History of the Springfield M1A Rifle
February 14, 2009 by m1arifles
Filed under M1A Rifles, Springfield M1A Rifle
Click To Enlarge M1A Rifle
In the world or weapons, guns and rifles, certain variants remain among the favorites among civilians as well as armed forces. Such is the case of the Springfield M1A. Many people mistake the M1A for the M14 rifles. The M1A is actually the civilian approved version to the United States military version- the M14. Its design and manufacturing comes from Springfield Armory way back in 1974 and some of the M1A versions design and appearance resemble the M21 Sniper Weapon System. The M1A’s are semi-automatic rifles with no chances of being modified to a fully automatic or selective firing machine.
The M1A is also called the Springfield M1A, having been manufactured in Springfield Armory in Genesco, Illinois. Elmer C. Balance gave the title of M1A to the Springfield M1A rifle who is the man behind the privately owned armory in Devine, Texas. In the early days of the Springfield M1A rifle, the guns were built of surplus G.I parts until the Springfield Armory plant began manufacturing their own, which is what we see in today’s M1A rifles. The receiver of these rifles is made from AiSI 8620 alloy steel. Since its introduction to the weaponry world, the Springfield M1A rifle changed hands from its founder- Balance to be sold to Bob Reese in 1974 and Springfield M1A has remained under the Reese family till today.
To most people, the Springfield Armory is the source of the widest variety and of some of the worlds’ most accurate and reliable m14 pattern rifles. In a nutshell, the Springfield M1A is the preferred version or the perfect substitute as some may call it, for the military’s M14 that was used in the early years of the Vietnamese War. The Springfield M1A has remained popular till today because of this as well as its G.I parts and specifications.
The M1A is a favorite among shooters as it has a gas-operated, rotating bolt; semi-automatic magazine fed firing mechanism with 7.62x51mm ammunition. Its military linage comes in its configuration of G.I chrome-lined barrel and standard peep application with front sight blade. To top that off, the Springfield M1A two-stage military trigger and costs around $1000, that is if it is purchased at an online auction site such as Gunbroker. In most states, such as in New Jersey, the M1A is classified as an assault weapon if it comes equipped with a pistol grip or flash suppressor. If you are in any of these states, then you would have to purchase a legal muzzle brake. In any case, always practice caution, safety and security when purchasing firearms and always check with you local laws before proceeding.
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This rifle brings back fond memories for me from the days when I was in high school and part of the junior ROTC program. In my junior year, I was in the rifle drill team and we used the M14 rifles. In my senior year, the M1 was brought in to replace the M14. For whatever reason, maybe it was the wooden stock, I really like the rifle and the way it felt. It had great balance for drills, too. My father-in-law has an M1 and I’ve had the opportunity to fire his several times. It’s a great rifle.
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A great masterpiece that still continues to dominate the choice of rifles in this section. Being a NCC cadet, I’ve had the opportunity to use it several times. Its a must recommend for everyone who likes the manly strength of this great weapon. Given a choice an elderly person would always prefer this over a new weapon. The only reason is the brand-loyalty and quality of this great weapon that has kept so many glued to its admirable strength and power.
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I purchased a M1A (loaded) a month ago. They are getting very hard to find these days and I was lucky enough to come across a new one. I’m very impressed and very happy to own a true battle field rifle. It’s super accurate and it’s hard hitting fire power is a plus. The M1A has become my favorite gun in my collection. Get one while you still can!
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Interesting reading here. I was not even aware that they made a civilian version. But think that it is a good thing. Why are they so hard to find now days? How many did they produce and why in all honesty? Anyone know the answers? I would like more information.
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The reason these are so hard to find now is that they can no longer be produced for the civilian market. Even though the rifle is a semi-automatic, it can still be converted to be an automatic with a few changes in parts. Because it can be converted into an automatic, it breaks a couple of laws in the United States. Politicians! Sheesh!
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Fardreamer Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 11:51 am
Actually, as much as I like guns, I don’t see why it would be necessary for a civilian (even with a legal license) to want to own a fully automatic rifle. Politicians have nothing to do with this…public safety does.
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tongyun Reply:
March 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
I’d have to agree with you on why someone needs to own an automatic rifle but I’m sure gun enthusiasts will argue that it’s their right to do so if they desire. If an automatic rifle is in the hands of a law abiding citizen, I don’t have a problem. Just figure out a way to keep it out of the hands of the bad guys. How about another law? Probably not.
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Oh, drat. I thought (when I saw the term M1A) that this was the M-1 Rifle from World War II. I now stand corrected and see that this is a civilian version of the M-14, which was used, I believe, as the Garand M-1s replacement from the 1950s until the advent of the M-16 rifle in 1963.
How does it handle, I wonder? I hear (or read) that the M-14 was a potent rifle in its own right but was too heavy to be used in such places as Vietnam.
I also understand that the Navy still used M-14s aboard ships to arm boarding parties. Am I right?
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If the Springfield M1A is so great, why couldn’t they even spend a couple of extra bucks in the manufacturing process and put a bayonet lug on the thing? IT IS LEGAL. Otherwise I would probably buy one.
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admin Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 7:20 am
They originally did come with a bayonet lug but no longer manufacture them with the lug for civilian purchase. Why would you need a bayonet lug? Do you plan on putting the knife on the M1A? If so, why? You can shoot a lot more accurate without the bayonet.
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Wondering Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
It’s not that I NEED a bayonet lug, it’s that I WANT one. I went through Army basic training with an M-14 in 1969. I would like to have the rifle as militarly correct as possible (what’s wrong with that?), just for the heck of it. Also I like the idea of having one, just to tick off the gun haters who say “no, you shouldn’t have even that”. Screw ‘em.
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admin Reply:
March 18th, 2009 at 8:03 pm
There is nothing wrong with wanting the bayonet lug. I was just looking at it from a CQB tactical perspective. I thought it was wanted for close quarters but if you want it like your old GI issue rifle, then that’s fine IMO. A lot of people may not agree with me but I think it’s just fine. I know I would love to have my M4 carbine and set it up like I had it in Iraq but, “Assault Rifles” are not “California Friendly”.
Good luck and I hope you do find one.
jody Reply:
June 4th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Try MidwayUSA for a Bayonet lug /suppressor
My great-granda had one of these, but I don’t know where it got to after he died 7 years ago. It was probably confiscated since a lot of firearms are illegal in Scotland, which was were he lived, or he was buried with it.
He was a good man, and he loved his guns. Though, I kinda doubt that he shot 8 nazi’s with a revolver and no spare ammo, he’s a real bugger when it comes to lying.
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As a Marine grunt (’88-’92), I loved my M-16 A2. I thought it was pretty cool to hit black from the 500 line with a 5.56mm round. I never had a gun of my own until last year when I got into AR-15′s. Then a couple of months ago I started wanting a long range AR rifle, and was checking out Rock River and DPMS 308′s. One day I was surfing the web and came across a picture of the M1A. I knew I had to have one.
I started researching dealers and discovered there were none in stock anywhere. But that all changed when I found them on Gun Broker. I won an auction and should have take delivery next week! Which brings me to this quote from the original article:
“…the Springfield M1A two-stage military trigger and costs around $1000, that is if it is purchased at an online auction site such as Gunbroker.”
For anyone looking to get their own M1A, you can indeed find just about any version of this great weapon by Springfield Armory at Gun Broker. However, if you get one for less than $1500, consider yourself EXTREMELY lucky.
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Great discussion. I just picked up a Springfield M1A (Loaded version) from my local FFL. I have always wanted one. I can’t wait to get out to the range c it. A local gun shop had a very nice National Match version but the 2250.00 price tag was more than I had to spend. I have a pretty good Leupold scope to put on it eventually but I am very interested to see if I can hit anything c the iron sights. By the way, I agree c Threepoint14, I looked at many gun sites, there were a few offering good deals on this rifle. However, they NEVER had it in stock. I paid right around 1500.00. This is the first gun I have purchased over the internet. The transaction was very smooth.
Best to all,
Michael
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m1arifles Reply:
October 18th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Shooting with iron sights on the m1a scout is AWESOME and super accurate. I’m sure you’ll have a blast!
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