Jump to Latest Follow M1A or M1 Garand? Springfield Armory M1A ($1800) Votes: 27 47.4% Rebuilt M1 Garand ($895) Votes: 30 52.6% Total voters 57; 21. The standard M1-A is the ruffly the same length and weight empty as the Garand. Garands use en-bloc clips not stripper. Can always change barrels on Garand to be a.308 can't make the M1-A a -06. Military went to 308 powder design improved so didn't need as much powder but gave up yards on distance it was accurate too. Adjustable gas plugs are handy for shooting commercial 30-06 or.308 ammunition in both rifles. If you are not going to purchase a M1A with a shorter barrel, then the M1 Garand is going to be close in length to the M1A. An 8 round en bloc clip is smaller and takes up less storage space than a 10 round M1A magazine.
Whenever you compare the merits of two firearms against one another, there will be a huge row. Just ask fans of the M1911 carbine, designed by John Moses Browning — which served in the American military as the primary sidearm for seven decades — what they think of the M9 Beretta.
But let’s take a look at two semi-automatic carbines that were in service about 70 years ago: The Russian SKS and the American M1 carbine.
Both were in service in World War II (prototypes of the SKS saw action against the Nazis) and both saw action in Korea and Vietnam. However, they’re very different.
A friend of mine has an M1 Garand in good condition he's willing to sell me. The Garand is a proven battle rifle. Accessories are almost nonexistent, and it's tough to mount optics on them (I do know of a couple rails made for the Garand, but they add weight to an already-heavy rifle). The Garand holds 8 rounds of.30-06 in the enbloc clip. Differences Between The M1A and M14. The M14 rifle was designed primarily in response to the AK-47. This rifle was issued for American soldiers to be used in Vietnam, which replaced the standard-issue WWII rifle 'M1 Garand'.
A Marine covers personnel during the first flag-raising on Mount Suribachi.
(USMC photo by Staff Sergeant Louis R. Lowery)
The M1 carbine, first introduced in 1942, fires a special .30-caliber round that’s about an inch-and-a-third long (as opposed to the roughly two-and-a-half-inch length of the .30-06 round). It’s semi-automatic and can use a 15 or 30-round detachable magazine. It weighs about five pounds unloaded. Today’s troops carrying a lot of stuff — that light weight can be a back-saver. The 110-grain .30 carbine round could go 1,990 feet per second.
M1a Vs M1 Garand
![M1a rifle vs m1 garand M1a rifle vs m1 garand](https://i.redd.it/3alrjx9f8oz31.jpg)
Malian troops stand at attention with SKS rifles.
M1a Vs M1 Garand
(US Army photo by Staff Sergeant Samuel Bendet)
The SKS rifle introduced the 7.62x39mm cartridge to the world. It uses an internal 10-round magazine that is reloaded using stripper clips. In a way, this is much like how just about every modern (post-1898) military rifle prior to the M1 Garand was reloaded. The 7.62x39mm round propels a 123-grain bullet at 1,653 feet per second. The SKS weighs in at roughly eight pounds.
So, which of these rifles is better? Let’s be honest: Both have passed the longevity test. The M1 Carbine is still in service with Israel and Nicaragua, among other countries, and the SKS still sees action in places like Mali. But assuming all other things, like training and competency, are equal, a soldier with the M1 carbine would have a slight edge — at least at close range —due to the increased magazine capacity and the rifle’s lighter weight.
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Differences Between The M1A and M14
![M1a M1a](https://www.thearmorylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/article-sa-m1a-socom-16-1.jpg)
The M14 rifle was designed primarily in response to the AK-47. This rifle was issued for American soldiers to be used in Vietnam, which replaced the standard-issue WWII rifle 'M1 Garand'. It fired a stronger 7.62x51 NATO round which outmatched the stopping power and range of the AK-47; however, due to its lengthy barrel size, US Marines complained it was not suitable for jungle warfare during the Vietnam War.
The Springfield Armory M1A is, for the most part, identical to the M14. There are, however, a few important differences:
M1A receivers are made from precision investment cast AISI 8620 alloy steel. The military M14 receivers were manufactured using the drop forge process, which is more complicated and more expensive. Until around the late 1990s, the M1A produced by Springfield Armory retained the cutout in the rear right of the stock for the selector switch found on the M14. Springfield Armory has also omitted the '7.62-MM' caliber designator on the M1A receiver since 1991.
Once the Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 was passed, prohibiting the manufacture of firearms with bayonet lugs (among other features), the M1A no longer shipped with a bayonet lug. Although the 1994 law expired in September 2004, making bayonet lugs on newly-manufactured firearms legal again (in most states), Springfield Armory has not restored that feature. Since the bayonet lug is attached to the flash suppressor, 'post ban' rifles can easily be fitted with a bayonet lug by fitting a pre-ban flash suppressor.
M1a Rifle Vs M1 Garand
The California Assault Weapons Ban, which went into effect January 1, 2000, prohibited flash suppressors on all Semi-automatic rifles capable of accepting a detachable magazine. As a result, Springfield Armory designed a muzzle brake, which they installed in place of the standard flash suppressor on all models that were sold in California. The muzzle brake reduces climb of the barrel, allowing the operator to aim more quickly for another shot.