Where can I get a M 14

[azcoyhunter]

I have alwas loved the M14

Where is a good place to buy one?

Clint

[Scrounger]

I have alwas loved the M14

Where is a good place to buy one?

Clint

Canada

[Hunter]

Are you looking for a M14 or a M1A?
The M1A can be had reasonable from a Springfield dealer and they are excellent rifles.

[garandsrus]

azcoyhunter,

Here is a link to Springfield Armory (http://www.springfield-armory.com/armory.php?model=13) and the M1A. There are several models to choose from.

John

[BruceB]

There are no true original M14 rifles available in the USA, for all practical purposes. Those few that exist cost in excess of ten thousand dollars, because the ATF has ruled them all to be machineguns. In Canada, as mentioned above, my last M14 cost all of $190!!

What we do have here is a considerable variety of "clones", or copies of the original M14, built on new receivers without any of the parts or contours needed for full-auto function. Many of the clones are truly excellent rifles, and many of them still use a great many original M14 parts in their construction. Some copies are marked "M-14", and many are not.

To learn a whole lot about ALL the various M14 copies, go to

www.m14forum.com

and on the forum titled "The Firing Line", there are 205 pages of threads about these rifles. If you read all that stuff, you'll know more than 95% of the people already using the rifles. Go right to the beginning page, and read forward in order to follow the threads as they develop.

I've had my M1A (Springfield Armory, Inc.) for about 18 months, and it is simply flawless. I bought it new from a South Dakota dealer for $1450, and it's about the best danged gun money I've ever spent. Unless you're seriously considering match shooting, I wouldn't spend the extra $500-$1000 for a highly-tuned target version ("National Match"). My "standard loaded" M1A is amply accurate for me, and it works great with CAST BULLETS.

See my thread, re-activated a few days back on this very forum, titled "7.62x51 NATO (.308 WCF) in the Springfield M1A". It contains dozens of cast-bullet loads, with chronograph data included.

I have extremely high regard for the M14, and its copies.

[Hip's Ax]

Clint, I had a proper M1A NM rifle built about a year ago. What prompted this move on my part was the availability of a proper forged and lugged receiver. Nothing against Springfield but I just don't want a cast receiver. Here's the link to LRB's M14SA page, not sure how long the wait is but if you get one of these it will be 100% USGI with the exception of the LRB forged (in this case unlugged) receiver. The only difference you will be able to see between this rifle and what the soldier carried in the service is the absence of the "Giggle Switch".

http://www.lrbarms.com/m14sa.html

[piwo]

Fulton Armory makes kick butt ones as well....... http://www.fulton-armory.com/

[Jack Stanley]

You might want to check with Smith Enterprises in Arizona . He knows his way around M14's and would be able to help I'm sure . I had him do some work on my M1A and was very satisfied .

Jack

[9.3X62AL]

Question for the masses here.......as a practical matter, how critical a problem can the cast receivers in the S/A M1A's be? I don't plan to ever get into serious service rifle competition, I would likely just shoot 400-800 round per year recreationally. A rack grade or "standard loaded" version is my preference.

I do like having the Mini-14 along on desert trips locally--with USBP working these same areas for New Americans With String Trimmers And Unlisted Phone Numbers and drug smuggling, a self-loading 308 would be even more comforting. More often than not, I got stopped and checked upon exiting the backcountry--although they've come to know Marie's Jeep pretty well now. They just wave as we pass one another. Trying to decide between an accuracy upgrade ARS Mini-14 or one of the S/A 308 stutterguns here.

[MT Gianni]

How about a 10 shot Model 92 in 357, 44 or 45? Speed loaders consisting of 1/2" or 3/4" pvc capped with slip caps and cut to hold 10 shells. It should keep the run on things at least to 150 yards and I would not want to hold up a target at 250. Gianni.

[9.3X62AL]

That's not a bad idea, Gianni. The current iron-sighted Mini will do under 2" at 100 yards--sometimes well under that spread--with 69 grain Matchkings going about 2750 FPS. One of those would be no fun to stop at 250, either--and 26 more after the first ranging shot would prompt discretion and distancing, I'm sure. The Mini I have is accurate enough to 300 yards for coyotes--whether on 2 or 4 legs.

A large part of the M1A idea (which has cycled itself more than once) was the fine time I had with the two I owned previously. They are NOT cheap to feed when given the standard diet of 150 grain J-words and 47.0 grains of WW-748. Milsurp WC-846 is about dried up, too. That is the principal speedbump on that freeway, and they aren't real affordable to buy, either. I used a DEA-issued M-14 (without gearshift, that agency was quite lacking in vision) for a couple years as part of a clan lab task force gig, and I REALLY liked that critter, too. It is just a great stand-off option, and fun to run. Bruce B's success with castings was just another gallon of gas on THAT fire.

The upgraded Mini-14 would be a nice rat-zapping tool, but the bolters do all right in most cases. Ground squirrels aren't known for mass-attack manuevering, but you can't be too careful with those dirt dwellers. All this is a dodge to the CA idiot wind assault rifle laws.....in a real state, I would have just retained the HK-91 and gotten an AR-15, but the initial edition of the CA AW crapola prohibited firing on public lands--so there went most of my rat hunting with trick uppers on an AR, and I had done some brushland deer hunting with the HK. I stayed with the Mini, sold the HK for a TON of money just before the AW ban hit here, and have some regrets--now that the public lands use restrictions got lifted a few years later.

Pardon my ramblings, folks.

[mike in co]

guys i have been there done that.

back in the olden times the us of a sponsored an international match( the palma cup). the host nation supplied guns and ammo if i recall correctly..thinking 1990...might be 91). the match is 800/900 and 1000 yds prone, iron sights. the ammo was custom made and quite good. i read the nra articles on these guns and ammo and just plain had to have one.
years pass

i buy a springfield armory clone m1a. shoots fair but i want more.
add laminated stock, 5 pillar bedding, competition parts, mod the gas system, custom bbl....never fired it. sold it un fired and bought an armalite ar-10(t)
the more i read the more i was impressed with the sr25/ar10 platform.
the m14 and clones require annual or more rebedding plus more ...the whole issue of humidity changing bbl tension.
consistant accuracy in a semi auto is my goal.

go look at a target ar10.(ar-10(t) )....no bedding, free floated bbl great trigger, nice( but short radius) sights.( armalite...no clone unless you can afford an sr-25)

a scope mount that does not interfere with normal operation and does not shoot loose......ohhhh and out of the box accuracy that most do not believe.....i can shoot sub .5" 5 shot groups with ease...my best is a 0.338" at 100 5 shot group from a stock ar10(t).

sorry for being the wet blanket but dollar for dollar, a plastic ar10 will out shoot a tree trunk m14/m1a all day long.

did i mention i love the 308 round ???

[9.3X62AL]

Mike--I'm in CA. Yer killin' me.

[monadnock#5]

My first season of high power competition I shot expert and won enough medals to give a Russian, Hero of The Soviet Union a run for his or her money. For this I owe my success to the folks at SA. The only upgrade I ordered was a stainless Match barrel. In the one 600 yd match I was in, I shot into the low 90's.
My dream has been to go with a lugged receiver when this gun is used up. With the cost of components going out of sight however, ___. We'll just have to wait and see.

Ken

[Hip's Ax]

Springfield cast M1A receivers are NOT an issue, probably 99% of all National Match M1A's that were ever used (and this was THE rifle to use for the NMC up until the later 90's when the AR's took over) were and are Springfield Inc. cast receivers. I guess I spent too many years as a racing mechanic, cast pistons and crankshafts bad, forged good. Plus when I started shooting high power I bought an Armalite NM AR and started shooting matches with a now good friend who had been on the Air Force shooting team and he had an M1A built by Tom Lohman on a Smith forged receiver. He let me shoot it once and I was hooked. Problem was Smith only had a short run of forged receivers and that had been years before. Enterprise makes nice looking forged receivers including a double lugged and I was going to buy one of those until I found out that they had serious geometry issues and poor customer service so I just put the M1A project on the back burner and figured I eventually run into a real one for sale by a guy who switched to the black gun. It never happened, it appears that all the old "real" NM M1A's never go up for sale. With LRB coming on the scene a couple of years ago I waited long enough to see if they had any issues and their reputatation turned out to be excellent and it still is. Had Carl Leisinger build me the LRB lugged with a Hart 10 twist Heavy match barrel, a McMillan fiberglass stock and everything else is USGI including all the USGI NM goodies. The rifle is a hammer and I am totally in love with it. Big bucks to spend on a "fun" rifle seeing as nobody really uses these any more but I wanted it bad. I figure that this rifle would really shine at 1000 yard service rifle, haven't tried it beyond 600 yet but I'll get there.

One other thing, there are real M14 NM's out there that are Gov't property and are on loan to various State Associations and have been for decades. If you run into one of these for sale be aware that they are definitly Gov't property, do not buy it. The CMP has just recently recalled all of these rifles for reasons unknown. There are a few M14 NM's out there that are papered that were sold through the DCM in the mid 60's but there are very few, once they started selling them the BATF said that they are machine guns even though all the select fire stuff was cut out or welded up, if the rifle had the release papers with it I would still be afraid because of this BATF position, that would make your $10,000 plus investment shakey at best.

This does not include the few papered select fired M14's that are out there that are Class III legal. As far as I know if properly transferred with all required permits and paperwork these are fine. Since I live in NJ there's no chance I'd ever be able to own one but I know many places in the US do allow it.

[Bob S]

guys i have been there done that.

back in the olden times the us of a sponsored an international match( the palma cup). the host nation supplied guns and ammo if i recall correctly..thinking 1990...might be 91). the match is 800/900 and 1000 yds prone, iron sights. the ammo was custom made and quite good.


It was 1992. I shot that one. The ammo was "OK", but nothing to write home about. It was the first time around the block for the Sierra "Palma" bullet, and was loaded by Bob Jensen. The run-out on some of them was excessive. I still have some of it ... when it became apparent that they had more than they needed, they offered it for sale at $10/box. I don't think they sold it all. BTW, the US got beaten badly.

The acceptance group for my last Navy M14 Match was 0.669" for ten rounds at 200 meters from the modified Mann rest at Crane. Kreiger barrel, McMillan stock, double lugged, of course.

Resp'y,
Bob S.

[Nickle]

Question for the masses here.......as a practical matter, how critical a problem can the cast receivers in the S/A M1A's be? I don't plan to ever get into serious service rifle competition, I would likely just shoot 400-800 round per year recreationally. A rack grade or "standard loaded" version is my preference.



I've got an early Fed Ord M14A, cast receiver. I had a case head blowout (never use Indian brass) and broke the bolt. I also noticed the headspace was over .012" now, it would easily pass a Field gage. Well, I found out the receiver locking lugs were set back about .001", and the bolt lugs about .010" +. The bolt was USGI (SA) and it was forged.

Cast receivers bad? Nope! Forged better? IMNSHO, YES! Want a good forged receiver? Buy LRB.

Would I buy another M14 clone with a cast receiver? In a heartbeat! You and I won't ever wear out a cast M14 receiver. Check out Fred's columns from SGN, and check what he's said over the years.

[azcoyhunter]

Thanks to all for the info

What is the opinion of

http://www.miltecharms.com/rifles.htm#GARAND

This seems like a good deal?

Is it?

Thanks

Clint

[Hip's Ax]

Overpriced commercial refurbs that have zero collector value. Go CMP.

http://www.odcmp.com/

[Hip's Ax]

Wow, haven't looked at the CMP page in a while but I would still opt for a Greek rack grade and have it upgraded by a real Garand smith rather than the Militech. You could also buy a stripped receiver and start there.

[Depreacher]

Hey guys, check out my memory here. Back in the early 90's, the NRA was working on a plan to have our large stock of M-14's turned into semi-auto with a little welding work done on them. I was trying to remember the articles in the AR and was under the impression we members were going to get them for around $450.00 each, or less. When Comrade Clinton and his co-president, heard about this he immediately gave most of our M-14's to the latvian army, an ex-commie bloc nation. Now someday our brave soldiers (my son included) May end up facing our own M-14's with nothing more than his m-4 mousegun. Depends on who eventually gets the latvian rifles. I understand we kept only a few for military use only. These Latvian M-14's could easily get traded for oil from a militant hate America Islamic nation. And people wonder why I have nightmares at night. Preacher

[robertbank]

Rest easy. The few out there who don't care for your foreign policy in a hurtful way have an unlimited supply of AK 47's with tons of ammo. Latvia is hardly a threat to the USA and I don't know how many of the M 14's went there but if the whole Latvian Army got two each there has to be a few more kicking around somewhere.

Take Care

Bob

[John F.]

Actually, they shredded a bunch of them, along with High Standard .22 pistols, Winchester 52 and Springfield 1922 .22 target rifles, 1911's, and you name it. The machine they fed them into was nicknamed "Captain Crunch." Horrific waste of potential gov't income. I was in contact with a fellow who helped outline the plans needed to convert the M14's permanently to semi-auto.
He estimated it could be done for about $28 apiece, as I recall. However, BATF, in their infinite wisdom, said "once a machinegun, always a machinegun" and that was that. No more DCM M14 project.

John

[PatMarlin]

This is a pretty nice looking restore here:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=68262366

[PatMarlin]

I like this one:

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=68923147

To bad there aren't some better pics but I bet it's pretty nice. Looks like the forearm may not match though.