SPRINGFIELD'S M1A IN .308 WINCHESTER IS CLASSIC

According to Mike, the Springfield M1A is a great choice for those who compete in service rifle competition and for those who just enjoy shooting military-type rifles.

By Mike Venturino

After my positive experiences test-firing Springfield's new M1 Garand [in the June 2002 issue of Shooting Times] it was only natural for me to want to gain some experience with the company's M1A rifle chambered for .308 Winchester. To that end, I obtained a shooting sample; the rifle I received was the Loaded Standard M1A version.

There are differences between Springfield's Standard M1A and the Loaded Standard M1A.

The Standard comes with either a black fiberglass or an American walnut stock and a 22-inch chrome-moly steel barrel with one-turn-in-12-inches rifling twist rate. The rear peep sight on the Standard M1A has one minute of angle windage and elevation adjustments. The Loaded Standard M1A comes with a one-turn-in-11-inches barrel twist rate, and the barrel can either be regular chrome-moly or stainless steel.

The peep sights on the Loaded Standard M1A are elevation adjustable in one minute of angle clicks but with half minute of angle clicks for windage. Furthermore, the trigger and flash suppressor on the Loaded Standard M1A are rated as National Match quality, with the trigger factory adjusted for a 4.5-pound pull. My test rifle arrived with the American walnut stock and optional stainless-steel barrel.

Before describing Springfield's M1A in more detail, it is fitting to give some information on its heritage. Although Gen. George Patton called the M1 Garand "the greatest battle implement ever devised," the U.S. Ordnance Department was looking at ways to improve that classic rifle even before the end of World War II. One thing they felt needed changing was its ammunition capacity. The M1 Garand was loaded with eight rounds in an en-bloc loader.

Changing its system to a 20-round detachable magazine raised capacity by a factor of 2.5. Also the M1 Garand was only capable of semiautomatic fire. Military thinkers thought it would be better if a modified version were capable of fully automatic fire as well as semiautomatic. The chambering was changed from .30-06 to 7.62 NATO. However, the basic action, trigger assembly, and rear sight were left very similar to the original M1 Garand design. This modified version of the M1 Garand was officially adopted by the U.S. Army in 1957 and given the designation of M14.

Besides being manufactured in the government-owned Springfield Armory, contracts were also given to private firms such as Winchester and Harrington & Richardson to manufacture M14s for the military. According to Bruce M. Canfield's A Collector's Guide To Winchester In The Service a total of 1,381,581 M14s were made by all manufacturers collectively before production ceased circa the mid-1960s. Many American troops used them in combat in Vietnam.

The M1A is loaded by means of a detachable 10-round box magazine.

Since the M14 was capable of fully automatic fire, it was virtually impossible for civilians to own them. Because American ex-servicemen like to own the rifles they carried while in the military, the privately owned company of Springfield Armory Inc. began making a very close copy of the military's M14 (without any sort of full auto capability) a couple of decades ago. It was named the M1A and has been a popular rifle with civilian shooters.

Classic Features
The Loaded Standard M1A sent to me came with an American walnut stock with fiberglass handguard above the forearm. Its buttplate is the standard checkered steel military type. It has the unusual feature in that it can be folded up to fit over the shoulder or folded flat and used in the conventional manner. Under it is a trapdoor into which can be stored a jointed cleaning rod and other maintenance accessories.

The author test-fired Springfield's .308 Win. M1A with five factory loads, including (L-R) Israeli military surplus 148-grain FMJ, Winchester-USA 147-grain FMJ, Winchester Supreme Competition 168-grain HPBT, Federal Gold Medal 168-grain HPBT, and Black Hills Match 168-grain Moly HPBT.

The stock's length of pull is 13.5 inches, and it is fitted with sling swivels. Total weight of the M1A in the walnut stocked version is 9.2 pounds unloaded. Except for the stainless-steel barrel, all steel parts on my sample rifle were given a military-type Parkerized finish. The only caliber currently available is .308 Winchester.

As I stated earlier the rear sight on Springfield's M1A is virtually identical to the one used on World War II-vintage M1 Garands. It is a peep sight with knurled knobs. The knob on the right adjusts windage--clockwise rotation moves point of impact to the right; counter-clockwise rotation moves point of impact to the left.

The sight knob on the left raises point of impact with clockwise rotation and lowers point of impact with counter-clockwise rotation. The front sight on the Loaded Standard M1A is Springfield's National Match type with a .062-inch wide post. And, as with battle-type sights, there are protective wings on either side. The front sight can also be drifted on a dovetail for crude windage adjustment.

The sample Springfield Loaded Standard M1A achieved excellent accuracy averaging 2.23-inch five-shot groups at 100 yards.

In function the Springfield M1A is gas operated; that means propellant gases are bled off through a port in the barrel to cycle the bolt. To load the M1A, cartridges are first loaded into the 10-round magazine. Then the magazine is inserted into the magazine well at a slight angle and then pressed into place with a rotating motion. It locks with an audible snap.

SPECIFICATIONS M1A .308 Win. Semiautomatic Rifle
MANUFACTURER:	Springfield Armory
Model:	M1A Loaded Standard
OPERATION:	Gas-operated autoloader
CALIBER:	.308 Winchester
CAPACITY:	10 rounds
BARREL LENGTH:	22 inches
OVERALL LENGTH:	44 1/3 inches
WEIGHT, EMPTY:	9.2 pounds
FINISH:	Oil-finish walnut or black painted fiberglass stock; Parkerized metal
SAFETY:	Two-position tab in trigger guard
RIFLING:	6 grooves 1:11-inch RH twist
STOCK:	American walnut (optional black fiberglass)
LENGTH OF PULL:	13.5 inches

To chamber a round, the operating rod is pulled all the way back and then let loose. It should not be eased forward as the bolt might not lock into place. If the M1A is not to be fired immediately, the safety should be engaged. The safety's design is simple; it consists of a tab in the front of the trigger guard. When pushed rearward into the trigger guard the M1A is on "Safe." To disengage it all one has to do is put the trigger finger into the guard and push the safety lever forward. The rifle is then ready to fire.

The triggers on Springfield's M1As are also of military style. That means they have a two-stage pull. On my sample there is about 1/8 inch of travel before the actual trigger pull begins. Springfield's website says the Loaded Standard M1A should have a 4.5-pound trigger pull; however, two different trigger pull gauges read my sample at precisely six pounds. Regardless, once the slack was taken up it was a very crisp trigger, and as the accompanying performance chart shows, I was able to do some fine shooting with it.

Flawless Performance
Springfield's Loaded Standard M1A performed flawlessly for me and exhibited exceptional grouping ability with match-grade ammunition. Actually, I should say that the shooting for this report was not my first with a Springfield M1A. Almost 20 years ago a friend allowed me to shoot his a bit. I found it to be a very accurate and reliable rifle. After firing this current sample, I say that remains true.

For those interested in competing in service rifle competition or just shooting military-type rifles, Springfield's M1A is a great choice.