I went to my armorer's shop today, and he has this M-14 type rifle sitting there. I have seen it there for a while, but never took a close look at it.
Today was the exception - I got a look at it, and it was a 1994 or 1995 production Springfield Armory M-1A. It was assembled/tuned by the US Marine Corps Rifle Team. Turns out, my coach at Camp Perry ( 2005 Whistler Boy Championship ) owned this rifle while he was in the service. He shoots Palma these days, and I guess he decided to get rid of it.
This rifle does have the bayonet lug, so I'm thinking it is a pre-ban, although I didn't think of writing down the serial number. It didn't have any barrel markings. It was glass bedded VERY nicely, the trigger was very finely tuned with a smooth pull and crisp break, and it had a hand-lapped TRW bolt. It had a leather sling on it that looked like it could tell you some stories.
My smith' was asking $1,500 for it. I think this is a GREAT price, as I am leaning towards an M-14 for and 600/1,000 yard work I will be doing in competition. I know the M-14 can still be very competitive at these ranges - I just need to get the barrel twist and barrel type down...
There lies one problem. I just set aside $800 for a Rock River Arms National Match rifle, and I won't touch my bank account for a long time ( I'm a bad spender ). HOW on earth can I scrape up $1,500 in a few months, not counting my salary? Anyone here have any ideas? I can't let this rifle fall into the hands of a guy who might bubba-ize it...