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Preban M1A

6K views 26 replies 20 participants last post by  308Texan 
#1 ·
This nice preban M1A is now mine. I am lucky I spotted it on a forum and posted I'll take it as fast as I could type. I had been looking for an M1A to remind me of when I was issued an M14 in Afghanistan as our squad's Designated Marksman. I never used the M14 in combat but I felt a little special having it, so I wanted an M1A to replicate my DMR. I was looking at Loaded M1A versions when this one popped up. I like that it has the bayonet lug as I am a stickler for my stuff looking right. It is not my first M14 type as I had a Federal Ordnance M14 about twenty years ago and even had a CMP Garand for a while. Its going to be fun relearning the intricacies of this rifle and I will now dive into this forum with a purpose to care for my new to me rifle. I have a good start with the Technical Manual that I didn't have in Afghanistan... I joke that one of the reasons they assigned it to me is because I had owned a Garand and M14 before and knew how to field strip it. :)

 
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#7 ·
Thank you for your service and Welcome to the forum, i think you will fit right in here.

I cant even tell if that rifle was even used it looks brand spankin new, you got your self a real keeper right there.

Good Shooting.

TXS
 
#9 · (Edited)
The cheek rest is comfortable and when the rifle comes to the shoulder and my cheek goes onto the rest, my eye lines up perfectly with the sights. Dont know how useful it will be when I get a scope mounted but for now, I will keep it on the rifle. I have taken the sling off and will put a nylon sling on it soon. Once weather clears I will get a good range report out for sighting in at 100 yards. Future plans as funds allow are a Sadlak steel mount and a quality mildot scope. I had a Leupold Mk 4 on my M14 in Afghanistan but they are a bit spendy when I have to pay for it. :). I think I might like a fixed power at 10x as I rarely used the variable feature on the Mk4.

Here is a pic of me and my M14 in a tower which is where it was mostly used scoping out stuff. I zeroed at 300m using M118LR ammo and would average about 6 inch groups. The area was range carded using photos and a laser rangefinder and back then I had a log book for come ups on the scope for extended range shooting. The cheek rest is way high due to the SAI mount they gave me. I made it out of styrofoam and 90 mph tape like everything else in the infantry. :)

 
#10 ·
When you do get a scope that cheak rest will not sit high enough, when i bought mine it hade one on it and it was just way to low to use a scope.

If you need a good scope with out having to spend the big bucks, take a look at the SWAF SS 10X, its only $300 and it can easly compete with some of the higher end scopes on quality.

Good Shooting.

TXS
 
#11 ·
Well, you certainly did well for your first M1A, (although you did have a Fed. Ord. 20 years ago). That is one sweet looking rifle and she needs to get to the range often. Can you give us a list of parts on it? It likely has mostly USGI parts if it's a pre-ban.

And thanks for your service!!!GI1
 
#13 ·
Superb looking rifle. You did very well. I own three M1As all being pre-ban rifles. USGI parts throughout. The stock is stellar. Park is mint. Thanks for the pics and your service. Looking real good!!!!!
 
#16 ·
Howdy troop, thank you for your service and welcome aboard our M14 community. You have come to the right place to learn about the world's finest battle rifle.

That is one gorgeous piece of walnut and steel that you have there.

I have a still unfired preban serial number range 65,58XX M-1A that looks just like yours, minus the leather lace on cheep piece. Mine has a TRW bolt, TRW oprod, TRW trigger group, Winchester barrel, USGI M14 front/rear sights, with a lugged flash suppressor all in a nice Bishop walnut stock.

The guys here rag me about having a still unfired M-1A that I've owned since March 94 and not having shot it yet. But part of the allure of having it is that I don't know of another soul that can honestly claim that they have an unfired preban M-1A still new in the factory box. I'm sure there are some out there but I don't know of any.

I have two heel stamped Polytech M-14/S rifles t have converted over to USGI TRW and Springfield M-14 parts, as well as a new old stock, unfired side stamped IDE Mich Imports Poly that I am currently working on in converting it to USGI M-14. Since I have these M-14's there's been no reason to put a round through my cherished preban M-1A.

Again, welcome aboard and don't be a wall flower, join in on the discussions because this is a very friendly place. We all have one thing in common. We all love the magnificent M-14...

7th
 
#17 ·
Thank you for all the positive comments and I do feel very lucky to have found this very nice rifle. I've been reading some of the threads about GI parts and during my basic cleaning I found some numbers on the bolt and the trigger/hammer assembly. The trigger assy is numbered 7267030-3. The end 3 could be a 0 or a 6 as it is hard to tell on the photo I took of it. The bolt has what looks like 9156 on top of SA ZC. That is all I have really noticed for now. I am the second owner of this rifle. I bought it for $1250 from a former sailor who bought it new in 93. I have the box and tag and it said it was produced on 5-6-93 and it is SN 0722XX with a headspace measurement of 1.6345. I received seven magazines with the rifle but forgot to ask the guy where he got them. Only one is marked with an R and the rest are unmarked. The stock is in very nice condition with just a little fading of the finish near the buttplate. When I had my CMP Garand, I had put on a new walnut stock from Boyd's. This stock on my M1A reminds me of the Boyd's stock because of its color and it is a bit oversized. That is about all the info I can tell about it. If anyone can tell me what all that means, I would be appreciative. I ordered some PPU ball ammo and will give a range report once I get it sighted in. Thanks again for all the info.
 
#18 ·
The markings on the bolt tell me it is a Springfield bolt, not SAI but the original Springfield Armory. The stock Fajan or Bishop. After you strip it down you can find more markings write them down also take pictures for your records. There are threads here that will help you identify parts. I got lucky last year and got a pre-ban 06xxxx. This is just the first one.
 
#22 ·
I had a chance to fire 40 rounds of PMC ball through it today. Due to the local SWAT team using the 100 yard line I was only able to fire at 50 yards and at a metal plate about 135 yards away. At the 50 yard line I just had some fun and did a small adjustment for windage. I discovered I did not really like the cheek rest in actual firing so I have removed it and the leather sling. It now sports the standard nylon web silent sling. Its first outing with me was limited but two magazines were expended from full capacity and it functioned perfectly. I am using Slipstream grease and oil from Crusader Weaponry. It really does slick up the action but its black and looks like you have really shot your rifle a lot... :)

I moved on to the steel plates at 135 yards and quickly remembered that my eyes have degraded to the point where an optic is almost a requirement now. Focussing on the front sight leaves my target a blurry mess and my accuracy showed it. I managed to hit the plate about half the time offhand rapid fire. I had fun though and that is what counts. Rifle functioned fine ejecting the brass out at 2 O'Clock about 5 feet from the bench. I definitely going to try to get the scope and mount as soon as financially able so I can really feel better about shooting it at long range. In the meantime, I will get a proper sight in at 100 yards one of these days and just have fun with it at closer ranges.
 
#26 ·
Before you spend funds on accessories....the next thing to stockpile will be magazines. After the crazyness in Colorado with the "Joker" ....you know a magazine ban is in the works. Get what you will need in that dept....just in case.
 
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