Upon the Horns of a Dilemma: M1 vs. M1A

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11xray

New member
I am sitting here looking at my two "Go To" rifles.
One is a H&R M1 Garand manufactured in 1952. It has a free floated barrel, 12 coats of marine varnish, glass bedded action, a trigger job and shoots into a dime at 100 yards with Lake City match ammo.

The other is a Springfield M1A, pre-ban, box stock.

I am equally competent with both rifles, and feel under armed with neither.

Now...TSHTF...Which do you grab?

Why?

Thanks Guys

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Audemus jura nostra defendere
 
Both? :)

When I prep'ed for Y2K my M1 got the nod. I had/have a fair supply of AP for the rifle and the target I was concerned with was vehicular. Black tip 7.62 was not available.

If ammo resupply is a concern, that may make a difference, depending on your local situation. Surplus 7.62 is cheaper to stock and easier to find here. The eaisest to find is 5.56 which is one major reason I have an AR-15.

Another thought is to have a off site cache - a spare rifle could be worth a bunch in that role.

Giz
 
I have seen some very cogent discussions on this over at CSP. People who know far more than I do can marshal arguments either way all night long, and both sides have excellent cases. Owning both doesn't answer the question--it only confuses you more.

The M1A has the 20 rd box mag; lots of capacity, but tends to get in the way and extras are something of a bother--not to mention empty mags. The M1 is an easier carry and the ammo is already clipped and ready to go. To reload just shove in another and keep firing.

The M1A will take a scope, but then it becomes a pretty heavy item. Less recoil effect--a real cream puff to shoot. The M1 is pure history and more rifle for the money even if some work is needed.

My SA M1A is a nice rifle, but I will take the quality of the forged M1 reciever any day over the investment cast one of the M1A. I was once issued the M14 and I want to see a real forging.

I could easily get along very well with the M1 and nothing else. Just bought the M1A to play with--but the M1 is usually what I grab for a match or for fun.





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I think both are up to the task, though my one reservation with the Garand is the clip vs. the magazine. You can't "top up" a Garand, but you can the M1A. Of course, this comes from a guy that has 4 M1 Garands, and no M1A's. :)
 
Actually, you can top off a Garand but why would you want to. After the rifle is empty, it kicks out the empty (ping) and awaits a fresh clip. It takes just a couple seconds to load a new clip and the rifle is ready again. Now contrast that to you having to remove the magazine from the M-1A, you having to replace the magazine and then having to cycle the bolt to load the rifle. Easily 3-4 times as long. Over the course of 20 you can choose to replace at any time and it is better to reload with one in the chamber (except at a match of course) but all in all, I see few real advantages to the 20 round magazine.
 
No, you cannot 'top off' an M1 - one of the very reasons for developing the M14. Perhaps we have different definitions of the phrase? My use is that of adding more rounds to the number still remaining in the rifle after firing. In the M1, after firing, say, 5 of the 8 rounds, you can NOT, add or "top off" 5 more rounds into the rifle without removing the loaded 3 rounds and clip and replacing with a full new 8 rounds and clip. With the M14, I can drop the magazine at anytime during fire, add more rounds to that magazine, all while still having one in the chamber.... According to Bruce Canfield, the major complaints of top brass during WWII was that soldiers were expelling (re. wasting) two or 3 remaining rounds in order to load up 8 with a new clip.... Cryoman
 
ICryoman, didn't say it made sense, but I did ask "why would you want to". Ever load a partial clip? Ever load two rounds in an 8 round clip for competition? Now add five more, the sixth goes in the chamber as the bolt closes. Its much easier to load a new clip, hense my rhetorical question -- answer, "you wouldn't". In combat, I'd dump the remaining rounds and load a fresh clip too. Collect the ejected rounds and load them into an empty clip. Not difficult...although under fire it could get you killed.
 
Had the M1A out today (introducing my daughter to it) and a couple of other thoughts occurred to me. The M14 type rifles have an open mag well which will admit a certain amount of foreign matter when open; and the flash hider not only is somewhat subject to bending and damage but will collect and admit more FOD. The M1 has a solid bottom, and a piece of electrical tape over the muzzle keeps the bore clean and dry. You can of course fire right through the tape and stick another across the muzzle anytime you want including for the drive home. (There is a lot of wind and dust in my preferred habitat.) Also, the M1 is just a bit shorter--so it rides just fine in my jeep, vertically against the dash to the left of the steering wheel. The M1A is just enough longer that it won't fit.

The one thing that I always liked better about the M14 was the thinner comb and pistol grip. I reshaped those areas on my match M1 years ago and ought to do it on my 'fun' M1. Makes it handle a lot nicer...

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For a full sized cartridge, clips are superior. They are faster and handle better than the 20 round M1A mags. You can carry more ammo per unit weight. For a battle rifle, you don't need a box mag. For an assault rifle, they are necessary. But, how many people can legally own real assault rifles?
 
M1A. Mines more accurate than either of my Garands. .308 might be easier to come by than .30-06, given that the military uses .308. But most importantly, the flash suppressor would be mighty handy in low light. Also think that the M1A is a touch lighter. Every pound you have carry counts. Jared
 
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