Include the fact that todays M1A's are commercial guns and not milspec and I find no basis for that claim.
The M1A is made by the Springfield Armory. They are made with the same quality process as always. I don't see many of them or heard any reports of anyone with one out of spec so I don't know what your comment really means unless some armorer or gunsmith wannabe worked on one and screwed the carbine up.
The M1A is derived from the M14. Springfield Armory delivered the first M14 service rifles to the US Army in 1959. It served really well in Vietnam although it was big for MBR it became obvious its reliability. You can drag it though the mud and piss it clean and keep shooting, just like the AK. The M14 was phased out as standard issue by 1970 but it is still used today by many branches of the Military, and the preferred choice over anything else as Sniper and DMR. It has great effectiveness at long range. It is the preferred choice by many marines in Afghanistan over anything else.
You will not see any US or coalition forces sticking to the old FALs. They are not accurate and have a hard time with dust. Any old veteran from the Israeli army will tell you this.
just asking is a 308 Semi-automatic good for hunting
What you want is something accurate whatever that might be so if you are presented with a 600yards "opportunity of a lifetime" do not end up shooting it in the rear.
Again the Saiga 16" is extremely accurate, not the 21" that one is not.
Baseline is $550-$575. Mags are $37. I would say buy 3 or 4 for now. A nice 922r compliance conversion with the nice G2 trigger will cost you $180 more or less depending on options. This carbine is below MOA.
M1A is also a great. You will pay for a SOCOMI around 1,400-1,500 and the SOCOMII for around 1,800. Mags are plentiful and you can get good ones for $20 and even cheaper surplus.
Both systems need additional good mounts for regular optics if you want a scope. If you want to enjoy the range and a good hunt plan for a good scope. The M1A iron sights are superior to the AK but the AK can do ok too.
Here one Saiga .308 before and after conversion....
Here one target. Here with a 1x7 Burris timberline with the simple yet awesome bullet drop comp with a few clicks between groups. LEt me know if you need more pics of this or FN, M1A or other systems...
Added this with a few shots open sights too....
These were shot standing up with that grip-bipod supporting over a counter but w/o any sandbags or anything fancy.
I am retired now but I was trained as a marksman and sniper and take my time between shots but other than that there is nothing really huge and fancy about this system setup.
It is just plain and simple an accurate system so potentially anyone can do this with this nice carbine.
Cheers,
E.