Mhoward wrote:As for the M1A, I am thinking about getting rid of one of my DMPS AR15's. Does anyone have any good reviews on these? I plan on using it for hog hunting and general shooting. I will put a red dot sight on it and maybe a magnifier. Any other manufactures of quality M1A's other than Springfield? Google pops up a few but they don't look as nice.
I have a Springfield M1A Loaded, and it is turning into one of my two favorite rifles - the other being a heavy barreled Remington 700 in .308. I have a Super Sniper 10x42HD fixed power scope mounted on the M1A, using a Sadlak aluminum scope mount.
Accuracy and Bullet Choice:
The M1A has an 11:1 twist, and mine seems to prefer bullets in the 165-168 grain range. I gave my son an M1A Loaded for Christmas, and his seems to prefer bullets in the 150 grain range. Last Saturday, I tried some 175 grain Lake City sniper ammo in it, and it did not shoot it well. That same load shoots very well in my Remington which has a 10:1 twist, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say that M1As as a breed probably don't like the heavier .308 loads.
In addition to the Lake City ammo, I've tried the following cartridges through mine: Hornady Match 168 gr. HPBT, Black Hills Gold Match 168 gr. A-Max, Federal Fusion 165 gr. White Tail ammo, Federal Power-Shok 150 gr. SP. All were tested at 100 yards. Both of the Match loads performed pretty well, although not quite as surgically as in my Remington. Best group was in the .5" range, but it was not repeatable with any reliability. Average was more like .75"-1". The 150 gr. Power-Shoks shot into 1.5"-2" groups. But the Federal Fusion 165 gr. cartridges performed with consistency shooting 1" groups, so I think that is the hunting load I'll use.
Function and Reliability:
On the day I was breaking the rifle in, I had one failure to extract, which resulted in a double feed which drove the second bullet deep into its case, ruining it. It was a Black Hills Gold Match 168 gr. A-Max. I dropped the magazine, removed the second round by hand, released the bolt forward and let the extractor pick up the spent case. It ejected without further complication and fed the next round cleanly. That is the only malfunction I've experienced with this rifle.
On the reliability side, there has been one significant issue... Somewhere toward the end of the first 100 rounds fired through the rifle, one of the two hammer hooks broke off (
DETAILS HERE). The rifle would still function with the one hook, but I did not deem it safe to continue using it. The OEM hammer (as are many of the other parts) is MIM. The problem was discovered just before Christmas, and they were already closed for the holiday, but I placed a phone call to Springfield Armory's customer service department on 12/28 when they reopened, and I told them that I have an upcoming hog hunt (I do) for which I intended to bring this rifle. They gave me a FedEx return ticket and an RMA# that day and told me to pull the trigger group and send it to them. I asked them to make sure that the new hammer was a forged unit and not a MIM part. They said no problem. I sent it that day. They called me two days later and told me they would have it back to me by 1/8, in time for my hunt. I actually received the repaired part on 1/5. I can't say enough about their Customer Service department. They were superb.
Other than that, the rifle has been 100% reliable. The trigger is a match tuned military trigger with a 2 stage let off that breaks cleanly right at 4.5 lbs. The ergonomics are very good, and the rifle just "feels right." I'm headed out in the next week or two to knock the snot out of some hogs with it. I was invited just yesterday to go on a day long deer hunt tomorrow, which I unfortunately cannot make, but if I could, I would have brought the M1A along and a box of the Federal Fusion 165 gr. cartridges.
The M1A is just an absolute blast to shoot. There is something to be said for being able to absolutely
flog a target at will out to 800 meters. If you can see it, you can shoot it. When you hit a steel plate at 200 yards with it, you are rewarded with a dramatic CLANG!! as the bullet tries to rip the plate clean off its chains — unlike an AR15, which gives you a little Ping! and barely moves the metal. Recoil is minimal for the cartridge. Yes, it is somewhat heavy (9.5 lbs without the scope mounted), but it points naturally and is relatively "handy" for a full-sized battle rifle. It's a keeper, and if you are still looking at buying a rifle in that class, you'll be happy with an M1A. I have more about mine, with lots of pictures, posted
HERE.
I hope this helps you make up your mind. In case it didn't, here's a little eye candy.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"
#TINVOWOOT
for another. I have read on here that some people find the P229 a little large for a CCW but isn't it about the same size as a M&P?
