Never cared for the wooden top handguard, but you can't go wrong with an M1A. They are beautiful rifles that shoulder and fire well.

If I had to defend the family farm with ones that I've owned, I wouldn't be out or under gunned at all.

Enjoy the heck out of it for years to come.

Nice. I like it

Beautiful rifle.

While I've had great experience with JRA AKs, I am in the process of concluding a terrible experience with Classic.

Is it weird that the pictures of that rifle gave me an erection?

Very nice. I have one of their "Rock-ola" marked M14s, but it looks like they decided to discontinue using that name. Which I always thought was kind of stupid, since the real Rock-ola never made M14s. But I don't really care, it is a terrific M14 clone.

Nice. The geriatrics over on M14Forum like the JRA rifles. Lots of people using their receivers etc.

I was going to buy one of their barreled actions but their customer service was terrible. "I wanna buy this one I see on your website, how do I do it?" and the best reply I got was "I dunno"

Glad to see the malaysian stuff shoots well.

Just got a can of it a few weeks ago.
It looks great... but haven't had a chance to shoot it yet.

The earliest M14s had wooden hand guards, but they tended to catch fire during full auto, IIRC. 

Your wallet is going to be loved tenderly...

M1a is one of my favorite rifles. That looks like a nice one

Didn't you just get one of the BM59s, too?

You have good taste, sir.

Very nice looking rifle.

Damn, that’s pretty..

That is a beautiful rifle. I had a Super Match SA for a while that I sold because it was finicky about feeding no matter what I did. If I had bought one like yours, I’d still have it. The M14 / M1A platform just feels and fits great.

I hate you Bama  

researching M1A’s to waste more money on. Thanks ARF

Ed

it looks very nicely done

I've been planning on getting one after the first of the year if all goes well.  I had a Norinco M14 back in the day and sold it for 3x what I paid for it.  I have longed to replace it with a nicer rifle but haven't yet.  A nice M1A / M14 is my "Holly Grail" of rifles.  I simply love them.

Awesome looking rifle!

God help you if you even need to use JRA's customer service, though.  I bought a K98 sniper repro from them several years ago that needed attention.  They failed to break the sharp edge on the mouth of the camber after they cut it so it shaved brass like a mofo when feeding.  I sent them several emails about it but they never replied.  I finally got one of the guys on the phone and his advise was to "run several steel cased rounds through it".  He also claimed that the sharp edge on a chamber should never be broken.  I've done my share of chambering barrels and the Remy 700 needs it for sure; controlled round fed actions even more so.  I ended up taking care of the problem myself because JRA sure as hell wasn't going to.

So, yeah, while JRA's rifles may look awesome their CS sucks balls.  I'd buy an M1A from Springfield Armory before giving my $$ to those fuckers at JRA (which means something to those that know what SA did earlier this year).

That is a nice looking rifle OP.  What does one of those typically go for?

Nice

Very nice, I do like the wood top.
My FAL likes the Malaysian stuff too, I agree it's good for blasting.

Very nice! You'll enjoy it.

If I had to sell every gun I owned but one, I'd keep my m1a.

Glad to see they got the rollmark right.  The SA rollmark always bugged the hell out of me.

Have you shot any match grade ammo with that rifle?

One thing I regret is that I didn’t do my homework on James River, Fulton or Smith Ent.

I never had any results from SA customer service when I complained about the .060" of daylight under the entire heel on my MA9103. Didn't matter how many pictures I sent, they said they couldn't see the problem.

That wasn't the point of my statement.

When do we get a review of your new Thompson?  Gotta have all three WWII infantry weapons...

I’m so envious!

There are actually vented wood handguards out there which are rare, but I believe to be USGI.  

I'd like to get my hands on one as I think the vented fiberglass handguards look a little off when seated atop all of that walnut and steel.

Nice write up. Congrats on re-aquiring a sweet M1A. It took a while but you did fine. For me, the CMI mags are the only ones to buy. They aren't the cheapest but they are very well made and trouble-free.

Wood furniture M14’s are gorgeous. No doubt about it.

VERY Nice rifle, but you will get the most out of it with a USGI Fiberglass stock & handguard...

If you've got the $ cash $, you can always get a McMillian, but a "woodstock" is a just an over-hyped concert of muddy drugged up hippies too me...  

BIGGER_HAMMER

Hell yeah.

Whud ya pay?

Beautiful rifle, wish I could put the USGI FH/Bayo lug on mine but it would be instantly transformed into an illegal assault weapon here in CA. Ironically
the Ca-legal compensators really reduce muzzle climb. The Malaysian is great, haven't tried it in my M1A NM but here's a ten round group from 100 yards
MSG90 clone in lead sled:

Nice rifle OP.  You'll enjoy that rifle for many, many years.  I really enjoy my LRBs, and a JRA receiver (manufactured by Bula Defense) is on my list to replace an Entre'prise Arms receiver I have a rifle built on (with all USGI parts) currently.  Gus Fisher (MGySgt, USMC Retired) over at the M14 Firing Line forums stated-among other interesting things-that a TRW receiver had a service life of about 450,000 rds, with SA, H&R, and Winchester lasting about 400,000 rds.  SAI M1A receivers are said to last over 200,000 rds.  I imagine you won't be able to afford to shoot enough ammo in that new rifle of yours to wear the receiver out!  He also said that walnut stocks lasted longer before cracking than birch stocks.  He was the SNCOIC at the Precision Weapons Shop MCB Quantico before he finally retired.  

Some of the things I've learned...

1.  It takes up to a magazine to "settle" the rifle into the stock for maximum accuracy (although, I don't think you'd notice the difference in the field in combat or real-world conditions).  With that in mind, I don't remove the receiver assy. from the stock when I clean the weapon after firing it.  I pull the bolt back, and carefully punch the bore with .30 cal. patches and CLP or some sort of bore cleaner (because you have to clean the bore from the muzzle, you have to take care not to damage the crown with your sectional cleaning rod.  Many use a solid rod with a bore guide for that reason).  USGI and some Criterion barrels are chrome lined (CL), so as long as your firing non-corrosive ammo, you don't really have to worry about going crazy cleaning the thing.  Competitive shooters on state rifle teams that were issued the M14 told me the same thing.  If you bother to disassemble the gas cylinder assy., don't lubricate the bore of the GC or outside of the gas piston.  As an aside, some gas pistons shoot better in some rifles than others, and armorers would often swap gas pistons until they found one that was optimal for the NM rifle they were building.  

2.  Use USGI rifle grease, or Lubriplate (sold by Brownell's among others).  The M1 and M14 were designed to use rifle grease, and you can consult the US Army TM 9-1005-223-10 for where to put the grease (in the receiver bolt raceways, under the barrel immediately in front of the receiver, in the bolt roller recess of the op-rod, in the bolt roller, and the op-rod spring where it's inside the op-rod).

3.  Replace your op-rod spring guide with a NM op-rod spring guide made by Sadlak Ind (order it from Brownell's if you buy lubriplate from them).  My experience is you'll shrink the groups by up to 1/2 inch by doing so, and it really smooths out the reciprocation of the bolt and op-rod as well.  It's a cheap upgrade at $40.00 or so.  Your rifle already looks like it is an excellent shooter as it is too, BTW.  

4.  Try shooting American Eagle (Federal) match ammo specifically designed for the M1A / M14 (marked "FOR M1A USE), and loaded with 168gr OTM bullets.  My son and I both have LRBs built rifles with USGI SAK manufactured "take off" barrels and they both really like that load.

5.   44mag.com has good deals on CMI manufactured USGI contract M14 magazines.  I recommend at least 25 ea and at $25.00 w/ free shipping, you can't go wrong (I used to order two with every paycheck).  DO NOT  be caught without enough mags for when the next-and permanent AWB-goes into effect.  Right now, you can get a 10 pack from 44mag.com for $229.95.  My understanding is that Chinese mil-issue M14 mags (ROC?) are good to go, but I stick with "Made in the USA", because fuck the world.

6.  You need a USGI issue M14 cleaning kit that fits in the buttstock.  Bill Ricca up in PA has the real thing, and they aren't Chinese repros.  Give him call Tuesday-Thursday, as I think he's working the gun show scene Fri-Sun, and takes Monday off I believe.  You can use the cleaning rod handle to remove the extractor from the bolt, although they're hard to reinstall unless they're worn it.  I'd say an M14 bolt assembly tool may be worth it's while.  If you ever find yourself having to reinstall the extractor and you don't have the right tool, use an empty 30/06 case inserted into the chamber, and let the bolt ride home against it so you can depress the ejector spring while putting pressure down on the extractor stem to seat it.

7.  Buy your spare parts now, because USGI parts are drying up.  The M14 Firing Line PX message boards are a great place to advertise for, and purchase parts from.  Claude from RA Parts in (I believe) MD is awesome to deal with too.  If you do buy spare parts, be prepared to see them grow into another rifle(s).  Having spare M14 parts just laying around is financially a very dangerous thing...

8.   M14s run with boring regularity and are inherently accurate.  You will get spoiled.

9.  If you decide that someday you may want a USGI stock, Treeline has the remaining inventory from Fred's of NC.  I recommend acquiring a USGI fiberglass stock in at least exc+ condition if you can.  Fulton Armory sells a proprietary synthetic handguard that's supposed to be more durable than even the later solid USGI handguards.  I haven't tried one yet.

10.  You can still find USGI Vietnam-era green nylon slings NIW on ebay.  Nylon dries out much faster in wet climates than the USGI cotton slings.

11.  Bandoleers, 5rd stripper clips, and the cardboard inserts are still available if you want to pack your ammo around ready to go.  I recommend at least one stripper clip guide per bandoleer.  Nylon USGI tool bags make for a perfect carry case for mags, ammo, and rifle grease for your go-to (or GTFO of Dodge) bag.

I've never had to "shim" the gas cylinder of any M14-type rifle I've owned, but if there's any longitudinal movement of your GC prior to your screwing in the GC lock screw, it might be something to look into.  Doing so is reported to increase the accuracy of the weapon.  If you want to move your front sight to bring the rear sight base closer to "center" (if it's too far off for your sensibilities), I've read where some of the fellers would use a sharpened pencil to draw a line on the flash suppressor dovetail where the front sight is, and move the front sight only enough to cover that line.  

Please don't hesitate to post more pics:  M14 gun porn is never wrong.

ARFCOM is a drainer of wallets.

I had a preban M1A SuperMatch...I hated shooting it because cleaning was a PITA and the bedded stock just itched my OCD when it came to cleaning

I still sorta want another M1A, but not a Springfield...heard too many crap stories from their rifles over the years during the ban to ever really trust one again. Soft bolts, broken parts, extractors taking flight, terrible accuracy, etc...

Nice rifle OP. Not a fan of classic arms and their "descriptions" but got to hand it to them they sure know how to sell.

These new rifles don't have any usgi parts from what I understand too. Not like the earlier rockola ones they were selling.

the BM59s are interesting though and have caught my eye.

Bula's receivers and bolts are forged, so he's good there.  Hopefully his op-rod is USGI or forged.  SAI screwed around with cast op-rods and it didn't work out (same with their cast bolts).  

My understanding is that Bula provided or is providing forged parts to the US Gov't under contract to support the remaining inventory of M14s in US military service.  I can only imagine (but cannot confirm) that there would be some "bleed over" into the commercial market.  Bula has a reputation for fabricating excellent quality parts.  

The only thing that caught my eye about the OPs rifle was what looked like a cast gas cylinder.  If it is indeed cast, I'd probably replace with one that was USGI but that's just me.  In fact, I think the USGI gas cylinders of M1 rifles were cast of stainless steel.  That rifle is probably fine just the way it is.

Save some money and buy a used SAI M1A built with USGI parts.  My co-worker did so last year and paid $1200.00 with several quality ROC GI magazines FTF here in Boise.  I prefer the receivers that are roll marked "7.62 mm" on the heel as opposed to the newer receivers that deleted the caliber marking.  He replaced the flexible SAI factory synthetic stock with a USGI stock from Timberline for a few bucks (less than $25.00, complete with rack number stenciled on the butt) and it's a great rifle.  Mostly H&R parts with a Winchester barrel.

Wow, that makes them competitive with Springfield Armory's offerings. Most M14 clones (other than Polytech) are $2k+.

Nice, op.

Just picked up a M1A scout in a sage chassis this week so I’m right there with ya.

Although I enjoyed shooting my Garand more, I think the M1-A is a beautiful rifle from an aesthetic standpoint.  There is just something really attractive about it's visual balance, and design.  The FN-FAL is another rifle that has a similar visual appeal...G3 not so much.

Nice rifle!   Something just sexy about it.

Another great thread

Since you have both a BM59 and an M14, is any chance of an in depth comparison between the two?

USMCTanker's advice is spot on, especially regarding that NM oprod spring guide.  I would advise that you shim the gas system to keep the front band from rattling, or get a gunsmith at the M14 Firing Line to unitize the gas system.

Two tips for cleaning the bore:

1.  Definitely get the cleaning rod guide that fits into the flash suppressor.  It will help preserve your crown.

2.  Insert a USGI stripper clip into the stripper clip guide on the action to protect the bolt face from the cleaning rod.  Also, it prevents the cleaning rod from accidentally pushing the bolt back far enough to release the bolt catch; if that happens, the bolt will fly forward and launch the cleaning rod out the bore.

Please do consider investing the $35 in a one-piece graphite-coated cleaning rod.  The sectioned USGI cleaning rod can mar the bore if you are not careful.