I hear your concern,always better safe than sorry !!! I guess it depends on what & where ya get the rifle !! I would say that there are more M1a rifles out there that have been shot very little,compared to shot a lot,its just the nature of the rifle I think !! Many people “think” they want a M1a/M-14 type rifle,buy one,get all the stuff/ammo,etc & soon find out that its just not for them,to heavy,to much work,ammo cost more,etc,I say fine,that leave more for me,LOL !!! It is a different animal for sure !! But with all that said,you will only know that after you get one and have it for awhile ! 
M1a rifles are like most other guns,if ya look at one and its dirty,no lube,stock looks like shit,loose sloppy op-rod,parts,etc,it has probably been used hard and put up wet,on the other hand,looks good,tight,clean,lube in the right spots,the guy probably took care of it and it will be GTG Take your time,look around,save your $$$ and go from there,ya should do fine !! I have the same User Name over at the M-14 Forum also,look me up,I hang out there alot also,I can point ya to some good areas !!! 
If you want a Non AR Battle rifle.
I would look hard at a FAL over a M1A. M1’s are just too picky and take work to keep them running well.
The FAL and G3(PTR) are better rifles, will be cheaper, and mags are plentifull and relitivley cheap.
Interesting…
Where can I go to learn more info?
I’ve been turned off because they are just so durn ugly looking…:bad:
I know…stupid reason.
Honestly though, the main reasons I was looking M1A was:
A) pretty darn accurate to 500 yds which is really as far as I need to shoot
B) semi-auto
C) fairly customizable
D) seemingly more reliable than an AR platform. (to a point)
E) less expensive than a quality AR platform.
Or perhaps some/all of those are fallacies?
I want to have an open mind, so please… school me!
I actually just lucked into a Polytech M14 in July, but haven’t got to shoot it yet. I was planning to try it out this weekend since I re-fanged it (USGI handguard and birch stock, Checkmate mags, and Fulton Armory NM flash suppressor).
While the Chinese M14 copies aren’t the end-all, be-all from what I’ve gathered, they are said to be decent copies and a good starting point for building your own. My impression of the M14 design is that it’s overly complex, more so than the M1 Garand, without having the M1 carbine’s handiness. The special tools needed to conduct maintenance and repairs on it are ridiculous, as are the recommended maintenance intervals. If you do get one, be prepared to invest in a lot of tools to keep it properly maintained and in good working order. You will also likely spend a decent chunk of change upgrading it.
Having said that, I suspect it will be a fun gun to shoot and one that could be pressed for more serious purposes, but it wouldn’t be my first choice. I hope to get a more thorough opinion of it this weekend.
As for the G3 clones, I picked up a PTR-91 GI last fall and it’s probably one of my favorite rifles. It’s weighty, but reliable and shoots well. I can’t speak on the accuracy as I’m not a professional shot nor do I have access to a large range, but it’s about on par with the M4gery I built this summer.
The G3 does rip the hell out of brass; so far I’ve stuck primarily with steel case but as that dried up I’ve started alternating into brass for it. I tried cleaning and resizing a piece of brass from it, it cleaned up well enough and I resized it with some difficulty, but I don’t expect much case life. It slings brass out about 25 yards forward off the 2 o’clock - they probably intended to put as much carnage downrange as possible. Don’t expect to find most of your brass.
G3 magazines will be the cheapest of the three battle rifles, $1-2 per magazine depending on where you get them. Steel magazines will be more difficult to find and more expensive. M14 mags are the most expensive, for domestic Check-Mate magazines I’ve seen $25-30. I can’t try any of the foreign magazines with my M14 unless I replace some more parts on it, but I’ve seen them around for $15-20.
I don’t have any experience with the FAL so I will defer to others on that one.
Comparing the G3 and the M14, I consider the M14 lighter and handier than the G3, which is rather heavy and crude. I’d liken the G3 as the west’s version of an AK while the M14 is a transitional improvement of the M1 at the cost of complexity.
I agree with the cheap mags,but not much else,LOL !! I don’t see the picky part or the work to keep em running,I have shot thousands+++ of rds through my 2 M1a rifles with only normal cleaning and lube,they have a few quirks,in the up keep and cleaning regiment,but once you learn what they are,its not much different than any other Gas Operated rifle !! FALs are bass-ass rifles for sure,reliable,strong,etc,can’t say much about the accuracy part,I have only been around them a few times,my Bro-In-Law had a nice one for awhile,and it shot about 2,3 MOA at 100yrds,good enough for some if ya want a blasting rifle and the FAL is a true battle rifle,so that could be good enough for most ! As far as the tools needed to “maintain” the M1a,again I don’t see the expense involved,I have 1 “special” tool that cost $30 bucks or so & that’s it. If you want to be changin out bolts/bbls/receivers,etc,yea,for sure,but in the 15++ years I have had M1a rifles,I never had a need for much else in the line of tools,maybe I’m lucky. Upgrades on a M1a are no different than any stock Battle Rifle,if it ain’t broke,don’t fix it,shoot it,enjoy it and decide from there if first it needs anything and then if you want to do anything to it.
As you can see by my User Name,I am all about M1a rifles,I love em,but with that said,I’m not gonna try and bullshit ya and tell ya stuff that isn’t true,or try and cover up things about the M-14 platform,there are better,lighter,more accurate rifles out there,but a nice M1a in a bad-ass wood stock is just something special in my eyes & I would rather have one than most any other rifle,but then that’s just me !! I guess I’m tryin to keep ya on task here,this normally happens when someone starts a thread about “I’m Thinking Of Getting A M1a” what do ya think,it normally starts out good,but always goes down hill from there,LOL,there is alot of info on the errornet and most of it ya can take with a grain of salt,LOL !! Ya started the thread and its turning into a don’t get that,get this,and that’s fine,but just don’t sway from your original goal I guess,if ya get one and its not for you,ya can always sell it and more than likely not get hurt,but ya mite get one and wish ya had done it years ago,LOL !!! Ok,its late & I’ve rambled on enough,LOL !! Keep me posted on how ya make out !!!
FAL,:rolleyes: or M1a,you tell me !!
So far for the M14 I’ve bought these recommended tools:
Sadlak gas cylinder wrench
M14 combo tool
Sadlak Gas piston cleaning drill set (includes plug drill and cylinder drill)
Springfield Armory castle nut pliers
They aren’t all required tools (save for the castle nut pliers) but sources on the net highly recommend them. For the M1 I didn’t need any special tools for it at all.
Are these required? No, not really; but from what I’ve been able to gather, if you want to keep your M14 in top working order, they should be in your toolbox.
The G3 I didn’t need to get any special tools for it; everything can be taken care of with basic tools. It’s also not picky about stock to receiver fit like the M14 and M1 are. It has simple and straightforward operation without the additional parts that gas guns have. The largest failing of the G3 seems to be it’s weight, length, ergonomics, and the fact that it mangles brass. The G3 also has lower cost of ownership - I was able to get mine for under $900. Most M14s are beyond the $1000 mark, usually $1500 or more. I got my M14 for $900… but it was in pretty rough shape and it’s also Chinese.
I agree,I missed a few tools,it was late,LOL !!! All your items are quality tools for sure and they can add up. I got a B.A.D.A.S.S. gas clylinder wrench,less $$$ than the Sadlak I think,I got my Piston cleaning tools from a guy on the M-14 Firing Line,Custom made,and less $$$ than the Sadlak stuff,Castle Nut pliers I got for like $12 bucks,I got my combo tool from a freind that is a Viet Nam Vet,best kind,“Free” Like ya said,the G3s are awesome rifles,I won’t agrue that,cheaper everything,but still great rifles. I think you got a decent deal on your Chicom M-14,biggest thing is get the Bolt/headspace checked ! Good things are the Forged Reciver,decent chrome lined BBL,I think the threads mite be non standard on the end of the BBL,in case you wanted to change out the gas cylinder/castle nut ! If its a original stock,they can be kind of crappy,good GI stocks are pretty reasonable. Like ya said everything about the G3/FAL is cheaper & that’s good,but for me there is just something about the M1a/M-14 platform,so its worth it for me,and it has been a fantastic,trouble free platform for me,so I do lean towards it a bit !!! And last time I checked,;),there has never been a FAL National Match or FAL shooting team at Camp Perry,LOL,accuracy is a BIG part of the M1a draw for me !!
The trouble with the big three battle rifles is that they aren’t inherently accurate and to make them accurate requires a lot of time, work, and money. The M14 is top dog of the three but compared to a bolt gun or an AR-10 it still needs a lot of work to bring it up to competition levels.
On the merits as a battle rifle the M14 comes up short compared to the FAL and G3. The number of countries that adopted the FAL and G3 versus the M14 attest to this.
This isn’t a comparison of which is the most wide spread battle rifle,the FAL is by far one of the most popular,right up there with the AK I would say. Hell the M-14 was probably the shortest lived Battle Rifle out there,came on board around 59 or so & was replaced with the M-16 in the early 60s,not sure of the real year !! Some will argue Politics,others will argues lighter/faster/deadlier/more ammo capacity,etc,I don’t know I wasn’t old enough to know either way,LOL !!! Some guys were pissed,some guys were happy with the change,but this thread isn’t about that. I guess we need to back up and bit & just give the OP good info and let him decide. Hopefully he is over at the M14 Forum learning stuff and not listening to us ramble back and forth,LOL !!! 
Hold the brakes there for a sec. M1As are more expensive to get similar quality compared to an AR. They are less accurate for the money and arguably less reliable. I own both. I love both. They are not that customizable unless you buy a Sage stock for 800 bucks. The open design of the M1A will never be as reliable as the AR. Dirt gets into the action and it won’t close. The AR is sealed, makes it harder for dirt to get into the action. Springer M1As start at 1400 for a rifle that at best will shot 2-4 MOA. You can buy a PSA AR for under a grand that will shoot less than 1 MOA. Look I love the M1a. But it’s a dinosaur. You shoot it because you want one, not because it’s better.
The M1a will weight close to 13 pounds with a loaded mag, optic, cheek riser and optic mount. More with the Sage stock. A .308 AR will weigh a few pounds less.
Agreed! I have both as well and I can rock the shit out of the M14 platform, but truth be told it can’t hold a candle to the AR in any category other than cosmetics. I love the M14 to death but the AR is the smart choice.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2
I always recommend looking for an older M1A with all GI parts. That way you won’t have to worry about hunting down parts should you decide you need them. There is nothing wrong with the newer M1As as the commercially made parts do seem to hold up well. I just prefer GI parts as used in the older rifles.
Springfield is a good outfit with quality products, I’ve dealt with them for decades and it’s always been a positive experience.
This x 1000,
My LRB arms, 18" M25 in a Sage EBR Mod 1 stock is a tank. I will have to weigh it, but it is over 12 pounds without optics. Yes, it is Sub MOA with match ammo, yes it puts a smile on my face every time I shoot it, and yes the recoil is next to nothing… but it is just collecting dust in my safe. I plan on selling it in the next week to fund a KAC ECC. My M25 with all the bells and whistles cost over $3,600 (without optics or bipod). I could have bought an LMT or LE901for less. 10 years ago the AR10 platform had a lot to be desired and the M25 was a more accurate and reliable platform. A lot has changed since then and the current designs are amazing. I can’t wait to get my ECC and have a 9 lbs. platform capable of the same accuracy I am currently getting out of my 12+ pound monster.
The parts market has also changed quite a bit since then. I will end up making money than when I started based off of the current market price for magazines and spare parts. You can make an M1A accurate, but expect to spend the money, and it weighing more than you would like.
*anyone looking to buy a top of the line M25 in a Sage EBR stock with less then 200 rounds down the tube send me an PM!
The best choice would be GI or commercial forged parts . Springfield with made in Taiwan parts M1a aren’t the “best” choice in todays market.
I was into M1as from the middle 80s to the mid 90s . A quality m1a will take a licking and keep on ticking. and were extremely accurate.