Pre-Ban vs. Post-Ban M14/M1A

[floydthecat]

My M1A is now in M21 guise

Dick...school me a little on the M21 receiver. I think that is a Fulton...right? What particular attributes belong to the M21 and would that be a good mil-spec forged receiver. I have seen them on built-up guns.

Information

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[floydthecat]

I know that Ruger has taken the art of investment casting to a new level. Ruger handguns are considered by many to be one of the best and most rugged guns on the market. My brain is obviously fixed on forged steel receivers as a result of my years of experience with M1 Carbines and having personal experience with cast components in/on guns that fail. I'll likely never use this M1A enough to hurt the receiver anyway. I just have this itch that I must scratch. I may wind-up with an SA and my intentions were to determine if the early guns were better guns. That can be the case with most any manufacturer. S&W simply is not what it use to be. I favor my 90's Brazil family of SA 1911's over the current production guns. I'll usually be looking at a 25-year old gun B4 I purchase a new one.

[rcathey]

I just have this itch that I must scratch.

Ah yes. The inexorable urges of the firearm enthusiast. I once bought one of the Chinese copies of the Winchester model 1887 shotgun. Sold it a couple months later because it “wasn’t real.” I feel your pain!

[pickax]

The term now used with SAI M1A's is the 'golden age' rifles produced from 80's through very early '90s. They always had cast receivers, but in those years used a high percentage of GI surplus parts. Bolts, barrels, oprods ,trigger groups, sights etc. , and these are considered superior to rifles built using commercial parts since GI surplus has dwindled.
There are sites devoted to this rifle in all it's forms and manufacturer's .

[Brian Dick]

The M21 is just a bog standard M14, (in my case M1A), rebuilt to NM specification from flash hider to buttstock. They were equipped with Leatherwood ART telescopes and were the standard U.S. Army sniper rifle until the adoption of the Remington M24 in the late 1980's. The Fulton receivers are castings and not as good as the SA Inc. in my opinion. If you want a real forged receiver that's pretty much identical to GI sans the FA features, the only one out there is LRB. SEI is also a forging but from bar stock which is different. I'm happy with my SEI but it took a while to iron the bugs out of the rifle.

[floydthecat]

Good information. The couple of M21’s I’ve seen look very mil-spec and do include Winchester barrels, Winchester TG and TRW bolts. The builds I’ve seen look exactly like the rifle I want. Fulton seems to have a very good reputation in the Carbine world and they really like their stuff. I’ll have to seriously consider your remarks concerning their receivers.

[Neal Myers]

I have been inside Fulton Armory (I don't think that they allow visitors now). Like SA Inc, they also offer a lifetime warranty. They call their products "hand crafted", & that's not an exaggeration. Each rifle is assembled, gauged, & tested one at a time. Not cheap, but premium quality never is.

[Sunray]

Clinton's ban did not apply to the M1A. Hence, there's no such thing as a pre or post ban SA Inc. rifle.
"...want to pick the right one..." To do what? How much money do you want to spend?
The M21 is a military designation for a gussied up M-14 based sniper rifle. Closest would probably be a scoped M1A 'Loaded' with the walnut stock. Must say the unscoped, semi'd, Winchester with the fibreglass stock I have is very pleasant to carry at 9.8 pounds. So a Standard with either synthetic stock will do nicely too.
"...Ruger has taken the art of investment casting to a new level..." Ruger's entire firearm business is based on that. Was right from the get go. They still have a "side-line" business making stuff for industry.
Cast parts are not the same thing as investment cast either. However, your vehicle's engine block is cast. Ever see one break?
"...US Navy tried this during the Vietnam War..." Tried it in the 1950's. Long before the U.S. got involved in SEA.
And any rifle Century had anything to do with is suspect at best. They are notorious for assembly rifles out of parts bins with zero QC. Not even checking the headspace to ensure the thing was safe to shoot.

[Brian Dick]

The only thing that was affected by the 1994 AWB was the flash hider. The bayonet lugs were eliminated. Chinese M14S imports from Norinco and Polytechnologies over that period of time had flash hiders with unfinished solid flutes and no bayonet lugs. Later imports had it cut off beyond the threaded muzzle so all it was was a front sight base.

The M21 was a bit more than gussied up. It was a standard M14 rebuilt to National Match specification with a medium weight barrel and the addition of the Leatherwood ART telescope and mount. They will shoot MOA all day long if well maintained using M118 ammo. I had them in my care as a young Armorer in the mid 80's and the sniper candidates that took them to school did quite well with them even though they were getting a bit long in the tooth.