M1A vs M1 Garand

Both are nice. I have the M1 The M 1a is cool to have with the magazine capacity.

Other than group size, I see no practical difference between a Garand and an M1A.

My old weld-up Garand has been glass-bedded and has match sights; I get inside of two MOA with it. I had an M1A Match, years ago; it was okay but it didn't really do anything the Garand wouldn't do.

Hunting? Range is a function of your skill with the iron sights. FWIW, going back to the old 1903 Springfield days, my uncle figured that anything to 300 yards belonged to him.

As Art said, they're essentially the same rifle. M1A will not have the history the Garand has, which is why I have them. You could get a national match rifle for the amount of coin you'd spend on the M1A and it would be more accurate than the M1A.

I'd go with a CMP service grade and you've got a great compromise of cost and accuracy plus you have a historically significant firearm.

If it is either or I would get the M1A. It does not have the history of the M1 but it is one heck of a rifle. The major differences are the caliber and the magazine. Do you want a 30-06 - go with the M1. If you want magazines and a .308 go with the M1A.

Rshooter said:

Do you want a 30-06 - go with the M1. If you want magazines and a .308 go with the M1A.

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That would be my deciding factor. Both are (or can be) fine rifles.

Of course, somebody said that the Garands can be used for "illicit purposes".

FWIW I've had both and both are great rifles. For the money the Garand is obviously the cheaper route to go. .30-06 and .308 are both great rounds and should always be readily available.
If I were to do it over again I would of just had the Garand and not bothered with the M1A. Its hard to justify the expense of the M1A without gaining that much in effectiveness. Hard lesson learned for me.
I also tried to "accessorize" both rifles and neither lived up to their expectations in my experience, it only made heavy rifles heavier and more awkward.
BTW I got rid of both and now have a LAR-8 that replaced both of them, it was designed for accessorizing

Of course, somebody said that the Garands can be used for "illicit purposes".

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Like killin' Nazis?

I drool over the M1A but they are still spendy (compared to the nosedive AR prices did). The garand is cheaper and has a great history.
Are the sights on the Garand the same as on the M1A? I always hear praise about the M1A's irons being about the best out there.

I'm looking right now at what kind of accessories are available for Garands.

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Ammunition. Turner's sling. clips.

As stated, there's not a nickel's worth of difference between the two, but imho, there's just something about shooting the Garand.

Both are fine rifles, but you could get 2 M1's, from CMP, for the price of an M1A around here. My personal preference is for the M1 Garand.

Since you are mentioning accessories, if your intention is to turn it into some tacti-cool scout rifle then you have one choice, the M1A.

Thankfully, there aren't a lot of those options available for the Garand, at least not to my knowledge. As stated above, the accessories you have available for the Garand will be bullets and a sling.

You mean I can't buy a Tapco bullpup stock for my M1 Garand and chop the barrel off to 16"?

The M1A looks like a famous rifle- the M14.

The M1 Garand is a famous rifle. It's cheaper and no one is making new governement issued ones.

Semper circa,
LG Roy

The M1 and M1A have a very similar design. The M1 weighs about a pound more, give or take.

The main differences are caliber and ammunition feeding device.

.30 '06 is a little more expensive than 7.62x51 right now... this wasn't always the case. However, you can always re-barrel an M1 to .308 and still have less money in it than an M1A.

The M1A allows for high capacity magazines, and surplus 7.62x51 is cheaper than .30 '06. The M1A will also give you more options if you want to scope it.

About the only ways to scope an M-1 are with a forward mounted scout setup on an Amega Ranges or CMP scout mount, or with an offset scope like the M1C and D (which is expensive and a PITA to install if your rifle isn't an original sniper version). I've also seen an expensive custom setup with a scope mounted over the receiver on a hinged mount that you fold to the side every time you want to load a clip.

With an M1A, there are several types of conventional, over-the-receiver type mounts to choose from, as well as scout mounts if you are so inclined.

The only accessories I'm aware of for the M1 are: sling (1907 or GI web), bayonet, national match sights, adjustable gas plug, flash hider, scout mount, synthetic stock, and Sage stock.

The only other tiny difference I can think of is that since the M1 doesn't have a mag sticking out under it, you can get your elbow farther under the rifle for a slightly better prone position.

I think they are two of the greatest rifles in existence, and I recommend that everyone should strive to do like I do and own both, as long as finances allow. Like somebody on the Appleseed forum said during a debate over this very topic, we are fortunate to have two such excellent rifles available to us to debate about. I own both and shoot them both regularly. The M1A is my favorite as a battle rifle because of the slight weight advantage, the more options for a primary optic, and the greater options when it comes to after-market stocks. But I love my M-1, and would not hesitate to take it to battle either. It is a certified 1000 yard rifle with iron sights, and I can load it in about a second and a half.

the cmp m1 garands are great deals, if i wanted a garand that is the route i would take. having said that i went with the m1a and have no regrets. if someone wanted a .30 caliber battle rifle and didn't have the money to get ar 10, fal, ptr 91 or m1a the m1 garand is a great way to go. the nice thing is if you get a garand in .308 & learn the sights you could always get an m1a/m14 later and use the ammo in either rifle. also smith enterprise sell muzzle breaks for the garand that i don't believe require any mods to the rifle. it just replaces the gas cylinder lock, looks the same as the one i ordered for my m1a.

M1 Rifle! 8 round enblocs aren't a major disadvantage reloading can be accomplished pretty quickly after you have unleashed 8 well aimed shots.

This one has a 308 Win barrel, nm sights, adjustable gas plug, laminated stock, fresh parkerized finish...still needs bedded though. It's a 43 SA with milled trigger group and ladder bar lock sights it was a shot out stockless from the CMP.

I own both, have hunted with both, and wouldn't trade either of them. If I had to pick own over the other for the things you mentioned in your OP I would choose the M1A. I feel it swings better and it is lighter than my M1. If I was on a budget I would get the M1 and with the money I saved I would purchase ammo.

I was a fairly active walking hunter for right at thirty years, making many and many a ten- to fifteen-mile wandering circle in the back country northwest of my house. I sorta started fading after age 65...

Weather Mark V, '06. 9.5 pounds, fully dressed. A Garand ain't all that bad, really.

I'm rather impressed with my Garand. The friend from whom I bought it for $200, back in 1981, had glass-bedded it and installed the match sights. If I were going to use it more, and use non-GI ammo, I'd install an adjustable gas plug.

Looks kinda cool with the bayonet in place. Brings back memories of Basic Training at Fort un-Bliss-ful.

Garands are great and Garands are fun.

The M14 is a product improved Garand. It has a better gas system, the trigger guard locking tabs do not deform as do the Garand's. The elimination of the upper handguard improved accuracy.

Eight rounds were not enough in combat, the 20 round box magazine is a tactical improvement.

The 308 is a better military round, but the ballistic difference between the 30-06 and 308 in Garands and M14’s is tiny.

Get a Garand while you can. Later, get a M1a.

For my money the M1a cannot touch the M1 Garand. The M1 is the rifleman's rifle. For starters it handled every environment from the frozen Chosin, to the hottest sandiest environment possible in the Pacific. Almost to a man the infantrymen when asked (and many were asked) stated they simply didn't know how they could do without the M1. Now the M1A is a commercial cast copy of the M14 and is not milspec. It is not in the same class as a USGI M1 in good repair. The M14 rifle was purported to be an improved Garand and a milspec M14 might (might) be, but a Springfield Inc. M1a is not even close.

I love my M1A, accurate and reliable.
I love my M1 Garands, accurate and reliable.
If I had to choose one, I'd keep the Garand, it's the real deal. I don't need the tactical advantage of 20r magazines, or a scope.
Service grade from the CMP is the biggest bargain going.