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Springfield m1a


Trigger Mike

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years ago I owned a Federal Ordnance m14 that was ok as far as accuracy but not great.  It was 500 when I bought it so seemed worth the price.  I sold it after I got bored with it.   

 

I have been fighting a fever for the springfield m1a since before I bought the cheap version.   In town they have a camostock version for 1499 and a wood stock version for 1599.  

 

What is a true value of these and how accurate are they?  I even toyed with a Fulton Armory version but wondered if it was worth it?

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In my limited experience it takes a lot to get them accurate and you have to re zero (or at least check the zero) if you pull the action out of the stock for a cleaning.  I have a Garand for the nostalgia but ditched the M1A as a serious battle rifle.  No idea what the current going rate is for these with all the craziness going on.  If you want it, have the cash for it, go for it. 

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The wandering zero was a problem for a couple of police/sheriff's departments here. It was so anooying they got rid of the M1As and went to DSA built FALNs.

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A very reliable gun but @July Smith & @DeaconKC are correct. Unless you have the action bedded and some material removed from the handguard / barrel interface accuracy can wander. But, once done they can be very accurate. 

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Just now, Trigger Mike said:

I am surprised about the zero.  The garand doesn't have that problem.   Is it because the sights are a softer gear or something?  

The Garand does too, my guess is it's just less noticeable for the average shooter with iron sights and cheap surplus ammo. 

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11 minutes ago, Chickasaw Bill SASS #70001 said:

well as long as it is acc enough to knock the jerk down , why worry  ?

 

  CB 

Op asked about accuracy in his first post.  The M14 and M1A have a reputation as both a reliable and accurate rifle.  Many M1A lovers also extend Patton's quote about the Garand as the "greatest ever" to apply to the M14/M1A.  While I have the utmost respect for those that served with the M14/M1A, when you compare it to almost any other semi-auto 308 I do not see how the M14/M1A earned its glowing reputation, but again that is just in my limited experience. 

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They are great guns; I have one.  If you're going to put a scope on it, DO NOT use the Springfield scope mount.  Sadlak comes highly recommended, as do others.  I've decided on buying the Sadlak for mine but haven't dropped the cash yet.

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"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

 

At the end of Casablanca (the 1942 film noir starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains and others), Rick Blaine (Bogart) is walking into the night with Captain Louis Renault (Rains) and delivers that famous (and often misquoted) line. Late this afternoon, I found a reason to recall that quote…

I’ve long admired the M1A rifle (the civilian variant of the M14) but had never scratched that particular itch. Well, an opportunity to snag a Springfield Armory National Match M1A presented itself a couple of weeks ago and I picked it up. The seller claimed that it had only been fired three times and its condition certainly supports that claim.

I finally had the opportunity to put a few rounds through it this afternoon but this wasn’t a serious session…just a “first date” to see if it could manage the basics: fire, eject, feed and maybe keep the holes in something snugger than an improved cylinder pattern. I hoped the rifle would hold up its end…but I also hoped I’d be up to the task. Trifocals and aperture sights ain’t the best combo (especially on a day with ragged overcast), plus I’d be managing the 4-5 pound two-stage trigger. Not to mention the afternoon heat that had a river of sweat running down the crack of my asterisk…

Since this wasn’t a serious session, I left all my bench gear inside (stool, sandbags, etc.). I’d planned to simply kneel behind my bench, rest my forearms across the top and squeeze off five rounds. After hanging a target at 100 yards, I assumed that position, cranked twelve clicks of elevation out of the “cellar”, held six o’clock on the bull and squeezed off.

Ever seen the old newsreels of Operation Rolling Thunder? The rain of bombs dropping onto North Vietnam from the bellies of B52s? Well, my first shot produced the same effect from underneath my bench…but this time the payload was red wasps and they were NOT happy with me. It’s amazing how proper motivation can overcome arthritis…I was twenty steps uprange in the blink of an eye; unstung and thankful that the muzzle blast must have slowed their target acquisition!

A temporary truce ensued while I located a can of wasp spray and hosed down the 4” nest. Had I been using my normal shooting stool with my legs under the bench top, that load of wasps would have wound up in my lap…did I mention I was wearing a t-shirt and bush shorts? Oh, the horror…

When my pulse rate got back to more-or-less normal, I figured it was time to pack up this carnival and head back up to the house. Once again hitting my knees I squeezed the remaining four shots off, shagged my brass and went to fetch my target. Well, happy days…I was greeted by a perfectly respectable group (given the circumstances). Five shots in 2” (four in 1 3/8”), right at 9 o’clock…elevation was perfect so I’ll just need to tweak windage (without wasps!).

As Bogart would say, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”!

 

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10 minutes ago, Trigger Mike said:

I guess one solution would be to never tKe it out of the stock.   :rolleyes:

 

I trust NO rifle to hit point of aim after being out of the stock, so that's no skin off my nose.  I figure I'm "back to square one" and act accordingly.

 

But that's just me...

 

Ad
 

 

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Howdy,

I bought one and some friends did too.

Great to shoot. Sure gets rid of expensive ammo quick.

Not as accurate as a bolt gun. Hard to mount a scope.

A friend fell in love with it and I sold it to him as a sort of retirement

present.  He left Illinois like so many do. 

I never saw him or the SA again.

I got about what I paid. So in a way it was FREE.

Free rent so to speak.

Best

CR

get the classic.

 

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9 hours ago, Trigger Mike said:

Is the loaded version more apt to hold the zero than a base model?  Would a fulton armory base hold its zero?

The Garand/M1As are all cleverly held in the stock by the trigger assembly.   To properly clean, lube and grease all the sliding moving and rolling parts one has to break the rifle down.  Properly lubed and greased and as a range rifle they are reliable and hold their zero just fine.  It is not necessary to completely disassemble the rifle after every shooting session, so having to occasionally check the zero on the rifle might not be an issue for some.  Again they are not bad rifles and if you have the urge to get one, get one while you still can along with plenty of magazines and ammo.

 

I know I will get some hate over this but I simply prefer the AR-10 platform.  Far more reliable, lighter, easily cleaned from the breech, no issues with holding zero after a deep clean.

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I bought a socom 16 M1a. I put it in a sage battle stock. That joker was awesome! 16" barrel and groups under an inch at 100 yards all day long with iron sites.

 

The only gripe I had was a weird one. The packaging it came in from SA said not to shoot 308 hunting ammo in it because it could chain fire. Well obviously the first thing I did was go get a load of 308 ammo. It didn't chain fire with me;however, it would NEVER fire the first round. It didnt matter if I loaded one, five, or ten in the magazine. I would chamber the round, and click. Eject the unspent round and it would fire all the rest in succession. I used the same force every time thinking it was the way I was getting it in battery. Nope. I tried loading different numbers of rounds. Nope. You name it, I tried it. The rifle NEVER did that with military ammo. First round fired every time. Weird. Very accurate rifle though, especially in that sage battle stock.

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I wrnt to davidsons gun genie and they show out of stock.  I had got to liking the idea of the scout model as I have been toying with the idea of a garand scout rifle and scout scope

  

I may have to wait for things to settle down before getting one.

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i like mine a lot - i bought the ARMS mount and rings back about a decade ago - not been disappointed but the SADLAC is great as well , i have both a synthetic stock and an original M14 walnut stock for it 

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I suggest you check out this forum https://www.m14forum.com/forums/

There is a lot of good info available there.  I have been a memeber for years and now own more than one of the M14/M1A type rifles.  BTW the M1A disignation is owned by Springfield Armory Inc.

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