SA M1A series rifles?

SA M1A series?

  • Good

    Votes: 45 86.5%
  • Sucks

    Votes: 7 13.5%

  • Total voters
    52
I have an HK 91, STG 58 FAL, and 5 M14 types... a pre-ban SEI (future XM25), 2 Bula (1 is Rock-Ola branded), a Fulton and a pre-ban Springfield Bush gun.
For me ergonomics goes to the M14. I improved the FAL with a SAW grip.
Sights; Hands down the M14 then HK then FAL. I have an HK rear on my FAL now.
The trigger; hands down goes to the M14. The FAL is OK, the HK is akin to dragging a boat anchor across a parking lot.
I find the M14s to be as, if not more, accurate than the FAL and HK.
I use a Brookfield scope mount on my scoped M14 which still allows use of the iron sights (looking under the scope).

I don't know the current product but SAi synthetic stocks in the past were like wet noodles and adversely impacted accuracy. A wooden or USGI fiberglass stock helps a lot.

All of mine get the Brookfield XM25 gas cylinder treatment and NM spring guides.

Most of the aftermarket manufacturers have had some issues with receiver specs at some time such as right side shelf height, safety bridge geometry, etc. that can impact their reliability. For my XM25 project Mitch found that the right side shelf was 0.002" high which rotates the op rod which then misaligns the bolt causing it to impact the rear shroud of the barrel when going into battery... this was corrected. A properly made to USGI spec receiver is very reliable.

None of these where intended to be target rifles. They are battle rifles meant to hit a human size target out to 3 or 4 hundred yards that can be made into target rifles.

I like them all though I do flip flop between the M1 Garand and M14 as my favorite to shoot.
 
Although with the M1A series weight they might not be all that good for hunting trips.
There are also magazine maximums for hunting. As far as weight of the rifle goes, that would depend on your age, legs and how much you want to beat yourself up. I carried an M1A super match for NH deer until I got older and smarter. I could score well at 600 Yds iron sights, but not as well as the FNFAL match.
If you want to get a battle rifle, get one that was successful in battle. Like a FAL
I sold my 1970's M1A and bought and FNFAL Match 308. That rifle shot grapefruit groups with iron sights at 600 Yards. I have witnesses.
I have an M1a loaded and a FAL. I’ve never understood the appeal of the FAL. The FAL has sights that are, at best, fair, and a trigger that is crap. The FAL also isn’t very accurate.
I respectfully disagree. It would depend on the specific rifle.
 
I also have an AR-10. That is also a heavy boat anchor. But it is easy to scope and you can install a good trigger.
I'm not aware of any drop in options for the M14 /M1A, but a good trigger job makes for a really sweet trigger. I do own M1's / M14's now and can get a nice 2 stage break at ~4.5 lbs. Going lower risks popping off doubles or more due to bump firing.
 
I'm not aware of any drop in options for the M14 /M1A, but a good trigger job makes for a really sweet trigger. I do own M1's / M14's now and can get a nice 2 stage break at ~4.5 lbs. Going lower risks popping off doubles or more due to bump firing.
Yeah, the M1a has a very good trigger. The AR-10 has the benefit of all the development of AR-15 triggers. The FAL trigger, on the other hand, is your basic heavy, gritty battle rifle trigger.
 
I'm not aware of any drop in options for the M14 /M1A, but a good trigger job makes for a really sweet trigger. I do own M1's / M14's now and can get a nice 2 stage break at ~4.5 lbs. Going lower risks popping off doubles or more due to bump firing.
I think this is about as close as you can get to 'drop in' for the M1/M14.
 
Didn't Norinco make these at one point? Federal Ordnance too?
Sorry a little deviation but its a good topic.
Yes, there were quite a few manufacturers of commercial M14s.
Off the top of my head;
Springfield Armory Inc.
Federal Ord.
Armscorp
LRB
Fulton
GWLA
Bula
Rock-Ola (Bula)
James River (Bula)
Norinco
Polytech
Smith Enterprises
7.62 Firearms
Hahn
I think there were a few more as well.
 
Last edited:
I sold my 1970's M1A and bought and FNFAL Match 308. That rifle shot grapefruit groups with iron sights at 600 Yards. I have witnesses.
Sorry, but I've got to throw a flag on this one.
A FAL that held MOA out to 600 yards?How many shots in that group? Was it repeatable? Got any pictures?
If so, you had the most accurate FAL ever made.

I go by what I see locally and nationally at any rifle competition that demands accuracy. AR's rule the roost along with bolt rifles. M14's can absolutely hang with them if the driver knows what he's doing. Not once, not ever, have I seen anybody show up with a FAL, HK, SVT, AK, (other than as a joke) and try to attempt it. With good reason; it'd be a fool's errand.

There are only 3 semi-auto rifles that will consistently hold MOA: the AR, the M1, the M14. 10-shot groups; not the lucky 3 shot cloverleaf.
 
Yes, there were quite a few manufacturers of commercial M14s.
Off the top of my head;
Springfield Armory Inc.
Federal Ord.
Armscorp
LRB
Fulton
GWLA
Bula
Rock-Ola (Bula)
James River (Bula)
Norinco
Polytech
Smith Enterprises
7.62 Firearms
Hahn
I think there were a few more as well.
Armscorp...that's the one I couldn't remember
 
I also have an AR-10. That is also a heavy boat anchor. But it is easy to scope and you can install a good trigger.
i posted elsewhere here about my last ar10 on a faxon 16" 6.5CM barrel - around 8lbs without a scope. it is not a boat anchor.
ruger sfar is around #7 with no scope. technology moves ahead there.

it is of course not as light as best hunting bolt guns that can be under #6 now, but that would be in a different price category.
 
i posted elsewhere here about my last ar10 on a faxon 16" 6.5CM barrel - around 8lbs without a scope. it is not a boat anchor.
ruger sfar is around #7 with no scope. technology moves ahead there.

it is of course not as light as best hunting bolt guns that can be under #6 now, but that would be in a different price category.
Mine's a 20", so a boat anchor.
 
Mine's a 20", so a boat anchor.
i have one of those too, on 20" 6.5CM BA bull barrel, RAPS heavy stock, shoots 1/2-3/4 moa. 24" bergara does 1/4-1/2 moa on same loads.
great to have a gas gun like that - one that shoots accurate, but, realistically, i cannot see where it would be used much, at all. with the PA 4-16x scope it is at 13 lbs.
 
Yeah. I need to get an optic for mine and then eventually replace the upper. Too many things in the queue ahead of that.
 
Yeah. I need to get an optic for mine and then eventually replace the upper. Too many things in the queue ahead of that.
arken finally shipped the epl4 scope to me - and the tracking says it was delivered to my mailbox - and the mailbox is empty, so, will wait to hopefully get it later today.
if it will work out - they still run a sale till 12/31 on those. if it wil lbe image wise at least in between the sh4 and ep5 - it is a decent buy at $300, the 6-24x 30mm.
if not - then not. sucks if they lost it, it will be a pita.
 
I was thinking higher end than that. But in the meantime, I was thinking I would offend some purists by putting a slide mounted red dot on one of my 1911s.
 
I was thinking higher end than that.
higher end always works, but, is quite meaningless now. riflescopes glass now is at the same stage how nikon dlsr optics transformed back in 2005 i think, when they started doing chinese based aps lenses there, and world found out that a new $300 cheap crap outresolves a $1200 hi end older ones.

there are multiple issues with lower end scopes of course arken included, but, as i may want to swap 3-4 of them, the $300 price range works fine. it is all relative of what you gain on what you spend anyway.
 
I was thinking Vortex Razor HD LHT.
that`s a different class of a glass. cool stuff, but, if you want 3-4 of them, it gets pricey. i want to set all rifles i got now on a same/similar enough type of the reticle at least, if not on a same scope type. arkens seem to work good for that.
with 11 rifles now, it takes some effort. i don`t have enough resources to get 11 razors. :)
 
Sorry, but I've got to throw a flag on this one.
A FAL that held MOA out to 600 yards?How many shots in that group? Was it repeatable? Got any pictures?
If so, you had the most accurate FAL ever made.

I go by what I see locally and nationally at any rifle competition that demands accuracy. AR's rule the roost along with bolt rifles. M14's can absolutely hang with them if the driver knows what he's doing. Not once, not ever, have I seen anybody show up with a FAL, HK, SVT, AK, (other than as a joke) and try to attempt it. With good reason; it'd be a fool's errand.

There are only 3 semi-auto rifles that will consistently hold MOA: the AR, the M1, the M14. 10-shot groups; not the lucky 3 shot cloverleaf.
Not even a Dragunov will hold MOA. Close, but no cigar.
 
Sorry, but I've got to throw a flag on this one.
A FAL that held MOA out to 600 yards?How many shots in that group? Was it repeatable? Got any pictures?
If so, you had the most accurate FAL ever made.
This was an early Belgian made FNFAL. Designated a match rifle, star barrel. I sold it because it was one of the early imports and was capable of being converted to fully auto before the ATF discovered that possibility. I bought it for $1500 in the middle 70's and sold it less than a year later for $1800. I was not interested in the ATF asking questions.

I fired 8 rounds of factory 308 match ammo that day. Prone position, no cross wind, no head/following winds, %50 humidity on a 60 degree day. As far as being repeatable, it was repeated 5 shots with 5 rounds. I did use 3 sighting rounds until it X'd in the ten ring. I let the rifle cool and shot the 5 shots with a fouled barrel.

ALL 5 rounds in the 10 ring, grapefruit sized group. No no pictures but the gentleman with me at the time is still alive.
I may have had the most accurate FNFAL, but things come and go.
 
This was an early Belgian made FNFAL. Designated a match rifle, star barrel. I sold it because it was one of the early imports and was capable of being converted to fully auto before the ATF discovered that possibility. I bought it for $1500 in the middle 70's and sold it less than a year later for $1800. I was not interested in the ATF asking questions.

I fired 8 rounds of factory 308 match ammo that day. Prone position, no cross wind, no head/following winds, %50 humidity on a 60 degree day. As far as being repeatable, it was repeated 5 shots with 5 rounds. I did use 3 sighting rounds until it X'd in the ten ring. I let the rifle cool and shot the 5 shots with a fouled barrel.

ALL 5 rounds in the 10 ring, grapefruit sized group. No no pictures but the gentleman with me at the time is still alive.
I may have had the most accurate FNFAL, but things come and go.
Shoulda kept it...
 
My 3 M1s.
My 1987 mfg Springfield Armory Rifle
M1A standard model. Its made with good amount of USGI parts. It works great and is accurate. I am happy with it compared to the newer made ones.
 

Attachments

  • 20220105_175144MMMMM.jpg
    20220105_175144MMMMM.jpg
    911.8 KB · Views: 21
  • 20220105_175144 GGG.jpg
    20220105_175144 GGG.jpg
    396.2 KB · Views: 20
Where can one aquire one of these FN/FAL.

In MA?

Just gotta watch the classifieds and be ready with about $1600-2400 whenever one comes up. They're not tremendously easy to find here, 'tis true, but I've managed to end up with four of them at various times. I've still got two, currently.

They're fun. They come in a bunch of different types, each with their own pros and cons. FAL Files is the place to go to find out about them.
 
Back
Top Bottom