Talk me out of a 6.5 M1A

Southern_MD_Boy · Jun 1, 2020

Yes but then you have to feed the pig that high end ammo! 308 is cheap (sort of) and 6.5 makes my ass hurt!

toppkatt · Jun 1, 2020

Seems to be many good pro's/con's listed already.
My take:
I've owned three, well two M1A'a and a James River M14 (same thing). M14 can be glass bedded, gas system match conditioned, etc. and it will perform well. Note though:
1) in 6.5 Creedmoor the ammo is much more expensive than .308 or 5.56.
2) carry weight is not small and with several loaded magazines will give you some exercise.
3) compare price to almost any AR platform and you will probably lose.
4) accessories for AR platform are many while the M14/M1A are less and at this point probably more expensive as the M14 is no longer in main stream use in either the military or in competition circles, so it's more of a niche market.
5) Finding a 'gunsmith' who KNOWS the M14 vs the AR at this point can be challenging.
6) (most cynical reason) at this point, if the .308 has been voided by Maryland legislature it's probably only a matter of time until this one is banned too then you can't sell it, give it away except to out of state. Where's the value in that?
But it's your decision I can't do more than list reasons pro or con (mostly con in this case). I own one but I rarely take it to the range. I use my Garand, 1917 and AR's much more often. But that's just me.

grimnar15 · Jun 1, 2020

Personally I see no practical application for this rifle chambered in 6.5. But..... if this is what you want, then buy it and shoot it until the barrel is worn out.

teratos · Jun 1, 2020

grimnar15 said:
Personally I see no practical application for this rifle chambered in 6.5. But..... if this is what you want, then buy it and shoot it until the barrel is worn out.

To be fair, the M1A itself isn’t all that practical. 6.5 Creedmoor, like all the 6.5 rounds, is a wonderful medium to long-range round.

Biggfoot44 · Jun 2, 2020

Do you want an M1A on Purpose ? If yes , you choices are : 1. Buy 6.5
2. Don't buy one

calicojack · Jun 18, 2020

Racer Doug14 said:
M1A is like a boat, you want a friend to buy one. I'd buy or build an AR10 in 6.5CM. My .02

Old post - but I agree.

Art3 · Jun 18, 2020

I guess, given the lack of pictures from the OP, we we successful in talking him out of it? :tap:

So...

... yay?

Straightbolt · Jun 18, 2020

I bought my M1A in the 90's but if I had to buy one now in any other cal. but .308 because of unconstitutional Maryland law I would want 7.62x39 but I already have plenty of semi-auto rifles in x39 so an AR10 is the only real option IMHO

-Z/28- · Jun 18, 2020

Straightbolt said:
I bought my M1A in the 90's but if I had to buy one now in any other cal. but .308 because of unconstitutional Maryland law I would want 7.62x39 but I already have plenty of semi-auto rifles in x39 so an AR10 is the only real option IMHO

You know, if Ruger would redesign the Mini-30 to take AK mags, I'd buy one without hesitation.

Doco Overboard · Jun 18, 2020

Anybody shot one in 6.5 yet?

Surt · Jun 19, 2020

The argument that 6.5 is prohibitively expensive compared to .308 seems like a little bit of a misnomer. You can pretty easily find cheap ammo for both and 6.5 is about 60 cents a round while .308 is 40. The 6.5 is arguably a far more versatile round than .308 is, the .308 only really having the advantage of energy under 200 to 300 yards based on the bullet and load, and pure cross section for applications such as the upper limits of what would be considered ethical game harvesting with either round, also again due to average bullet weight for the two being 140 and 168 grains, respectively. That's if we're comparing cheap ammo.

But that being said, an M1A in 6.5 CM seems like an absolute waste of time. I've known a few guys that tried to buy M14/M1A platforms and "accurize" them into the Designated Marksman platform, and they have all sorts of issues and expensive parts and a general lack of aftermarket support they wouldn't be seeing if they otherwise picked up an AR10 or RPR in the same caliber at significantly less cost.

ironhead7544 · Jun 19, 2020

I was trained with the M14 rifle. One in 6.5 CM would be fine. Probably more accurate than the 308 in stock form.

If you want a battle rifle, get one. I prefer the plastic stock and would live with the accuracy of the stock rifle. Anything within 460 meters would be in trouble. I would probably add a scout scope due to my 71 year old eyes.

For ammo, everyone needs to handload to feed a centerfire these days. JMHO.

calicojack · Jun 19, 2020

Surt said:
I've known a few guys that tried to buy M14/M1A platforms and "accurize" them into the Designated Marksman platform, and they have all sorts of issues and expensive parts and a general lack of aftermarket support ...

I have heard this several times from several other sources. In particular I knew an infantry guy (Army Captain at the time) that shot competitively and he went to great pains to get his rifle shooting the way he wanted it. So I personally would never be interested in any sort of M14/M1A in any caliber. These seem to be very needy rifles.

Doco Overboard · Jun 19, 2020

I made a terrible mistake one time, actually the last time I had my 6.5 out to the range. I let my 15 yo daughter shoot it from the bench one day when we out together. She was there with my wife shooting some steel targets or something and stopped to take a break.

Anyhow, I was over shooting from the end of the line, stuck a flag in the rifle took my coat off and walked over to get a drink or something.
We talked about pasting targets or something at the 200 yd berm and I didn't notice she had taken her ears off.

I seen my wife had electronic muffs on but the girl took hers off and I didn't notice it.

Well, sure enough she went back and lit it off afterwards without her ears on and complained about the report.

Neither myself or my wife noticed she didn't have them on.
If anybody does actually get a chance to shoot one make sure YOUR responsible for necessary PPE. :smack:

Surt · Jun 19, 2020

calicojack said:
I have heard this several times from several other sources. In particular I knew an infantry guy (Army Captain at the time) that shot competitively and he went to great pains to get his rifle shooting the way he wanted it. So I personally would never be interested in any sort of M14/M1A in any caliber. These seem to be very needy rifles.

And I'm not saying it's a bad rifle, I'm saying it's not the best platform for a *precision rifle* or anything you'd want to take full advantage of the edge a 6.5CM could give you.
As a service rifle, other than being heavier than modern service guns due to the difference between when it was designed and issued versus now, I'm sure it was and still is a great gun. But every attempt I've heard of trying to put it in a new chassis and push it out to something requiring a solid MOA past 600, it's been a train to Trouble Town.

That, and magazines are expensive. Luckily CM can use 7.62 magazines.

Doco Overboard · Jun 19, 2020

Surt said:
And I'm not saying it's a bad rifle, I'm saying it's not the best platform for a *precision rifle* or anything you'd want to take full advantage of the edge a 6.5CM could give you.
As a service rifle, other than being heavier than modern service guns due to the difference between when it was designed and issued versus now, I'm sure it was and still is a great gun. But every attempt I've heard of trying to put it in a new chassis and push it out to something requiring a solid MOA past 600, it's been a train to Trouble Town.

That, and magazines are expensive. Luckily CM can use 7.62 magazines.

I agree that theirs always a better platform for specific applications but would like to have better understanding of a rifle, any rifle for that matter that say, for instance would do 1 moa at a hundred yards vs the same at any known reasonable distance in average similar conditions?

Does a chassis that doesn't work at 100 have improved performance at 600?
How does that work?

Surt · Jun 20, 2020

Doco Overboard said:
I agree that theirs always a better platform for specific applications but would like to have better understanding of a rifle, any rifle for that matter that say, for instance would do 1 moa at a hundred yards vs the same at any known reasonable distance in average similar conditions?

Does a chassis that doesn't work at 100 have improved performance at 600?
How does that work?

Well, it wouldn't work the other way around, not for the rifle hardware. It's just that certain platforms, like a modded out M14, seems to have a certain tendency to struggle a lot more at 300 keeping the same relative group size that it did at 100. At 300+ is when a lot of factors start to come into play that can be more or less ignored at 200 and under; environmental, hardware, and the shooter themselves.

Doco Overboard · Jun 20, 2020

Surt said:
Well, it wouldn't work the other way around, not for the rifle hardware. It's just that certain platforms, like a modded out M14, seems to have a certain tendency to struggle a lot more at 300 keeping the same relative group size that it did at 100. At 300+ is when a lot of factors start to come into play that can be more or less ignored at 200 and under; environmental, hardware, and the shooter themselves.

Yeah, when I put a rifle together and run it through some paces to verify how well it works at increased range I realize its either me or lack of understanding or the ability to control exterior ballistics or other environmental factors.

Shooting from the bench and then having the same expectations for instance when using a sling is for me to understand shift in zero group size etc.

Usually its me and not the rifle or something Ive done in between range trips like an ammunition change, mechanical adjustment etc.

Sirex · Jun 20, 2020

Well, I guess theres 2 ways to look at it.
1. Do you want it because you want a M1A, and the 6.5C is the version that's legal in MD?

Or

2. Are you looking for a rifle in 6.5C? Because there are several alternatives to the M1A.

In your initial post you said you lust after one, so why not buy it if you want it. It may not be the best platform for that caliber, but you want it for the rifle. There are tons of people who like the M1A because either they trained with the M14 in the military, and they have a familiarity and affection for it. I am not saying it is better or worse than anything, just acknowledging reasons people desire certain things. I bought a M1 Garand in 308, simply because I wanted a M1 Garand, but my current ammo stock had a significant amount of 308, and no .30-06. I bought it for the rifle. If you want a M1A, by all means buy it, and enjoy it. But if you are looking for a sniper or dmr rifle, I'm sure there are other alternatives to consider.

calicojack · Jun 20, 2020

Sirex said:
Well, I guess theres 2 ways to look at it.
1. Do you want it because you want a M1A, and the 6.5C is the version that's legal in MD?

Or

2. Are you looking for a rifle in 6.5C? Because there are several alternatives to the M1A.

In your initial post you said you lust after one, so why not buy it if you want it. It may not be the best platform for that caliber, but you want it for the rifle. There are tons of people who like the M1A because either they trained with the M14 in the military, and they have a familiarity and affection for it. I am not saying it is better or worse than anything, just acknowledging reasons people desire certain things. I bought a M1 Garand in 308, simply because I wanted a M1 Garand, but my current ammo stock had a significant amount of 308, and no .30-06. I bought it for the rifle. If you want a M1A, by all means buy it, and enjoy it. But if you are looking for a sniper or dmr rifle, I'm sure there are other alternatives to consider.

This makes sense. For me, my rifle in the Army was an M16A1. My father had a Garand when he was in the Army. The M14 does not do anything for me.

Talk me out of a 6.5 M1A

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Member

Ultimate Member

Ultimate Member

My hair is amazing

Ultimate Member

American Sporting Rifle

Eqinsu Ocha

unindicted co-conspirator

I wanna go fast

Ultimate Member

Banned

Active Member

American Sporting Rifle

Ultimate Member

Banned

Ultimate Member

Banned

Ultimate Member

Powered by natural gas

American Sporting Rifle

Users who are viewing this thread

Log in

Forum statistics