In the world of 308 Win./7.62 NATO auto-loading rifles, the M14 and its look-alikes reign just about supreme. They have it all, looks, power, function, capacity, plus a great variety of stock and accessory configurations from wood to all manner of polymer that can convert an M14 or M1A into just about any configuration you might want, particularly if you have deep pockets. Gun Tests recently tested the Springfield Armory M1A, $1739.
We tested with three types of ball ammunition, the only type recommended in these firearms. It was Federal Gold Medal match, Magtech 150-grain ball from Brazil, and mixed lot of recovered ammunition purchased in bulk with headstamps from Israel, Italy, Belgium, and Canada, which we used unsorted. Here’s what we found.
Our test Springfield M1A came with three 10-round magazines, but no sling. However, the package included an owner’s manual, several brief publications about slam-fires, and the comprehensive Department of the Army Technical Manual on the “7.62 mm Rifle M14.” One of the first things that caught our eye was the dark-stained walnut stock, which has always been, and still is, too fat for our taste. However, if it offends you, you can purchase a new stock with GI contour from Fulton Armory for about $150.
We thought this was a very good rifle, at what we consider to be a very good price. The M1A’s barrel is newly made, as apparently are many of the parts. The barrel and chamber are chrome lined. You can buy just as many accessories for this one as for any other M14 type. With the M1A you get an investment-cast receiver, but Springfield has sold a whole lot of M1As with a great success record. We can’t provide numbers as to how long any rifle will hold up, but our test inspection showed this to be a well-made and well-fitted rifle. However, when we worked the bolt vigorously on the Springfield, we noted it appeared to rattle a bit. The plastic forend or barrel cover of the Springfield was tight, if that means anything. It had stripper-clip loading slots above the magazine well.
We liked the Springfield’s trigger. It had a 5.3-pound, very clean pull. Iron-sight accuracy was good enough for most uses. We had lots of trouble adjusting the rear sight to get our hits centered, and in fact were unable to rotate the windage knob in the forward direction unless we pressed on the elevation knob on the other side. We’re not sure the sight assembly was put together entirely correctly. We were able to make it work, and it held its adjustments, but the elevation clicks always seemed vague, and the windage was extremely stiff.
All functions operated perfectly, but we did notice an anomaly after all our shooting. The Springfield had acquired small bits of brass in the breech area of the action. Neither of the other two rifles had any at all. We don’t know the reason for all the bits of brass, but something is shaving the rounds as they go into or come out of the chamber. In a later specific test, the Springfield showed lots of brass particles after only five rounds.
The average shooter doesn’t buy too many rifles like this, and if you need one, we thought the Springfield might as well be the best example you can afford. You might be in for a bit of cleanup work to eliminate the brass shaving, or maybe some tweaking for accuracy, but stuff like that is part of the fun of rifle ownership.
