December 16, 17, & 18, 2025 Firearms & Militaria
Lot #1122:
(C) EARLY DEVINE TEXAS SPRINGFIELD M1A SEMI-AUTOMATIC RIFLE WITH XM21 AR TEL SCOPE AND CAN.
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/16/2025
As the War in Vietnam continued into the early 1970s, Elmer Balance began building M1A rifles, a civilian version of the military M14 for target shooting. The first few thousand were assembled between 1972 and 1974 at his facility in Devine, Texas before the company was sold and production moved to Geneseo, Illinois. This early example serial number 1881 was built circa 1973 and bears the early "DEVINE TX" address on the underside of the barrel. Fitted with standard protect blade front sight and National Match style rear aperture. Iron sights have been superseded by a highly desirable XM21 Redfield AR TEL 3-9x scope with ART1 reticle. The scope serial number appears to have been milled off. The XM21 sniper was officially adopted in 1969 and served through the Vietnam War. An olive painted scope can also accompanies this example. Rifle is built with USGI internals. It currently sports an M14E2 hardwood stock with folding vertical foregrip, pistol grip, and rubber pad. CONDITION: Excellent. Rifle retains nearly all of its parkerized finish with handling marks and a few rubs. Wood is also fine with a few scattered impressions. Crisp, bright bore. Fine mechanics. Optic and mount show some expected wear. Glass is lightly clouded. Scope can is good showing areas of paint loss. A great, early M1A.