Dear Jim:
I was again reading in Boston’s Gun Bible and he was discussing the M1, M1A, and the M14 as excellent candidates for a “Main Battle Rifle” (MBR). Unfortunately, I am pretty much confused on these terms and have a few questions I’d like to ask.
1.) What are the differences between the M1, the M1A, and the M14?
2.) What do you feel are each’s strong and weak points?
3.) Which, if any, do you like as a MBR?
4.) If you don’t care for any of these, what do you recommend for a MBR?
Thanks for clearing all of this up. Baruch atah Yahweh Eloheinu Sincerely, – Dr. Sidney Zweibel
JWR Replies:
1.) You aren’t the only one that is confused! Here are the nomenclature basics: The M1 rifle was the U.S. Army’s primary battle rifle of WWII and the Korean conflict. It is chambered in .30-06 and uses a top-loading 8 round en bloc clip that ejects after the last round is fired. The U.S. M1 Rifle is not to be confused with the U.S. M1 Carbine, another semi-auto of the same era, which shoots a far less powerful .30 caliber pistol-class cartridge. The Army’s M14, introduced around 1959, is chambered in 7.62 mm NATO (dimensionally the same as 308 Winchester, but lower pressure than some soft nose hunting loads). The M14 uses a 20 round detachable magazine. It is selective fire (semi or full auto.) Thus, they are restricted “Class 3” machineguns in the U.S. This necessitates a $200 transfer tax and background check for the purchase process. Currently, transferable (pre-1986 registered) M14s are selling for $7,000+. (Congress weaseled in a “freeze” on new machineguns for civilians back in 1986. With supply frozen, prices have been rising ever since.) The M1A is a Springfield Armory semi-auto only (civilian) variant of the M14. They sell for around $900 to $1,500 depending on options. To add to the confusion, some M1A clones from other makers (such as Fulton Armory–another great brand) are sold under the designation M14, but these are semi-auto only. See Boston’s Gun Bible for details.
2.) The main advantage of the M1 Rifle is cost. My father and I got M1 Garands for $125 each through the DCM, back in 1982. But sadly, the days of those prices are gone. They can still sometimes be found used for $600 to $700. Service Grade M1s are available to rifle club or state rifle association members through the CMP for $550 plus $22.95 shipping. But you will get luck of the draw. (Sometimes you get a “minty” rifle, but other times you will get a “beater.”) The M1 is a bit slower to load that M14s and M1As. The biggest disadvantage is the limitation of the 8 round en bloc clip, which cannot be refilled while it is in the rifle. Thus, in a combat situation, once you have fired a couple of shots, the only way to reload the rifle is to fully unload it and insert a full clip. (In contrast, an M1A’s magazine can be kept “topped off” with 5 round stripper clips during a lull in firing, without having to remove the magazine.) Another drawback is that .30-06 ball ammo is more expensive than 7.62 NATO ball , since the surplus supplies of “Aught Six” ammo dried up long ago. All three rifles have similar weight, reliability, and accuracy. IMHO, the ergonomics of the M1 are not as good as the M1A or M14.
3.) and 4.) I like M1As. I owned them for 24 years. At one time I had five of them and they were the intended MBRs here at the Rawles Ranch. But given the current high price of spare M14 magazines and spare parts, I now prefer FALs or L1A1s. In 2003, I sold all of my M1As and bought five L1A1s. For the same money as I had invested in the five M1As with 10 magazines each (and a scope on only one of them), I now have 25 magazines per rifle, a scope on every rifle, and a huge array of spare L1A1 parts. Parenthetically, my preferred scope for .308 battle rifle is the Trijicon TA-11E ACOG . Again, see Boston’s Gun Bible for detailed descriptions of FALs and L1A1s. Another great resource are the archives and discussion boards at The FAL Files.