Springfield M1A

Greg said:
Ya know,I was going to go back and edit my post a while ago when referring to SA's as junk.That was definately too strong a word to use in my description,but I let it stand incase someone quoted me before I could edit it out.[smile]

I have just witnessed first hand the problems that come out of SA in regards to the M1A's and Garands.Granted,sending them back will get them fixed,but when spending over $1K on a weapon,you shouldn't have to fix it.

In regards to your SOCOM,I have never heard of any problems with those.I have fired a few and I do like them.They are heavy in comparison to a FAL,but they look kinda cool.

Whenever you get to Harvard,LMK and you can check out my FAL.
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How about a hug? [smile]
Seriously though - I love FAL's and would be honored to burn some .308 through one. The FAL is one of those rifles, (we all have them), that I always wanted, but never bought. I was that way about M1As as well. I walked by so many of them back in the 80's. Not knowing about the "We Are Guns" guy out here in Western MA, I found his website just before he went away and inquired about an STG he had advertised. I never heard back from him, but wish I had gotten my hands on one - I really like the way the 58 looks....
 
Greg said:
Something like 90 countries all over the world,can't remember exactely.


To each his own,I love them all[smile]
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Over 90 countries used them. Past tense. There currently might be a few banana republics using them, but, correct me if I am wrong, none of the large military powers are equipping troops with them, as far as I know.
Both are fine rifles.
 
MassMark said:
How about a hug? [smile]
inquired about an STG he had advertised. I never heard back from him, but wish I had gotten my hands on one - I really like the way the 58 looks....
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The FAL I had was an STG-58 parts kit on an Imbel reciever, put together by Century Arms. Century Arms is supposedly the bottom of the barrel, but the rifle I had was put togethr well. I ended up putting Israeli wood furniture on it. I wish I had it back.[frown]
 
PatMcD said:
Over 90 countries used them. Past tense. There currently might be a few banana republics using them, but, correct me if I am wrong, none of the large military powers are equipping troops with them, as far as I know.
Both are fine rifles.
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I don't know about that - there was a picture in the newspaper just the other day showing a Turkish soldier patrolling the Kurdish border - he was carrying what looked like an FAL to me.
 
calsdad said:
I don't know about that - there was a picture in the newspaper just the other day showing a Turkish soldier patrolling the Kurdish border - he was carrying what looked like an FAL to me.
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Yeah, I honestly don't know. I was more asking a question than making a statement. I thought the Turks used H&K type rifles. I am thinking maybe India might use the L1A1?
 
I bought a SA National Match M1A from Carl at Four Seasons about a year ago. It is the absolute best rifle to shoot and far more accurate than me (at this point but I am working on it).

Springfield Armory gets beat up a lot but I have had zero problems with mine and didn't want to pay double for a Fulton Armory or other make.

Good luck - there is really nothing like shooting the 7.62 round!
 
I have SA loaded Bush rifle that I bought a year ago from a member on here. It's a great rifle. I ran some Zinc coated Russian ammo that worked great. I also got a USGI fiberglass stock as well.
 
Keep saving and buy one. You won't be disappointed. Mine will outshoot me any day and I don't have a "loaded" one. I've found that if you scope it and shoot surplus ammo you'll get frustrated, but it's the ammo's fault, not the rifle's. I can't think of a reason I'd get rid of mine (except maybe to step up)....
 
thanks for the help guys... I am learning alot.
I am almost there! I think I am going to go with a "loaded" rifle with a synthetic stock.
My next question is.... to scope or not to scope?
 
Boston-Irish said:
thanks for the help guys... I am learning alot.
I am almost there! I think I am going to go with a "loaded" rifle with a synthetic stock.
My next question is.... to scope or not to scope?
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I wouldn't scope mine as I have other rifles that are scoped. It's accurate enough with just the iron sites.
 
I bought all the fixin's when I got mine (took advantage of the loaded coupon savings), but it is still in its stock condition (black fiberglass Loaded M1A). I love shooting it without the scope, but what is really holding me back, is that if I scope it, it would have to be one worthy of the rifle, which means its likely going to cost me as much as the rifle did in the first place. And If I am goind to do that, I might as well go all the way and completely trick the thing out with a Troy MCS and all the bling.

I guess what I am saying, is you will love it just the way it is and have all that money for ammo.
 
Boston-Irish said:
My next question is.... to scope or not to scope?
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If you do scope:

1) do a lot of research on the scope mounts. From what I understand, most of the mounts for the M1A don't work well.

2) do not by the Springfield scope. It is a bad value and reticle is way too busy.
 
I'm on the fence with respect to buying a scope and mount for my SAI National Match M1A. At this point, my deal with myself is that when I can regularly keep 20 of 20 rounds on a 4 inch square target at 100 yards from a prone position, it will be time to buy a mount and scope. At that point I'll go with the Sadlak mount and am unsure of scope.

But let me tell you, I have plenty of time to save up :)

Enjoy! They are great guns and a lot of fun to shoot.
 
Yeah, I guess I should worry about getting the rifle before i get ahead of myself and start worrying about scopes and mounts. I can hear my grandfather as clear as if he was in the room... "No glass until you master the irons!" He was a WWII Marine and not a fan of "those fancy things.... if you can see it... you can hit it!"

Thanks again guys. It should take me a couple of more weeks and I will be there. I will post pics once I get her home.
 
Boston-Irish: Your question took quite the detour out there but to get back to your original post, I had a pair of M1A's and here's my personal experiences with them.

One was a full size and the other a Bush model. Both were purchased brand new. My first session at the range firing the full size model, the bolt came apart. We spent a lot of time looking for the extractor, its spring & detent but eventually found them. Fortunately a former Navy Armourer was on hand with
his trusty tool kit and fixed it. It worked fine after that to a certain degree but the gas plug, I guess you call it, kept unscrewing and would not stay put. Then the rear sight would drift occasionally. I got so sick and tired of it all that I sold it telling the buyer what was wrong. He did not seem to care, not much of a shooter himself. The rear sight assembly on the Bush model always came loose and the gas plug did so too.

Regarding our esteemed forum peer, Greg, and his reference a short while ago about a member of HSC that purchased a new M1A and the trouble he had with it, I saw that first hand and diagnosed the problems. The main one being that the bolt is severely out of spec so that it rides quite laterally in the carriage during operation. Also the extractor detent spring is way under spec. The chamber base is misangled so that a feeding cartridge can have it's bullet rammed back into the neck of the case which did in fact happen.

Finally, shooting at a number of ranges over the past 3+ decades of which some were used by the RI National Guard rifle team, the lads would always have their broken extractor tools handy as case splits were not uncommon with civillian brass, epecially hand loads. Specimens of the rear of cases (looked like little .45 empties on the ground) were not uncommon.

All that said, I like the rifle very much. Just think it' prudent for you to be aware that it's a mechanical device subject to the quality of the parts, fit and assembly at the plant. As Gentleman Greg pointed out there are bad FAL's out there too. Believe me, I've worked on tons of them. Mish mash assemblies of horrendeously fabricated and assembled parts. Same can go for any firearm. I even had at one time 3 defective, from the plant, HK's. Now when was the last time you saw that.

Final note: The FAL is past tense not because of any short coming of the rifle. It's because the powers to be for the most part converted over the 5.56NATO as their GPIC. FN's response to that, the CAL and FNC were dubious to say the least.

Thanks all. Have a wonderFAL day.
 
Thanks for the info Ryan. I like to hear the good and the bad so I can make my decisions based on knowledge not impulse (which tends to be the case with me). I tend to be a little obsessive compulsive about things (I like to refer to it as driven). If I had my way (and funds) I would have been at the gun shop buying both an M1A and a FAL. =)
Thanks again.
 
Well, just about any weekend you want, let us know and you can join us at The Harvard Sportsmen's Club and shoot any number of .308's that usually litter the range. You bring the ammo and you are most welcome to shoot any of my FAL's. I'm sure someone there would also have a M1A or two. Why we will even have the most honorary member of this forum, Greg, on the range too.
 
Thanks Ryan I might just take you up on that. I don't have alot of experience with either of those rifles, so an "education" would be great!
 
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Operation Manchester is Saturday but we should be at Harvard on Sunday around 1:00. However this maybe AK74 day as one of our members just built an AK74 and is in need of testing. I, as always, will have on my person one or two FAL's. Possibly one or more of my AK74's also. If you stop by, just follow all the noise and it will probably lead to a range with a red '08 Ford Expedition parked nearby. That's us.
 
update!

Sorry I missed you guys at Harvard last weekend... I had plans to head down there but (almost) forgot we had family coming over to celebrate the wife's birthday. I almost tried to explain to her that I was going to go to the range instead of having cake with her family... I chickened out. Maybe next time... you got me looking at FAL's now. =0

Anyway put a deposit down on a loaded M1A with synthetic stock today!! I am $75 bucks short so I will have to wait until payday. I will post some pictures once I get her home.

I do have a question though... I want to mount my Harris bipod but did not see a stud... is there an adapter to mount one?

A big thanks to all of you that offered comments. I have wanted this rifle for over 10 years... every time I got to 1K, I would impuslsively come home with something else (ak's,1911's,milsurps etc). Thanks for all the advise... you guys rock!
 
If you need another stock (one not as nice) so you don't drill a hole in your nice new one, let me know. I'm sitting on about 50 of the damn things.
 

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