Springfield M1a Super Match Serial Numbers
If he doesn't have documentation, then I wouldn't buy into the guy's story. NM rifles were sold to civilians through the DCM program and came with documentation (receipts, paperwork, etc). You could pay the fee with the CMP and have them run the background check on the serial for you. There's no way to visually confirm if a rifle is a true NM rifle. There isn't a special serial number marking.
Even if it has NM parts, anyone could have put those parts on there. The only way to know is via background research and having a true collector with the background knowledge (ie: Scott Duff) to see if it's remotely close to what a NM rifle should be. You have to remember too that there are different NM configurations and NM rifles were sold without data sheets. Back then, no one realized how particular Garand collectors would be nowadays. Sight unseen, I'd give the guy no more than $800-900 for it.
Assuming it's got all correct parts and is in excellent condition (ie: correct stock, no refinishing of wood or metal, 85% or better original finish), I'd give at least $600. If I were then able to catalog all the parts and compare it with similar data sheets of other NM rifles, and it came out somewhat correct, then I'd upgrade the offer to $850 or so. If and only if the guy had true documentation to prove it's authenticity of being a NM rifle, and I were able to confirm it with CMP, then it would go over the $1000 mark and into true collector status pricing.
The Springfield Armory M1A is a civilian version of the M14 rifle designed and manufactured. The National Match M1A and the Super. Springfield Armory M1A Super Match Rifles for Sale. If you are after the ultimate in target rifles, look no further than the Springfield M1A Super Match rifle.
This is my rifle. There are many like it (there are an estimated 2,000,000 M1A/M14 rifles in existence), but this one is mine. It is a Springfield Armory, Inc. Super Match M1A, model SA 9102, chambered for the 7.62×51 mm NATO cartridge. I can’t say how much I paid for this rifle, because my wife might read this. Suffice it to say, I paid “somewhere near $400”.
At least in the cosmic sense. (Hey, when Carl Sagan is talking “billions and billions”, the difference between a few hundred and a few thousand can be rounded to zero.) For the reader’s reference, most sellers want around $3700 today for a shiny new Super Match model, less for a Standard model (Standards were a little over $1200 before The Great Gun Shortage Of 2013, around $1700 as of this writing). I have to admit, buying a Super Match is like putting a sound system in a, because the M1A serves best as a working gun–reliable as a Kalashnikov and accurate out-of-the-box to a couple minutes-of-angle (MOA), which is good enough for a body shot at ranges up to 500 yards. The Super Match can shoot one MOA or better (good for a body shot out to 700 or 800 yards).
But you pay mucho dinero for that marginal increase in accuracy. I only bought the Super Match because the dealer who sold it to me advertised it (and priced it) as a National Match (which lacks improvements like the lugged receiver and heavy Douglas barrel). Otherwise, I would have bought a Standard model, which is what I suggest you buy. The M1A fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, which is nearly identical to the civilian-made. Teacch Program And Autism on this page. 308 Winchester cartridge. I say nearly identical because they are not, in fact, identical. The 7.62×51 cartridge has slightly different headspace tolerance than the.308 Win, as well as a stiffer primer. (Careful dropping the bolt of your M1A on any chambered cartridge, as slamfires can occur, especially with the. Beetlejuice Soundtrack Download. 308 Win.) The good folks at Springfield Armory told me I should not shoot.308 Win cartridges greater than 180 grains.
Which is fine, since the rifle is said to be most accurate with 168 grain hollow-point boat tail cartridges. (Good luck finding them, or ammo of any type.). The left-side knob adjusts for elevation.
Turning the knob one click moves the point of aim up or down one MOA. On National Match sights, the aperture in the peep-sight is slightly offset, so you can turn the aperture to the up or down position, thereby adding or subtracting a half MOA. The National Match aperture is also smaller than the Standard aperture–better for long range accuracy, but worse for quick target acquisition. Finally, the National Match front sight blade is slightly thinner than the Standard front sight blade (better for fine targeting, but less robust and more likely to bend or break if abused). The front blade is protected by two flanges.
These targets were shot on the 50-yard range at Elm Fork, using match grade ammo (hollow-point boat tail, 168 grain). Each square is one inch, or two MOA at 50 yards. I’d be a blackguard and a knave to blame the rifle for not shooting one MOA (like Wayne and Garth, I’m not worthy). Since the kill zone on your average feral hog is about five inches across, my two-plus MOA shooting is good enough for a clean kill at over 200 yards–plenty of range for the shots I’m likely to see in the Hill Country.