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M1A are the match and super match versions enough better to justify the expense over a standard? And also just how hard are the scope mounts to take off and on? I'm talking Springfield Armory.

What is the price diffrence? Is there an accuracy guarantee?

I traded into a Springer M1A Loaded some years ago, with judicious attention to handloading detail, and 168gr SMK bulllets, best I have ever achieved is .75" @100 yards. Not repeatable every time. Consistently it will hold 1.25"-1.5".

I keep it on a 10" gong at 300 yards 8 for 10 with the above bullets, not so much with cheap bullets.

I use a Sadlak scope mount, tactical rings, loctite everything (the M1A due to the way it operates are tough on mounts, rings, and scopes) all the scope mounts for the M1A are a bit different but easy enough to install and remove. You Tube is your friend.

Check out M14 Forums.com. Lots of knowledgeable shooters over there.

it depends on what you intend to use it for larry.
super match is usually for 600yd or 1000yd events using specific projectiles matched to the twist rate of the bbl installed.
its been my experience that ALL run of the mill MIA's are just so so. REAL MATCH M1A's are hand made and will pass an LTI at perry.

most owners of SA MIA's are just shooting them under 200yds. even as short as 100yds. even a rack grade MIA will work for that.

i dumped 4 grand into my hand made obermyer match M1A for navy team use. it was built by the best the world ever knew. it paid off. it had to. it was used in TEAM competition. the TEAM deserved the best.

individuals normally have personal reasons to own MIA's. thus the quality or lack of can be broader.

biggest mistake buyers make is they go backwards with the purchase.
they see a gun, they look at the cost, buy it, then shoot it.

M1A's require you to:

determine the target
how far away is it.
how accurate must the shot be
what round will be used
what bbl will send it down range?
what sights will be used and how precise must they be
everything else is just tacked on to achieve it.
trigger job
bedding
lugging
gas system tweek
op rod fitting
clothing

then build it. SA will do that on request. hold on to your hat, pay for it and fogetaboutit.

been there done that.

scopes arent hard to put on or take off if you have the right mount. mounting it properly is the key.


btw, my MIA will shoot the spotting disc plug out at 600yds.
mission success.

if youre shooting under 200yds, my answer is simply...no.

What he said ^.

as I recall, match was bedded into a standard sized stock and supermatch into a heavy stock. (my neighbor had a "SOCOM" M1A in a flimsy plastic stock that rivalled an SKS with wolf for accuracy)

M1A was the absolute KING of the NRA/CMP Camp Perry style High Power rifle sport (200-300-600yds), until about 2000 then the AR15A2 took over until about 2016 when the scoped AR15 took over. (of the over 1000 shooters in recent years' Camp Perry service rifle week, I'd say 15 used M1 Garand and 5 used M1A and about 10 used iron sighted AR's and ALL the rest used scoped AR's. Just a guess walking the firing/ready/assembly lines.

most serious Camp Perry M1A shooters (prior to the switch to ARs) had match barrels, double lugged, bedded in heavy stocks, 1/4" sights. Kinda like a Super Match but mostly not stock mostly built.

After the conversion to AR15s, the M1A became a "vintage" rifle with its own match at Perry (and local), just like the M1, 1903 Springfield etc. (although the M1 and M1A and iron AR15A2 are still classified as "service rifle" for NRA & CMP).

The M1A match is the National Match course (standing, sitting, prone, slow fire, rapid fire) all at 300yds.

M1A scope mounting system never struck me as repeatable or robust.

get whatever one you like the best, 2 paychecks later you won't remember how much you spent, or care....

shoot good!

Poole

btw...is this the old langley bill poole speaking?

The posts above are spot on - IMHO, and it's not been a buy cheap, shoot great rifle - ever.

I've fooled with the scope mounts, and for me - unless there is an absolute "must have" need for the scope - I'll leave it off.

The single large knobs are simplest, easiest for on/off, and generally the least robust for use and banging around - and, you have know if the receiver grooves are truly mated with the rail in the mount, this union is frequently out of whack, and will require some work to seat true.

Good discussion on the receiver and general changes to the M1-A as it has come forward through the years:

https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Springfield_Armory_M1A

The two points mounts are better, but you lose the quick on and off - and the scope tends to stay on more than off.

My biggest down for a scope is the amount of cheek riser needed to get set behind the scope, especially if it's a Hubble, and mounted in rings too high - even as low as it will go - it's up there above the stock.

probably no, I've never been associated with Langley, neither have my father, son or grandson (same name) but I have encountered other "Bill Poole's" over the years, one works at NRA
Poole
(Arizona)

Up on my research and suggestions, I'm leaning toward a "loaded" model SA produces. I've got several barreled and bedded bolt guns , I do understand accuracy and what it takes to get there. For me a M1A is just for fun 90% of the time, and a bit of history ,but I like accuracy and quality and tha loaded model seems a good compromise.

Just to answer a question not asked have you considered Fulton Armory?

Fulton Armory

They have built some fine M1As over the years. I have one with a low round count built in the mid 90s, it is a hammer.

The founder Clint McKee passed away early this year.

Know nothing about Fulton, checking it out .

I used early-90s SuperMatch and Match rifles for Service Rifle competition and never had any reason to doubt their quality. The Scout Squad I owned a few years ago was a poor comparison; quality-wise, not accuracy-wise, as I don't think comparing accuracy is fair. The newer guns seem to have poorer quality (non-GI) parts and lack of finish on wood stocks. If I was going to buy an M1A today, whether it was for match use or general fun/utility use, I'd look at Bula Defense.

Consider LRB Arms. Forged M1a receivers.
https://www.lrbarms.com/

Springfield Armory M1a receivers are cast.

Quality of build ? Accuracy ? I've got an M1A Squad Scout and a Socom 16. All they have had done are trigger jobs. The SS shoots 1.5 MOA with my hunting load and a 2X Scout Scope. That's a 130 gr. TTSX over 46 grs. of TAC in a Prvi Case with CCI 34's. That's a 4 rd. group which I've shot countless times.
The Socom never did better than 3 MOA with iron sights and cheap Hornady 150 gr. FMJ's. With Sierra 150 FMJ's and 43 grs. of TAC, and Mil spec brass, it's about 2 MOA with a Scout Scope.
The only Loaded version I've seen shot was an iron sighted 6.5 Creed with "crappy" non- adjustable synthetic stock. The owner shot a couple of five shot groups at 300 yds. with factory ammo that measured 4 inches. BTW, the trigger break on that gun was awful. E

I have 2 or 3 MIA in the stable. None have been shot in 25 years I bet. They are good, reliable, and accurate on the military target scale.
They are needy, and require maintenance. Stuff like bedding, gas system carbon, and moderate barrel life are part of the deal. A "match" rifle needs upkeep.
I just "found" a rifle I had built by a Army armorer from Lettakenary Arsenal. I know I have a new standard Springfield that I was going to have bedded and a match stock, but the AR15A2 kinda killed that devotion.

in re-reading my own old post while checking the latest posts on this thread, I see a typo I made back in December...

M1 & M1A match sights were set up with 1/2" windage and the standard 1" per click elevation but a rotating rear sight aperture in a hood that was offset 1/2moa so you could add the extra 1/2" to you elevation just by rotating the hood. The aperture was smaller too. So NM sights were 1/2x1/2 (as opposed to 1"x1" on the as-issued M1/M14). AR's were often built 1/2x1/2 then nearly everyone went to 1/4x1/4 then nearly everyone went to scope.

(I'm sorta using " (inches) and moa interchangably here since that's how we talk on the line)

ya'll shoot good!

Poole

TerrK

I noticed the Polish flag in your "avatar" picture...

is this your cart at Camp Perry?

[Linked Image] arizona-rifleshooting.com/Perry18-068.JPG

and why can't I post a photo as a photo instead of a link?

Poole

You need to use the image tag, which is img with a [ on the right and a ] on the left. You need to close the tag too with a / after the [ but before the img.

It looks like this:

that's the tag I always use, Actually I use the liitle image icon just above this wndow.... I think this forum page has HTML disabled (its at the bottom of the full editor mode)

lets try this:
[Linked Image]

yeah, same thing happened, instead of displaying an image it turned it into a clickable link to the image I wanted to display....

that particular one came from my 2018 trip to Camp Perry here's my web page of pictures
http://arizona-rifleshooting.com/Perry18-pics.html

in my mind the M1A is very tightly tied to Camp Perry and that style of NRA/CMP service rifle of the 80's and 90's.

years ago, Springfield Armory had a photo that appeared in their catalogs and a large 4' tall version of it posted in front of their store on commercial row at Camp Perry, it showed a side view of a 300yd rapid fire prone stage of a team match and all down the line you just see an endless row of those distinctive M1A/M14 muzzles sticking out (with the occasional very rare garand muzzle and not a single AR!). (I tried googling for that photo but couldn't find it)

Poole

That's due to a setting on arizona-rifleshooting.com

well, I disabled "hotliink protection" on the host and it still doesn't show the picture in here....

oh well, no need to further hijack the thread....

I think I have a poster format of that picture hanging in my shop. I'll see if I can post a pic of it.

even if you get a factory loaded gun, there will be more things that can be done to them to improve accuracy. I still have my navy match rifle built by known navy experts using all usgi parts from the crane truck. things like choice of grease will effect the guns performance. heck, I never knew of one shooter on the navy team that didn't have a bullet spinner as well. it all depends on just how far youre willing to go to get the results you desire. I recently sold my 1000yd open sight obermyer 10-1-5r and chose to keep my 600yd usmc oversized wood stock douglas 10-1 4 groove. it still has my lti card taped to the stock signed by the late mr. dobber! hate the thought of selling that one. (front row left.)

note size of spotting disc plug being the size of a 7.62 projectile.
I use to hit the plug at 600yds and the disc would fall off the target.
I knew some that would hit it so often, they needed to replace it in the pits.
I knew some marines that would call the line boss and send a message to me in the pits to stop dropping and plugging the hits after he got his first 2 shots in the x. because it never moved off x!

and for the record, the quest for rifle accuracy is addicting. so much so in my case that I had to stop pursuing it for fear of losing my mind and income. lol.
I had to draw a line and say im not crossing it, and then became satisfied with what my rifle could do and what i could do. now as im aging out, I can honestly say my rifle is still accurate. more so than my ability to aim it. some day someone will own it. I hope itll impress the new owner.

so, in conclusion, whatever amount of cash you shell out for an m1a, odds are there will be tons more you can do to improve it, regardless of grade. you never really achieve the end goal of perfection. because for every shot you fire, you wear it out, and the perfect gun becomes less perfect. youll hit the sweat spot on round count then you can actually see impacts drift before your eyes as you shoot it more. the life of an m1a revolves around the bore and what you feed it. everything else is fluff.

What do you mean by bullet spinner?

Cool pictures bobski and history. I was out looking at some gunshops today and ran across some very nice M1A's. One match (tag said national match) with early serial # I believe. 039xxx. It was in like new condition with all gi parts, according to my buddy that has a few of them. Shop owner said I could have it for $1,700.00 (also includes a scope mount). My buddy said that was a good deal, but I don't know how good of a deal?? I've fired the M1Garrands and M1A and prefer the M1a, since they are softer shooters and seem to be more accurate. You guys are having a great conversation on these great old rifles, but don't really discuss price. The other one I saw was a NIB stainless match and he wanted $2,600 for it. Then I went to Cabela's and saw a match like the first one I describe for $2,299.00... However, the first one at $1,700.00 was nicer.. What say you guys in the know??

the value of an m1a is the cost of the bbl. next is the use of usgi parts. and lastly, who assembled it.

and for the record, m1a's are not softer shooters. they are a sharp recoil and the garand tends to be a longer spread out recoil. (pop vs. woosh) its the result of the length of the bolt, op rod, and cartridge casing.

and a warning to all. any m1a worth its weight will have a dope book with it telling the builder, rounds fired, type rounds used, and results of matches.
otherwise, youre buying blind. much like a guy selling a car saying it was driven on weekends by just an ole lady from pasadina.

a bullet spinner measures the bullets trueness seated in the brass. match shooters separate rounds by the reading. ones over 1/3000th go in the 200yd pouch. zero to 1/1000th go in the 600 and 300yd pouch. even match ammo has a spread sometimes. worst being 2000th.
makes no sense owning a precision tool like a match m1a if all you do is shoot crap thru it. these rifles should be treated like a stereo freak tuning in bass, treble and balance.

so to answer your question on price, everything revolves around the bbl life. I cant remember, but I tend to think the life of a bbl is 5000 rounds. sweat spot is different for all bbls but 2000 being the peak on average/ so, a like new gun all pretty and such means it hasn't been broken in or its worn out and was given a face lift. and an old beat up looking gun means it has been proven, but there is no proof how much its been used.

the lands and grooves tell the tale and should match the condition of everything else. new looking/worn bbl...walk away. worn gun/new bbl...walk away. new gun/new bbl buy it. worn gun/worn bbl but documented showing it still has life?....buy it and save.
many confuse or combine the meaning of the word MATCH. MATCH can mean the competition itself or it can mean the gun is MATCHED. a MATCH RIFLE means all parts have been MATCHED, to be used in a MATCH wear you are grade against others. get it?

I dont know buddy, do know my first experiences into the M1A is happening right now, i bought a new Springfield National Match, gunsmith buddy said it had a National Match barrel, trigger and sights, also said the walnut stock was bedded and to not go tearing it down, bring it to him and he'll show me, also said he had a couple drill bits set aside for me to clean the gas tube, also has a grease rec, said a cartridge case rim is used to turn off the gas if i get tired of chasing brass, the brass lands less than two feet from my right shoulder, so i guess i'm not leaning on the rifle to bad.

I took 220 sticks of new WW 308 brass, annealed them, full length resized, set case trimmer for max length and ran em all through, a few were long but mostly just trued up necks, deburred inside and out, rehit inside case mouth lightly with VLD tool, worked up a load with 168gr Hornady Amax and Power Pro Varmint powder, CCI-200 primers, col 2.820" Vel 2645 fps, first 5 rounds had a 5 fps extreme spread, checked 5 more several days later and had an 11 fps extreme spread, i think this is something i can work with.

Will zero rifle at 100 then reset rear sight tumbler? to 0 and go from there with JBM program drop chart, bought three 20 round CMI mags and a maglula loader, just kinda rounding out my bag, this will be fun, i intend to shoot a buck, doe or pig with this rifle, i know it'll get the job done, have steel here at the farm to shoot from 100 to 700 yards, and a steel buffalo at 550.

Great post/pics Bobski!

I was amazed watching the Marine and AMU teams going at it(no slight to the other service teams). Lots of tie breaker relays!

Learned eye protection was not an option pulling targets for those guys. That spindle was dangerous when struck and lots of those folks could mangle a 3 in spotter quick.

Legged out in 98 with the M1A. Loved that rifle. Pretty much forced to sell it due to a really poor marriage choice. It was built by a NG team member with a Gene Barnett barrel( Douglas blank?).

Did you ever shoot at Dam Neck VA? I shoot a few matches there in the mid 90's. Lots of time spent at Stones bay Camp Lejune and Camp Butner NC.

OK, I see it's a variation of a concentricity checking fixture. The term "bullet spinner" threw me because when I think of spinning bullets I think of the Juenke machine that checks bullet balance.

Also where you wrote "... separate rounds by the reading. ones over 1/3000th go in the 200yd pouch" I believe you meant "ones over 3/1000th".

Sounds like a lot of fun Gunner ol buddy. I may have to talk to you a little more about your rifle. The first experience I had with one of these was last year when my air borne ranger buddy brought one to a military rifle shoot. That rifle shoots damn well. I was surprised. His has been shot a lot, but it still shoots great. Then another guy had one that was new. He asked if I could shoot it for him, to see exactly how accurate the rifle was. I said hell yes. That new Springfield Armory shot soft. Much softer than the M1 garrand I shot that day. As you know, I shoot weak side when I shoot irons, so I easily notice a difference in recoil. Others may not notice the difference.

That's probably what he meant. Should read .003" though..

yep. you guys got it. they slanged those gauges as spinners since you spin the bullet in the jig as the run out gauge takes the reading. mine was custom made to be adjusted to numerous calibers. namely 7.62 and 30-06.
btw....yes, I shot lantflt dam neck all the time in the 90's and flew to mirimar when all navy was held there. steve stevens, sam Dayton, chief mary, you probably knew the gang. I legged out on pistol in 96 and ran out of navy to finish rifle. retired. so you most likely knew all the big shots that fought for points 1 thru 4 to shoot down the zero wind tunnel near the trees at dam neck!

The Garand you shot may have had a worn-out oprod spring or it could have been due to different powders (assuming same bullet weight).

I hope (OP) larry is taking notes. im posting all this for him to glean.

You bet my Friend, glad to share anything i learn about these rifles, sounds like you guys had a bit of educational fun at the range as well,, i think the Garand and M1A are soft shooters simply by design and weight, and either with a half way descent barrel and loads can easily out shoot my iron sight capabilities, speaking of WW brass, i had two old blue and white bags plus one white and red box of 20 cases, i think the old WW brass will do me good, not impressed with the new red/black/white bags of crap.

Reading every bit of it just not commenting much trying to take in knowledge. And deciding what route to take a little wanting that I'm in no big hurry want to get it right the first time.

Shot a friend's Grand and I agree very soft shooting way softer than many lighter calibers in different lightweight rifles I have now. But then again they're not designed to shoot as fast as I can how many hundreds of times and enemies back in the 40s. Just always had a hankering and want of an M1A..

I can hold a 4" to 6" group with a rack grade milspec bbl designed to shoot 147gr ball. im thinking they were 1/12 4 or 6 groovers.... standard weight, nam issue chrome lined, blued surface, no bull design. heck even milspec NM match bbls are fine. they were made for 173gr early on, since the MATCH round then was 173gr. later in life the 168gr (NOT FOR COMBAT USE) became the new NM round. and thats when NWS Crane In, began contracting for douglas bbls for the teams. shooters use to fight to shoot one and many started making their own to equal the new standard in accuracy.
im hoping the old timers will back me up or correct me here, but I believe the SS BBL was to keep down corrosion and to give less bbl whip. seems I remember someone telling me SS doesn't vibrate as much. cant recall. help me out guys. or in this case, help out larry!

if you look at the pic of my squad, the back row, second from left is holding my personal armory issue M14 win.11632 from the seal teams. I trained my newest shooter (corpsman) on it for 10 months every friday to get good dope and it would have been wrong to swap guns out for a crane NM (M21) on match day, so he shot the rack grade fiberglass non bedded combat gun, with a very good trigger job and a once over from the crane truck. they polished the gas assy. they filed and slicked up his mags, gave him new HRT leather, and I tossed in 2 rolls of quarters in his stock. knowing he was going to be shooting 168gr issue ammo, the gun did really well. he placed in the 400's.
so, there isn't really a wrong choice. you just have to get to know your M1A. you learn it with time. you learn what to feed it and you know in time what it likes and hates.
target distance is key to allowing your M1A to do what it does best.
no sense in buying a vette if all you do is drive it in grid traffic. it needs an interstate.an M1A with the right round needs long distance to shine.

You bet LD, i had an M1 Garand first, chronoed and went with a load using 4064 powder over the 168gr Sierra BTHP Match bullets, a kid i know lit up like i used to a Christmas time when i was a pup when he saw the rifle, i remember that look, i went ahead and sold him the rifle and the 550 rounds i had loaded up, had a lot of new 308 brass doing nothing, called and old Buddy, he sold me the new M1A, either would have been a fun rifle, my Garand was a 1944 year model Springfield receiver with a 1967 year model Winchester barrel.

What I am currently thinking of the Springfield M1A loaded model. That specs out with an 11 twist and four and a half to 5 lb trigger so their website says. To me that's a heavy trigger but I'm used to Jewel triggers and match rifles. Different kind of beast. If the accuracy does not meet my expectations I could have rebarreled with a better quality barrel. Maybe even send the gun itself to a M1A specialist for accusation that's something I've never dealt with in anything but a bolt gun.
Should I expect one to outshoot or at least shoot as good as my Colt m4?
This project keeps getting sidetracked keep mine too many shotguns and pistols not to mention shotgun loaders shot lead primers and such he shotgun guys have been a bad influence on me😁

again I steer you to my list. I cant answer you unless I know the goal you demand out of the gun, in the order I listed for you larry.

I could live with an inch and a half gun for my purpose prefer it to be some moa but... If I shoot open sides I hate to say it but my personal eyesight is probably the limit.

and again, changing just bbls isn't the main way you improve performance.
its the bbl with a whole list of things that must be done on practically every part on the gun that accompanies it.
for this reason true accuracy shooters just hand a receiver to a bonified expert and tell them what you want to do with it....and then they make it.
we don't know your distance, projectile choice, condition itll be shot in, what the accessories you have that support it, 1 or 2 lugs, type stock, or type sights.
I would venture to say that S.A. makes a rifle to appeal to a broad audience. but for those that want to break out of the (norm) and demand MOA level perfection....its a whole different game.
my 1000yd gun took 3 years from start to finish...and it sold for 4 grand when I let it go. it was built to M23 standards. some smiths are better than others. assembly line smiths are assembly line smiths. sure they can get it close, but a MASTERS built gun cant be beat.
so take it from the top and ill help you thru the answers.

M1A's require you to:

determine the target
how far away is it.
how accurate must the shot be
what round will be used
what bbl will send it down range?
what sights will be used and how precise must they be
everything else is just tacked on to achieve it.
trigger job
bedding
lugging
gas system tweek
op rod fitting
clothing

my trigger was 4 to 4.5lbs. any less and you may get a slam fire. semi auto usgi rifles are a different animal.

Okay I'm starting to understand you now. First I'll make a list of what goals I want to reach after seeing disliked with what bullet weights. Then we'll go from. I'm not familiar enough with that platform to know exactly how to get there. Bolt guns are different story

anyone here got a list of old time M1A smiths that can take a bag of parts and build an moa gun for larry?

I'm not sure I'm get lost I don't know a better way to start building a good M1A other than buying a new one and go from there. I'll start making a list of what I would like to see. I'm in no hurry and I'm sure you can advise me probably in person in April. We can keep chatting here I enjoyed it. I guess off the top of my head 4 lb trigger so works would rather have it lighter but I understand the mechanic same way with an AR. Bullets 168 the 208s I'll take measurements and know the length after all length is more important to twist than wait then we can start in

what distance will you be engaging?

If you want the best M-1A trigger, these are the guys to contact - https://shootingsight.com/product-category/m1m14/

They are a little late to the game (M-1As are no longer competitive in HP), but I could have only wished for such triggers back in the '80s.

200-600 yard

ok...id go with a 7.62 nato 168gr bthp, load with 4064 powder. obermyer 11/1 5R SS bbl. I don't know if boots is still alive but that's the bbl id build my gun around.
go with a milled, not cast, receiver.
NM 1/4 click sights with click aperature
if youre shooting standard 600yd nra targets keep the combat front site. the blade is the same width as the bull at 600yds. its easier to line it up.
get a McMillan stock. bed the receiver into it and double lug it.
float the bbl and glue in the hand guard. get an enlarged NM flash suppressor.
polish the gas piston. get a usgi NM op rod & NM bolt.
pay for a great a trigger job.
get usgi mags and hand file them to the receiver mag well.
and of course....get new leather, a dope book, and sight protectors.

see how much of that comes on a SA loaded M1a already done for you. if its a good product, most of it should be done for you. key of course is to get it all put on the bbl of your choice. they may not offer custom non SA bbls.
fyi, 1/2 the parts i gave my smith, he didn't use. giving him parts just refills his drawers. he decides if what he has in inventory is better. the parts that I gave him may have been a better MATCH on another project. THAT is what separates a smith from a MASTER.
if you order a gun from SA, you get what you get and hope its perfect.

heres my old 1000yd obermyer. that's one I hated to let go.

Good stuff, and not to butt in, but what new leather sling do you recommend and where may it be ordered bobski?

usgi HRT leather double hole. happy hunting!

Fun thread to read and reminisce. I still have a soft spot for the old Steel and Walnut. Earned my first legs with one. But one thing is inherent in this discussion; M14's were definitely not equal on the line. The military teams were definitely more "equaler". The epitome of the competitive M14 was a double lugged 14 (the Army disagreed, but that's a discussion for another day). ...and the only way for a civilian to get a double lugged 14 back then was Clint Fowler, Dayton and maybe Parker and that says nothing about the extra maintenance they required checking weld integrity and rebeds.

I have a funny story for you Bobski. One year at Perry, the folk were still telling the story of a sailor who wasn't planning to shoot the Long Range matches at Perry, but decided to shoot in the 11th hour. He grabbed a rifle out of the Navy van (basically a leftover after all the other team shooters had taken dibs). Ended up winning the Farr Trophy at 1000 yards.

Who would I have build an M14 today? I'd look for a military team armorer with a chest full of parts. Gone are the days of running through a drawer of gas pistons to find the one that fits and functions just right. Same for op rods. Fowler's long retired as I've heard Sam Dayton and Chicken Mac are as well. Al Ewing, Hook and McCoy are gone. I hear Ted Brown (NG Armorer) is still taking work. There's a guy on the M14 forum that is coming up the curve pretty well.

BTW, I think you're thinking of an "MRT" sling. They're not what I'd recommend for serious competition. See if you can get a sling from Les Tam. They are the best service rifle competition sling by far.

copied , off line also

sam lugged all my guns. steve stevens cared for my handguns. my 45's originally got squeezed at quantico for an army team guy MSGT buel parker. during his nam era service. buel sold me his guns when he aged out. he lived and passed in petersburg. I promised to carry on the tradition of his pistols accuracy and honored him by going distinguished with them on the navy team.
as for slings, we liked hrt dry rawhide on match day. no slip. as far as the team was concerned, after 4 weeks of shooting, it was old and worn. and we'd swap them out every year for new leather....compliments your tax dollars. thank you very much.
oh wait, we paid taxes too. lol.

I'll say it again...you're referring to MRT 1907 Slings. Cotton Web is hard to beat for Non-Slip. Les Tam Slings are known to be Marine Proof in Competition.
A couple of the MRT Slings I have came from a Navy Team Shooter. Now I know why he had extras!

When this world gets back to normal and it seems like we're getting close sometime in April or October I'd like to sit down and have a brain picking conversation with you. You can pick my brain too but it won't take you very long LOL

well, if ya had a ticket for apr by now.........then you could pick me all you want at club 60 after the match! lol. any luck on bringing a hoard of buddies?

the navy guru's watched my scores and realized I had a steadier hand than a good rifle dope brain. so I focused on legging on pistol or id know more. but honestly? there were these 2 brothers from the Seabees that won the leg matches every year. names slipped my mind. it was kinda stupid to try, so I wasn't all that concerned about rifle. sorta like signing up for a Daytona race with petty in the front row.

wish I could get my hands on a nice new mrt. someday.

🙃🙃 I see what did to here ... LOL I'll do some more buddy digging. Wifey might come but she probably won't shoot. Tell me the dates again, I'll make a decision in the next two weeks. Ok found it 8-9

I think you'll have better luck finding one now that you have the correct nomenclature.
There's a couple on eBay, but they look a little off. No date stamps;
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133851680805?hash=item1f2a2e9025:g:X3YAAOSw365hHAeI

I suggest you spend some time at m14forum.com as well as here. There is much knowledge to gain about the M1a/M14 platform, and it is a great source for USGI parts and used guns built with these parts. Good luck with your M1A quest

David

+1^.
only drawerback to a m14 forum is sometimes you get so much info, it fogs the brain! i stay away from it because if i hang out there, ill be tempted to get back into it all at the cost of a marriage! lol.

Thanks, am finding out about the fakes or less than GI quality slings out there, this may be a thorn thicket getting through to find the correct one.

hay larry, be advised, match and super match are being discontinued.......SA is trimming fat.


https://www.springfield-armory.com/?ss3 ... scontinued

You guys been busy, talking this M1A schidt. I'm half tempted to trade in my AR10 Armalite for one, if they are all they are cracked up to be... Hmm...

Its always fun to have a "hankering". I was one that always wanted a M1 Garrand, until I shot one. The reason being, my grandfather used one in WWII in the european theater. My dad, however, was a Navy Sea Bee. He talked about the "M14" a lot and said he liked it better than the M1 Garrand. I always said fooey on that schidt, but I guess dad was right about a few things...

You sound like you know what you are talking about bobski. For some reason my dad had an affliction for these M1A's. I remember when I was about 12, he was at his buddies house and they were ringing steel at about 600 yards with a m14. Both had the biggest smiles on their faces. Good memories..

I was a novice compared to the ones who taught me.

the M1 fell out of favor for match. the travel distance of the op rod was longer and it tended to bend with time. the M1A fixed that.

Trade?!! That's crazy talk! "Add to the collection" is the proper term.

The other day and it does look like Springfield uses a cast receiver still researching I'm in no hurry at all. Might start gathering parts and pieces as I come by them.

Ha ha. Ok Tyrone... I guess it was crazy talk. I may have had 1 or 2 too many last night... The guy has 2. One with a stainless match barrel and the other blued and all original with all GI parts according to my older friend who has 4 of them. I handled the one with the blued barrel the most because it was less money ($1,700.00). They both come with original scope mounts, slings, and mags. He wants $2,600.00 for the stainless match. Its only money right?? I just don't know what they are actually worth... My buddy said I should snag the $1,700.00 one because those scope mounts are getting harder to find and they are probably around $300 alone. Plus the rifle is a low serial #. Probably manufactured in mid to late 70's (he said from '76-1980). You guys have any insight on value? Like I said earlier, I shot a new one (M1a Loaded) and it was beautiful. I enjoyed the heck out of it.. Even though gas prices are what they are, I may take a drive and look at it again...

I have a question in regards to the M1a. I ran across another one. I believe it is a supermatch with a stainless barrel. It is an older one, but someone may have tinkered with it. It has an adjustable cheek piece, but looks very nicely done. If not done by Springfield Armory, it was professionally done. Wish I would have taken pictures of it. The shop owner called it a "sniper" version, or that is what he was told. It appears to be a target model of some sort and has an aperture front sight, much like nice 22lr target rifles have. Assuming a Lyman of some sort. Have any of you guys seen a model like this? Wondering if the mods ruined the value? Its a nice looking rifle. Thinking it was made in early to mid 80's. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.. Oh yeah, the price seems good. I may just burn up some of my tax refund on it.. What say you guys in the know?

I saw a few that fit that description, most were guys that went distinguished with M14/M1A and wanted to keep using the platform in match rifle class.

Thanks blindshooter. I'm still thinking about that rifle. I may go and snag it. Its in great shape and they want $1,400.00 for it.. On the fence though.