Academy Sports

[none]

We were there yesterday picking up some fishing supplies, my Son wants to go fishing I have never been so it seems like it might be a  good idea.  None the less I went past the gun section just because and Saw an elusive M1A I have been wanting one for quite some time and my wife has already given the green light!  But I am a bit hesitant about making such a purcahse at a big box store.  I really like to shop at independent shops, however I have not been able to find one at the local shops since we moved here.  I have checked some of the shops in Mt Juliet and Lebanon to no avail.  They were asking about $1600.00 for a standard model.  Thoughts?

[TNWNGR]

While elusive M1A's aren't impossible to find. Unused original 20 round GI magazines are a different story. As to the $1600.00 price...if you really want it buy it, I don't think you'll save more than a hundred or so dollars shopping around elsewhere.  

[DaveTN]

Buds sells the one Academy has (MA9102) for $1485, but they don’t have any in stock. They have the loaded (MA9222) in stock for $1542. I think we now pay tax at Buds and you would have a transfer fee. But you could get the LOADED from Buds for what you would pay for the STD at Academy.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/springfield-armory-174-m1a-153-308-win-semi-automatic-rifle/pid-1076833
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/27445/Springfield+MA9102+M1A+STD+308+WAL+BL
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/27492/Springfield+Armory+M1A+Loaded%2C+Walnut+stock%2C+carbon+barrel

[Hozzie]

Buds sells the one Academy has (MA9102) for $1485, but they don’t have any in stock. They have the loaded (MA9222) in stock for $1542. I think we now pay tax at Buds and you would have a transfer fee. But you could get the LOADED from Buds for what you would pay for the STD at Academy.

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/springfield-armory-174-m1a-153-308-win-semi-automatic-rifle/pid-1076833
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/27445/Springfield+MA9102+M1A+STD+308+WAL+BL
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/27492/Springfield+Armory+M1A+Loaded%2C+Walnut+stock%2C+carbon+barrel

Nope, no tax yet. Or at least they didn't on a rifle I purchased there a few days ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cz75b]

there is a springfield armory m1a with mags and ammo for sale on the forum.member too new or something?anyway it comes with mags and ammo and apparently they are willing to travel to sell it.

[1madss]

Nope, no tax yet. Or at least they didn't on a rifle I purchased there a few days ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yep, me too. I bought a shotgun there last month and not only no tax, but they took my offer $25 less than the asking price and free shipping.

[Jonnin]

We were there yesterday picking up some fishing supplies, my Son wants to go fishing I have never been so it seems like it might be a  good idea.  None the less I went past the gun section just because and Saw an elusive M1A I have been wanting one for quite some time and my wife has already given the green light!  But I am a bit hesitant about making such a purcahse at a big box store.  I really like to shop at independent shops, however I have not been able to find one at the local shops since we moved here.  I have checked some of the shops in Mt Juliet and Lebanon to no avail.  They were asking about $1600.00 for a standard model.  Thoughts?

 

academy has been really good IMHO.  Individuals hired by them aside, they have:

- made a good policy on .22 to spread it around

- not jacked up prices

- did not ban anything after sandy hook

- will help you mount a scope and bore-sight free

- have affordable common firearms and ammo

- support hunting, archery, and other related sporting

- maintain a positive attitude towards the folks that swing by every other morning in hopes of .22 shipment, even when we rarely buy anything else

 

and I have no problems buying things from them.  A number of mom & pop shops have price gouged as have other big chains, and some chains removed ARs from their lineups and other negative things.  I feel that supporting academy is as good as supporting a local shop and better than supporting a gouger.

[Currently]

Academy, sportsman warehouse, GT's earned my business.

Actually bought a second Eotech from them this spring and told them the reason why I bought from them instead of online was they had fair pricing on ammo.

Three weeks later, I bought 1500 rounds from them. My grandson went through 500 rounds when he came to visit ... He's a better shot than I am!

[austin7.62]

Nope, no tax yet. Or at least they didn't on a rifle I purchased there a few days ago.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good to know. I've been wondering about when we will start having to pay sales tax.

[DaveTN]

Good to know. I've been wondering about when we will start having to pay sales tax.

On the 4th they posted they are opening soon.

[Guest whamonkey]

I like Academy and support them when I can. You can find M1A's cheaper online with no tax and that makes a big difference. I owned an M1A Scout and I would offer these caveats just for your info. 1.The charging handle runs down the length of the right side of the stock and you can get your hands on it as it's exposed. Not a great feature. 2.The synthetic stock they ship with is garbage due to flex and you will not have an MOA rifle with it. Consider wood or find an old fiberglass one. 3.Avoid the Socom versions as the gas system is proprietary, and they are LOUD as hell...go with the Scout or a full size. If you plan on reloading keep in mind the M1A extractor beats the hell out of those casings. 4. These rifles are heavy. I eventually put mine in a Sage EBR Mod 1 and it weighed 12.5 pounds unloaded. Didn't weigh it prior to that but it was a beast. 5. If you plan on optics you will need a cheek riser and a LER Scope (or a Sadlak mount which runs about $200) 6. Probably want the trigger worked on...they aren't great out of the box. They are in my opinion a specialized rifle which won't do the job a Remington 700 would do better. All this to say that for the money, I wasn't overly impressed. They are battle proven true, but at that price point you could have any number of excellent AR's (Which I am back to BTW) take this with a grain of salt but I paid and lost quite a bit of $$ to get to these conclusions. Good luck!

[none]

I like Academy and support them when I can. You can find M1A's cheaper online with no tax and that makes a big difference. I owned an M1A Scout and I would offer these caveats just for your info.
1.The charging handle runs down the length of the right side of the stock and you can get your hands on it as it's exposed. Not a great feature.
2.The synthetic stock they ship with is garbage due to flex and you will not have an MOA rifle with it. Consider wood or find an old fiberglass one.
3.Avoid the Socom versions as the gas system is proprietary, and they are LOUD as hell...go with the Scout or a full size. If you plan on reloading keep in mind the M1A extractor beats the hell out of those casings.
4. These rifles are heavy. I eventually put mine in a Sage EBR Mod 1 and it weighed 12.5 pounds unloaded. Didn't weigh it prior to that but it was a beast.
5. If you plan on optics you will need a cheek riser and a LER Scope (or a Sadlak mount which runs about $200)
6. Probably want the trigger worked on...they aren't great out of the box.
They are in my opinion a specialized rifle which won't do the job a Remington 700 would do better.
All this to say that for the money, I wasn't overly impressed. They are battle proven true, but at that price point you could have any number of excellent AR's (Which I am back to BTW) take this with a grain of salt but I paid and lost quite a bit of $$ to get to these conclusions. Good luck!

Would I be better off just tweaking my Mini 14 a bit?

I really enjoy shooting it for its intended purpose it does well.

[Oh Shoot]

Would I be better off just tweaking my Mini 14 a bit?

 

Decision is as much about the round as about the gun. If you're satisfied to stay with 5.56, a Mini does same thing as an AR as far as "battle accuracy". But with good solid ARs in the $700 range, you could add a more precise 5.56 rifle fairly painlessly rather than throwing money into the Mini. Then you'd have a center of mass rifle and a center of brain rifle. :)  Not to mention a bunch of clams left over for ammo.

 

Just depends on what best suits intentions of your overall arsenal.

 

- OS

Edited July 8, 2014 by Oh Shoot

[Guest whamonkey]

[quote name="wcd" post="1166441" timestamp="1404781077"]Would I be better off just tweaking my Mini 14 a bit? I really enjoy shooting it for its intended purpose it does well.[/quote] That depends as mentioned on your caliber choice. If you are content in the .223/5.56 arena I would say your Mini is an all around good "ranch gun" but I wouldn't consider those fighting rifles as much as utility guns...puts meat on the table and can be used in a defensive posture. How much you want to invest in it really depends on what you want the rifle for. Trigger jobs, optics, etc.....the costs add up! Just my opinion, but I think an AR is more versatile and would be and is my "go to" for all things defensive or offensive. As for the M1A, the .308 is a formidable round and does a lot of things well. It'll punch through a cinder block or a car door and still damage your target, and adds about 200 yards of lethal range over a 5.56. I can't see or shoot that far so for me? Useless. Mine was more gun than I needed or wanted to hump around in the event I had to. I'm no expert, believe me, but the M1A is a nice rifle that just costs way too much. There is a mystique about them that a lot of guys love but in my case, seemed like an AWFUL lot of green for a very specific firearm. If I had all the money I spent on that thing all over again and I was set on .308 there would be no question I would choose a SCAR 17S in a minute. I wouldn't consider an AR-10 btw. No reason....just find the SCAR more appealing. Edited July 8, 2014 by whamonkey

[mossyoak1851]

i seen a wood stocked m1a at the academy in clarksville for 1600, hopefully ill get it for a anniversary gift 

[Dolomite_supafly]

I seen some standard M1A's at the last gun show for less than that. I actually thought to myself they were mismarked because they were so cheap.