Well, at least he won't be crushed by the weight of all that .308 on the market. 
But really though, I've been looking at some sweet M1A rifles. Only bad thing is the price, and as I said, lack of plentyful ammo.
Well, like I've told many others...if you get an M1A, you really do not need another rifle. These are the advantages I've seen: I've shot mine, and it is very easy to control shot placement. Not much kick. The caliber is very accurate out to 800-1,000+ yards if you know what you're doing (can't see using this much, but it's good to know). This also tells me that it will be much more accurate than an AK as distance increases (not that the AK is a bad weapon). It will penetrate many kinds of "cover" that the 5.56 cannot.
Another benefit, in my opinion, is that it also doesn't resemble the stereotypical "evil black assault rifle" that the public has been indoctrinated against. The M1A actually looks like any other hunting rifle with a 5 or 10-rd magazine (easily switchable), especially if you get one that has a camouflage stock. So, you get the capabilities of a battle rifle without sheeple freaking out the second they see it.
Another added benefit that the advocates of AKs and ARs do not seem to consider, is the M1A's ability to load ammunition via stripper clips (unless you have a scope/rail mounted on top). If I do run out of loaded mags, if I have a bandoleer with me, I can load 10-rd stripper clips all day long, without pausing. It's not as effective as loading magazines, but I won't be out of the fight for 1-2 minutes while I'm trying to load, thereby providing the enemy at least a few seconds to a minute to fire and maneuver to a different location. If you lose sight of the opposition's position, you might end up dead.
Yes, you will pay more for 7.62 NATO and .308. However, you probably will not use more than a few thousand rounds of ammo. I purchased 2 200-rd battle packs of German mil-surp 7.62 ammo for less than $200 from Cheaper Than Dirt. I have had some feeding problems with mine (one out of every ten on average, for a grand total of 60 rounds, would fail to completely load from the mag to the chamber). However, through a member of this forum (or former member, rather) who is very knowledgeable on such things, I have been told that this ammunition is actually of good quality and it's probably some maintenance I need to perform on my M1A. Still working on that. Anyway, quality ammunition can be had for a decent price if you look around for it. Currently, Cheaper Than Dirt has 1,000 rds of Lake City 7.62 for $604. That's only $0.61 per round, for mil-spec 7.62 from an American manufacturer. Excellent deal, if you have the money.
