I have an itch to purchase M1A and was looking at them in the store the other day. I am interested in the Springfield Armory Loaded or National Match model.
My wife asks me why I wanted an M1A when I have a M1 at home. I pointed out that the National Match is an accurized version of the standard model.
She then asks, "why not just have your M1 accurized?"
To that I do not have a good answer. I do love shooting my CMP M1 so why not send it back to them and have their people do their magic on it.
Any pros and cons on accurizing my M1 Garands versus picking up a new M1A?
This is a SuperMatch, rear lugged, heavy Douglas barrel (made by Barnett), all the match modifications. Wonderfully accurate rifle. I earned my Distinguished Rifleman's Badge with a M1a Supermatch.
This 30-06 NM Garand has a heavy Barnett barrel, 1:10 twist, and a PBR receiver. I had to have something different. .
The M1 Garand can be turned into a very accurate rifle, you will need a match barrel, glass bedding, match rear sights if you want the hood and 1/2 MOA elevation and windage adjustments. One MOA E & Windage adjustments are too big for the NRA target. I am of the opinion the best cartridge for the Garand is the 30-06. The cartridge shoots very well:
I do have a 308 Win NM Garand, it tosses cases right in my fore head. If my cap brim is a little above the rear sight, and the cases manage to make it to the forehead, I have ended up going home with bloody circles and half circles on my fore head.
Garands tend to toss brass everywhere, you will be real popular with the shooters on the firing line next to you. One of the worst burns I got was in prone rapid fire. A hot, ejected 30-06 case went down between the shooting coat and neck, and burnt me as I shot my string. I flopped like a fish out of water between shots. When I finally got home, I had a nice 30-06 burn mark. If you look at vintage firing lines at Camp Perry, when the Garand was there, there are a lot of Campaign hats on the shooters. This is not a fashion statement. A bud of mine, who was there in the 60's, told me the first thing he did was run to Commercial row, (and I think he said P.J. O'Hare) and bought a Campaign hat. You needed it to protect yourself from the torrent of hot, rapid fire, 30-06 brass that fell from the heavens.
The M14 was a product improved M1 Garand. The operating rod is shorter and heavier and the gas system is not at the end of the barrel. The M14 has a roller bolt. This was found to be better in hot, wet conditions, where oil and grease washed off the bolt lug of the Garand. The trigger guard has a superior latching mechanism compared to the Garand. I don't have a picture loaded of either, but the Garand trigger bow latching lugs deform. The "fingers" of a M14 latching trigger bow won't deform. Look at pictures, you can see what I mean.
A glassbedded, unitized gas cylinder, M1a will hold its "tune" longer than a M1 Garand. I refreshed the bedding at every barrel replacement, but that was about it. And that was about it for most shooters. Shoot any rifle enough and things break, extractors, firing pins, etc. GI gas systems lasted a long time. The Marine Team shooters told me of the roller coming off, there were some other funnies, that you won't see unless you are shooting 5000 rounds a month. The GI flash suppressor will need to be reamed so the bullet won't hit it on the way out. If you want an accurate M1a, get one with a medium or heavy match barrel. The GI contour barrel is too thin. The GI stock is too light. A nice medium or heavy stock is just the ticket for an accurate M1a. The Garand stock is fine as is. Both rifles have to be bedded in the stock or they won't shoot straight.
I had an "All GI" M1a version built, then asked the gun smith to perform all the match modifications. The barrel was better than expected, but the combination of the thin GI stock and the thin GI barrel, created a schizophrenic relationship between sling tension and point of impact.
That magazine was my standing and two round rapid fire magazine. I wore the finish off on the front and sides, where you press on the thing, off hand, and jamming it into the magazine well.
You will have to replace the GI barrel on any Garand to have an accurate shooting rifle. That adds cost. I recommend a 1:10 twist, that shot well with all bullets up to 175 SMK's. The M1 Garand takes more work to keep it shooting straight. The M1 Garand operating rod will bend in time, touching the upper ferrule, and causing all sorts or weird flyers. If you study Kunhausen's book, you can figure out how to rebend the thing so it tracks true. The GI operating rod is not "straight". The upper handguard has to be glued to the upper ferrule and you have to be wary of everyone to prevent the curious from grabbing your rifle by the upper handguard. As mentioned, the trigger bow has lugs that deform. I had the gas cylinder get loose on its splines, even after peening the splines. I re peened the things and epoxy glued the gas cylinder to the barrel. That gas cylinder, at the end of the barrel, with that long operating rod, is the primary source of inaccuracy with the Garand design. There used to be lore about "live" operating rods, versus "dead", which was all about whether the operating rod button touched the top or bottom of the gas cylinder.
I know I lost a thumb nail with a Garand, might have done so with a M1a. I hope I have learned about getting my thumb out of there when pressing down on a cartridge or the follower.
If you want to NM your Garand for a lark, go ahead. The resale value of the rifle will be less than if you had left it alone. Bubba does not understand and is suspicious of anything that is not "Mil Spec".
