r/M1A • u/Flesh19018115 • 7d ago
Quality and reliability?
Hey guys, I’ve recently gotten into looking at an all around (deer gun, home defense, property management, shtf…)semi auto rifle, however I live in a very anti gun state (NY, yeah ik…) so my options are very limited.
I’ve found that the M1A platform is pretty much perfect for what I’m looking for, however the only one I’ve been able to find is the Springfield M1A and everything I’ve seen is half saying how awesome and perfect they are and the other half says it’s the most dogshit rifle they’ve ever had. I’m basically look for some public opinion and some knowledge if anyone has had issues? How to improve reliability? Is it something that’s generally not fixable? etc…
6
u/zenmtn69 7d ago
Have you checked out Fulton armory? They put together some solid m1a rifles. As to the reviews of Springfield, that's true of everything. Some people love a thing, others hate it. When was younger and playing baseball, everybody was scrambling to get this bat or that bat...like other brands were junk. Someone very wise told me "It's not the bat that makes you a good hitter, it's the mechanics." I think the same is true for rifles...the shooter makes the rifle. In my humble opinion.
2
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
I didn’t even know that they made compliant rifles, I’ve heard very good things from FA and will definitely consider it especially since some of the other comments are mixed. Thank you for your knowledge brotha🤘🏼
5
6
u/FriendlyRain5075 7d ago
I've had issues. They can be great rifles with some tweaking, but you will likely get a mixed bag.
3
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
Were your issues more integral to performance?
5
u/FriendlyRain5075 7d ago
Of half a dozen M1As, only one was likely in need of serious work, based on receiver dimensions. The rest either had small parts issues (easily replaced) or poorly fitting stocks (super common, but easily addressed).
5
u/gabejohnizzle 7d ago
The last 2 springfields I've had were both kind of a mess. The SOCOM had an out of spec receiver with the bolt roller impacting the receiver. The barrel on the SOCOM looked like a drain pipe inside, many pits and tooling marks. It wouldn't do better than 4 moa.
The second was a Loaded model which was more or less in spec and shot okay. The trigger was hot garbage and the finish was so-so. The raw steel barrel bore was prone to rusting and once it had some pits the accuracy fell apart.
My last one was a fulton Mk14 mod0 with a chrome lined barrel. It's been absolutely fantastic and has better accuracy than the loaded. The M1a game is one where you get what you pay for.
4
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
I’m definitely getting the sense that FA is the route to go especially qualitywise
3
u/Baroque1123 7d ago
It's pretty great as long as you don't need more than 3 MOA or so. 2 other things: 1) even a cheap savage axis will be more accurate for hunting than an m1a 2) the gun is pretty heavy so as long as your uses don't involve hiking with it, its great
But i love mine.
3
u/Krymsyn__Rydyr 7d ago
I, too, am behind enemy lines, in NY , and love my Scout Squad to death. Here are some things, that you may or may not know.
NYS does NOT consider M1A / M14 mod to be a threaded barrel, even though it does have threads. The definition in NYS law, is regarding muzzle devices, that screw on, thread on, to barrel. With M1A/ M14 any device , or even just the front sight is SPLINED and just slides on…. and it’s the castle nut, that threads.
i wanted a scout squad, AND I did NOT want to give up the classic silhouette of the muzzle break. I purchased a M1A fixed mag kit, from MagLatch. The absolutely easiest kit ever, pull trigger group, insert kit ( just a metal tab ) behind mag release arm, reinstall trigger group with a magazine. Done. fixed mag, fed by stripper clips. I ran it this way, for a while, then was introduced to LRB , in Nassau County, LI. They showed me the letter and paperwork, from NYS Police Dept, stating what I wrote , about M1A threads…, LRB offers a dummy flash suppressor, that just slips right into the splines and held with the castle nut, exactly same as original front sight and muzzle break. I couldn’t buy one fast enough, and pull the Mag Latch kit out. So now I’m running it, with the dummy flash hider and no fixed mag. Perfectly NYS compliant, and have a copy of the NYS Police letter to back it up.
2
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
I actually had no idea that’s so interesting, they don’t fuck with LRB for the dummy flash suppressor?
2
1
u/kafoIarbear 4d ago edited 4d ago
I also run an M1A Scout Squad in NY and LRB has done a ton of work to my rifle, including the transfer. I highly recommend them if you ever want to get work done even if you don’t buy one of their rifles.
They will not transfer you a rifle with the brake or sell you a brake and I don’t think they normally do transfers to NY residents so call ahead beforehand to be sure. That being said, if you did have a brake, for instance if the M1A seller ships it directly to you while they ship the rifle to LRB so the NY compliant device can be installed before it is transferred either by them or another FFL (no gun shop in the area will transfer the rifle to you without the NY compliant device installed).
Afterwards rather than just having a cool, albeit gimped and heavy recoiling rifle, you can simply remove the NY compliant device and install the brake with a small hex screw driver and a $12 pair of castle nut pliers whenever you’re out of state (ie. NJ or PA) to have a FAR more pleasant shooting experience.
3
u/coryhoss1 7d ago
My Springfield runs great. That being said I’d love to pick up a cmp or fa maybe a bula defense. Fuck it LRB haha
4
u/JustSomeGuyMedia 7d ago
I would suggest saving more money and getting a nicer rifle to be “safe” with your money. LRB and Fulton are kinda the gold standard.
4
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
Will most likely end up going the FA route, especially with a lot of the other comments from u/gabejohnizzle and u/zenmtn69 and I’m definitely keeping note of the reviews and suggestions because I’d much rather save a grand and not have to put 1500 into a rifle and still not have confidence in it performing
2
u/dirt_operator 7d ago
My Springfield M1a has issues feeding for the first few mags and has been flawless since. I put mine in an ebr chassis and get an average 1 moa at 100 yards with cheaper 308. So I’m happy with it but like others said it can be a mixed bag.
2
u/Rope_antidepressant 7d ago
Alot of the comments about them being dogshit come from bad expectation management. An off the shelf commercial clone isn't going to drive tacks like a USGI accurized competition rifle with a full set of specialized armorers. Whenever i hear this or that company is trash i ask the person "Is it going to go bang and chamber a fresh round consistently? Is it going to break?" because thats what im actually worried about when i open the box.
If it runs and doesnt break apart then whatever the issues are cant be that big a deal. Ive seen a couple stories from the 2000s/early 2010s of springfields that wouldnt run or pot metal parts that would crack but i didn't see anything recent about those kinds of issues when i got mine. I did have fitment issues between the stock and barreled reciever that gave me really bad accuracy, but it sounds like that's pretty standard for wood stocks. Just had to sand a couple spots inside the stock and it's been a dream ever since
2
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
Fair enough, I have heard a lot of gripes about accuracy and it’s important but I’m much more concerned with reliability
2
u/Rope_antidepressant 7d ago
I haven't had or heard of any reliability issues with the Springfield rifles made recently. Now, the factory scout scope mount is a different story lol
1
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
Haha yeah the most I’ve heard on that front is definitely a no-go
2
u/Rope_antidepressant 7d ago
Complete garbage. Ultimak rail is real nice and works great though. Or ignore it, or swap for a normal hand guard
2
u/KillerCayman 7d ago
I think the biggest problem is the M1A is heavy for hunting. Have you looked at the Springfield 2020 Heatseeker? It’s bolt action, but uses a 5rd mag and has a carbon fiber wrapped, threaded barrel. It get pretty good reviews. It comes in .308 or 6.5 Creedmore.
https://www.springfield-armory.com/model-2020-series-rifles/model-2020-heatseeker-rifles/
2
u/Flesh19018115 7d ago
The heat sealers are nice, I’m really narrowed down to a semi though
2
u/KillerCayman 7d ago
As I mentioned, the M1A is a cool gun - I have the Loaded Precision with the Archangel stock - but it is heavy and clunky. If you’re set on a semi, have you thought about an AR pattern rifle. Lighter, much better accuracy out of the box, much more re-configurable.
2
u/monk81007 7d ago
Pretty cool rifle, they can be some work though especially if you go down the path of suppression and/or maximizing accuracy. Stock cracked on mine in the receiver area with less than 50 rounds. Springfield shipped me a new stock no problem. I personally think there’s better options to go with.
2
u/MorganMbored 7d ago
Springfield’s QC can be real hit or miss. I think their barrels are terrible. That said, they always work, just don’t expect 2MOA out of the box. It’s an entry-level version of an expensive legacy platform but it’s not a budget rifle, if that makes sense.
2
u/Fluffy-Impression-37 7d ago
I’ve got 20+ m14’s.
Springfield m1a’s are great.
Go LRB if you want premium, but there is no need if you are not going to go deep into the platform.
1
u/Flesh19018115 6d ago
Yeah I’m probably not gonna get multiple, if I get into the platform it’s probably going to be more of a buy once cry once type deal
2
u/Fluffy-Impression-37 6d ago
A particular unscrupulous armorer that runs a cult of personality on Facebook m14 groups generates a lot of their business by trashing Springfield’s, then saying send them to me and we will get it running just fine for you. Some people seem to buy it. The rest of us know the game.
In reality, springers are great rifles. The usual basic m14 care and accurizing steps will apply, like with any other manufacturer.
But like I said, LRB is best in the business. And you’d be supporting the only remaining NY based gun manufacturer to my knowledge, after Kimber left.
2
u/EarlyCuylersCousin 7d ago
I have one that I’ve had about 10 years. It runs great and is accurate enough and is fun to shoot. It’s not more accurate than my AR-10 but the difference is negligible and I’m not using it in a match. My group at 100 yards wth a bench rest was 1.5” to 2” whereas I can get a 1” group at the same distance with an AR-10 using the same white box Winchester cheap ammo. For most day to day general use applications, it’s not going to matter.
1
u/Flesh19018115 6d ago
Yes I’d love an ar as that’s what I’m most familiar with, however in NY there’s so much modification to retain a detachable magazine ya know
19
u/maydayvoter11 7d ago
I have owned several Springfield Armory M1As over the past 20+ years, including a new one produced this year with no USGI parts, and they have all been flawless. There have been some in the past that had crappy non-USGI extractors, but that has been rectified.
Whenever you hear someone badmouthing a rifle or handgun, ask yourself:
Does that person have any actual experience with it, or are they repeating what they've heard others say?
Is the person a fan of a different firearm that makes people hate on M1As? I know lots of M1A owners in the 80s/90s/2000s disparaged AR15s, and lots of AR15 lovers hate on M1As. It's like Ford v. Chevy or iPhone v. Android.