Evolution of National Match Rifles – Springfield Armory Production
To open a formatted (PDF) copy of this article for printing, click here.
© Robert W. Seijas V2 10/10
The evolution of the M1 NM rifle is generally broken down into three major stages according to the chronological introduction of major improvements. The official National Match program terminated in 1963, and most NM rifles returned or still in inventory were reconditioned to 1963 standards.
| Type 1 | 1953 – 1958 | |
| Intermediate | 1959 | |
| Type 2 | 1960 – 1963 |
__________________________________________________________________________________________
TYPE 1: (Generally identical to issue grade rifles in appearance)
| a) | Production | New |
Rebuilt |
Total | ||
| 1953 | 800 | 800 | ||||
| 1954 | 1700 | 800 | 2500 | |||
| 1955 | 3003 | 314 | 3317 | |||
| 1956 | 5050 | 550 | 5600 | |||
| 1957 | 4184 | 499 | 4683 | |||
| 1958 | 1295 | 731 | 2026 | |||
| b) | Specially selected and assembled for match quality | |||||
| c) | Only non-standard marking is NM near muzzle | |||||
| d) | 1957 improvement: | Front sight marked 062 available and installation by competitors permitted | ||||
| e) | 1958 major improvements: | Gas cylinder ring reamed .006 larger | ||||
| Front sight NM062 permitted | ||||||
| Aperture NM .595 and NM .520 permitted | ||||||
| f) | Supply of new receivers exhausted | |||||
__________________________________________________________________________________________
INTERMEDIATE: (First use of NM marked parts in original SA assembly)
| a) | Production | New |
Rebuilt | Total | ||
| 1959 |
2877 |
2652 |
5529 | |||
| 1959 Major Improvements: | Front sight – NM 062 | |||||
| Aperture – NM .595 (NM .520 optional) | ||||||
| Rear sight base – NM | ||||||
| Windage knob – NM | ||||||
| Wedges glued into recoil shoulders of stock on most new NM’s | ||||||
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
TYPE 2: (Glass bedding and full complement of NM component parts)
| a) | Production | New |
Rebuilt |
Total | ||
| 1960 | 8663 | 8663 | ||||
| 1960 Major Improvements: | Glass Bedding | |||||
| Front handguard secured to lower band | ||||||
| Stock and trigger group serialed to rifle (last four digits) | ||||||
| Non-issue item authorized: | Experimental ½ minute sight disc | |||||
| b) |
Production | New |
Rebuilt |
Total | ||
| 1961 |
1410 | 1410 | ||||
| 1961 Major Improvements: | Operating rod marked SA or RA NM 7790277 | |||||
| 1962 | 4500 |
4500 |
||||
| 1962 Major Improvements: | ½ minute hooded aperture | |||||
| Rear sight base – NM/2 | ||||||
| 1963 | 3639 |
3639 | ||||
| 1963 Major Improvements: | Rear sight base – NM/2A | |||||
| F7791035 marked NM barrel | ||||||