Yes, and in my opinion, thank God. They make great M1A's but their Garands were a rip. They used surplus parts for the internals, sometimes worn, had a cast receiver, on a Boyd's stck set charging over $1k.
CMP Garands are much better for their price and because the receiver is USGI forged. For the same amount that SA., INC was charging, you can get a collectors grade from the CMP, have a rifle that has history behind it, better quality & craftsmanship, collectable, and have the backing of the CMP behind it. That kind of a rifle will only appreciate in value, whereas the ones made by SA, Inc. will not.
Also keep in mind that SA,Inc was NOT the same as the federal Springfield Armory in Mass that made the greatest battle implement ever devised.
Thus began what was to become the greatest production effort in the history of Springfield Armory. During the entire production history of the M1 rifle, Springfield Armory produced over 4.5 million of them.
The M1s accuracy and durability in battle earned it high praise.
The last small arm developed by the Armory was the M14. The M14 has evolved over the years into the present day U.S. sniping rifle - the M-21.
By the time the U.S. was involved in the Vietnam conflict, Springfield Armory developed not only rifles but machine guns for ground and air use, grenade launchers, and associated equipment. Many weapons were not manufactured at the Armory, but plans and specifications were drawn up for the use of private contractors who built them elsewhere.
In 1968, in a controversial economy measure, the Defense Department closed the installation. For almost two centuries the hilltop overlooking the Connecticut River had been an important place for the development and manufacture of arms for the American soldier. After the Springfield name was closed by the federal government in 1968, the name was used by a small company in Texas who used the name for several years. The efforts were unsuccessful and in 1974, the Springfield Armory name was used by Robert Reese, who formed a new company to manufacture semi-automatic versions of the M14 rifle called the M1A Rifle. The firearm was what brought success to the business. The company then expanded its market into pistols, notably the M1911. After further success the company began to branch into many fields of firearms. The Springfield arsenal now holds dozens of different firearms of many styles and models.
The company's main products are its M1911 pistols (built with Brazilian components produced by IMBEL)[2] and the M1A rifle series. In recent years, it has been importing the Croatian HS2000 pistol as the XD series. Previously the company has offered clones of the M1 Garand rifles, Beretta BM59, FN FAL, HK 91, and AR-15. They have also imported Tanfoglio and Astra semi-automatic pistols under the Springfield name.
Just my 2 cents-
Mike
