M1 Carbine or M14/M1A

[kBob]

Derek45,

re your picture.

Yes that IS what I want for Christmas. I have been a very good boy and already have an M-1 Carbine.

So a couple or six Christmases ago I was out with the kids looking at lights and there was a live Santa in one display, seeing kids. We stopped and the then eight year old was thrilled and the ten year old a bit worried about anyone thinking he believed in Santa.

Once the eight year old was through Santa asked The Boy what he wanted as he stood out with me ten feet away from the Jolly Elf. When The Boy balked Santa looked at me and asked what I wanted. I cheerfully asked for a Pieta repro Remington New Model Army. Santa looked at me a bit strange and said,
"I still don't generally give folks guns for Christmas just like I didn't get you the reproduction Colt 1851 you asked for when you were 15."

The scary part......I did and "he" didn't.

We have not seen that Santa since on our drives through that neighbor hood viewing lights.

-kBob

 

[Reloadron]

derek45, that's a nice looking M1A. And it's good to see a bayonet lug on it! Too many 14s/ M1As out there without one.

So if I replace my flash suppressor with one that has a bayonet lug will the rifle start shooting better? Other than nostalgia I really see no point in having a bayonet lug on a rifle I will never fix a bayonet to. Will my groups shrink? Other than nostalgia or use in reenactments I really see no need for the flash suppressor with the lug. I guess it's just a matter of personal taste. The below rifle shot better using the suppressor sans lug than with the lug so I left it alone.

 

[Nature Boy]

Ron, tell me about the finish on your M1A.

 

[Mountain-Man]

My AR15 has an 18" barrel, with 15" keymod rail and iron sights, my AR10 has a 20" barrel with 15" rail, and 6-12x50 scope.

 

[Swing]

Both are outstanding choices. Considering you already have a full-sized rifle in 7.62mm NATO and you want a fun gun, maybe go with the M1 Carbine. They are a delight to shoot. Originals are available and Auto-Ordnance makes new ones.

 

[Reloadron]

Ron, tell me about the finish on your M1A.

Not much to tell. I generally use boiled linseed oil but have known known to cheat and use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil which by smell I see as linseed oil with a drying agent. I keep my M1 Garand and other wood looking about the same. Once you finally get a nice mirror glass look it really is not difficult to maintain the look. I have one or two M14 stocks in the white and while wandering a NC gun show last spring found a sweet GI original wood with DoD cartouche the guy gave me for $30 and it had the metal.

Anyway, I like the oil finishes but again that is just a matter of personal taste. When doing oil plenty of 0000 steel wool and a good burlap tack cloth. Dust is the enemy and everything needs well cleaned between coats.

Ron

 

[Panzerschwein]

"...They don't make them anymore..." 'They' don't make M-14's anymore either.
The only real question to ask yourself is, "Do you want to shoot .308/7.62 or .30 Carbine?" Not even close to being the same thing. Oh and, "How much money do I want to spend?" A current commercial Inland M1 runs a grand MSRP. You can't build any kind of M1A clone for that.
If you want to shoot past roughly 200 yards or hunt any game in North America it'll be the .308 though.
"...which 90% of the M1 Garand is "Correct"..." That's really irrelevant. A rebuild is a rebuild. Has no collector value.

Well they still make M1As don't they?

I don't think the OP will be buying a REAL M14 anytime soon. But he can get a REAL M1 Carbine for less than a neutered (semi-auto only) M1A that has a Brazilian cast receiver with MIM parts. The M1As are terribly overpriced.

 

[Orlando]

I built this rifle a couple years ago on a Fulton reciever. All other parts areUSGI

 

[Reloadron]

Nice rifle Orlando. Certainly came out sweet.

Ron

 

[Nature Boy]

Thanks for the info on your stock Ron. Added that to my winter projects

To the OP, I have an M1A and love it. My default answer to these "either gun A or gun B" is always "get both". Life is too short and we only have so much time on this earth to acquire the firearms we want.

 

[Devonai]

Life is too short and we only have so much time on this earth to acquire the firearms we want.

Although if you want to be buried with them, you should probably limit yourself to a couple dozen.

 

[Whiskey11]

I don't think there is a wrong answer to this question. Both are great rifles with vastly different uses. Ammo cost is almost a moot point, both appear to be about $0.50 a round for the cheap minute of man stuff. An M1A will be minute of man at a much longer distance and be more capable at that range but the M1 Carbine has it's purposes too.

That said, I made my choice on which I wanted first:










No regrets either!

Doesn't shoot too bad! 1.5" x 1.125" 10 round group at 100 yards during testing of handloads shooting 168gr SMK's.



(ignore those small holes, buddy was shooting his .22LR at the same target.

 

[Ash]

I like my LRB M14a built with TRW parts.

 

[CoalTrain49]

If you already have an M1 Garand an M1A won't be that much different. Carbines are fun to shoot out to about 100 yds. Very different than an M1 Garand or M1A. I go through several hundred rounds with mine everytime I take it to the range. People ask about it and are always amazed when they shoot it. Almost no recoil and very light is the usual response.

 

[Reloadron]

I like my LRB M14a built with TRW parts.

My last 25 years of my career I worked (started) at the old TRW plant in Cleveland where the TRW M14 was manufactured. The old test range was still in tact during the late 80s. It was pretty cool and it occurred to me my USMC boot camp issued M14 was made in that plant.

Ron