Letter Re: Question on Commercial Parts and Critical Spare Parts for M1A Rifles

Jim,
Love your site. I have a question in looking through blogs regarding M1A rifles I found some folks complaining about failures with recent M1A rifles that didn’t have USGI parts and replacement with genuine USGI parts was not even offered. I wanted to know your opinions and recommendations regarding this rifle without genuine USGI parts especially the extractor. Thanks, – Joe

JWR Replies: The biggest problems with M1As seem to be the commercially-made bolts and operating rods. Some of those are fine, but at different times those produced by several makers has suffered from poor quality control. But short of sending your parts in for precision gauging and Magnaflux non-destructive testing (NDT), there is no way to be sure whether or not \your parts came from good batches. Some might suggest that if you simply replace those two parts with original “in spec” (non-reject) USGI parts then you’ll have a very reliable rifle. But that is a very expensive proposition. USGI M14 op rods now sell for up to $450! I recommend that you consult the folks at Fulton Armory. They are extremely knowledgeable, and they can provide you with information on your current M1A/M14 parts (even for Norinco M14s). If need be, they can sell you genuine, top quality replacement parts.

In addition to upgrading (or confirming proper quality of) your bolt and op rod, you’ll of course also want to buy some crucial spares, most notably extractors, ejectors, firing pins, handguards, and operating rod spring guides.

FWIW, six years ago I sold all of my M1As and bought L1A1 rifles. This was back when M14 magazines had jumped to $70 each, and L1A1 magazines were $12 to $15 each. I did this because the functionality of the two rifle designs is roughly comparable. Only one of my M1As had been scoped. But the proceeds from selling the M1As (and eight spare magazines for each) gave me enough cash to buy one additional L1A1 rifle, scopes for every rifle, 20 spare magazines per rifle, and two spare parts sets (everything except receivers), and a tackle box full of even more spare L1A1 parts. My family is now much better prepared. But I must admit that I do miss my Super Match M1AE2. That rifle was insanely accurate, for a semi-auto rifle.