Should I buy an M1A?

[Andrewsky]

Hello everyone. I just turned 18 a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking about buying a gun. I've been shooting guns and hunting since I was 13, and I have quite a bit of general knowledge about military weapons, but I'm a little rough on civilian ones and the specifics. Maybe you all can help me by answering a few questions.

As the title of this thread suggests, I'm looking to buy a battle rifle. I'm a big fan of the M14, so the Springfield Armory M1A looks like a good choice.

I don't have a real tight budget, I'm willing to spend up to $2000 including accessories and taxes.

.308 or 7.62mm Nato?

Fiberglass or wood furniture?

Open sights or 1x magnification sight? I'm not interested in high magnification because my dad has a .300 Magnum bolt-action with a 3.5-10 scope that he lets me use.

How long of a barrel?

Any comments about a sling?

Decent magazines are about $50 a piece aren't they? Why so expensive? How many should I buy? How many rounds should I put in? 18 or so?

How much for ammunition that won't shatter my gun?

Should I buy it at all? I'm not sure I'd have much use for it. I'd bring it with me for hunting deer (which I do twice a year). I suppose I could use the M1A in short range situations and the .300 Magnum in long range situations. Its seems silly to buy an extremely effective combat weapon, knowing that I'll never use it on a human (I'm going to college for a few years and then after that I intend to carry a pistol).

There are other factors that make me want to buy it. 1) It's a well-respected weapon in the US Special Operations Forces. Watching Sgt. Shughart hold off gunmen from the downed helicopter in Black Hawk Down with his M14 gives me shivers. 2) I'll probably have it for 20 or 30 years. 3) Gun control makes me cry.

I'm looking forward to hearing your responses. I'm sure I'll have more questions later.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[General Geoff]

The SA M1A will fire 7.62 NATO or .308 Winchester safely.

Wood/synthetic stocks, your choice. Aesthetics, pretty much. I got mine with a glass stock because it won't warp, crack, or grow mildew, and it's lighter.

Top shelf 20rd M14 mags are ~$20-$25 from http://www.44mag.com. These are the same mags that our guys in the sandbox are being sent/are using. Don''t worry about not loading them to full, they're designed to hold 20rds. Put 20rds in 'em.

Standard barrel on the M1A is 22 inches, I'd stick with that unless you want a CQC weapon.

Hope this helps you out a bit. I love mine and I'm sure if you buy one, you'll love and cherish yours for years to come. :)

[Gunnutty]

The M1A is a great rifle. It is on my short list of purchases. I've already got the M1 garand and the M1 carbine.

308 is the nato 7.62 round.

I like the original wood stock.

My preference is the original style military M1a with the full length barrel. Although the SOCOM with the short barrel looks pretty good.

Open sights

Military ball ammo is available thru several sources in bulk. Not cheap tho.

Magazines can be had cheaper then the price you quoted on gunbroker or auctionarms.com

Should you buy it? That is your choice. Most of my guns will never be used against anyone but, I still have them. The M1A is a piece of history.

Shouldn't have typed this, now I've got to go look for one myself.

[rocky]

The shorter M!A variants are nice, guess it depends on what you like. since you indicate you have a long range rifle a shorter M1a might be something different.
Heck buy what ya like!

[pgrass101]

The M1A is a great gun, but I'm an FAL guy and would suggest you looking at them too.

Get 7.62 instead of .308 they are almost the same thing, but 7.62 will chamber mil surplus ammo easier.

I do believe that everyone needs a .308 battle rifle

[Redneck Repairs]

Nothing wrong with an m1a at all . Myself i went with a fal . You can find a good imbel recievered fal for as low as $600 and metric mags are under $10 each , usualy half that . In a .308 rifle of this type anything 4 moa or less is fine for me , and with care my fal will shoot about 1.5 to 2 moa depending on the day i am haveing . Again the m1a is a fine choice for this type rifle and i have owned several over the years. I have an affinity for the springfields tho over some of the clones i have seen.

[buckeye .45]

M1A's are great rifles. The furniture you want is purely up to you. The wood stock is a little heavier, but a lot of people like it better.

For a sling I would just go with the standard military issue type sling on it. No need to get all fancy with slings, a good leather one will work just fine.

I'm not sure what your definition of "short range" and long range are, but a M1A with standard sights should be good for out to at least 500 yards if the shooter does their part.

I would love either a Socom or standard length M1A, that is pretty much just personal preference.

Ammo can be found places like www.aimsurplus.com or www.cheaperthandirt.com for reasonable prices considering the caliber.

It is an awfully expensive first rifle IMHO, but if you have the cash and want one, go for it.

[enigmaone]

YES, You should buy a M1A1!!!!!, It truly is one of the best Battle Rifles out there.

[TN_Mike]

Yes, you should buy one.

I wish I could right now.

When I picked up my G23 the other day I noticed that the shop I bought it from has a large display case full of AR15's and I couldn't help but look. They have a Bushmaster shorty, .223 with a ergonomic grip and post grip fore end and the 6 position collapsible stock for $950.00

Since the Demncrats have the majority in congress now and want to hoist another AWB on us, I really feel the need to acquire one of these before it costs me twice as much or I am unable to get one at all.

[cagueits]

What do you plan to use the rifle for? Plinker, hunting, defensive purposes? Then, short/long range shooting? What will your intended target be?

Where/how do you plan to store/transport it? Will you plan on taking it with you on most trips?

Just some issues you might want to consider before you buy too heavy/long of a rifle.

[cphilip]

For two grand I believe my choice would be to buy both an AR15 and an AK.

5.56/.223 and 7.62X39 respectively.... those two and extra mags and some ammo can be gotten for 2 grand. For both! But thats just me. Get em while you still can.

[Andrewsky]

Since the Demncrats have the majority in congress now and want to hoist another AWB on us, I really feel the need to acquire one of these before it costs me twice as much or I am unable to get one at all.

Yeah, that's a good reason to buy one now. Something like that is unlikely (as long as Bush has veto power and some Democrats aren't antis), but definitely possible.

Storage and transport aren't really a problem.

They don't come standard with a sling do they?

How much are 1x magnification sights (all kinds)?

Should I be worried that I will "assault" someone with my scary black "assault weapon?"

What pistol would go nice with an M1A?

[Gunnutty]

The pistol that matches the M1A is the 1911 45 and you will need several of those. They're like Lays chips, no body can have just one.
Grasshopper you have started down a path from which there is no turning back.

[COWBOYF550]

The M1A is a great choice. It too is on my short list of future purchases. That along with a sling & a dry box w/ 10-12 magazines and I'd say I'm pretty much set.

I'm pretty farmiliar with hunting rifles but I'd like to learn more about the Springfield Socom. I'm not trying to hijack this thread but every one around here is very informative so I'll go ahead and ask....Is the Springfield Socom more of a Close Quarters Rifle or can it be outfitted for long range applications?

[Andrewsky]

The M1A is a great choice. It too is on my short list of future purchases. That along with a sling & a dry box w/ 10-12 magazines and I'd say I'm pretty much set.

I'm pretty farmiliar with hunting rifles but I'd like to learn more about the Springfield Socom. I'm not trying to hijack this thread but every one around here is very informative so I'll go ahead and ask....Is the Springfield Socom more of a Close Quarters Rifle or can it be outfitted for long range applications?

What is a "dry box?" Anyways, I have a pretty sweet pouch that was for a camera or something. It has one pocket with dual zippers, is black, and looks like it'll hold at least 3 M1A magazines. If anyone has the dimensions of an M14 20 round magazine that would be helpful.

I called the Cabela's in Glendale, AZ (I live in the Phoenix area and am having trouble finding gun shops) and they said not only do they not have an M1A in stock, none of the stores in the country have an M1A.

So it turns out that most of my family members are hard-core antis.

Brother: "I heard you're buying a gun. That's the stupidest thing ever. If I was president of the world I'd have all guns destroyed."

Me: "People would be stabbed if there were no guns. You know who liked gun control? Hitler, Stalin."

Brother: "[hesitation] maybe."

Mom: "I don't want a gun in my house"

Me: "Why?"

Mom: "I don't want a gun in my house. What if a criminal broke in and shot us with it."

Grandpa: "If I were you I'd buy 1 20 round magazine, and no more."

Me: "That's like buying a $50,000 car with a 1 gallon gas tank"

Dad: "That'll be good for you to have a gun."


So, I think I'll probably end up buying a gun where my dad lives in ND when I move to MN to go to college this summer.

I should probably get several magazines if not for use but for an investment-you never know when they'll be banned.