Help me choose an M1A. or, tell me I'm nuts!

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*Sigh*

The "Loaded" designation has nothing to do with USGI parts. Standards come with commercial barrels now.

Springfield Armory Inc. is not evil for using reproduction parts. Most USGI parts aren't available.

Lots of SAI guns do have some USGI parts. Like I said before, mine both came with all HRA USGI trigger groups.
 
Look for a good older Springfield M1A, preferably a serial number below 80,000. If you are lucky you will find one with mostly USGI parts. I picked up a nice used one recently for $900 with 3 mags and a case. H&R barrel, trigger group, bolt and TRW op rod in a USGI stock.

Do the rifles with commercial parts work just fine? yes. And Springfield has a great warranty policy if you ever have a problem. However, the rifles with all USGI parts are a better investment because they will sell at a premium over rifles with mostly commercial parts.
 
You could always go crazy like I did and have SEI build you a M21A5/C-IED E2 EBR,
a MK14 SEI MOD 1 and a CRAZY HORSE® US NAVY MK14 SEI MOD 0.

All three are built for battle field use and all three rifles can be installed in a USGI synthetic or any other stock of your choosing.
All are built on forged Chinese receivers with a mix of USGI, Chinese and SEI parts.


I love this picture... check out the wooden hand guard and the M1 :D

CIMG2154.jpg
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Obviously this was written by someone who just loves "GI" everything.

No, but also speaking from a purchase of about 10-15 years ago when there definitely was a case of "either/or." My M1A was a loaded with the steel barrel instead of SS but GI trigger group. I was very happy with it and can maybe someday afford the ammunition to go shooting more than once a month again.

Springfield did attempt to use cast bolts for a little while with great failure. Most are off the market now but every now and then you read about one popping up.
 
My nod would go with the M!A. I've never owned an AR10 but I'm sure they are all of that and a bag of chips provided you buy a quality brand, like the original. I know the standard Springfield M1A is an expensive rifle now a days. When I got mine as a standard model it cost under $900. I rung it out for a few years. With good handloaded ammo it would shoot 2 to 3 inch groups off the bench at 100 yrds. I sent it back to Springfield and spent $560 to have their custom shop transform it to NM configuration. It took 3 months. And a bang up job they did. When returned it was a one hole shooter. That is a 3 shot group in the picture. After thousands of rds. the groups have opened up a little but are still sub MOA. I am using a Springfield
2nd generation scope mount and the Springfield Gov't Model scope (made by Nikon) with internal level and range finding. It will repeatedly ring the 600 yrd. gong at my range which is the top 18 inches of and acyetlene tank hung by chain. Remember although mil-spec ammo is expensive the components to load your own custom tailored ammo is readily available. I have reused my brass as many as 8 times without failure. The M1A is gentle to the brass. My point is this. Make no mistake the standard M1A is a formittable firearm not to mention the loaded model. As money allows you could send your rifle back to the custom shop at Springfield and for about $675 they will do to it what they did to mine with all the trim including a medium NM barrel. The NM M1A is just plain off the hook. Mine has never malfunctioned nor failed to shoot where I pointed it. It will be the rifle that defends this country along with the ar 10s and 15s when the SHTF. God Bless our troops and God Bless the citizens of this wonderful nation.

"If the American people ever allow private banks
to control the issue of their money,
first by inflation and then by deflation,
the banks and corporations that will
grow up around them and
will deprive the people of their property
until their children will wake up homeless
on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson
 

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I know I'll get in hot water for this . . . . .

. . . . . and probably now have to buy TWO M1As. At the end of a local show I finally made my last circle and swooped in with $1000 on a "loaded" M1A. Springfield 4x~14x @ 56mm scope, Springfield Armory gun, serial 60xxx, 7.62, 22", walnut and blue, flash-hider, bayo., bipod, sling and cheek-pad leather marked "MRT" & a nice repro canvas bag. Not a ding or scratch. But I'm afraid to shoot it !! I'd like to find an 18" and trick it up myself, and also shoot the 22" a little bit. Was it a good price? How to tell if it's Nat.Match? Can I do a trigger-job on these myself or is this a factory / gunsmith operation? Are there trick triggers available for M1As? I gotta rely on the pros here, and I only own three long-guns so far, this one and some Old School bolt-on-Ninja SKS's. Any opinions? Thanks
 
You can always upgrade--once you have gotten to where you can outperform the rifle. In the real world (not the range) this is rare. Similarly, with good, even corrected eyesight (pre-bifocal) the irons will perform spectacularly well. Check out the scores and targets fired over the years at Camp Perry with M1s and M14/M1As.

Not many tools of ANY kind that surpass the stock M14 platform. Better to spend your money on practice, practice, practice than to enrich vendors of gotta-have goodies.
 
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