Once the Federal Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 was passed, prohibiting the manufacture of firearms with bayonet lugs (among other features), the M1A no longer shipped with a bayonet lug. Springfield Armory has also omitted the '7.62-MM' caliber designator on the M1A receiver since 1991. Until around the late 1990s, the M1A produced by Springfield Armory retained the cutout in the rear right of the stock for the selector switch found on the M14. The military M14 receivers were manufactured using the drop forge process, which is more complicated and more expensive.

Selector switch cutout in M1A stock manufactured in 1997Įarly M1A receivers were made from surplus M14 receiver blanks, current M1A receivers are made from precision investment cast AISI 8620 alloy steel. There are, however, a few important differences: The Springfield Armory M1A is, for the most part, identical to the M14. (The M60 machine gun better served this specific task.)

It proved to be an impossible task to replace all four as the cartridge was too powerful for the submachine gun role and the weapon was too light to serve as a light machine gun replacement for the BAR. It was thought that in this manner the M14 could simplify the logistical requirements of the troops by limiting the types of ammunition and parts needed to be supplied. The M14 was developed to take the place of four different weapons systems-the M1 rifle, the M1 Carbine, the M3 'Grease Gun' and the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). Early M1A rifles were built with surplus G.I. The term 'M1A' is a proprietary title for Springfield Armory's M14-pattern rifle. The Springfield Armory M1A is a civilian version of the M14 rifle designed and manufactured by Springfield Armory, Inc. National Match front blade, match-grade hooded aperture with one-half minute adj. Standard, Loaded, National Match, Super Match, M21, M25, SOCOM 16, Scout Squad, SOCOM IIĥ-, 10- or 20-round double column, detachable box magazine

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