M1A (M14?) question...

P

paull

Moderator
I recently aquired a .308 rifle marked...

U.S. RIFLE
7.62 MM M14SA
FED. ORD. INC.
SO. EL MONTE, CA
C-0037

I see no other markings or serial numbers, ( haven't field stripped it yet, because I don't know how!), except on the steel bipod:
BIPOD RIFLE M2.

It appears to closely resemble your basic M1A, except for a hole(cut-out) in the right side of the stockjust behind and below the rear of the charging handle( when locked open).

It has a trap-door in the buttstock, which is empty.(just two holes, one deeper than the other).

Any help in ID'ing this rifle would be appreciated.
Are there any websites around that cater to this type of question, other than this one?

Thanks loads,
paull
 
Hi, Paul!

You have a Fed Ord M14SA, as you read from the receiver markings. It's basically a semi-auto-only copy of the U.S. Rifle, Caliber 7.62mm, M14. Now, a bit of education: Springfield Armory, Incorporated's copy of the M14 rifle is called the M1A, and is trademarked by them. People get caught up in calling any M14 semi-auto clone an M1A, much like an office copier is simply a "Xerox". Other manufacturers of M14 clones are Armscorp, Enterprise Arms, Smith Enterprises, Norinco, Polytech, the rewelded MKS receivers, as well as the new forged MKS receivers. Fed Ord either made their own cast M14SA receivers, or used imported Chinese receivers, depending on the date of manufacture.

Your rifle has a Fed Ord receiver, but I'll wager if you look close enough, you'll discover it is probably assembled from USGI M14 parts, bearing various manufacturer's stamps, to include TRW, WRA, HRA, SA, etc. You should go through the entire gun, looking for the markings on the barrel, bolt, and trigger group, it will give you a better idea of what components were used to assemble the gun.

The hole you mention beneath the charging handle is the selector lever cutout. On a full-military (and full-auto) M14 rifle, there would be a selector lever to switch between semi-automatic mode of fire and full-auto.

Hope this at least helps a little. For a dedicated M14/M1A forum, I can recommend two:

http://www.jouster.com

and:

http://www.gunandknife.com/cgi-bin/boards1/m1aconfig.pl
 
With the exception of some Smith Enterprise receivers and some civilian model M14s (very rare) and the Chinese made ones, almost all civilian M14s are investment casted. Fed Ord is no exception.

In assembling their guns, Fed Ord used a mixture of surplus parts and some "unknown" make (perhaps rejects). Never noted for "high quality workmanship", their M14 is no exception and some can be downright bad. One fellow I know had to have his rebarrelled because one land had a "lump" in it. His gas cylinder wasn't flush and had to be turned on the lathe to true it. On some of those Fed Ords, the hole for the rear sight is offset and while it won't affect your shooting, it will affect sight adjustment when you start shooting at different distances.
 
Dittos to the previous posts. May I also suggest one other site with relevant info:


Fulton Armory


I've got one of their Service Grade rifles built up on an M1A receiver. Great rifle.

Hope you have good luck with yours.

Kevin
 
Thanks for the info and links!
So, you are saying that it may be a POS...
I can live with that.
Any chance the receiver can be used to build a better rifle, or would I be better off unloading it and using the funds to get a SA M1A?
paull
 
The ultimate test is how it shoots

If it shoots well at 100, click up the sights and try 200 and so on. If it holds well, it's not a POS.

However, if the sights are messed up (canted hole), that may not be the only reason to dump it.

Lest we forget, there is a non-milspec problem with Fed Ord receivers in that the bridge has been poorly casted. The bridge (or web) is what disengages the firing pin when the gun is out of battery. Disassemble your gun except for the bolt and look at it from underneath. As you move the bolt from the lock to the unlocked position, you'll see how the bridge engages the tail of the firing pin, causing it to retract (or allowing it to move forward).

The bridge should be sharp at the point where the tail should cam down into its position of rest (when the bolt is locked). Often times a poor casting will have a lump and this causes wear on the tail. Given time, the tail, if not inspected, can work harden itself (hydrogen embrittlement to use a fancy George Harris of SigArms fame term) and break off. Possible slam fires follow.

Mind you, this problem is not unique to Fed Ord and many Springfield Armory or Springfield Inc. (the civilian firm and its current successor) have the same problem.

If you really want a good receiver, try getting a Smith Enterprise.
 
Hi, guys,

FWIW, I have a Fed Ord rifle made with Chinese parts. I have replaced the flash hider (off center - the bullets hit it) and the bolt with GI parts. With the right ammo, it shoots as well or better than my M1A NM.

The "C-0037" is the serial number.

Jim
 
Wierd double-tap...
Anyway, I took it to the range today with a couple different loads...
Federal 165gr. softpoint and Win 150gr. Balistic silver tip...
Both factory loads as I have had no reason to load .308 before today...
I'm a scope guy, so don't use the irons alot...
I only shot @ 50yds. and groups with both loads were not great, averaging around 1"-2", but improving as I improved.
The heavier bullets seemed to group better, but that may be operator induced...
I think I'll get a scope mount for it, as even if this turns out less than stellar, I'll be getting a M1A someday.
paull
 
more questions...

Any good sources of replacement parts..?
How about disassembly instructions?
Thanks, again
paull
 
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