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Been in the market for a nice semi-auto rifle for awhile now and the above mentioned rifle in walnut at Academy caught my eye today. Can anyone comment on their experience with this piece? It is exactly in the price range I am seeking, but any feedback on better value or options would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

ETA: Gun was $1669 at Academy but will probably find another place to buy it.

One thing I've noticed is that the scope mount for these seems quite complex, but I am willing to deal with it for a hard hitting, long range .308.

Springfield M1A's are good rifles, had one for years, finally sold it off only due to the price of surplus 7.62 going through the roof. If you can stomach the price of ammo, it's a great gun.

Weg wrote:Springfield M1A's are good rifles, had one for years, finally sold it off only due to the price of surplus 7.62 going through the roof. If you can stomach the price of ammo, it's a great gun.

Daggum you're right about the ammo price, Weg. Looks like the supplies are kind of persnickety as well.

A good rifle, a reworked M1 to 308 NATO. The shell ejects up, up and out. The shell will land behind you and to the right. A scope centered will interfere with the ejection. Should be a great shooting rifle out to maybe 800 meters. You might want to bed it.

Have you looked at the M1 Garand in 308 from the Civilian Marksmanship Program? They have the CMP Special that is basically a brand new rifle. I have one in 30.06 that looks unissued. It has a brand new stock that makes it a non collector. They are $995 and a piece of history. It is easy to buy from the CMP. There are basically 3 requirements:
1. Be legal to buy a gun.
2. Be a member of a shooting club. Join the TSRA. It IS a shooting club and it qualifies for this requirement.
3. Show proof of current shooting proficiency. A DD-214 or a current CHL qualifies for this requirement.

They also sell ammo. Federal 308 is $175 for 200 rds or $360 for 500 rds (new). They have 30.06 for $118/200 rds or spam cans $150/240 rds (surplus). Go to their web site and look at their stuff. They have a great forum that you can just read without joining. I ordered a case (5000 rds) of .22LR in July of 2013. They are getting close my to order date and it should be arriving within the next couple of months. They deliver the 30.06 in about a week of ordering.

http://www.odcmp.com/sales.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Buds has the Springfield M1A with walnut stock for $1469 delivered with no tax. You need a FFL to do the transfer for you.

howdy wrote:Have you looked at the M1 Garand in 308 from the Civilian Marksmanship Program? They have the CMP Special that is basically a brand new rifle. I have one in 30.06 that looks unissued. It has a brand new stock that makes it a non collector. They are $995 and a piece of history. It is easy to buy from the CMP. There are basically 3 requirements:
1. Be legal to buy a gun.
2. Be a member of a shooting club. Join the TSRA. It IS a shooting club and it qualifies for this requirement.
3. Show proof of current shooting proficiency. A DD-214 or a current CHL qualifies for this requirement.

They also sell ammo. Federal 308 is $175 for 200 rds or $360 for 500 rds (new). They have 30.06 for $118/200 rds or spam cans $150/240 rds (surplus). Go to their web site and look at their stuff. They have a great forum that you can just read without joining. I ordered a case (5000 rds) of .22LR in July of 2013. They are getting close my to order date and it should be arriving within the next couple of months. They deliver the 30.06 in about a week of ordering.

http://www.odcmp.com/sales.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Buds has the Springfield M1A with walnut stock for $1469 delivered with no tax. You need a FFL to do the transfer for you.

Thanks Howdy and MeMel. Howdy, I really like the looks of the CM program. I will weigh whether or not a Garand is suitable for me and proceed accordingly. Looks like a really great way to get a fantastic rifle at value.

GT Distributors had a lot of M1A's, but you have to call for pricing.

Carried a full auto one in VietNam.A heavy gun with expensive ammo,but as dependable as they come.
You mite also try Bachman Pawn and Gun for your purchase

The M14/M1A is the rifle John Garand should have designed. Lower recoil than the M1, Higher round capacity and even a "bad" one will hold "minute of bad guy" at 400 yards. Try Bud's Gun Shop online.

I owned one for a few years and loved it. I traded it for a SASS rifle, and regret that trade to this day.

Had one, shot great, but some substandard parts (produced elesewhere) gave me fits so I got rid of it. The only other bummer I remember is that mags were a bit pricy at the time.

That being said, it is easy to scope using a piece that cantilevers off the side of the receiver. Several folks make them. The one I used from Basset Machine ( http://www.bassettmachine.com/ )was great. Local Texas guy who's super proud of his work. IF I ever got another M1A, I'd definitely get one of these mounts again.

MoJo wrote:The M14/M1A is the rifle John Garand should have designed. Lower recoil than the M1, Higher round capacity and even a "bad" one will hold "minute of bad guy" at 400 yards. Try Bud's Gun Shop online.

Really? I find the M1 recoil....errrr....stifled a bit by the shear size and weight. The M1A I had with the synthetic stock had a bit of kick to it, certainly even more than my current rifle (DSA 18" FAL).

To me, the recoil isn't bad for a 308. Mine will eat just about any quality ammo and works reliably. I would only get Checkmate Ind. mags though. The cheap ones never worked well for me. Mag price is similar to price of other newly made 308 mags.

The main thing to think abOut is the M1A is the ultimate iron sight rifle. You can scope it, but If your eyes are okay, you will shoot just as good or better with the iron sights at anything but long range. I think it is a waste to scope it unless you really want to. IMO, if you want a target rifle with a big scope, go for the AR10 variants.