Super Match?? What to look for

3534 Views 20 Replies 15 Participants Last post by Roadkingtrax, May 15, 2016

Lemmonhead

Discussion Starter · May 14, 2016

I am going to look at a "Super Match" that a guy has for sale. He says that it is a heavy barrel with oversize stock. The serial number is 200**, sold 10/1981. I contacted Carol at Springfield Armory and she said that it left Springfield as a standard M1A. The rifle has a TRW bolt and NM sights but the guy says that he has never taken the receiver out of the stock because of the bedding and has no idea about the rest of the parts. He doesn't know if it has a rear lug or not.

If I am going to pay a premium price I will want to know if all the parts are GI. The guy says he has had it for many years and has never fired it, no idea how much use it got before he got it.

What else should I look for? Anything to look for specifically on the barrel?

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Lemmonhead

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 14, 2016

I believe he said there was a bolt at the front of the mag well that appears to bolt the stock to the receiver.

I have a loaded model now but have been wanting a Super Match for awhile to shoot highpower matches, as a change up from the AR. My first hand knowledge of that particular platform is limited.

Anything to look for as far as who may have done the work such as Glen Nelson or another builder? Do most builders leave a mark or identification?

Thanks again.

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Lemmonhead

Discussion Starter · #14 · May 14, 2016 (Edited)

Thanks for the advice.

He also has a M1A NM with a serial number in the 29,***.
From the the conversations with him. Both rifles have heavy barrels. One has an oversized stock that is bolted to the receiver, one a regular stock. Both have TRW bolts and NM sights but he does not know about the other parts. Both are bedded into the stock.
Supposably he has had them for many years but had not fired them.

I won't buy either one of them without being able to at least take the actions out of the stock and inspect the barrels and parts.

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Lemmonhead

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 14, 2016

timrb said:
I had a standard model once upon a time and sent it in to Springfield for their "Supermatch upgrade". I forget what the cost was, but I guess it must have seemed reasonable at the time. Krieger barrel, NM sights, trigger job, bedding, etc.

Anyway, when it was finished, my rifle was the equivalent of a Supermatch except for the receiver lugs. I later dropped it into a McMillan stock, but if you want that you can have Springfield do that, too. It is still a very fine-shooting rifle.

That said, you probably will find your AR better suited to highpower matches unless it's a real dog. Almost nobody shoots anything but an AR any more, at least in service rifle matches.

Edit: Good info in this thread: http://m14forum.com/accuracy/198804-nm-barrels-springfield.html

Tim

Due to some life circumstances I have not been able to shoot highpower for 3 years now. I am going to start back up soon. Prior to my layoff I was shooting high master scores and probably one match away from getting high master classification with the AR. I still plan on shooting the AR for the most part but variety is the spice of life. One of these years I plan on going to Perry and would like to participate in everything that it has to offer.

I also shoot in some local VimSAR matches with the Loaded. Rules in these matches are that you cannot have a match tuned rifle, standard or "loaded" version are all that is allowed for the M14 type rifles. So sending mine in for a upgrade is not what I want to do. I would rather have a separate highpower specific rifle.

The M1As are not completely foreign to me but I am by no means a knowledgeable expert on the variations. I have been reading through the posts and archives in order to make an informed decision on my purchase.

Thanks for everyone input.

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Lemmonhead

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 15, 2016

Update

I was able to go and have a limited inspection the rifles and take some pictures. The seller claims that neither rifle have been fired and that he is the original owner of both.
He was very reluctant to allow me to take the trigger group out and inspect, I was not allowed to take the action out of the stock.

It appears that both rifles have SA GI parts other than the TRW bolts. The SM is bolted into the stock at the front and rear of the receiver. Only identification I could see on the limited view of the barrels was a mark of 3 interlocked circles on the SM barrel. (see picture)

My personal opinion is that both rifles have been fired. And I do not think that the SM left SA in it's current configuration.

Here are some pictures. Let me know what you think.