Springfield M1A Walnut 10 Round – Superb 308 Win Standard Issue Rifle

Description

The M14 served as the United States service rifle for a shorter period than almost any other, and yet its civilian descendant has been in continuous production for over half a century. The Springfield M1A Walnut 10 Round is the Standard Issue configuration of that rifle, built to the original pattern with a walnut stock, a twenty two inch barrel and a ten round magazine that keeps it legal in California and other capacity restricted states.

A Service Rifle Built To The Original Pattern

This is a gas operated, rotating bolt design with a short stroke piston, the same architecture the M14 used. It is heavier than a modern semi automatic and it does not accept the accessories an AR pattern rifle does, but it handles like a rifle rather than a collection of rails. The American walnut stock is a large part of that. Wood adds weight and it does move a little with humidity, but it is warm in the hand in cold weather and it absorbs recoil in a way polymer does not.

Sights are the traditional service rifle arrangement and they are excellent. A National Match front blade measuring 0.062 inches sits in a protected hood, and the rear is a military aperture adjustable for both windage and elevation in minute of angle increments. That means a shooter can dial an honest zero at any distance without needing an optic at all, and the sight picture is one that generations of competitive shooters have used to shoot small groups at six hundred yards.

The trigger is a two stage design, with a defined take up and a clean break at the wall. Two stage triggers are standard on service rifles for a reason. They allow a shooter to take up the slack while settling into position and then break the shot precisely without a surprise, which is exactly what slow fire prone shooting demands.

Living With A Ten Round Magazine

This configuration ships with a single ten round magazine and is California approved as sold. In restricted states that is the only way to own the rifle legally, and the good news is that the M1A feeds from a well proven magazine design that is available in ten and twenty round versions from Springfield and from several quality aftermarket makers. Where the law allows, twenty round magazines drop straight in without modification.

A ten round magazine is not much of a handicap for what most owners actually do with this rifle. Highpower service rifle competition is shot in strings of ten, hunting rarely requires more than a few rounds, and a rifle this heavy is not a close quarters tool anyway. The shorter magazine also sits closer to the stock line, which makes shooting prone from a sling considerably more comfortable than a twenty round magazine allows.

Weight is the honest caveat. At nine pounds three ounces bare, before a sling or an optic, this is a heavy rifle by modern standards. That mass is why the 22 inch carbon steel barrel with its 1:11 twist delivers such a soft recoil impulse for a full power cartridge, and why it hangs so steadily offhand, but nobody should buy one expecting to carry it comfortably up a mountain.

Springfield M1A Walnut 10 Round Specifications

• Caliber: 308 Winchester and 7.62x51mm NATO
• Model number: MA9102CA
• UPC: 706397019020
• Barrel: 22 inch six groove carbon steel, 1:11 twist
• Muzzle: flash suppressor
• Front sight: National Match 0.062 inch blade
• Rear sight: military 0.0690 aperture, adjustable for windage and elevation
• Trigger: two stage
• Stock: American walnut with fibreglass handguard
• Overall length: 44.33 inches
• Weight: 9 pounds 3 ounces
• Magazine: one 10 round detachable box magazine
• Finish: black parkerized
• California approved as configured

Two practical notes for new owners. Mounting an optic on an M1A requires a side mount that clamps to the receiver, and quality mounts are expensive because holding zero on this action is genuinely difficult. Second, the gas system is sensitive to heavy bullets and slow powders. Stick to loads in the 147 to 175 grain range with appropriate burn rates, or fit an adjustable gas plug, to avoid battering the operating rod.

Why Buyers Choose The Springfield M1A Walnut 10 Round

The first reason is that this rifle shoots better than its age suggests. A well set up example with match ammunition and iron sights will hold minute of angle groups in trained hands, which is why the platform still shows up on service rifle firing lines decades after it left military service. The combination of a heavy barrel profile, a two stage trigger and precise aperture sights is hard to beat for deliberate shooting.

The second reason is durability. This is an over engineered design from an era when service rifles were expected to last through decades of hard use and rebuild cycles. Parts are available, gunsmiths who understand the platform are still working, and a rifle bought today will very likely outlast its owner with basic maintenance.

The third reason is the shooting experience. A wood stocked full power service rifle handles differently from anything currently in production. Recoil is a steady push rather than a snap, the balance point sits naturally between the hands, and the whole rifle feels intentional in a way that modular designs rarely do. That is not a performance argument, but it is a real one and it keeps these rifles selling.

Who Should Buy The Springfield M1A Walnut 10 Round

This is a rifle for the shooter who wants a piece of American service rifle history in a legal configuration for a restricted state, for the highpower competitor, and for the hunter who does not mind carrying nine pounds. It is a superb range rifle and a credible thousand yard iron sight platform. It is a poor choice for anyone wanting a light modular rifle, an easy optic mount, or a first centrefire rifle on a budget.

Learn more about this battle rifle from the manufacturer, or see more firearms available at MAG5 Firearms.