Broken M1A

[BumBum]

I just purchased a brand new Springfield Loaded M1A. Excited as can be, I took it out for the first time today to Burro Canyon. My first 10-round magazine shot fine. A couple of rounds into the second, my shells stopped ejecting. A very knowledgeable range officer and I field-stripped it and were looking for causes, and we just couldn't get it to work. Eventually, he noticed that the ejector had snapped off of the bolt. As I was cleaning up, lo and behold there was the broken piece and spring sitting on my blanket.

To say that this is a let down is an understatement. On top of that, I was shooting Federal match-grade ammo, so I can't imagine that this is the culprit. Perhaps a defect from the Springfield factory? But this just goes against everything I have heard about them. I mean, this was a new-in-box gun with hardly more than 10 rounds fired.

I posted some pics below. Obviously, I'm going to call Springfield on Monday to make a warranty claim, but is this something anyone else has experienced or heard of? What went wrong here? I thought the M1A was supposed to be ultra-durable, hence the hefty price tag.

[ElvenSoul]

yup it sucks the springfield has been skimping lately

you can fix with a usgi old skewl real steel part i believe

do a google search I believe there is a parts list of all the substandard parts to change out for milsurp

good luck

don't give up on it yet!

[GunDog]

It's not the ejector that is broken; it's the extractor.

Don't worry....Springfield will make good on it. Rather than sending your complete rifle back to them, just send the bolt. Better yet, ask them to just send out a new extractor. You should be able to remove the old and install the new.

On second thought, recommend replacing with a GI extractor. You can buy one from a supplier like Treeline, Orion 7, Fulton Armory, etc.

[bigdrunk92037]

That is disappointing for sure. Look online and buy a set of USGI bolt guts. M14forums.com is a great place to look.

I think if you go USGI with the ejector and extractor you will find your Springfield should run problem free for a long, long time.

[cfm117]

Extractor always craps out on factory M1A's. Mine broke at 200 rounds. Instead of sending it in to Springfield and getting one that would prob break again, I just ordered one from Fulton Armory.

[DDRH]

wow, sorry to hear that...i just put a Scout model in jail. hope i don't get a bad extractor too.

but OP, might as well upgrade your bolt.

i.m startin' ti get the M1A bug

[DisgruntledReaper]

Wow, that sucks....... may want to consider a FAL... FLAME ON!

Honestly Springfield does NOT have the best rep on the M1a's from what I have heard over the years, seems like for this amount of money the failure rate is too high. I would be leary of depending on a commercially made M1A...... now maybe a rifle assembled with all original GI parts on a good receiver would probably be ok......

I just never seem to have these issues on any of my FAL's and god knows what some have been through...

I wish ya the best on the $$$ toy,hope they make it right...

[SOCAL-PRINCE]

Dang that's sucks op. Well to give you a little piece of mind Springfield Armory's CS is freakin awesome. I had a 1911 with a safety that got stuck in the fire position and they fixed everything within 10 days. It was the loaded stainless steel model and they even polished the whole gun.

[HPGunner]

I keep a spare bolt guts parts for this reason. My SA M1A extractor hasn't failed me yet. But this may give me good reason to use my spare from Fulton Armory

[Knife Edge]

Cast parts stink, unfortunately your Springfield is full of them, mine as well. I will add that the M1A is best served with 7.62. The .308 Winchester is a hotter load, substantially so with Federal Gold Medal AND 175g bullets!! Read all the photo copies manuals and pamphlets that shipped with it.

Lastly their warranty is terrific. Expect a quick response and expenses paid shipping both ways.

[timbo399]

Probably good to go with USGI part. Still though, since Springfield M1A seems to be getting bit of a bad rap out of the box in this thread, I bought my M1A Scout 3 years ago and have never shot match grade ammo through it, all Portugese Mil surp 7.62 and Federal 7.62 and out of probably 3,000 rounds I have never had one ftf or fte. Runs amazing and when I hit those steel plates 400m out consistently without hardly being able to see them with my increasingly old eyes, the accuracy of those iron sights on the M1A just amazes me. I have a LWRC REPR that has been new in box since I bought it because I enjoy shooting that M1A Scout so much. Love that rifle.

[Knife Edge]

I've also heard if the occasional roller flying off as well.

[SloChicken]

Wow, that sucks....... may want to consider a FAL... FLAME ON!

Honestly Springfield does NOT have the best rep on the M1a's from what I have heard over the years, seems like for this amount of money the failure rate is too high. I would be leary of depending on a commercially made M1A...... now maybe a rifle assembled with all original GI parts on a good receiver would probably be ok......

I just never seem to have these issues on any of my FAL's and god knows what some have been through...

I wish ya the best on the $$$ toy,hope they make it right...

Pfffftttttt ........

FALs are nice, but then again, they are neutered here in Kalifornistan.

I think you may love your FALs a little too much, further, I think you don't own a M1A, thus the bias.

Not flamin', just sayin' what the rest of the world thinks ...

Enjoy your rose colored glasses buddy.

[highpower]

you can fix with a usgi old skewl real steel part i believe

What's a "skewl"?

On a serious note, I bought a brand new M1A loaded with a SS barrel back in 1995. In spite of a tag hanging from the trigger guard stating the (proper) headspace, that rifle would not fully chamber a round. Tested it with a headspace gauge and the bolt would not close on a "go" gauge.

No problem with the warranty and it was back in my hands about two weeks after sending it in. It shot fine after that and was pretty accurate to boot, but I have since then questioned the quality control at SAI.

[INFAMOUS762X39]

I keep a spare bolt guts parts for this reason. My SA M1A extractor hasn't failed me yet. But this may give me good reason to use my spare from Fulton Armory

Yup same here, my SA M1A extractor is still going strong, 500+rds so far no issues. I will be buying an extractor from Fulton Armory, just in case.

All in All, Springfield Armory will take care of it. Even though I never had to deal with them, their Customer Service is Top Notch.