Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE – Superb 22 Inch Rifle

Description

The Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE is the closest a civilian can get to the M14 the US military adopted in 1957. Same operating system, same 22 inch barrel, same sights and the same two stage trigger, built new rather than assembled from surplus, and dropped into a Desert FDE composite stock rather than walnut.

What Makes The M1A Different From Everything Else

This is a gas operated, rotating bolt rifle with a long stroke operating rod running down the right side of the stock, and that op rod is the defining feature. It is a design from the era when rifles were expected to be repaired with hand tools in the field, and the whole action can be stripped without a single punch or wrench.

The Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE feeds from detachable box magazines rather than the stripper clips of its Garand ancestor, and it uses the full power .308 Winchester cartridge rather than an intermediate round. At 8 pounds 8 ounces and 44.33 inches it is a big rifle by modern standards, and that mass is a large part of why a full power cartridge is pleasant to shoot from it.

Sights are the reason people who have used one keep coming back. A National Match front sight in a .062 inch blade paired with a military .0690 aperture rear that adjusts in MOA increments for both windage and elevation gives you a genuinely precise iron sight setup, dialable to a load and a distance without tools.

Trigger, Barrel And Stock

The trigger is the original two stage trigger design: a deliberate take up stage followed by a clean break. Two stage triggers are standard on service rifles for a reason, because the first stage lets you take up the slack while settling the sights and the second breaks predictably under a gloved finger. It is one of the few areas where a sixty year old design still beats most modern factory triggers.

The barrel on the Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE is 22 inches of six groove carbon steel with a 1:11 twist and a flash suppressor at the muzzle. Twenty two inches wrings close to everything out of .308, and the 1:11 twist suits the 147 to 175 grain bullets the cartridge is normally loaded with.

The Desert FDE composite stock is the practical choice over walnut. Wood looks better and always will, but it moves with humidity and that movement changes where the action sits, which changes point of impact. A composite stock on the Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE stays put through weather and takes knocks without showing them.

Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE Specifications

• Caliber: 308 Winchester (7.62x51mm NATO)
• Barrel: 22 inch six groove carbon steel, 1:11 twist
• Muzzle device: Flash suppressor
• Front sight: National Match .062 inch blade
• Rear sight: Military .0690 aperture, MOA adjustable for windage and elevation
• Trigger: Two stage
• Stock: Desert FDE composite
• Operating system: Gas operated with long stroke operating rod, rotating bolt
• Overall length: 44.33 inches
• Weight: 8 pounds 8 ounces
• Magazine: One ten round magazine included
• Model number: MA9120
• UPC: 706397900106

One ten round magazine ships with the rifle; twenty round magazines are the standard pattern and widely available where legal.

Why Buyers Choose The Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE

There is nothing else quite like an M14 pattern rifle on the civilian market. It shoots a full power cartridge from iron sights that are genuinely competition grade, with a two stage trigger, and it does it with a mechanical character that no modern rifle reproduces. People buy the Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE because they want that specifically, not because it is the most efficient way to put rounds on target.

It is also a serious practical rifle. Twenty two inches of barrel in .308 is plenty for deer and larger game, the sights work in poor light better than most optics, and the weight makes recoil manageable across a long day.

The FDE stock is the sensible specification. It resists the humidity movement that plagues wooden stocked M1As, and it hides wear far better on a rifle you actually carry.

Now the caveats, and one of them is important. Ammunition selection matters on an M1A in a way it does not on an AR. The long stroke op rod is driven by gas tapped part way down the barrel, and commercial .308 loaded with slow burning powder can raise port pressure enough to bend an op rod over time. Stick to loads in the 150 to 175 grain range using powders appropriate to the platform, or fit an adjustable gas plug. This is well documented and easy to avoid, but expensive to ignore.

The other limits are practical. Mounting a scope on the Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE requires a specific side rail or a scout mount and is never as tidy as a flat top receiver. Forty four inches and eight and a half pounds is a lot of rifle to carry. Accuracy depends heavily on how well the action is bedded into the stock, so this is not the rifle to buy if you want half inch groups out of the box.

Who Should Buy The Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE

The Springfield M1A Standard Issue 308 FDE suits the shooter who wants a service rifle in a full power cartridge, whether for high power competition, deer hunting or simply because the M14 lineage matters to them. If you want a semi automatic .308 that scopes easily and weighs less, a SAINT Victor in 308 is the modern answer. If you want the traditional look, the walnut stocked M1A is the same rifle in wood. And if you are set on optics as your primary sighting system, budget for a quality mount before you buy.

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