A friend asked me to post this for him.  He is trying to find out as much as he can about this rifle.  What is it's accuracy potential?  What are it's strong and week points?  How does this rifle compare to the AR10?  We have tried e-mailing springfield twice to see what kind of groups this gun gets and they haven't responded.  Where else can I read about the M1?  Any comments would be appreciated.

Be aware that there were TWO "Springfield Armory" M-1's.. One is the origional " U.S. rifle, Caliber 30 M-1", and the other is made by Springfield Armory Inc..

Either one is capable of MOA when in the correct mechanical condition, and handled properly..

I would not compare it to an AR-10, the -10 representing a very diffrent path in self loading rifle design compared to the Garand..

Strengths would be it's proven reliability, simplicity in design, and ability to shoot with accuracy in quickly trained hands..
Weak points would be it's eight round en bloc clip, and the recent surge in their "collectability"..This is sucking up shootable M-1's, as well as parts, and stocks of M-2 ball..

I'm not certian that Springfield Inc is currently making the M1 Garand.. This might explain the lack of response..

Hope this helps some..

Meplat-

probably because the variables involved in answering this question are something they can't account for.

for example, one gun in my hands would do a hell of a lot poorer than the same exact gun in the hands of, oh, say somebody like carlos hathcock.  the old adage still applies:  a firearm is only as accurate as the person shooting it.

We were looking at buyng the M-1a not the garande.  I think they are still making it.  These http://www.springfield-armory.com/prod-rifles-m1a.shtml .  Thanks for the comments

Gots to be more specific!  The M1 IS the M1 Garand.  The M1A is a different rifle.  

Basically the M1A is a Garand that is modified to use a box magazine.  VERY capable of VERY accurate shooting, if the shooter does his part.  There are several grades Springfield makes, they go from EXPENSIVE to VERY VERY EXPENSIVE.  

Lovely confusion.. When one consideres how many bits of U.S. material used the term "M-1"..

Anyhow, the M1A is a good buy. Can be made to be very accurate with some minor changes..

Meplat-

downside to the Springfield M1A is lack of GI parts. The cast receivr is supposed to be excellent but there have been a few problems with the oprod, bolt and some of the trigger packs. Most everyone likes their rifles, though.

I don't have one. I am looking and researching also. Do a search here and you can also look at:

[url]www.milsurplushooter.net[/url]
[url]www.jouster.com[/url]
[url]www.battlerifles.com[/url]

and for a couple of manufacturers/builders:

[url]www.fulton-armory.com[/url]
[url]www.m1garand.com[/url]
[url]www.armscorpusa.com[/url]

mine is the "loaded" version with the stainless bbl.  I haven't changed a thing and it shot 1 moa right out of the box.  The loaded versions have nm parts but aren't bedded into the stock.  They are the intermediate level m1a's and run right around $1500 or so.

Get one.  You will love it.  

The M1A is a nice rifle.  It is accurate, reliable and tough.  I love mine and it will shoot around 1 MOA (National Match grade)all day long with quality ammunition. It is not a combat rifle (mine) since with all the NM mods it is a heavy mother, and not balanced for fast reactive shooting. With the M14E2 stock (with a pistol grip) and the GI contour barrel, the M14 is a better combat rifle than the NM and SuperMatch models, but a E2 type stock in fiberglass would be even better. the McMillan M2a stock used on the Marine Corps DMR is a nice stock ergonomically, but FAR too heavy for a combat rifle.  The USGI fiberglass stocks are light and tough enough, but I'd love to see a real pistol grip on that sucker.

Either the FN FAL or the Armalite AR10 are better designed (in my opinion) for combat riflery.  Their ergonomics are better for fast shooting. The FN FAL, while giving up some accuracy potential to the AR10 is much less expensive and the MAGS are downright CHEAP.  You could by 20 or 30 FAL mags for the price of 5 M14 or AR10 mags, and for a combat rifle, that is a BIG advantage.

If I were looking for a 7.62 combat rifle I'd look at a DSA FAL rifle with a carbine length barrel and their heavy duty scope mount dust cover.  Attaching a good Aimpoint or Trijcon sight to that would yield a darned nice rifle in my opinion and you'd probably still be out ahead of an SA Inc. M1A or Armalite AR 10.  Add 10 magazines for each into the equation and your are WAAAAAY out ahead with the DSA FAL.

You can also build a damned good FAL from parts kits for much less money, but unless you are real handy, the learning curve might be a little steep and reliability issues and safety issues could be a concern (even if they are not a reality, YOU could be concerned about them thus eroding your faith in the rifle).

M1a and M1 Garands in match conditioned trim (bedded into stocks, etc.)  are high maintenance rifles to shoot.

The more you shoot them and the more often you have to strip the action out of the stock for cleaning or maintenance, the more you need to maintain the bedding.  Most often this means "skim bedding" to tighten things up again, but sooner or later you'll need to completely rebed the rifle.  Skim bedding may need to be done more than once during an extremely active season. Total rebedding is a once in a few years thing depending upon how hard you treat your rifle.

By comparison, the AR in Match trim is almost maintenance free.  A MAJOR advantage to beginning shooters.  Another major advantage is that finding quality AR15 parts is easy and relatively inexpensive. M14 and M1 parts in new condition are getting very dear indeed.

What would you guys recommend with regards to a
springfield M1A vs Fulton-Armory built M14 clone with SA rec and USGI parts?

Anyone with any experiences with Armscorp?

The M1A is the civilian version of the M14, which was an updated M1 Garand design.

The "garande" is a large burrito sold by Taco Belle. [rolleyes]

Hey PAUL,

That M1 of yours has nice wood and a great patina on the metal.  I don't suppose you'd be interested in selling it, would you? [:)]