The Springfield M1A is the civilian version of the military M14 which succeeded the M1 Garand. The M1 Garand was the infantry rifle during World War 2 and five million rifles were manufactured during that period. The problem with the M1 was an eight round clip and 30.06 ammunition. The M14 has a twenty round magazine and the ammunition is 7.62X51( civilian is 308 Win). The 308 ammo is more accurate, especially over two hundred yards, and the ammo is smaller and lighter than the 30.06. I purchased the Standard M1A approximately eighteen months ago and it is a great rifle. It is incredibly reliable, soft recoil, and I consistently hit steel at two hundred yards with factory sights. I qualified Sharpshooter with the M1 When I was in the National Guard and when I joined the Army. Your primary MOS(Military Operational Service) in the Army is 111( infantry), so everyone had to qualify with the M1 during basic training. Springfield Armory has several variations of the M1A. I do not think the M1A would be the best rifle for a hunter, I think the preference would be a bolt action model with a scope. For fun and the challenge of shooting with iron sights, the M1A is my choice. I posted a few videos from YouTube featuring a couple different models of the M1A. I am reposting my M1A review because this is such a great gun and a lot of new people have visited this site since my review.
