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Thread: SA, Inc. M1A serial number chronology

  1. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by onado2000 View Post
    Im confused, would a present day SA M1A be considered reliable and accurate as the older M1As ? If not is it because of GI vs Commercial parts, & wouldnt the commercial parts be made to GI specs in order for the gun to function properly ? Its difficult to imagine a company like SA to produce less than top notch firearms . FYI, I just bought a preban M1A, because I wasnt sure about the quality of the SA parts on new rifles. The new M1As look great, but are they reliable?
    There's no empirical study that can conclusively answer your question. However, there is hope for commercial made parts.

    Commercial barrels perform very well as compared to government contract barrels. Criterion Barrels, Inc. chromium plated barrels get rave reviews from M14 gunsmiths and civilian owners. Smith Enterprise, Inc. manufactured gas system components have been holding up just fine in 2nd Infantry Division M21A5 rifles since 2004. Springfield Armory, Inc. sells M1A magazines that are made by the same company that makes M14 magazines for the military, Check-Mate Industries. Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A operating rods have been in use by civilian match shooters for over thirty years. My select fire SA, Inc. M1A was factory built with a commercial M1A operating rod. On its third barrel, that commercial M1A operating rod looks good and works well. I've seen and read about more broken USGI operating rods than commercial SA, Inc. operating rods (hint: Harrington & Richardson Arms op rods are not my first choice). The Fulton Armory hand guard is stout, probably more rugged than the 1960s vintage USGI solid fiberglass handguard. Without a doubt, the Sadlak Industries match operating rod spring guide is better quality than the old AMTU design. Why? Because it is a single piece of 8620 alloy steel that has been heat treated to 40 to 45 HRC. The AMTU spring guide was of two piece construction with no post-weld heat treatment. This caused the magazine catch to wear prematurely. The U. S. Army has built over 5,000 M14 EBR-RI rifles with Sage EBR stocks that have been used by Army units in the sand box. Those Sage stocks are holding up to the abuse of combat operations. The Smith Enterprise, Inc. NM rear sight assembly is wire EDM machined from 4140 alloy bar stock and operates velvet smooth when assembled to a host receiver. It was favorably received by CMP. I have had a USGI chromium plated firing pin break at the tip after 8,300 rounds.

    Advances in technology have made many commercial manufacture parts longer lasting than 1960s era USGI contract parts. Also, some parts are not directly comparable as there was no such part made for the government. Example, rubber butt pad for the stock. Some civilian users prefer a rubber butt pad. How about Sadlak's tactical magazine latch? It's never been adopted for a government M14 variant but a lot of us civvies like it. The Sadlak tactical magazine latch went through a design and testing phase. It meets the USGI material specification and it is heat treated to 55 HRC. Sadlak Industries, LLC used the USGI drawing as the basis for its tactical magazine latch. The thumb pad was enlarged and given serrations. Will it last as long as a USGI magazine latch? No one knows but Sadlak Industries has an outstanding reputation and the part works well for me on my M1A.

    If a M14 type rifle is assembled correctly, it will be reliable and at least battle rifle accurate whether it is made up of USGI parts or commercial parts. If a M14/M1A is put together and a part is not fitted correctly, the matter is almost always resolved once the specific issue is addressed. IOW, once it's fixed, it's good to go.

    USGI parts did not always meet the drawing requirements, specifically for heat treatment requirements. I've read U. S. government and private independent lab reports on the hardness of USGI M14 receivers, hammers, operating rods and bolts. USGI M14 receivers did not always meet the drawing surface and core hardness requirements. And yes, this was into the seven digit serial numbers, way, way beyond the Harrington & Richardson Arms episode of 1960. LRB Arms has its receiver heat treatment down perfectly. Every LRB Arms receiver is individually tested for surface hardness. Sample receivers are checked for case depth and core hardness. The surface hardness of every LRB Arms receiver is recorded in a log book by the company. USGI HR-N hammer? Too soft in the core, bud!! Honestly, I would take a Smith Enterprise operating rod over a Harrington & Richardson Arms operating rod any day. Will both work and last a long time? Yes! But the HRA operating rod is like the Chinese operating rod, in the mid-30s HRC for hardness. And yes, the Smith Enterprise, Inc. operating rod has been accepted for M14 rifle re-builds by military units, e.g., Vermont Army National Guard. Yes, Virginia, TRW got the heat treatment right on the operating rod.

    Bottom line, just 'cuz it's 1960s USGI contract manufacture does not mean it was made right and just 'cuz it's a commercial part means it's crap.
    Last edited by Different; 06-20-10 at 11:50.

  2. #12
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    Different, Thanks so much for your time & information. Its frustrating to research a subject and come up empty. Your knowledge base of the M1A is amazing and Im certain has helped many people like myself make informed decisions when puchasing these rifles. Sincerly many thanks .

  3. #13
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    Score!! I got one.

    Quote Originally Posted by Different View Post
    042201 to 063000 This is the serial number range that I refer to as the Golden Age of the M1A. The receiver design had fully matured by this time. The receivers were hand finished by the original designer and master craftsman, Melvin Smith. Springfield Armory, Inc. was awash in USGI parts during this period. Thus, factory built standard model M1A rifles in this serial number range were built with a very high USGI parts count.
    I bought my M1A a few weeks after Purdy pulled his BS in Stockton. It is a great shooter.

  4. #14
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    68000 serial # m1a- good idea?

    it looks like i'll have an option to buy one. estate sale, owner was fussy.

    good idea?

    thanks for comments.

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