I vote for the M1A. I have owned one for a number of years and it is one of my favorite rifles. Yeah, its heavy and long. But I don't care as much about that as I do about accuracy and dependability. I may have had 2 jams in the years I have owned it. And I have fired thousands and thousands of rounds thru that old girl.
And she is deadon accurate. The recoil isn't bad at all. And she looks like a 'real' rifle.