You have $1500, pick M14 or M1 Garand? Why?

[JBI812]

I carried a M1 30 cal Carbine and 45 handgun as MOS standard issue while on active duty and love them both. I also qualified with the M1 Garand and the M14. I now own all three long guns and have a 1911 in 45. My favorite is the Carbine.......It's just fun and easy to shoot. I was a scout for armor battalion in the early sixties. I never did duty in combat.

 

[sig1473]

How many Garands and M14s have you put optics on? If you use the optic mounts that bolt to the receiver you wind up needing a cheek riser for proper cheek weld. IMHO, that sucks.

And for the record, 98% of the military issue M14s DMRs I've seen are in an aftermarket stock and have a cheek riser, or they are in a chassis system that completely changes the ergos of the rifle.

I have put an optics mount on my M1A Socom. Pretty easy to say the least, but switched to a forward optic rail w/ red dot.

Had 3 HK91 clones(2 PTRs, 1 SAR8) and those were the hardest to put optics on! I had to use a d@mn HK mount which requires more of a cheekweld then what my M1A uses. The M1A is far easier to mount optics on then a HK91 and is more accurate. That is a fact. Ask anyone out there and they will tell you a M1A is more accurate out of the box then a HK91.

 

[PTA grad]

Id rather have a M14 because thats what my dad was issued when he was in the service, that being said i'm probably going to get a service or field grade M1 from cmp hopefully by late spring or early summer.

 

[Mad Anthony Wayne]

Ya can't go wrong with either...seriously. $1500 may not get ya what you want in an M1a though. Just a basic model at best. If that is your budget, I'd grab a nice shooter M1 Garand for about $800-$1000 and use the rest on M2 ball ammo and some enbloc clips. sarcoinc.com has enbloc clips cheap, and samcoglobal.com has some old Iranian M2 ball for about 55 cents a round right now.

 

[Mad Anthony Wayne]

Um, NEITHER! Are we talking battle rifle or something that I just want to say I have? I don't care for the M1 or the M1A operating system. I would never select the Garand due to its low ammo capacity. I wouldn't want either because they both suck to mount optics on. I could go on and on.

If you asked me to choose a .30 caliber rifle with a case length over 50mm it would either be a G3/HK91/PTR91, an AR10, or an FAL, pretty much in that order. Simple. Reliable. Easy to build. Easy to rebuild. And depending on how you set it up, any of the 3 could easily yield better accuracy for less money.

This is funny. I suppose you have an AK, or AR with drum magazines, and you really think that you are going to be the lead guy in a "Red Dawn" scenerio. LMAO! Nothings better than internet warriors. God love them, it's why I keep reading these forums.

 

[sig1473]

This is funny. I suppose you have an AK, or AR with drum magazines, and you really think that you are going to be the lead guy in a "Red Dawn" scenerio. LMAO! Nothings better than internet warriors. God love them, it's why I keep reading these forums.

^^^^^^^
Rep Inbound......

 

[Hoosier45]

This is funny. I suppose you have an AK, or AR with drum magazines, and you really think that you are going to be the lead guy in a "Red Dawn" scenerio. LMAO! Nothings better than internet warriors. God love them, it's why I keep reading these forums.

Way to kill the dream. Guess I will take my headband off, wash off the eye black, and go to bed.

 

[blitzen25cat]

I got my Garand back in the early eighties from the DCM which is now the CMP. I still have over 5000 rds of 30-06 and over 100 enblock clips. Had a M1A but sold it and got an older STG 58-DSA receiver-Graysville Ill. built on a Steyr receiver. Both shoot very well and I wouldn't change a thing. good shooting and best regards.

 

[Jordan]

Garand. TING! For history sake. And because 1500 won't buy the Springfield I really like.

 

[45acp223]

Yep, M1A are now around the $2000 mark. I should have bought one when they were $1200 but I didn't have the cash for it then either. It's all relative. If I had unlimited funds, I'd have one of each, if I could only buy one of them, hands down the M1A (the most sexy military rifle ever made), and they can be made into real tack drivers.

 

[tenring]

A couple of hours ago, I was in contact with a friend of mine who said he wanted to thin out his safe of guns that were just sitting there. So, I picked up a match grade M1A for 1500. Just have to know where to look and strike while the iron is hot. Yippee!

 

[Badmac 183]

m14 just because of detachable mags

 

[churchmouse]

Have had all mentioned and they are all great in what they do but I love my socom 16.

 

[BigMoose]

Hard to choose, both are essentially the same rifle. 20% of the parts are the same and the sights are the same. M1 in 30-06 right now has the advantage of CMP bankrolled ammo at 50 cents a pop. M1 in 7.62 in the middle option. And you can get USGI 7.62NATO barreled receivers from the CMP right now. M14 variants are expensive now, but well worth the cost. All of them are so close you will be happy with any of them

 

[Cerberus]

If it's history you want, get the M1 Garand, if it's total M1 Garand perfected awesomeness you want get the M14 copy.

 

[BigMoose]

If it's history you want, get the M1 Garand, if it's total M1 Garand perfected awesomeness you want get the M14 copy.

or you can build a USGI M14 except the receiver, no telling if the parts were in , Khe Sanh, Que, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, etc etc..

 

[downrise14]

Both are on my purchase list. I own neither but have shot both. I think the garand was a little more fun to shoot. I guess I just like hearing the "ping" when the clip runs out.

 

[bcd007]

That's like asking if you want the blonde supermodel girlfriend or the redhead supermodel girlfriend. I've owned a Garand for 20+ years, and love it. I've shot the M1A and love it. I would purchase the one that fits your budget. Ammo cost is always an issue, so maybe the 8-round clip in the Garand helps out there. :-)

My Dad was an Army DI during the late 50's, through the mid 60's. He still has an amazing passion for the Garand, even though he trained soldiers on the M1, M14, and early M-16s.

 

[Kedric]

Gotta go with the M14 redhead! (Notice the thread was started a year ago? LOL)

 

[SaintsNSinners]

Im loving my M1A Socom II wrapped in a sexy EBR Chassis