It was rather common for sharpshooters to prefer the springfield over the M1 Garand due to the accuracy of the Springfield. There were also issues with the M1c variant of the Garand. The main issue was the placement of the telescopic sight, because it could not go directly over the reciever due to the way the M1 Garand needs to be loaded from the top.

For the most part, it was snipers who would prefer the springfield. From an autobiography, Shots Fired in Anger, the author mentions that during the battle of Guadalcanal, nearly everyone would have preferred to use the M1 Garand if they were using the Springfield without a scope.

So did regular troops prefer the Springfield? According to that autobiography, no.