Help me decide on an M1A

[leadcounsel]

There are a lot of configurations. Any and all expert advice is appreciated.

Socom, barrel length, other bells and whistles, match vs. regular, etc., wood vs synthetic etc.?

 

[woodfiend]

I don't own an M1A, I'll say that, but I have shot them.

My uncle has the National Match M1A. I love how it shoots, very classic and authoritative. Accurate too. This model has the Glass Bedded National Match Gas Chamber. It's more accurate, but one terrible downside. If I remember correctly, you can't remove the gas piston to clean it, due to the glass bedding. You will ruin the bedding if you remove it. This is definately not a feature I would want in a combat rifle. Other than that, it is a great gun.

The other one that I have shot is the Socom 16. Love it! Absolutely sweet to shoot. Smooth, smooth, smooth. I almost want to say that it has less recoil than my AR. Well, it is less sharp, less abrupt. Probably the same, amount of movement, but is slower and smoother. I do very much like this rifle. I DO NOT, however, care for the Socom II. The picatinny forend on the SOCOM II is awkward, heavy, and uneeded



My vote is for the M1A Scout with a synthetic stock. This is
a good middle ground between the two. It is lighter and easier to move in tight places than the Standard, but has a little more velocity and accuracy due to a longer barrel than the Socom.

 

[eldon519]

It kind of depends what you want it for. If you like a tactical style weapon like an AR-15 with tons of rails, lights, lasers and optics, I'd get the SOCOM. If you are primarily planning to use it for punching paper, and you are not going to compete with it, I'd get the Standard or the Loaded. The deciding factor between the two would be weather or not you ever want to take it out in the field or hunting or so forth. The Loaded is listed as 0.5 pound heavier, but I have been told it's actually 1 pound heavier. I own the Loaded Synthetic and couldn't be happier with it. It is a very accurate rifle.

If you want to get into competition with the rifle, you'll have to ask someone else. I'd say my Loaded is good for about 1.5 MOA pretty consistently.

 

[Kind of Blued]

What are you going to shoot with it and how far away is that thing going to be when you shoot it?

I'd go Loaded on Walnut for just about any purpose that I personally could think up. It seems to be the best value of all of the models, and I personally don't see the point in buying a large, heavy, full-powered rifle and neutering it to try to make it a "CQB weapon". If you grow tired of the walnut, you could always toss it in one of those supercool JAE stocks.

 

[wayne in boca]

Well,I have a Socom 16,a Scout in walnut,and two Standards in walnut.If I could only keep one,it would be a Standard.If I could only keep two,it would be a Standard and the Scout.But I love my Socom too,it kind of grew on me.I guess I'm no help,because I couldn't decide either.Get one,you will love it.

 

[P-32]

If I remember correctly, you can't remove the gas piston to clean it, due to the glass bedding. You will ruin the bedding if you remove it.

This is not correct. Removing the gas piston for cleaning will not affect the stock's glass bedding. Failure to remove built up carbon from the gas piston will affect the rifles ability to function after a period of time. Its the removing the rifle from the stock that could have an adverse effect on the bedding.

 

[English Bob]

I have a Springfield Armory M1A National match which I have been very happy with.

I had a slight problem with it early on with it spitting the extractor out. I took advice and changed over to a USGI extractor, ejector and plunger and I've not had the problem since.

Accuracy wise I have had 1MOA on a regular basis, sometimes just under with homeloaded ammo. I will have put just over 3,000 rounds through it now and have not noticed any significant loss in accuracy.

 

[rogertc1]

I have a Springfied M1A Scout with wood stock. Great gun and last year it was only $1300 new. (does have a rail on top)

 

[Mannlicher]

I have three Springfield M1A rifles now. The one pictured here is a preban M1A loaded. The scope rings are QD, so turn the levers, and you have the NM
iron sights available.
Great at punching paper, and with the Leupold scope, it makes a pretty decent weapon for a possible time of unrest.

 

[Vityaz]

I went with a Loaded.
Does everything I need it to.

 

[madcratebuilder]

I like wood and steel on my M1A's. I save the picatinny rails for the AR's.

 

[madcratebuilder]

double tap, my bad.

 

[glockman19]

I have a Springfield Loaded M1A and love it. I will be adding a Scout before any AWB.

 

[H2O MAN]

My one and only Springfield M1A was a Scout. I learned a great deal about the M14 with this rifle.
Pictured here in NM trim just before I put in my 1st SAGE EBR stock. I parted it out and sold everything off.

I prefer the 18.0" barrel on an M14, but there is nothing wrong with a 22.0" barrel.
Wood stocks are great eye candy, but I prefer USGI synthetics and SAGE EBR stocks.

I no longer own an M1A, I buy Chinese M14s and have the exact configuration I want custom built on their forged receivers.

 

[longdayjake]

I love my loaded. It makes me happy when I shoot well with it. I have only had one problem with it and it was user error and not rifle error. I like wood so I put a wooden heat shield on mine. I think it makes it look a ton better but then again I hate plastic on anything but an AR.



Thats my wife.



Thats me

 

[Jason_G]

To me the best deal is the Loaded model. That's what I ended up with:



I tried real hard to convince myself to get a Scout instead, because I figured the shorter barrel would be handier out in the woods, but to me the Scout just did not balance as well as the full length rifles. I'm sure that would not be the same for everyone, since different folks have different LOP's, etc. I have no regrets on the Loaded whatsoever. It's by far my favorite rifle. I killed a doe opening day of gun season with it this year.

It's still fairly new, so I can't comment on long term reliability yet, but so far there have been no hiccups with any ammo I've tried.

Jason

 

[Blacksmoke]

I vote for the National Match with Walnut. Looking at the prices on Big Sky Guns, the National Match did not have as much of a premium over the standard I expected.

I'd go for the accuracy over the gadget details. I have been mulling over one of these, too. So, you have given me an opportunity to think out loud. Good luck. Hope you get it!

 

[mavracer]

Love my loaded walnut.

 

[natescout]

I like my standard, but my scout is my favorite

 

[Darthbauer]

The scout is a nice place in the middle if you cant make up your mind. It really depends on what you want to do with it. I want to build a match rifle so Im starting with the super match from SA and putting a JAE stock on it.

 

[az_imuth]

I've been very happy with my Loaded model and it would most likely be the last rifle I'd get rid of in hard times. They are well-built, accurate rifles that require neither batteries nor a lot of attention.

 

[sjmills6901]

Best M1A

I own both a loaded and scout. The loaded is in a walnut stock while the Scout is in a synthetic stock. Both do the job, but I really prefer the Scout! Accurate, very handy and just a great gun to shoot. This is my preferred SHTF tool as well. IF I could only get one, it would be the Scout.

 

[MCMXI]

leadcounsel,
I went back and forth on this decision too. I bought a standard (lightly used) Springfield M1A from a local gun shop but returned it the next day and ordered a Scout version from Impact Guns. I'm looking for a 0 to 300 yard semi-auto in .308 so the Scout fits my needs. I have other firearms better suited for 300 to 1000+ yards. As for which brand of M1A ... there was only one choice for me and that's Springfield.

 

[45B@cav]

Socom11 all the way

 

[desidog]

This is just the question i'm agonizing over - My thoughts so far are that the shorter barrels are OK, since i'm not putting anything down at ranges over 500yds, and don't need the extra kinetic energy a longer barrel provides. However, I think the sights on SOCOM are too thick, so I'm inclined towards the Scout Standard, or the Loaded...lately, looking at prices on gunbroker and elsewhere, it seems there is more value in a Loaded - however, i'm drawn to the forward top rail on the shorties. I've learned from my CX4 that mounting stuff on the sides effects my accuracy, so the SOCOM II is out for me - thats a lot of metal weight & bulk too. But Fulton makes an under-rail, which i'd put on whichever option i go with.

Can someone who is knowedgable chime in on whether it would be viable to put a Scout rail on a Standard or Loaded? and how that might effect the balance and overall performance? To get the best of both worlds -

(My impetus there is to put a holographic sight up front, and keep my night vision scope on a regular gen3 mount, and have a great weapon for all lighting conditions; although it might be hard to keep the NV zero'd with the taking it on & off. I still need to think this part out.)

Wow. I'm rambling. Sorry, I don't want to thread-jack - but am interested in these trade-offs. Cheers! -D