Welcome everyone to the 158th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only has a Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

Note: At the request of the seller of this gun, all images have been removed. The link below will take you to the original images.

An email we received:

In our last edition, our poll showed that you, the readers, decided the bullpup .50 BMG was really just fudd crap.  

HGFC – 50 BMG Bullpup Blaster or Imminent Disaster? — Poll Results

At this time the original auction remains up with the Liberty Arms SP-50 still up for grabs.  We can only hope this odd, but historically significant gat can make its way to a new home in the near future.   

In this week’s edition of HGFC, we look at an SVD-inspired M1A chambered in .308/7.62×51. As is tradition, this Russian-inspired M1A is currently up for sale on GunBroker for $2,499 Current Bid with No Reserve.  

HOT GAT or FUDD CRAP?

Cold War Crossover or at Loss Over?

Let’s see what the Staff had to say about this week’s offering:

“Because every time I’ve shot something with an SVD stock on it I’ve thought to myself “Huh I’d love to have this ergonomic shit pile on another rifle”” – Tim C.

“Could you just DraguNot” – Nick C.

“This is the gun-equivalent of Americans who wear tracksuits, Ushanaks, flat caps, and АУЕ tattoos”  – Luke C.

“Perfect for the shooter who craves the ergonomics of the SVD, but not the reliability.” – Daniel Y.

Selling this cold war inspired gat is GunBroker seller branstone, located in Bend OR.  Let’s see what they had to say about this SVD-inspired M1A.  

Up for sale is a custom Springfield M1A rifle. This is a standard model and in like new condition. It was only used to fit stocks. I no longer make stocks though so I am letting it go. It is in a Three Rivers Wood stocks, stock made from turkish walnut. Has good figure and is tight fitting with a BLO finish. Turkish walnut is stronger and more dense than standard black walnut and is very expensive. These stocks are designed after the iconic Russian SVD Dragunov stock. The comb has been raised .75 of an inch from a stock M1A for better cheek weld with irons without the cheek rest. With the cheek rest, low to medium rings is perfect for most people and scopes for a tight cheek weld. No chin weld like with most scope setups on stock M1A rifles. This rifle comes with an A.R.M.S 18 scope mount. These are the lowest mounts and in my opinion, best mounts on the market. Rifle comes with:

Springfield M1A standard 

ARMS 18 mount

Three Rivers wood stocks, stock in turkish walnut with 13 slot forward rail for sling and bipod mounting. 

Authentic Russian SVD leather cheek rest, not cheep knock off. 

SVD clone butt pad

????Rear sling post

5x 15RD CMI magazines 

1x 10RD Springfield magazine 

Soft case for rifle

This is a super nice, unique and comfortable rifle. Only weighs 9.8lbs as shown with empty magazine. Stock adds comfort and aids in control and tigger pull. These stocks are considered pistol grips and NOT thumbholes. Please keep that in mind and follow your local laws and regulations. Must ship to ffl. Will ship only after payment has cleared. Please let me know if you have any question. Happy bidding. 

From M21EBR clones to modified new-school 6.5 Creedmoor variants, the M14/M1A is a design that’s both hated by its critics and beloved by those who carried it at the same time.  Even with this strange cult following I never expected us to end up here.

Having had the rare opportunity to shoot both the SVD and M1A in my lifetime, this seems like both the best and worst of both worlds.  While the cheek riser and butt pad may be comfortable, the 9.8 lb weight and half a mile length of pull are far from desirable or practical.

I have to give credit where credit is due and say that the woodwork is really rather good.  Sure, some of the angles are a little off, and the gun is rather heavy.  However, no one expects anything built from walnut to be light.  I’d venture to guess this rifle is a dream to shoot from the bench.  I’m doubtful about its usefulness beyond that.

With all the craftsmanship and woodwork that’s gone into this M1A, is it worth it for the price?  Or for $2.5K are you better off leaving this behind and starting anew?  As always I leave it up to you, the readers, to decide.

What do you think?  Is this Dragunov-inspired Springfield M1A a Hot Gat or some ergonomically confused Fudd Crap?  Be sure to let us know in the comments below, and cast your vote to let us know if this Springfield M1A with SVD Dragunov Stock is a Hot Gat or Fudd Crap:

Special thank you to reader Rick H for the tip!