Originally Posted by bigwheelzip

Cool historical rifle to have, and heavy enough to offer an effective attitude adjustment with just a bump to the head.

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Originally Posted by Eddie Southgate

...I can see no SD situation shy of a war where a lot of ammo would be available to be picked up ( unlikely ) where I would want an M1 rifle...

Originally Posted by RCL-09

Have 2 now, owned several over the years, shot many more, and I have never seen that.

What kind of accuracy out of the box are you seeing?

Originally Posted by pantannojack

Ans: 4-6 MOA just don't do it for me.

My M1A medium bbl, rear lugged in McMillan stock won the Ben Avery, Az leg match back in 2001 against all the AR 15'z, and Camp Pendleton rifle team firing M14's. Back when we used all iron sights to 600 yds and on paper targets.

Originally Posted by StakeOut

More most home owners and cliff dwellers a pump 12ga shotgun with minimum legal barrel length might be the best all around choice.
I'd put #4 buck in mine if that was what I had chosen for the home.
Like any other firearm you need to become very familiar with it and what to expect when you fire it inside a room.So shoot it at a small indoor range.
At night in a dark room and without ear protection the firing may be shocking.

Originally Posted by giants1

I

However, I'm struggling with the M1a for self-defense and wanted your thoughts.

I'm an urban dweller with houses on either side and no plans to bug out to rural areas

As to self-defense at a distance, say counter-sniping (which the LGS suggested), I'm thinking that hiding well and/or getting out of the situation would be the better strategy vs. counter-sniping, or just using a scoped AR-15. I realize that there's only so much one can do, preparing for more likely scenarios is better, and that it's impossible to prepare for every scenario; I'm thinking that counter-sniping would be highly unlikely, the 1990s Balkans civil war notwithstanding.

What are your thoughts?

Originally Posted by Baltimoreed11754

M1A, you have a velociraptor problem? Seriously, a quality 2-4 inch revolver in .38 spcl loaded with defensive ammo with a quality tactical hand light is sufficient. Don’t kill the neighbors kid when your 2500 fps rifle bullet goes through your sheetrock and vinyl siding or window and your neighbors window.

Originally Posted by bigwheelzip

Cool historical rifle to have, and heavy enough to offer an effective attitude adjustment with just a bump to the head.

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Originally Posted by robertrwalsh

Unless you live in a house with bullet resistant walls I would say NO.

Originally Posted by mrmike7189

All ya need is a double barrelled shotgun!
-Joe Biden

Originally Posted by Hank Dodge

I like the M1A ..... Solid rifles that just don't fail. I have a short 16" Springfield "Thumper" that I wrapped in a GI walnut stock. That rifle is really fast handling and feels great on the shoulder. Being in kalifornia myself, the AR 15 rifles lose a lot of functionality. For a 5.56 the Mini-14 works well, but the need for Ruger magazines makes it less than desirable. I know that the .308 is overpowered for many applications, but I'd rather be on that end of things than suffer the alternative...

Originally Posted by giants1

Thanks. I'm not in a duty to retreat state, but I can't envision a situation where I could legally shoot someone down the street a block away, as opposed to run home and barricade myself.

Originally Posted by sikacz

True enough. It is a hefty tool.

Originally Posted by RCL-09

Have 2 now, owned several over the years, shot many more, and I have never seen that.

What kind of accuracy out of the box are you seeing?

Originally Posted by giants1

I'm planning ahead for future gun purchases and am interested in an M1a, both as a momento of my father's service during WW-II (albeit an M1 Garand in 30.06) and for self-defense. Plus, they just look cool! I also don't have a main battle rifle.

However, I'm struggling with the M1a for self-defense and wanted your thoughts.

I'm an urban dweller with houses on either side and no plans to bug out to rural areas in an SHTF scenario (but we all know what they say about plans).

I've seen some YouTube videos and read SHTF posts about the benefits of having an M1a in .308, but pretty much it seems only for hunting and sniping/counter-sniping at a distance. I understand that those cartridges are REALLY loud indoors, particularly when muzzle breaks are installed, as is the case with Springfield Armory M1a sold in California, where I live. That and over-penetration of the .308 from what I understand makes the M1a/.308 not ideal for home defense.

As to self-defense at a distance, say counter-sniping (which the LGS suggested), I'm thinking that hiding well and/or getting out of the situation would be the better strategy vs. counter-sniping, or just using a scoped AR-15. I realize that there's only so much one can do, preparing for more likely scenarios is better, and that it's impossible to prepare for every scenario; I'm thinking that counter-sniping would be highly unlikely, the 1990s Balkans civil war notwithstanding.

What are your thoughts?

Originally Posted by Whackywheels

As an M1A and M1 Garand owner go with a more modern rifle like the Remington 700 or a M14 clone. We are talking about 80 year old guns where the metal isn't as good as it once was and war necessitated ammo that was loaded below spec.

If you do buy one I would recommend getting a hand loader and producing your own reduced load non corrosive ammo to ensure the integrity of the gun. sure some might say it'l fire modern 308 fine... up until it bananas a barrel, bends a rod or worst case fails in the chamber like a reenactment of Kentucky ballistics.

Me personally, i got a 280$ Savage 308 II and added a decent scope and a really decent mount. I replaced that **** stock that causes the gun to lose 0 with a more reliable stock that seats the barrel well. I also own a few 5.56 AR's, a blackout AR, AK and PS90 so if things hit the fan in city I have not just a firearm for myself but for my friends too

Originally Posted by AJ

The old military rifles were well made. I have never seen a military rifle let go using the proper factory ammo. All the guns that I have seen that were screwed up were after shooting reloaded ammo. My Garand was made in July 1944 and holds a two inch group at 100 yards, would probably do better if I tailored some ammo for it. The group below was shot from a Swedish CG-63, a Swedish target rifle with iron sights. The receiver is dated 1902. Will your rifles do that well?

Originally Posted by ISCS Yoda

With out reading 80 plus responses I'll wager the overall consensus is that .308/7.62 NATO is way too much cartridge for an urban home defense weapon and that an M1A is way too large a rifle to be toting around the house. I bet that sums it up.

For the record, an M1A was my go to "battle rifle" for many years. It's gone but not forgotten.

But there won't be sniping and counter sniping in the urban environment unless we have a civil war. Otherwise, the sole concern is criminals, and shotguns and short rifles are the choice, and handguns, of course.

But if you want an M1A because you like it, sure, go ahead, they're fun!

Originally Posted by Whackywheels

Do you fire brand new ammo or older surplus? the Surp ammo is fine to shoot, I'm talking about firing new ammo. The modern smokeless powder just burns hotter than it used to and the older techniques for how the barrels were made just don't hold well to modern ammo chamber pressure. Personally I want my M1's to be handed down to the kids so I handload to ensure the rounds don't exceed chamber pressures. I also don't use surplus because I don't feel like dealing with the corrosive ammo every time I take it to the range. I also check headspace when I'm doing a deep clean/safety check as the older WW era M1's have an issue with headspace wear/throat erosion.

I will agree that an improperly reloaded round with improperly seated/budging primer will cause an out of battery explosion from the floating firing pin. It's far less likely if you know what you are doing that of an over-pressure round.

As I said before some people have the opinion that modern ammo is fine and I have my opinion. At the end of the day its your firearm so don't be surprised when you fire that 245th bullet that makes the chamber go crack from a 80+ year old gun.

I ended up getting a March 1943 Springfield. Original barrel, Re-armored once in May 1964. RWA Bolt is the only part that isn't matching but the WWII M1's it was common for them to change out parts in the field to make them more reliable.

Originally Posted by AJ

I shoot U.S & Danish surplus ammo and new manufactured ammo that falls into the specs for the M1 Garand. What is an RWA bolt never heard of the manufacturer. Springfield, Winchester, H&R, and International Harvester, I have heard of .....is it an aftermarket?