M1A Again !!!!

F

Fisher

New member
I know, this topic has been beaten to death lately but I want to pick up an M1A here in a few weeks and I have only one question.

I will be shooting this gun on the range and out in the field from time to time but not in competition. I have always wanted one and I’m finely going to add on to my gun collection. Should I get the “standard model” or the “new loaded” standard model. Some of the posts I have been reading tell me that the more accurate the weapon the more picky it is with the ammo it will accept. I am looking for a model of the M1A that will be fun and reliable but will also take a few bucks from my buddies at the range when the bragging starts.
 
Fisher - I think the loaded models come with NM sights and a few other bells and whistles, but are essentially the same rifle mechanically. The critical firing components, such as the barrel, op rod and receiver are the same.

It is not true that the more accurate the rifle, the more picky it will be with ammo. This is a common misperception. What is true is that a high end barrel (such as a Krieger or Douglas), will have tighter chamber tolerances than a milspec barrel and will limit ammo choices on this basis. Custom barrels generally have match chambers that limit your choices to match ammo. Military surplus ammo in 7.62x51 will generally not safely chamber in a match barrel adn should be avoided.

For plain weekend plinking, I'd go for the standard model. These are damn fine rifles right out of the box. It will probably shoot 1.5 to 2 MOA with decent ammo and give you years of dependable service. It is also a good platform for upgrades if you pursue a competitive path.

Good Luck

Noban
 
The loaded model does come with a NM barrel, flash suppressor, and trigger. You will notice an improvement in accuracy with the loaded model. The NM flash suppressor in particular helps, because the standard suppressor evidently causes a bit of air turbulence which affects the accuracy.
 
IMO the only 'required' option would be a NM barrel. I have owned 4 M1A's, the two that I still have are equiped with a NM barrel. The two I sold, one was a full comp NM that I shot at Camp Perry and the other was the service grade w/o the NM barrel. You will see an increase in accuracy with the NM barrel over the service grade, the full NM Comp was to heavy to play with and I never really liked the oversized stock. I trained in boot camp at San Deigo with a M-14. I have a warm spot in my heart for the M1A.
 
Guys, I want to thank you for all your help. I have been admiring these guns for a long time and I just decided to take the plunge. I want to make sure I make the right decisions when it comes to which version to choose. So I figured this was the place to ask the questions.

It looks like I will be getting the "Loaded" version because of the national match barrel and the other goodies that come with that model.

Thanks again, you've been a great help.
 
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