Springfield Armory M1A Maintenance

The M1A is one of my favorite rifles. It’s an old school battle rifle made of steel and wood. The version I own is the Loaded model in 308 Winchester and it has proven to be very accurate. It has the 22" National Match barrel, NM front sight blade and rear aperture sight, and a 4.5-pound twostage trigger. There’s a common perception that along barrel is more accurate than a short barrel. Ballistically speaking, this is not true.

A short, stiff barrel is less likely to be affected by harmonics, temperature, etc. than a longer, less rigid barrel. A longer barrel helps accuracy when using iron sights by increasing the sight radius. A longer barrel also generates higher velocity, depending on the type and amount of powder. I enjoy hitting steel plates at 200 yards with the iron sights; it’s more of a challenge than using a scope.

Another benefit of the 308 Winchester is that a 168 grain bullet launched at 2600 feet per second makes a much louder clang when it hits steel compared to a 69 grain bullet from a 5.56/223 Remington rifle. Let’s get into maintaining M1A rifles. Disassembly Remove the magazine if installed. Fully retract the bolt and make sure the chamber is empty, then let the bolt go forward. Invert the rifle and rest the receiver on a wood block to ensure the rear sight doesn’t hit the bench.

Unlatch the trigger guard by pulling the rear of the guard rearward and upward. It may be necessary to install around tool like a punch in the hole in the rear of the trigger guard to get enough leverage to unlatch it. Rotate the trigger guard forward to release it from the side plates and pull it from the receiver. Typically, the stock can be lifted off the action with it inverted.

If it doesn’t want to come off, hold the stock and action together while still inverted and tap the butt of the stock on a padded surface. The action will drop free. Bolt Disassembly The only tools needed to disassemble the bolt are an empty 30- 06 Springfield case, a 1/8" diameter punch, and a hammer. After removing the action from the stock, set it on the bench, lock the bolt

Receiver is sitting on a wood block to protect the rear sight. Trigger guard is pulled rearward and upward to unlatch it. Around tool may be needed to provide adequate leverage. open and install the empty case in the chamber. The 30-06 case is obviously longer that than a 308 case and will protrude. Allow the bolt to go forward and push the operating rod handle forward to get the extractor to clamp onto the rim of the case. Invert the action and locate the bottom of the extractor in the bolt.

Place the punch on the extractor and tap it with the hammer until the extractor pops out. I put a shop towel under the receiver to catch the extractor. The firing pin is released when the extractor is removed. The punch is held in the bolt by the ejector and spring. Pushing the op rod handle forward compresses the ejector spring and releases the punch. The ejector, spring, and firing pin can now be removed from the bolt and the 30-06 case removed from the chamber.

The extractor spring in my rifle was stubborn and didn’t want to be removed; I didn’t want to force it so I left it in the bolt. Op Rod Removal The recoil spring and guide are removed with the action inverted. The end of the guide is retained by a pin in the receiver. Compress the recoil spring slightly and pull the pin to the side so the end of the guide can be lifted out of the receiver. The spring and guide are then removed.

The op rod is moved rearward until the handle lines up Far removed, pushing forward on the op rod handle allows the punch to be removed. The ejector is visible at the front of the bolt. Ejector, spring, and firing pin can be removed.

with the notch in the receiver below the rear sight windage knob. The notch can be "felt" by pulling up on the op rod while moving it rearward. Depending on the rifle, it may be possible to pull upward on the handle and pop the op rod loose. Grease is added to the cup and it’s pressed onto the roller. My rifle required the use of a flat blade screwdriver with tape wrapped around the blade and a plastic hammer.

The action is set on its left side with the op rod handle pointed up and located at the notch in the receiver. The blade of the screwdriver is inserted between the op rod and receiver by the stripper clip guide dovetail and the screwdriver is twisted to apply torque to the op rod. The bottom of the handle is given a sharp tap with the hammer and the op rod will pop loose. It is rotated and pulled from the receiver.

The bolt is removed by pulling it forward and tilting the front of the Below far The screwdriver is twisted to apply torque and a sharp blow to the op rod handle with the hammer will disengage the op rod from the receiver. Extractor spring and plunger are still in the bolt. bolt upward. Note, the bolt does not have to be disassembled to remove it from the receiver. Inspection and Lubrication The parts can now be cleaned and inspected.

A very light layer of grease, like Lubriplate, is applied to the appropriate areas on the receiver, op rod, and bolt. On the receiver, it’s the inside top of the receiver and sides where the bolt rides and the op rod groove. On the Bottom far The ejector has a small notch that points to the right of the bolt; it must be aligned with the hole when the extractor is installed. Firing pin is installed.

Ensure that the extractor spring and plunger are in place. Push the op rod handle forward until the bolt face is against the case. Extractor is installed and pushed in until it snaps into place. It may require a tap with a hammer to fully seat it. op rod, it’s the bolt roller groove. Grease is applied to the top of the bolt on each end and the bolt roller is greased using a handy little tool, aptly named a bolt roller greaser. The cup is filled with grease and pushed onto the roller to force the grease into it.

Any areas that show metal to metal contact are greased as well. The tubular section of the op rod that slides in the guide under the barrel is given a thin coat of oil. The trigger group is cleaned and oiled as needed. Reassembly Install the bolt into the receiver and push it to the rear. The receiver is set on its left side and the front of the op rod is installed into the guide under the barrel. Make sure that the bolt roller is in the angled notch on the op rod that cams the bolt open and closed.

Align the op rod handle with the notch in the receiver, push the op rod toward the receiver and it will snap into place. With the receiver inverted on the wood block, in- Piston can be held with the "D" shaped hole in the gas cylinder wrench if so equipped. stall the recoil spring and guide and engage the pin that retains the guide. Set the receiver upright and lock the bolt to the rear. Install the ejector and its spring into the hole on the bottom of the bolt face.

The ejector has a small notch that faces to the right; it must be aligned with the hole for the extractor. Install the 30-06 case in the chamber and slowly let the bolt go forward. The extractor spring and plunger are installed in the angled

15 Bolt Stop Pin 16 Bolt Stop 17 Bolt Stop Spring 18 Connector Lock 19 Connector Lock Pin 20 Operating Rod Guide 21 Operating Guide Rod Pin 22 Barrel Band 23 Gas Cylinder 24 Spindle Valve Pin 25 Spindle Valve 26 Spindle Valve Spring 27 Piston 28 Gas Cylinder Lock 29 Gas Cylinder Plug 30 Castle Nut 31 Front Sight Set Screw 1 Barrel 2 Receiver 3 Bolt 4 Firing Pin 5 Extractor – Extractor Plunger, NI 6 Extractor Spring – Ejector, NI 7 Ejector Spring 8 Rear Sight Aperture 9 Rear Sight Base 10 Sight Cover 11 Elevation Knob 12 Windage Knob 13 Clip Guide 14 Clip Guide Pin 32 Front Sight 33 Castle Nut Set Screw 34 Flash Suppressor 35 Operating Rod Spring Guide 36 Operating Rod Spring 37 Operating Rod 38 Buttplate Assembly 39 Buttplate Screw 40 Buttplate Screw 41 Sling Swivel, Rear 42 Stock Liner Screw 43 Stock Liner 44 Stock 45 Sear Pin (Small) 46 Hammer Spring Housing 47 Hammer Spring Springfield Armory M1A (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 48 Hammer Spring Plunger 49 Hammer 50 Trigger Housing 51 Safety Spring 52 Trigger Pin 53 Safety 54 Trigger Guard 55 Hammer Pin 56 Magazine Catch 57 Magazine Catch Spring 58 Magazine Catch Pin 59 Handguard 60 Swivel, Front – Swivel Rivet, Front, NI – Swivel Washer, Front, NI 61 Ferrule, Front 62 Handguard Clip hole in the bolt if they have been removed.

The firing pin is installed; the rear of the firing pin fits into a notch in the rear of the bolt. The bolt is pushed forward and held against the case head to compress the ejector spring. Check that the ejector notch is lined up correctly. You should be able to see completely through the extractor hole in the bolt. The extractor is inserted into the hole and pressed until it snaps into place. It may require a tap with the hammer to fully seat it. Retract the bolt and the case will eject.

Gas System Service If the operating rod is installed, lock the bolt to the rear. The plug is removed from the end of the gas cylinder using a gas cylinder wrench and a 3/8" box wrench. The gas piston is pushed forward out of the cylinder. Any carbon in the gas plug and piston can be removed by using the correct size drill bits. The gas plug requires an "O" size bit (0.316") and the piston requires "P" (0.323") and #15 (0.180") bits. Carbon on the piston should be removed as well.

After the parts are cleaned, they are installed in the reverse order. The piston extension has a flat on one side, the piston is installed with the flat facing up. A slight amount of anti-seize compound is added to the plug threads and the plug torqued to 150-170 inch-pounds. The assembled action is dropped into the stock and the trigger group installed. The rear of the trigger guard is pushed into the trigger group to latch it. I then cycle dummy rounds through the action to verify proper function. A final note.

When cleaning the barrel bore, invert the rifle so that the solvent and debris don’t get into the gas system. I use a cleaning rod guide that fits on the flash hider to prevent damaging the muzzle. AG