Thoughts on the M1A as a battle rifle?

[Tortuga]

Maybe this is misplaced, but I'm wondering if people had opinions on using an M1A as a general purpose rifle. I like the 7.62x51 round, and I've seen these around with synthetic stocks. They're really attractive rifles and I'm thinking about picking one up.

Is the price point insane (in your opinion)? It looks like they've been hovering around $1600 for a while now. That's a lot of money to spend on a rifle

Thoughts on the (slightly) less expensive SOCOM?

Common problems not making them worth it?

I've done a fair amount of googling online but I'm kind of curious if more up to date information is floating around with you guys.


Thanks to the person who edited this <3

 

[LNK]

If you edit your post to get rid of the SHTF part. Your thread won't get shut down, as we don't do that here. That being said, the M1a is not a forged receiver like the M14, so may not be as durable. They are nice weapons though.

 

[Tommygunn]

You're probably better off with an AR-10 in .308 than the M1A. M1As are nice but the AR probably has more support.

 

[WrongHanded]

My closest experience to an M1A is an LRB Arms M14-SA that I once owned. It's a solid design, but pretty heavy. The iron sight system is essentially the same as on the M1 Garand, just in Meters instead of Yards.

Whilst there are scope mounts that bolt onto the receiver, my experience was that a cheek riser is absolutely necessary for a rear mounted optic. And the mounts add yet more weight. I ultimately bought it for the same purposes as you are suggesting, but found it simply too heavy (I found the Garand the same way). I think it's a great design, so long as you don't have to hike with it.

 

[Robert]

I'd rather have my FAL.

 

[LNK]

I'd rather have my FAL.

Me too, but I wish it we're just a little more accurate. 3-4 moa is fine for what it is.

 

[glockgod]

30 caliber. When just hurting them isn't enough!

 

[Tortuga]

If you edit your post .

Sorry. I appreciate whoever edited it. I hope I didn't irritate anyone.

...the M1a is not a forged receiver like the M14, so may not be as durable. They are nice weapons though.

I did not know that. We had M14s when I was in the army so I guess I was assuming better quality from a civilian weapon! Apparently I was wrong. That's why I like this place. Thank you for your wisdom here

You're probably better off with an AR-10 in .308 than the M1A. M1As are nice but the AR probably has more support.

Duley noted.

My closest experience to an M1A is an LRB Arms M14-SA that I once owned. It's a solid design, but pretty heavy. The iron sight system is essentially the same as on the M1 Garand, just in Meters instead of Yards. ...I think it's a great design, so long as you don't have to hike with it.

I actually consider myself pretty fit and don't mind a heavy rifle, but thank you for this input. I was planning on getting a synthetic stock to cut down on the weight. I'll also only shoot with irons most likely, so the extra weight won't be too much of an issue.

I'd rather have my FAL.

I hear this a lot, but can I ask why everybody thinks this? I've read the M1a's is like a 1 - .75 MOA rifle while the FAL isn't nearly as accurate. I also find it hard to believe the FAL is way lighter.

 

[Sistema1927]

Every time that I think about getting an M1A, I just pull the Garand out of the safe.

 

[dredd]

30 caliber. When just hurting them isn't enough!

Ain't that the truth! LOL

I love the M1A and that type of action.
In general, they are not tack drivers out of the box.
There are better choices if you are after "instant" accuracy.

I picked up a SOCOM on sale last year.
I put it in wood furniture to add the warm fuzzy feeling to it.
I really enjoy playing with it and can still see well enough to hit a pig at 100 yards with the irons.

It is a nice addition to the toy box if you have room for it.

 

[LNK]

Sorry. I appreciate whoever edited it. I hope I didn't irritate anyone.



I did not know that. We had M14s when I was in the army so I guess I was assuming better quality from a civilian weapon! Apparently I was wrong. That's why I like this place. Thank you for your wisdom here



Duley noted.



I actually consider myself pretty fit and don't mind a heavy rifle, but thank you for this input. I was planning on getting a synthetic stock to cut down on the weight. I'll also only shoot with irons most likely, so the extra weight won't be too much of an issue.



I hear this a lot, but can I ask why everybody thinks this? I've read the M1a's is like a 1 - .75 MOA rifle while the FAL isn't nearly as accurate. I also find it hard to believe the FAL is way lighter.

FN-FAL's are extremely reliable. Even at 4 moa, that means a 20" group at 500 yards. Plenty of accuracy for a war weapon. I have sub-moa bolt guns if I need more accuracy than that. I don't plan to hoof it anywhere, some weight of my weapon or ammo doesn't matter.

Glad you edited your post, or someone did. The M1a is a fine weapon, has the best sights on any rifle I have ever fired. My Imbel Fal I have complete faith in. Otherwise I would probably have a springfield M1a.

 

[Robert]

Sorry. I appreciate whoever edited it. I hope I didn't irritate anyone.

That was me. No harm done. SHTF just tends to wander into fantasy world rather quickly. There's enough fun to be had in the real world.

I hear this a lot, but can I ask why everybody thinks this? I've read the M1a's is like a 1 - .75 MOA rifle while the FAL isn't nearly as accurate. I also find it hard to believe the FAL is way lighter.

It is accurate enough. It's a battle rifle. The M1A can be made more accurate but off the rack combat rifles are not required to be sub MOA. Accurate enough is good enough. I can and have hit man sized targets center of mass at almost 500y. How much more accurate do you need? And that was with iron sights.

I like the M1A but I find the ergonomics of the FAL to be far superior. It's easier to scope an M1A but that is not necessary for a battle rifle. The safety is not in the trigger guard, never liked that design. People love it, that's fine. It's just not for me. I have a safety selector that I can manipulate without changing my grip. Even with my smaller hands. The charging handle is on the correct side of the rifle and does not reciprocate. Reciprocating charging handles are dumb, to me. The mag and bolt releases are both located close to one another so that changing mags and getting the rifle running again is a smooth action. All with my left hand. My right hand never leaves the grip as the bolt handle, mag release and bolt releases are all designed to be worked with the left hand. The FAL was designed from the ground up as a piston rifle and runs like a top. Though that gas plug can be a bear to get clean after a hard day of competition.

You can't go wrong with either. Both are well build, accurate (enough) and rugged. My FAL ran for who knows how long with a broken firing pin. I finally started get light primer strikes and when I pulled it apart I found the broken pin. Both sides of the break were peened smooth and polished. It had to have been broken for a long time.

Had the T48, the FAL used for testing against the M14, been given a fair shake I am confident we would have adopted the FAL like so many other countries. But it was subjected to different and sometimes harder tests. We can't adopt a foreign rifle during the cold war. That just wouldn't be right...

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I had the M1A Loaded model, stainless with synth. stock.

On the upside, it was accurate, reliable, and very cool. If youre into 2-stage triggers, the Springfields was excellent.

On the downside, it was heavy, poorly balanced, and impossible to maneuver in and out of a vehicle thanks to its crazy overall length. In addition, the match sights, whilst great for punching paper, have a very tiny aperature and would be impossible to track a moving target with. The really good scope mounts and magazines are expensive and not always easy to find either.

I sold it,got a high-quality AR10 and never looked back.

Still wouldnt mind trying an FAL someday, though!

 

[daniel craig]

Maybe this is misplaced, but I'm wondering if people had opinions on using an M1A as a general purpose rifle. I like the 7.62x51 round, and I've seen these around with synthetic stocks. They're really attractive rifles and I'm thinking about picking one up.

Is the price point insane (in your opinion)? It looks like they've been hovering around $1600 for a while now. That's a lot of money to spend on a rifle

Thoughts on the (slightly) less expensive SOCOM?

Common problems not making them worth it?

I've done a fair amount of googling online but I'm kind of curious if more up to date information is floating around with you guys.


Thanks to the person who edited this <3

How do you feel about weight? And that’s coming from a guy who carries a mosin....I can deal with weight if it balances well. To me no M1 type weapon seems to do so. Maybe I’m weird. Got another vote for the FAL here tbh. There’s a reason it was nicknamed the right arm of the free world. The hkg3 is still in production and also something I wouldn’t hesitate to take either.

 

[Nature Boy]

You’ll get a conga line of people coming here to tell you to buy an AR10 for a lot of practical reasons, however, if you’ve always wanted an M1A get one. They are smooth shooting and relatively accurate rifles and a hellava lot more sexy than an AR

 

[Ironicaintit]

So long as it suits you, there’s nothing wrong with an M1A. im more of an FAL guy myself.

Pick your platform, know it well, and you’ll be okay

 

[robert4301]

I have recently bought an M1A Standard Synthetic and an AR 10 (DD5V3). My M1A is easily 1 to 1.5 moa scoped, and 2-ish moa with the standard, excellent, iron sights. Accuracy of the DD is only a little better. I use these rifles as range toys. The M1A is maybe more fun to shoot partly because recoil and blast are mild due to the weight and that long 22" barrel. The M1A is also the more interesting rifle. It's far less common at the range so I get comments and questions regularly about it. When the mood strikes though, the DD5 sure is fun. Both rifles have been flawlessly reliable. If forced to choose one, I'd keep the M1A.

 

[DustyGmt]

My uncle went with the FAL and when I stuck my nose up at AR15's I decided on a .30cal like my uncle but because I wasnt crazy about the FAL and ripping brass to ribbons I went with an M1A Scout Squad. Just a great rifle. Love the M1 garand action and looked at the scout squad as a 21st century update to the Garand. Fine rifle. Reliable, accurate, just feels like a man's rifle. I regret selling it. I wish they made a 5.56 Scout Squad. I ended up ditching the .308 altogether in the end and my tastes evolved and now the AR15 is my favorite carbine. Lightweight. Easy to use. Easy to maintain. Cant find much fault in em. Not trying to steer you away from the M1A. The M1A is awesome.

 

[Pivot Dr]

The receiver of the Springfield not bring forged means it’s investment cast. Every Ruger center fire rifle has never ever been a forged receiver either. They are all investment castings. Lots of Weatherbys are investment cast actions too. Don’t let the fact that the Springfield M1-A receiver isn’t forged make a pennies worth of difference to you, it’s a non issue! My Loaded, stainless match barrel, walnut stocked M1-A is an outstanding shooter, genuine sub inch every day. I may not be sub inch but the rifle is. I wouldn’t want it as my only do everything rifle for all the reasons already mentioned. It is what it is and does it very well. Sadly my CMP group disbanded one year after I got mine, but it’s not for sale either. If they ever come after my AR-15 they’ll have to get past my M1-A to get it.

 

[vzenmn]

Love my M1a. Grew up with it along with Garands, M1 carbines, and Mini 14s. I love Garand type actions. If I heard something go bump in the night and either one of those were the only gun I had. It would work. But if an AR is within reach I am grabbing that instead. I just feel more comfy shooting
ARs.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

Do you want a battle rifle or do you want a general purpose rifle? You are asking for both.

 

[Alaskan Ironworker]

Right arm of the free world? How many countries even allow a civilian to own and keep a semi automatic rifle in their home? It certainly is not the right arm of the U.S.A.

 

[Robert]

I am a die hard FAL fan. But I'm not trying or wanting to turn this into a FAL v M1A thread. Both are great rifles and you can't go wrong with either one.

The M1A has a little more aftermarket support than the FAL. DSA is really it when it comes to FAL parts and accessories. The AR308 rifles will have the most support from the aftermarket world.

I wasnt crazy about the FAL and ripping brass to ribbons I went with an M1A

There is no good reason for it to destroy brass. Adjust the gas port until it won't eject the brass, then close it back down to where it's ejecting every case but not throwing them across the county. I have mine set a little on the firm side but I was running it in competition and wanted to make sure it was ejecting every time. I could open it a click or two and be okay.

Right arm of the free world? How many countries even allow a civilian to own and keep a semi automatic rifle in their home? It certainly is not the right arm of the U.S.A.

That quote comes from the over 90 militaries that adopted the FAL as their service rifle. At the time only the AK might have been in service in larger numbers. Had the trials not been skewed in favour of the M-14 we very well could have adopted the FAL. But politics are what they are and we couldn't have our boys armed with a foreign weapon.

 

[nick22]

I love M1a's however when I owned mine it was during the AWB and getting magazines was brutally expensive. I sold it and eventually bought a PTR 91 and I bought a pile of magazines for around4$ a piece. It's around a 2" MOA rifle that while still heavy and long knocks the steel plates over after a few shots that I could have pounded all day with 5.56 and never budged.

 

[FL-NC]

As a rifle to be used in a battle, they were fine in their day (late 50's early 60's). The other competing designs were the FAL (superior IMO) and the G3 (inferior IMO). All of these weapons are obsolete as standard issued rifles in modern armies. The M14 isn't very optics friendly, and attempts to get them to use other modern accessories have largely fallen flat. The only items meant to go on a M14 are a sling and bayonet. If you have the itch for a mil style 308 semi, I would recommend an AR10 in some flavor or a SCAR17 if you are willing to part with the $. If you just want the nostalgia of a cold war workhorse with iron sights, go with a M14 (M1A).