Reasons to get an M-14

"However.... (not to sound like a girl) after 20 rounds, you just want to set it down and walk away... the recoil is a bit punishing"

It is "punishing" if you shoot on a bench wearing a tee shirt.

A highpower match is 88 rounds. At the end of the match you are not aware you shot a rifle with any recoil since slings and jackets are used.

A M-14 type rifle shot from prone or sitting with a tight sling is almost like shooting a rimfire.
 
"However.... (not to sound like a girl) after 20 rounds, you just want to set it down and walk away... the recoil is a bit punishing"

It is "punishing" if you shoot on a bench wearing a tee shirt.

A highpower match is 88 rounds. At the end of the match you are not aware you shot a rifle with any recoil since slings and jackets are used.

A M-14 type rifle shot from prone or sitting with a tight sling is almost like shooting a rimfire.
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1) I am not familiar with benchrest shooting of the M14, only off-hand standing sitting prone.

2) In my Navy days I was provided with the sling but not the jacket.

3) My limited M14 experience is related to military , not recreation.

4) You may have re-sparked my interest in shooting the M14 / M1A for the first time, with a jacket.
 
Why get an M1a (M14)...

Why not?
One of the most accurate semi auto .308s
Simple gas piston operation
Easy to customize although a bit expensive
Very rugged and durable design
The design has been in use since WW2 and is still in military service.
You cant go wrong :)
 
M14/M1A is a great weapon platform either way you cut it. That's why it's still in service when you want to reach out and touch someone. I carried one long enough to know. You just gotta remember that it's designed as a main battle weapon and therefore isn't what you want if you're looking for 1MOA or sub-MOA accuracy.

IMHO, there isn't alot of difference between the M14 and the M1 except selective fire and a bigger magazine, and in the M1A you even give up the selective fire feature. I don't think the recoil is any different between any of them, given that the operating mechanism is almost identical and does soak up that sharp jab. I like to think of it as a gentle shove!

Personally, the M1 always fit me better and is what I'd reach for first. 'Course with an M1, it's also alot less expensive to get into the game.
 
To some extent, I can't believe what I am reading here.

Why all the talk about recoil on the M-14?

#1 - The .308, is a pretty mild recoiling round.
#2 - The M-14 is a pretty heavy rifle, which will lead to lower felt recoil.
#3 - It is gas operated which will further decrease felt recoil.

All of this should add up to a pretty recoil manageable package, unless the only thing you've ever shot is a .22LR or AR-15.

As far as why get one? Because it has roots in the M1 Garand, the greatest battle implement ever devised and the Military history, albeit short.
 
"No there are more accurate platforms in .308, unless you are willing to spend some money to fix it."

When one speaks of the M-14 type rifle today or the M1a most of the time they are refering to the rifle made by SA Inc.

They have various models and supposedly the more you spend the more accurate they are.

The so called "standard model" out of the box, depending on how well the trained monkeys at SA Inc put it togather, can shoot from about 2 to 10 MOA.

The good news is if you know what you are doing you can take just about any standard model and make it shoot from 1.5 to 2 MOA without spending much money.

The first thing you do is buy a good USGI fiberglass stock. You reinforce the forearm with extra fiberglass. You make sure the stock does not touch the barrel or gas cylinder where it should not and you make sure that when the trigger group is locked in the forearm puts a downward pull on the barrel.

You remove the flash suppressor and gas cylinder. You peen the splines on the barrel so both items fit rock solid. You shim the gas cylinder so it has zero movement.

You replace the junk rear sight parts with USGI and fit the aperture correctly.

You spend about 15 minutes taking the creep out of the second stage on the trigger pull.

You replace their junk extractor with a USGI part.

On Garand or M1a everying must be fitted right before they shoot well. On the cheaper models if they leave the factory with everything fitted correctly it is an accident.
 
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"Why all the talk about recoil on the M-14?"

Like I said shoot in on a bench wearing a tee shirt for a few rounds and it can hurt.

Shoot it from field positions with a sling and it becomes a very nice rifle to shoot.
 
What kind of guns are fired at Camp Perry competition ??
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M1A%20_1_.jpg
 
I remember watching a new Garand owner trying to shoot his rifle at our club one day.

He was sitting on a bench and the rifle was kicking him and he was all over the paper at 50 yards. He was so fustrated with this rifle he offered to sell it for about half what he paid for it.

We put up our 200 yard targets and asked the guy to shoot with us.

I gave him my shooting jacket and showed him how to use the sling. I showed him how to get into a proper prone position and he fired a few rounds.

After a couple of rounds he settled in and he actually shot smaller groups at 200 than he did at 50. He could not get over how the rifle now seemed to have no recoil and how much better he could shoot. He once again enjoyed shooting.

He now has a collection of battle rifles including a M1a and none of them are for sale.
 
As a member of one of the last basic training classes to carry the M-14 I do not remember any recoil issue, I remember shooting expert on my test, (cleaned the course or close to it as I recall), and I remember it used to get a little heavy near the end of a long march. We were a little envious when we passed a company of newbies carrying those little black plastic rifles.:rolleyes:
 
Thinking back to my Navy days ('89 - '93) shooting the M14 - I recall part of the recoil equation, that may have affected my perception... I only weighed 145 pounds soaking wet :D

(ahem ... a bit heavier now:D)

FWIW - Being able to shoot the M14, M60, and even just a plain - jane bolt action, actually feeling the difference ... is something I wish I could share with others.
 
odd, Ive always thought the m1a had incredibly mild recoil. However, do have the scout/squad with rubber buttpad.

My fiance is all of 110 lbs and is extremely recoil sensitive. She will shoot 100 rounds through it before I have time to tell her to shoot the surplus and not the FGMM.
 
choise !

personally i go both way's just because i wanted them both ,rockriver lar8-a4 and spring field m1a n/m rear sights aperture front .my dad's a Vietnam vet and he Say's the m14 is the only wood stock he saw in 69 ! he kept his m16 in the arm's locker and used the m14.
 
I trained with the M-14 in USMC bootcamp in 1963. Qualified expert at Camp Mathews. It is a real tack driver. BTW, the M-14 is the last Garand. Carried the M-1 in ITR in Camp Pendleton. Reissued the M-14 after ITR. I carried it for the rest of my enlistment including 13 months in I-Corps, Vietnam. The M-14 is as durable a battle rifle as the M-1 and very accurate. I qualified expert every qual day on the range. I could shoot a group you could cover with your cover using the military iron sights at 500 yds.

A few years back, I bought a "Match Condition" Springfield Armory M1A. The only difference I found was you couldn't add a selector switch on the M1A. I did manage to trade to get a selector for my M-14 in Vietnam. There weren't many M-14's equipped with selectors. At full auto, the M-14's barrel would climb like a Phantom F-4 on full afterburner. at 600 rounds per minute, you could waste a lot of ammo. Anyway, the M1A is sweet and accurate. I dropped a feral hog at 600yds with the iron sights. A friend measured the distance with a Bushnel range finder.

Recoil is not bad at all with the M1A. It is a great rifle. I would recommend it to anyone.
 
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