Ok, I'm lusting after a semi-auto .308.  I think I've narrowed it down to an M1A with an 18" barrel.

I've got a bunch of questions now:
1. Is Fulton Armory worth the extra $$$?  Or is an SA great too?
2. What are the ballistics of the .308 from an 18" barreled M1A?  What's the effective range?
3. Should I seriously consider something other than the M1A?

I have always liked the M1 Garand and when I got my C&R I picked up a rack grade H&R from the CMP and had a .308 barrel installed along with some new wood and parts and a repark. It is my favorite rifle.





You might consider going that direction.

Nothing wrong with the Garand, but you are looking at for a semi-auto .308/7.62mm.

If I were you:

1. I would look for an older SA with GI parts or a ChiCom (Polytech/Norinco) rifle.
2. I happen to love the 18" barrel. The effective range can be 900 yards from an 18".
3. I learned to shoot the Garand and later went with the M14 platform with zero regrets.

Feel free to visit my web pages to see what I have done.
Make sure you click on all the links and pictures.

I hope this helps.
BTW - I love the Garand.

Quoted: ...1. Is Fulton Armory worth the extra $$$?  Or is an SA great too? 2. What are the ballistics of the .308 from an 18" barreled M1A?  What's the effective range?

1. You get what you pay for. I had both, and kept the Fulton.

2. The round was designed for a longer barrel. Why trade velocity for noise and flash?

Quoted: Quoted: ...1. Is Fulton Armory worth the extra $$$?  Or is an SA great too? 2. What are the ballistics of the .308 from an 18" barreled M1A?  What's the effective range? 1. You get what you pay for. I had both, and kept the Fulton.

Yeah, just ask the guys who pay an extra 200 bucks for a Colt instead of a Bushmaster or Rock River.

Well, somebody has to say it:

BUY BOTH!

Quoted: The round was designed for a longer barrel. Why trade velocity for noise and flash?

There is no added noise or flash from an 18" barrel with a flash hider and the loss of velocity
is less than 200 fps. Neither you or your target will notice the difference in velocity.

I've got both, a Fulton receivered Bush build and a Springfield full size. Both are great. The Fulton receiver leaves a bit to be desired in the external looks department. Needs more finish work. But perfectly functional.

The 7.62 is better suited to a longer barrell, but you aren't turning it into a peashooter with an 18" barrell. Comparing mine side by side, the shorter barrell does have a bit more noise to it, not objectionable but is there. Anytime you shorten the barrell, you're gonna increase the noise a bit. Same with muzzle flash usually.As far as range, you're sight calibrations won't be quite right at longer ranges, but the notion of any rack grade, iron sighted 7.62 gas gun shooting standard ball ammo having an effective range of 900 meters, much less with a carbine length barrell is a bit laughable.(Isolated AFPJ stories notwithstanding)Yeah, every magazine's gonna have one or two "golden BBs" in at that range, but that's far from meaning that's the effective range, which last time I checked, was the range at which hit probability drops below 50%.

Get both types of M14/M1A, 18 " and 22 ".   My wife and I have His and Hers Grab-n-Go M14 type rifles.  Here's Mrs. Different's rifle:



This rifle has a Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A 2001 vintage receiver and 18 " barrel, Entreprise Arms shorty M14 flash hider, Aimpoint, Inc. Comp M2 4 MOA dot sight, ARMS # 22M68 ring, old style ARMS # 18 scope mount, shimmed and unitized Fulton Armory gas system, USGI bolt, USGI op rod, USGI trigger group, USGI synthetic stock, standard rear sight, M1A Scout Squad front sight, and CQB Solutions (now www.spectergear.com) M14/M1A SOP three point tactical sling.

Here's mine:



This rifle has a Springfield Armory, Inc. pre-94 ban M1A receiver, USGI Saco-Lowell chromium plated barrel, NM front sight, unitized and shimmed gas system, standard rear sight, Sadlak Industries titanium nitride coated gas piston and NM spring guide, Smith Enterprise, Inc. extended bolt lock, USGI synthetic stock with Mogadishu camo pattern, USGI nylon sling, USGI bolt, USGI trigger group, and USGI op rod.

Quoted: the notion of any rack grade, iron sighted 7.62 gas gun shooting standard ball ammo having an effective range of 900 meters, much less with a carbine length barrell is a bit laughable.

No kidding, it's being done with rifles that are far beyond rack grade.

Fulton is pricy and their backlog is measured typically in months (as in 6-18).  They do make a nice rifle though.

Fulton is mostly USGI parts more expensive but probabley worth it...

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e251/Lethal_Addict/M1aMODw-Paraclete.jpg