M1A rifle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Springfield Armory M1A | |
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| Type | Sporting and Target Rifle |
| Place of origin |  United States |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Springfield Armory, Inc. |
| Variants | Standard, Loaded, National Match, Super Match, M21, M25 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 9.2 - 11.2 pounds (Empty magazine) |
| Length | 44.33 inches (1126 mm) |
| Barrel length | 22 inches (558.8 mm) |
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| Cartridge | 7.62x51mm NATO |
| Action | Gas-operated, rotating bolt |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Feed system | 5-round, 10-round or 20-round double column, detachable box magazine |
| Sights | National Match front blade, Match-Grade Hooded Aperture with One-Half Minute adj. for Windage and Elevation. |
The M1A is a civilian version of the United States military M14 rifle designed by Springfield Armory, Inc. in 1974. It is designed for semi-automatic fire only and cannot be modified to fully-automatic or selective fire. The M1A resembles the M21 Sniper Weapon System in design and appearance.
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[edit] Springfield Armory, Inc.
The M1A rifle is manufactured by Springfield Armory of Geneseo, Illinois. This is not the same U.S. Government owned Springfield Armory of Massachusetts which was closed down on April 30, 1968 by the U.S. Department of Defense. The term "M1A" is a proprietary title given by Elmer C. Ballance who started the privately owned Springfield Armory, Inc. of Devine, Texas, to his M14 pattern rifle. The receiver is made from investment cast AISI 8620 alloy steel. Early M1A rifles were built with surplus G.I. parts until Springfield Armory, Inc. began manufacturing their own. Elmer sold the "Springfield Armory' to Bob Reese in the fall of 1974. The Reese family remains as the current owner.
Today, Springfield Armory, Inc. offers the widest variety and some of the most accurate and reliable M14 pattern rifles on the market. Their National Match models and above (Super Match, M21 and M25) are guaranteed to shoot sub-MOA with Match grade ammunition right out of the box. This improved accuracy over the military M14's is because National Match models and above have glass-bedded receivers and heavy Match grade barrels.
[edit] Differences between the M1A and M14
Springfield Armory M1A rifles are for the most part identical to their military M14 counterparts. There are however a few differences:
As previously mentioned, the receivers are manufactured by the precision investment casting method. The military M14 receivers were manufactured using the drop-forge process, which is more complicated and more expensive. Until at least the late 1990s the M1A produced by Springfield Armory retained the cutout in the rear right of the stock for the selector switch found on the M14. The walnut stock of the M21 has a height-adjustable cheek rest, which is unique to that model. The M25 White Feather, built to commemorate Carlos Hathcock is also unique in that it comes with a black McMillan Fiberglass Stock and a built in picatinny optics mount. This because there is no provision for iron sights on the M25. Springfield Armory has also omitted the "7.62-MM" caliber designator on the M1A receiver since 1991.
Once the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 was passed, banning (among other features) bayonet lugs, the M1A no longer shipped with a bayonet lug. Although the 1994 law expired in September 2004, making bayonet lugs legal again (in most states), Springfield Armory has not restored that feature.
The California Assault Weapons Ban, which went into effect January 1, 2000, prohibited flash suppressors on all Semi-automatic rifles capable of accepting a detachable magazine. As a result, Springfield Armory designed a muzzle brake, which they installed in place of the standard flash suppressor on all models that were sold to California. The irony is that the muzzle brake reduces the recoil of the rifle and thus makes it more accurate. Apparently (source unverified), the military has ordered the California Legal muzzle brakes from Springfield Armory for their surplus M14's because of the improvement in accuracy.
[edit] M1A/M14 select fire rifles
Most of the M1A rifles manufactured since 1971 were made for the commercial market and thus were only capable of semi-automatic fire. However, it is estimated that well under 1,000 select fire M14 type rifles were manufactured and registered for civilian ownership prior to the passage of the Firearm Owners Protection Act on May 19th, 1986. Springfield Armory, Inc. and Smith Enterprise were the two companies that produced select fire M14 type rifles for civilian ownership. Up until May of 1986, Springfield Armory, Inc. had a Full Auto Department at their factory in Illinois. A few M1A rifles were converted to full-auto fire and registered with the ATF by Class II manufacturers like Neal Smith and Rock Island Armory. The receivers of these select fire rifles have the selector lug and operating rod rail cuts for the connector assembly.
Due to their scarcity and the fact that no new select fire M1A/M14 rifles can be produced for the civilian market because of the Hughes Amendment in the McClure-Volkmer Act, their market value is now well above $10,000.
[edit] SOCOM 16
Springfield Armory also makes a shortened version of the M1A rifle, with the barrel length of 16 in., the shortest barrel length for a rifle permissible without taxing and registration under the National Firearms Act in the United States of America. The gas system was reworked to ensure proper operation despite the shortened barrel, and a completely new compensator was added to help soften recoil.
[edit] Other manufacturers
Fulton Armory also builds civilian versions of the M-14 from their own receivers, which do not have the lug necessary for the installation of a selective fire switch and USGI (U.S. Government Issue) components and markets them as the FAR M-14, as does Armscorp USA, Inc., which markets their M14R & M14RNS (regular), M14NMR (National Match) and M21 (Sniper) rifles.
The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban sunsetted on September 14th, 2004. Flash suppressors with bayonet lugs can be found at gun shows or on the internet. They are legal to install on post-ban commercial M14 type rifles in most states.
Chinese-manufactured versions were sold under the Norinco and Poly Technologies brand names in the United States and Canada prior to the March 1989 importation ban on semi-automatic rifles issued by President George H.W. Bush. All the Chinese M14 rifles that were imported after March 1989 up until the May 1994 import ban [1] had specific features removed in order to be sold in the U.S. The Chinese made receivers were made from AISI 8620-equivalent steel.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Springfield Armory USA (2006 Catalog)
- Duff, Scott A, Miller, John M and contributing editor Clark, David C. The M14 Owner's Guide and Match Conditioning Instructions. Scott A. Duff Publications, 1996. ISBN 1-888722-07-X
- U. S. March 1989 foreign small arms import ban Semi-automatic rifles banned from importation in 1989
- Emerson, Lee and contributing editors Different's M1A/M14 Information Archive
- U. S. Department of State Dispatch Bureau of Public Affairs: May 30, 1994
- Iannamico, Frank. The Last Steel Warrior U.S. M14 Rifle. Moose Lake Publishing, LLC: Henderson, NV, '05.
