I brought my first Springfield M1 today

[benjamin101677]

I am excited brought my first Springfield M1 today; was in a gun shop yesterday buying another handgun when the seller offered me his Springfield M1 with two stocks, 4 magazines, sling, etc.

I think I did pretty good on it. Can't wait until it is out of jail

[benjamin101677]

Yes M1A never had one before all excited about it

[vf111]

Nice M1A Scout. Is that synthetic stock USGI or Springfield commercial?

[FeuerFrei]

I am excited brought my first Springfield M1 today; was in a gun shop yesterday buying another handgun when the seller offered me his Springfield M1 with two stocks, 4 magazines, sling, etc.

I think I did pretty good on it. Can't wait until it is out of jail

Well done in catching a target of opportunity.

Now go watch these clean and service videos BEFORE you go shoot it. You'll be glad you did.

http://www.tonybenm14.com/videos.html

[Oldmandan]

I think I did pretty good on it.

[sfvshooter]

From what I've read, Springfield M1's are like owning a boat. And the two happiest days of a boat owner's life is the day when he buys the boat and the day he sells it.

[boltstop]

Well done in catching a target of opportunity.

Now go watch these clean and service videos BEFORE you go shoot it. You'll be glad you did.

http://www.tonybenm14.com/videos.html

I have an M1A and certainly benefitted from watching his videos. Thoroughly recommended.

[FeuerFrei]

From what I've read, Springfield M1's are like owning a boat. And the two happiest days of a boat owner's life is the day when he buys the boat and the day he sells it.

Too much dogmatic baloney from owners thinking the rifle is or will be something it's not. Unmet expectations.

Broken guns or out of spec rifles happens to all manufacturers/types.

A properly serviced M1A is a battle accurate piece that will reliably punch holes in stuff that a 556 rifle won't.

It's NOT a target rifle.
It's NOT a sniper/precision rifle. Even with a scope on it.
It's NOT a rifle for the muscularly challenged.
It's NOT cheap to shoot.

Caveat emptor. Know what you're getting into BEFORE you buy it.

Proper care and feeding make the difference for the end user.
SA owners manuals SUCK! Nothing informative or helpful to the user.

Once you learn how to run these rifles and properly service it, you will begin to understand what these rifles are good for.

*The last thing you do is start swapping original SA OEM parts for NOS because those are magical G.I. parts.
**SA can void your warranty for that little trick.

[smoothy8500]

...owners thinking the rifle is or will be something it's not. Unmet expectations.

I think this sums it up. The M1A has a certain allure to it, but unless you actually understand that fascination it is easy to be disappointed.

[tiger222]

I like them, though more for nostalgia then anything else.
That said, I'll have one in the stable one day..... that walnut stock is just too gorgeous!

[Verdha603]

Too much dogmatic baloney from owners thinking the rifle is or will be something it's not. Unmet expectations.

Broken guns or out of spec rifles happens to all manufacturers/types.

A properly serviced M1A is a battle accurate piece that will reliably punch holes in stuff that a 556 rifle won't.

It's NOT a target rifle.
It's NOT a sniper/precision rifle. Even with a scope on it.
It's NOT a rifle for the muscularly challenged.
It's NOT cheap to shoot.

Caveat emptor. Know what you're getting into BEFORE you buy it.

Proper care and feeding make the difference for the end user.
SA owners manuals SUCK! Nothing informative or helpful to the user.

Once you learn how to run these rifles and properly service it, you will begin to understand what these rifles are good for.

*The last thing you do is start swapping original SA OEM parts for NOS because those are magical G.I. parts.
**SA can void your warranty for that little trick.

I'll definitely have to agree with you on all counts. Because people see it on the rack of a gun shop and notice it's a semi-auto .308 rifle they get this sudden idea that they'll be able to slap a scope on it and suddenly be able to do better than a .308 bolt gun, only to be severely dissapointed when expectations fail to match reality.

I'm thankful I accepted it for what it was; a "military/GI-grade" rifle that's able to put multiple .308 rounds onto a man-sized target out to several hundred meters away with reasonable consistency. I consider myself doing great if I can wring out 3 MOA out of my M1A Standard while firing 7.62x51mm surplus ammo and can hit a man-sized plate at 400 or 500 meters most of the time with iron sights and some sling support.

Honestly the only complaint I'd have for Springfield Armory at this point is little more than aesthetics; would it kill them to occasionally release Standard/GI type rifles with a bayonet lug on it instead of keeping them off ever since the FAWB bit them in the butt?