Springfield M1A comments

[rockquarry]

I've had an interest in these lately, but know almost nothing about them. I'm not a warrior, don't want one for defense or an end of the world situation and don't suffer from paranoia. I don't want a "truck" gun; not exactly sure what that is and I'm not going to buy a truck. I enjoy shooting at paper targets. I'm not much for gadgetry or aftermarket stuff and these rifles look horrible with a scope or other optics, like most military-type rifles do. What are your thoughts on out-of-the-box accuracy, handloading, favorite bullets, powders, etc?

 

[growr]

rs

I've had an interest in these lately, but know almost nothing about them. I'm not a warrior, don't want one for defense or an end of the world situation and don't suffer from paranoia. I don't want a "truck" gun; not exactly sure what that is and I'm not going to buy a truck. I enjoy shooting at paper targets. I'm not much for gadgetry or aftermarket stuff and these rifles look horrible with a scope or other optics, like most military-type rifles do. What are your thoughts on out-of-the-box accuracy, handloading, favorite bullets, powders, etc?

 

[dusty3030]

Whats your budget?

Bula

LRB

Get one with national match parts. Which would be unitized gas cylinder, better barrel, tuned trigger group, hooded rear sight.

 

[rockquarry]

I was inquiring about Springfield M1A's. Are these not considered decent rifles?

 

[Swiftflyer]

I really enjoy mine. Used only for plinking, and punching paper it generally shoots 2" groups at 100 yards which is not bad for open sights and old eyes.

 

[Harv 24]

I was inquiring about Springfield M1A's. Are these not considered decent rifles?

I've owned a M1A Super match since 1994 and bought it to compete in high power service rifle. the original guns from Springfield were made from New,Old stock GI parts (What they made the M14's out of) and the receiver was made in house by Springfield.
Those parts have dried up and now most of the parts are made by Springfield. The purists would rather have GI parts.

glass bedding, unitized glass block and all the rest is simply a way to pursue the utmost in accuracy, but again, you just looking to punch paper and have some fun. Adding a scope can be done, but is less optimal based on the design. I still shoot mine with Iron sights. The stock triggers are a good 4-5 lb 2 stage trigger and are very good. Magazines can still be had at a low cost. Get yourself a good leather sling and your all set.

You want to scratch an itch. A stock M1A will be fine for you purposes. The Iron sights are still some of the best out there and if you have a good set of Mark 1 eyeballs, and some decent ball ammo, you can get a 2-3" group on paper. The Springfield guns are a good value and will give you a lot of fun.

 

[MSD2343]

I purchased a Springfield M1A in their basic standard issue model over 10 years ago. Since then, I’ve cranked nearly 9,000 rounds thru the rifle.

In all that time, the only failure I’ve had was an extractor at about 6,000 rounds. Springfield sent me the replacement part for free.

I mostly pound a 9 inch armor steel plate at 100 yards. Even with all the useage I have on the barrel, it’s still plenty accurate at that distance.

For what you’re describing, I would go with the standard issue model. I think you’ll be extremely happy with it. I’m well into my 60s with not great eye sight, and the standard iron sights work great for me for my purposes.

Here’s mine with his cousin, an M1 Garand.

 

[rockquarry]

Thank you both for your helpful responses. I'm still pondering all this and I suppose looking for a way to talk myself out of another rifle, but these guns intrigue me.

 

['79 Magnum GT]

I had one I bought in 1981 for some reason. I'm strictly a hand gun guy as was my friend who also bought one but we got a good deal so we went with it. It was fun to shoot but expensive to reload. Couldn't use cast bullets either. We also didn't have a good place to shoot them except for the local gun shop out in the country about 30 miles away. Not only that it was the last time my friend and I would ever go out shooting together. I only took it out 3 times and put 300 rounds through it. The last time I must have not cleaned it thoroughly because twice it went fully auto on me. Just two rounds apiece but enough that it got every ones attention. I took it home, cleaned it well this time and never shot it again. I put it away in it's black "tactical" gun case in the back of the closet.
It was fun going to the gun shows and picking up accessories for it such as a bayonet, extra 20 rd. mag, sling, cleaning kit for the stock and such. Even got a great deal in 1000 rds. of ball ammo that I later traded for 500 rds. of 44 Mag. I eventually I let it go on consignment along with all the extras. Never should have bought it in the first place. It was a great gun but just not for me. Eventually they were banned in NY state as an assault weapon because they had a 20 rd. mag. and the infamous bayonet lug. I know of 3 people that have been killed by those horrible bayonet lugs. They serve no purpose and their owners should face life imprisonment. I'm sure we all agree here on that. Common
sense. Think of the children's safety. (sarcasm if you didn't notice.) Also seems that I went off on a tangent there at the end.


Rick

 

[barkerwc]

For what you say you're going to do with it I would be trying to find a new or like new "Loaded" model. They come with a match grade barrel, better sights, and a tuned trigger. You have the option of a fiberglass or walnut stock. The barrel can be either carbon steel or stainless. Last I looked they were readily available. I have one I upgraded some parts on. Before the upgrades it was a 2" rifle. If you want to see how well it shoots right out of the box get some Federal Gold Metal Match 168gr HPBT. That is the gold standard for seeing how well an M1A will shoot. I reload for the one's I have. Sierra's 168gr and 175gr Matchkings are the accuracy standards usually loaded over IMR 4064 powder. For military ball equivalent I use Hornady 150gr FMJs over Ball C-2 or surplus 846. Sierra has brought out some new Matchkings weighting 169gr and 177gr, but load work with them continues.

 

[rockquarry]

I had one I bought in 1981 for some reason. I'm strictly a hand gun guy as was my friend who also bought one but we got a good deal so we went with it. It was fun to shoot but expensive to reload. Couldn't use cast bullets either. We also didn't have a good place to shoot them except for the local gun shop out in the country about 30 miles away. Not only that it was the last time my friend and I would ever go out shooting together. I only took it out 3 times and put 300 rounds through it. The last time I must have not cleaned it thoroughly because twice it went fully auto on me. Just two rounds apiece but enough that it got every ones attention. I took it home, cleaned it well this time and never shot it again. I put it away in it's black "tactical" gun case in the back of the closet.
It was fun going to the gun shows and picking up accessories for it such as a bayonet, extra 20 rd. mag, sling, cleaning kit for the stock and such. Even got a great deal in 1000 rds. of ball ammo that I later traded for 500 rds. of 44 Mag. I eventually I let it go on consignment along with all the extras. Never should have bought it in the first place. It was a great gun but just not for me. Eventually they were banned in NY state as an assault weapon because they had a 20 rd. mag. and the infamous bayonet lug. I know of 3 people that have been killed by those horrible bayonet lugs. They serve no purpose and their owners should face life imprisonment. I'm sure we all agree here on that. Common
sense. Think of the children's safety. (sarcasm if you didn't notice.) Also seems that I went off on a tangent there at the end.


Rick

I understand your thinking. Curious about ARs, I bought three new Colt ARs (different variations) about ten or so years ago. I spent at least six months doing extensive load development and a lot of shooting. All the guns were well built, reliable, and quite accurate. I scoped two of them. With the exception of sighting equipment, my guns performed as expected straight-out-of-the-box. Then I lost all interest; never found the attraction to these guns that others seem to enjoy.

 

[rockquarry]

For what you say you're going to do with it I would be trying to find a new or like new "Loaded" model. They come with a match grade barrel, better sights, and a tuned trigger. You have the option of a fiberglass or walnut stock. The barrel can be either carbon steel or stainless. Last I looked they were readily available. I have one I upgraded some parts on. Before the upgrades it was a 2" rifle. If you want to see how well it shoots right out of the box get some Federal Gold Metal Match 168gr HPBT. That is the gold standard for seeing how well an M1A will shoot. I reload for the one's I have. Sierra's 168gr and 175gr Matchkings are the accuracy standards usually loaded over IMR 4064 powder. For military ball equivalent I use Hornady 150gr FMJs over Ball C-2 or surplus 846. Sierra has brought out some new Matchkings weighting 169gr and 177gr, but load work with them continues.

I'm very familiar with the Sierra 168 MK, having used it in bolt-action .308 rifles with fine accuracy results. I haven't tried the others.

 

[bgrafsr]

I started out with a Devine, Tx M1A that I got rid of and still kick myself for doing so. Built two M1A's, one with all Winchester parts and one with the original Springfield Armory parts. Sold those two also. Got a Springfield Super Match and again sold it.
I now have an Armscorp M1A that was built to NM specs by Jon Wolfe, a noted M14 armorer and builder. I don't shoot matches anymore, but the gun isn't going anywhere and will be given to my son on my passing.

 

[Rudi2]

I was inquiring about Springfield M1A's. Are these not considered decent rifles?

Yes, very decent rifles. You won't regret getting one.

 

[Oil Field Trash]

Great rifle. Mine is a 2” shooter at a 100yds and is the std model. It sits these days next to my 1943 SA M1 in the safe.

 

[M29since14]

What Harv24 said. I bought an M-1A years ago and have shot it a fair amount with open sights. I don’t like the idea of hanging a bunch of gadgets on the gun. My plain grade rifle shoots groups in the range of 2-3 inches, depending on the ammo, of course.

I haven’t really experimented a lot to see just how good the rifle will do with various handloads. I’m happy with the rifle as-is.

 

[daveboy]

I purchased a standard model, with the plastic stock. That was the cheapest option about ten years ago when I bought mine. I got a used GI, walnut stock (which are cheap and readily available) because I hate the plastic stock on a vintage military rifle. I use it strictly for shooting paper at distances up to 100 yards. It is a super-rifle for my purposes. It shoots great and has "the look".

 

[Reloader Fred]

I carried an M14 for six years in the Marine Corps in the 60's, so I'm very familiar with them. I own a model of every U.S. infantry rifle from the 20th Century, and the M14 is my favorite, and of course the M1A is the civilian version of the M14. I'm down to four M1's at the present time, but I own two M1A's, a National Match and a Standard. When I feel like shooting a "real rifle", I'll take one of the M1A's out of one of the safes and go do some serious shooting. These days, both of my M1A's are more accurate than I am, but in the past I've shot 1.5" five shot groups from the bench at 100 yards with both of them, with the proper ammunition.

Hope this helps.
Fred

 

[bobsguns]

I've had an interest in these lately, but know almost nothing about them. I'm not a warrior, don't want one for defense or an end of the world situation and don't suffer from paranoia. I don't want a "truck" gun; not exactly sure what that is and I'm not going to buy a truck. I enjoy shooting at paper targets. I'm not much for gadgetry or aftermarket stuff and these rifles look horrible with a scope or other optics, like most military-type rifles do. What are your thoughts on out-of-the-box accuracy, handloading, favorite bullets, powders, etc?

A "truck gun" is a gun one throws in their truck as a tag-along gun with whatever you're carrying that day. Sometimes it's a supplement with same caliber & mags, sometimes it's a beat-up .38spl six shooter. Scratches won't phase these guns, IOW. LOL!

The "standard" model of the M1A is your best value. I'm not doing Campy Perry level range shooting, so I don't need a $200 extra NM barrel. Buy it, clean it, sight it in & shoot it, IMO.

There's gonna be some variety in your point of impact as you move from ammo origin of country. Bullet weight, twist rate, etc will be in play here, just like any other rifle. I had good luck with German-origin ammo, FWIW.

My point of view on these rifles are biased as I caught the tail end of the M-14 issue while in the USMC Reserve for a year. These were the real-deal, full-auto, do-a-mag-dump thing.

Easy to break down with no tools (like any service rifle), easy to clean & lube. Aftermarket stocks can also transform these into very, very nice looking rifles. Some stocks can add to a cheek rest for a better hold as well, so don't be afraid to look into those too. As mentioned, optics aren't optimal & you say you won't use one anyway. Smart, IMO.

I'm not a reloader, so I have nothing on loads, sorry. I used to buy mil-surp affordably but those days are long, long gone. Maybe with Trump getting Ukraine-Russia ending, things will come around again? Sigh................................

Lastly, if you buy one, hate it & sell it, you most likely will make most of your $$ back. Not all, but most. But if an optic of any sort is a mere thought, then buy an AR-10 instead, IMO.

A huge bonus is you can play Full Metal Jacket on your tv dvd & do the rifle drills along with the movie.............

 

[Gunz50]

got one , brand new, built back in the mid seventies, 100% GI parts except of course the receiver, really nice GI walnut stock , and national match bedded ., shoots like a match rifle, If you get a good one it is a joy to shoot, but can get expensive now a days when loading and shooting six to ten 20 round mags worth.