canted to the left off the bore centerline. Now if I can notice this discrepancy with the naked eye, I would have been perplexed at the range trying to sight in the scope on that mount.
As this is my first experience with any M1A mount, I didn't expect to experience this "lack of quality".
Has anyone else noticed this with their ARMS? Has anyone had problems sighting their optics in with it? Or is this just a quality fluke with me?
I also understand this is an approved mount for the military and that they use them and they supposedly have a NSN number for the military equipment catalogs.
Could it be that the receiver isn't machined properly?

 

[amprecon]

Here's the pics

 

[amprecon]

Do you see the misalignment in the pictures I posted?
The rings I ordered are adjustable for windage, I'm hoping I can at least get the scope aligned down the center as best as possible, I can then adjust the crosshairs as needed to get it the rest of the way aligned, but I still think it'll be a solid setup when done, just not as initially aligned as I'd like.

 

[amprecon]

Come to find out the rifle is fine I got a lemon ARMS #18 mount. SA discovered this after replacing the receiver and the barrel, attached my ARMS #18 mount and it was still crooked. They put a known good mount on it and it aligned perfectly.

 

[roklok]

I can not see your pics, but it sucks that you got a bad mount. I have an ARMS 18 mount and it aligned perfectly. Are you positive it is an ARMS mount? The reason I ask, I have seen some cheap imported copies of the ARMS 18 on the market.

 

[lipadj46]

That is good to know but many people used your post and pictures for the past couple of months to prove how bad SAI M1A's are and it turns out it is the mount, oh the irony. You should post this in AR14.com, M14 FL and the High Road forums so people can see that it was the mount. You will deflate the arguments of the people saying that SAI sux and Norinco's are the greatest

It is surprising that SAI did not check the receiver geometry before they went and replaced the barrel and receiver.

 

[amprecon]

I know, I felt terrible that they went through all that work to find out the mount is bad. I bought the mount from ARMS directly so I know it's not a knock-off. I called them and told them about my situation and they were really helpful and courteous and said that as soon as I get the rifle and mount returned, send them the bad mount and they'd send me another one, hopefully a good one.

 

[Mannlicher]

if the ARMS #18 is installed incorrectly, it can result in an off center condition. Not saying that you are the guilty party, but .....................

I have used ARMS products for some time now, and have never had a bad item.

 

[amprecon]

I got the rifle back from S.A. with the ARMS mount installed on it and it appeared to be mounted straight, so I took it to the range and was able to get on paper without too much ado. I'm happy.