M14 and all of the variants/teach this guy about the M14 in general.

[dp0350]

Love my Springfield M1A.
18" Scout in a Sage Mod1 stock.
The aluminum stock is an instant bedding job.
I dont have it set up for long range shooting, but
with a scope it shot 1m.o.a.
I have the Aimpoint and a 3x magnifier, cause I tend to shoot
more close to medium range. To each his own.

Very nice mk14 clone. Did you have any trouble with the stock switch on the Scout?

[titsonritz]

3) USGI flash suppressor - To install a functional flash suppressor you will need to comply with 18 USC 922 (r) aka foreign parts count. That is another topic unto itself. I wrote the BATFE a letter requesting what are the "named parts" for a Chinese M14. I have their response. I can supply a narrative that walks you through the easiest way to domesticate a Chinese M14.

Please, that would be great. My dad want to put a USGI flash suppressor on a Chinese M14.

[Different]

Please, that would be great. My dad want to put a USGI flash suppressor on a Chinese M14.

I have my request letter and the BATFE response on what the "named parts" are for a Chinese M14 in .pdf format. Send me an e-mail if you want these. No spam, no muss, no fuss.

Short answer: Remove the Chinese magazine, stock and hand guard. Install a U. S. made stock and hand guard. Henceforth, always use U. S. made magazines. Now install a U. S. made flash suppressor / flash hider. Note that SA, Inc. flash suppressors are made by Wayne Machine, Inc. in Taiwan so don't use one of those.

Long answer:

Domestication of The Chinese M14 Type Rifle – The owner of a Chinese M14 type rifle imported into the United States after November 29, 1990 may install a slotted flash suppressor with a bayonet lug in the United States if no more ten specified imported parts are in the assembled rifle and if allowed by state and local laws. If the import date or assembly date in the United States for a particular Chinese M14 cannot be solidly documented before November 30, 1990, the rifle owner should not assume it to be so in order to remain within the law. From Title 27 Code of Federal Regulations:

Sec. 478.39 Assembly of semiautomatic rifles or shotguns.
(a) No person shall assemble a semiautomatic rifle or any shotgun using more than 10 of the imported parts listed in paragraph (c) of this section if the assembled firearm is prohibited from importation under section 925(d)(3) as not being particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.
(b) The provisions of this section shall not apply to:
(1) The assembly of such rifle or shotgun for sale or distribution by a licensed manufacturer to the United States or any department or agency thereof or to any State or any department, agency, or political subdivision thereof; or
(2) The assembly of such rifle or shotgun for the purposes of testing or experimentation authorized by the Director under the provisions of Sec. 478.151; or
(3) The repair of any rifle or shotgun which had been imported into or assembled in the United States prior to November 30, 1990, or the replacement of any part of such firearm.
(c) For purposes of this section, the term imported parts are:
(1) Frames, receivers, receiver castings, forgings or stampings
(2) Barrels
(3) Barrel extensions
(4) Mounting blocks (trunions)
(5) Muzzle attachments
(6) Bolts
(7) Bolt carriers
(8) Operating rods
(9) Gas pistons
(10) Trigger housings
(11) Triggers
(12) Hammers
(13) Sears
(14) Disconnectors
(15) Buttstocks
(16) Pistol grips
(17) Forearms, handguards
(18) Magazine bodies
(19) Followers
(20) Floorplates

Semi-automatic Chinese M14 type rifles as imported into the United States, did not have these four parts: barrel extension, mounting block (trunion), bolt carrier, and pistol grip. One possible method of installing an American made flash suppressor with a bayonet lug, where allowed by state and local law, while complying with 27 CFR 478.39, is as follows.

Leave these ten specified parts on the Chinese manufacture M14 type rifle: receiver, barrel, operating rod, trigger housing, sear, trigger, hammer, bolt, disconnector and gas piston. The U. S. Rifle M14 nomenclature does not include the term "disconnector." No part of the rifle is named "disconnector" in any of the U. S. military manuals or in any of the product (part) drawings of the M14 or M14 NM rifle technical data packages. The function of a disconnector is to release the hammer when the trigger is pulled. The disconnector is a separate part in the AK47 and the M16. In the M14, the disconnect function is performed by the top lugged portion of the trigger. After the trigger is pulled and released, the trigger lug engages the hammer hooks to prevent further firing until the trigger is subsequently pulled. The M14 trigger counts as two parts for the purpose of the above list of foreign named parts.

After checking the rifle is empty of ammunition in the chamber and in the magazine, replace these six parts in this order: 1) remove the Chinese magazine (three named parts) and never use it again in the rifle 2) remove the Chinese hand guard and stock (two named parts) 3) install a USGI hand guard and American made stock 4) remove the Chinese solid faux or bobbed flash suppressor and flash suppressor nut (one named part). This leaves ten named foreign made parts in the Chinese M14: receiver, barrel, bolt, trigger housing, hammer, trigger, sear, disconnector, operating rod, gas piston. If allowed by state and local laws, now install a USGI flash suppressor with bayonet lug and an American made flash suppressor nut. Note that an American made flash suppressor nut will work on a Chinese barrel but not vice versa. By installing an American made flash suppressor and nut on the barrel last the rifle will not even momentarily exist in a configuration that is prohibited from importation. Installing an American made flash suppressor nut on a Chinese barrel should avoid any cute accusation of it being a foreign made "muzzle attachment."

American made parts can be installed in a Chinese M14 type rifle but the U. S. owner must not install a slotted flash suppressor or a folding stock or a stock with a pistol grip with more then ten specified imported parts from the list above on the rifle. Note that parts made by Wayne Machine, Inc. (Taipei, Taiwan) for the Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A are also imported into the United States. Disclaimer: As always, local, state and federal laws and regulations are subject to change. Note that the U. S. Code of Federal Regulations is revised annually. The rifle owner or gunsmith is responsible for complying with all current local, state and federal laws and regulations.

[Tallyho74]

I love my Springfield loaded. Purchased new in Nov. 2008. Shoots much nicer with the heavier cal. then the my AR's. Just a great gun to shoot. Rounds are expensive so I've never rock and rolled with the M1A. I have never shot an 7.62 AR so I can't compare it to that. I wouldn't trade it for an AR, but I really do enjoy both.

[tacman605]

Well what has been said so far is pretty accurate. The M1A can be a pain to get and keep accurate but they are great to shoot.
Mine is a collectors edition that was made in late 01 early 02 and has a TRW 1963 barrel.
One of the keys to M1A accuracy is the scope mount which to get a good one can get pricey. Mine is a Sadlak titanium and I have had no issues after fighting for years with SA mounts.
I prefer a more traditional stock and optics for my rifle but she shoots well.

[Tallyho74]

Very nice mk14 clone. Did you have any trouble with the stock switch on the Scout?

That rifle is filthy! I asked this question in the KAC forum, how do you think this rifle would compare to an KAC 7.62 carbine?

[Tallyho74]

Love my Springfield M1A.
18" Scout in a Sage Mod1 stock.
The aluminum stock is an instant bedding job.
I dont have it set up for long range shooting, but
with a scope it shot 1m.o.a.
I have the Aimpoint and a 3x magnifier, cause I tend to shoot
more close to medium range. To each his own.

This was the rifle I was talking about in the post above. Damn iPhone!

[Coleslaw]

A lot to read in this thread with opinions all over the place. I prefer the M14 platform over the AR10 style platform for several reasons.

One is I prefer a piston system. Second is durability of the M14 in the elements. Third is subjective, but there is just something about them.

I love the M14 but if you're looking for precision it's probably not your best option. It's better than most shooters but they are difficult to get sub moa consistently. I'm only on my 2nd M1A though and there's a lot of people with more experience so I may have to defer to their expertise.

What Steve said. The M14 system can be made to be very accurate, but they require a lot of work to keep them that way. The rifle was designed to be a battle rifle, not a tack driver.....

I love the M14, I've owned a fair number of semi auto clones and one real registered transferrable Class 3 select fire M14, but the AR-10's will out shoot them easily and with less work.

That is not entirely true in this day and age. Check Smith Enterprise. With this sytem, you get what you pay for.

http://www.smithenterprise.com/

If you want a rifle that will deliver good accuracy, is absolutely beautiful to behold, has historical significance, and that you can shoot service rifle matches with, a nice National Match rifle would be the way to go. You would be looking at about $2000+ and would have the issues associated with a glass bedded rifle.

No glass bedding. Repeat, no glass bedding any longer. Smith doesn’t do it with USGI glass stocked Crazy Horse rifles going to the 2nd ID and the 101st, among others. It is not necessary with new gas system unitization and/or modern chassis systems. You have to remember also, it is still a battle rifle at heart , so if you really want accurate, bolt action is the way to go. For general SDM accuracy though, it will work just find under various adverse conditions. It is the child of the Garand, and we all know that rifle would work anytime, anywhere, and in any conditions.

The problem you will have is that the M14 is still a lot harder to "gunsmith" than an AR platform is, so things like barrel replacements, bolt swaps, and the like will most likely require you to take it to a gunsmith who is familiar with the platform.

While not entirely untrue, the amount of rounds you will most likely shoot will never require any “gunsmithing”. The only real issue would be a barrel swap. Just about anything else you can do. The M14 style rifle is easier to keep clean because you don’t have hot gas, carbon, and unburned powder jetting back into your receiver.

On receivers, the LRB receivers are nice and closer to GI spec (but still not a true "forged" receiver)

Totally untrue. Check the photos for yourself:

http://www.lrbarms.com/

At this juncture, I would stay LRB is the best receiver available and contrary to what was stated, it is forged just as USGI receivers were. It is remarkably close to my Winchester M14, so much so that I can’t find any differences. SEI currently has an updated (from their original) with minor improvements barstock receiver in the works but is yet to be available.

I really have not heard of too many issues with SAI cast receivers falling apart on their owners. There have been some issues with dimensional tolerances on the SAI receivers that can come up when mounting 3 point scope mounts such as the ARMS#18. I would rather save my money on the receiver and spend it in other places (GI parts, stock, etc), but that is me.

SAI receivers are ok, as are Fulton/Armscorp, but the forged LRB currently rules the day. I would not sacrifice the heart of the weapon for a few hundred dollars, but that is me.

Klinton chopped up thousands of M14s…

Actually 750,000 were destroyed. That it correct, three quarters of a million serviceable rifles. Many never used. We paid for the R&D to develop the rifle, paid to store the rifle, and paid to destroy the rifle. Nice use of the taxpayers money. F*#@ing government.

My first many moons ago was a Devine Springfield NM built by the USAMTU. Old school. Can’t remember the fellows name off hand, but he is well know in the circle. Nice piece for sure. Had some early Smith's in SA and FA. Never had a problem with either. Some of the early Smith's were cast, and some were bar stock, but marked 'forged'.

Smith Enterprise IMO builds the best 'battle ready' M14 style rifle available. Hence they do them for the military. The resurgence of the platform speaks volumes about its reliability and durability. The inherent accuracy of the system is legendary, even in stock form as a traditional battle rifle with iron sights.

I think you would see many more in service today if they hadn’t been destroyed. The KAC SASS is not worth half of what they get for it. It is a joke. You could have 4-5 SEC Crazy Horse or MK14 SEI variants for the same money. But hey, what do they care, it isn’t their money being spent.

[Moose-Knuckle]

Actually 750,000 were destroyed. That it correct, three quarters of a million serviceable rifles. Many never used. We paid for the R&D to develop the rifle, paid to store the rifle, and paid to destroy the rifle. Nice use of the taxpayers money. F*#@ing government.

This is one area where the US should take a page from the Swiss, those rifles should have been given to qualified tax payers.

[Newaza]

Here's my CA-legal M1A, made March '95. It came from the factory with all USGI parts. It has a standard weight chrome-line HRA barrel, and the rest of the parts are all HRA, except for the Winchester op rod. I wanted to keep it as close to a Vietnam-era clone as possible.