That is plenty accurate to be an urban or close range sniper. Hopefully, one would not be alone in their endeavors. I am going to test this theory again next week. groups (yes, seriously) and I was able to accomplish some pretty cool scores in the Junior Division those thousands of years ago. Muzzle velocity for this test was a zippy 2969 fps., or 104 percent of list velocity. Early M1A rifles were built with surplus G.I. - YouTube 0:00 / 9:27 Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16 Accuracy Test. Sure, people can hit targets further than this, but its uncommon, to say the least. Try adjusting your selection. That's what my doctor told me once when he didn't have a clue. That's shooting 168 gr match ammunition. Other well proven 1st rate designs like the FAL, G3, AKM are rockers. It takes balls to do that! We don't doubt it at all - it seems the general consensus is that the M14 was, on average, a much better performing rifle than the M1A - though some folks still swear by their M1As as well. One shoot we went to 800, but my slow load with a 60 grain V-max was key holing at 800. I looked at buying a M1A. Takes time learning it. And check out the Best .308 Ammo, Best AR-10s, and Best 7.6251 Battle Rifles. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website. gun around in the first place, then recoil is not going to be an issue. I love the old battle rifles, so shooting this is has a huge fun factor. Sorry, no products match that criteria. Here, he explains their advantages and disadvantagesand how to use them safely. The guns also got a 5lb two-stage trigger, which might feel sort of heavy, but its really obvious when its going to break and theres very minimal creep on the takeup. Chronograph results from my Oehler 35P were that the velocity loss is only about 60 fps from the normal length 22-inch M1A barrel. I own an M1A Scout and had a totally different experience. The drawback to this is that the recoil can give you what is referred to as a " whores lip" just like the Garand, and the '03, some shooters can put ten rounds in the black at 500 yards, while others could go nonqual at 25yards. I own a Springfield National Match M1A with a Krieger barrel which I have used in NRA competition for about 12 years. Ive been using this spotting scope for some time, and it really helps locate those small holes at extended ranges. Firing off the bench with Aimpoint Micro T-2 and Hornady Steel Match ammo. mine gives me a small mouse of a black eye when I do it right ! With both the Leupold and the Aimpoint, fir- ing off the bench produced pretty good groups of 312 to four inches with the Black Hills and Hornady ammo. WebIn both tactical and traditional forms, the SOCOM 16 will answer your call for a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power. The rifle has proven to be a tack driver, making me look like a better shooter than I am. Prevent child access by always keeping guns locked away and unloaded when not in use. Not long ago I spent some quality time on the range with Springfield's long-range Loaded M1A target model. To the readers it sounds like excuses. (Lucky bastids) As a kid from Texas this was a day doing one of my favorite things with a new rifle thrown in to boot. I have a M1A Loaded that I bought used. Springfield Armory Gen 4 M1A Optics Mount. He has always had a love of the outdoors and shooting and has been shooting for 40+ years. That's part of what makes these rifles so special. The other is the standard which i bought a year after the SOCOM. Sorry, an error occurred and we could not sign you up. The bullet mushroomed to about one and a half times its original size, stopped at right around 12" into the bare gelatin and left an impressive permanent cavity behind it. Of course, I could be wrong. Also, as designed by the military the gas system was only designed to handle 147 grain projectile with fast burning powders.. What a disappointment. .308 WIN MSRP $2,087 - $2,540 M1A Scout Squad Rifles Combining the legendary power and accuracy of the M1A with the quick handling and fast sight acquisition of a scout style rifle. WebThe .458 SOCOM achieves optimum ballistic performance in barrel lengths shorter than 16 so there is no need for longer, less portable barrels. We were the first training regiment at Wood to be issued the M14 and I have fond memories of that rifle. My M-1 Garands are tack drivers at 100 yards. You could fully load an M-4 style rifle with 30 rounds, optic, sling, and laser and be close to that same weight. A good Tam sling worked well in this aspect. In our opinion the .458 SOCOM has several design and performance advantages over the.450 Bushmaster and the .500 Beowulf including improved functional reliability and the use of a standard AR magazine. When I got done watching it I realized that the other articles and videos I watched and read were just blowing the manufacturers so they would keep sending them guns to review. I also picked up a nearly new, shot 50 times Predator Pursuit for $900 off of Gunbroker, nice varmint/deer package. I would love to shoot the M1A. I was going to purchase one, then decided on something different. Wow. We did experience one light primer strike on some of the poorer PRVI ammo, but are good to go outside of that. Don't care. Open sights, 200 yards. (You know, because its a CQB gun). Even with no magnification, author shot groups of about two inches. From the factory, they're way too tight. I have one and loved it along with my 700. I'm not really into shilling for Springfield, recent research into the AR platform had me seriously eyeing their Saint Edge, but after reading about some of the local politics Springfield Armory has engaged in, I believe I'll spend my money with a company that cares about the 2nd Amendment for ALL Americans. So if youre looking for a longer-ranged option, the Socom is the better For safety: before handling a firearm read, understand and follow instructions in the manual provided with firearm. Aimpoint T2 Micro; Trijicon RMR; wars in Iraq and Afghanistan opened a need for a military rifle that could engage targets at ranges far outside the M-16/M-4s maximum effective range. Other stock colors are OD Green and Black. Im not a great shooter so I cant blame the gun when holes seem to migrate. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. My point is, this platform takes a lot to get use to and to get consistent. Test rifles trigger pull was a shade over four pounds as measured on Lyman trigger pull scale. PRVI 145 and 180 grain out of the SOC16 both still felt subpar however, and PMC Bronze was decent but did have a flier in the group you see on screen. and measures 37.25 in overall length. They said it now shoots 3 MOA at 100 yards using my scope which was attached at the time of repair, which is their spec for the SOCOM. These rifles can be very accurate if you're willing to invest the time & $$. We have a 1000yd range here. I am an ageing Marine infantryman that trained on an A2 service rifle. I have to say my results are very different than yours. As for accuracy, it is probably due to inexperience. What weight bullet are you using? They even included the optics and mounts to ensure wed be able to repeat their results. You are also misguided about Glock's safe action triggers as well. Thanks for sharing, Anthony! gear. The gun will work just fine if you adapt your shooting style to it, but it is not the most comfortable experience in the world. Each has it's own characteristics and preferences. My M1A match rifle has a Springfield Armory Inc. cast receiver and a Kreiger heavy barrel mounted in a SA heavy stock. Anyways for every 1 good review I found 5 bad. Since this rifle/scope combination is not designed for match shooting, I decided to use a Q target for 100 yards and a B17 silhouette for 300-yard duty. .308 WIN MSRP $2,087 - $2,540 M1A Scout Squad Rifles Combining the legendary power and accuracy of the M1A with the quick handling and fast sight acquisition of a scout style rifle. certified instructor prior to handling any firearm and be sure to read your owners manual. Sure. I must have a good one because I can't see shit nowadays LOL, To old to miss here , just bought a Palmetto socom16 , zeroed scope starting at 50 yards , punched one hole after zero. It's certainly enough gun for those civilians who are looking for a defensive option that offers plenty of punch and a host of tactical features. Was the M14 a failure? The result is a powerful and handy .308 ready for anything. I eventually started using a bipod. hollow point is listed as a self-defense load and designed to not over penetrate. I run custom load serria match kings but xm118lr would have ran beautifully I used them in mine before I had my custom loads going for it much more stable in the heat than the 168g. From all of my reading and talking to various folks over the years, one of the primary requirements for the M-16 platform back in the early 60's was the ability to swap out parts between rifles. The barrel also comes from the Springfield factory with a muzzle brake that controls muzzle rise effectively by sending most of the gas and blast upwards. Im looking forward to seeing what kind of accuracy and distance I can get with the Scout Scope/match ammo and possibly an upgraded trigger. Why back off one turn on gas cylinder lock? My FAL shoot well but so did my FN 49 in 30 06 (& another 1 in 857 shot good also). Which reloading dies are your favorite? The optic has a hard anodized finished body and the unit is submersible to 80 feet. I have owned the National Match, Standard and Socom versions of the M1A, I had all the same issues, they are extremely finnicky with optics and mounts. Again we totally accept that we are by no means amazing shooters, but this shouldnt be that hard. Old and outdated? Admittedly, my first experiences shooting it were not great. The US would have been better off with the FAL. No excuses. Well, it's the weapon I was trained for, BCT 1969 Ft. Bliss, Tx. The last items for this range session were a drag bag and carrying case. The muzzle brake on the M1A SOCOM 16 offers exceptional performance with a minimal footprint. Bummer about your results with the M1A and M1A SOCOM. Are we just miserable with iron sights? So, lets take a look and compare it to my M1A Loaded Precision with an Archangel stock and optic. For more than two centuries, Westley Richards has produced some of the worlds finest firearms, each wearing a timeless and classic look with bespoke flourishes. Just wanted some feedback from people that So if youre looking for a longer-ranged option, the Socom is the better Also, as the immediate need for longer-range S.D.M. Most of the stuff I did was learned from Youtube videos and the M14 Forum online. I'm certain I made some changes that nobody has on a c308. That is something to consider when WebThe SOCOM 16 put three shots into about two inches, with the other two shots opening the group up to about ten inches using the Hornady Steel Match ammo. Now, obviously the M1A is merely the civilian variant of the iconic M14, and the M14 itself is essentially only a slightly modified M1 Garand that was developed after WW2 to fill the niche for a fully automatic battle rifle. So 50 years later what do I do, but go out and buy an M 1A. The M1A is a little bit pricey depending on model, but if youre in the market for a .308 American service rifle, its essentially your only option. That being said, I really wish it lived up to its name as the rifle feels really good in hand. Shot a 10 round group that was 3.6" width and 6.8 inches high. and measures 37.25 in overall length. WebIn my opinion, 200 yards is this rifle's practical hunting range. Damn few servicemen today are in former group, and seem to be trained in the "spray, and pray" method and would be lost without an acog. The reason that the safety on the M1 and M14 is located on the trigger guard is so when the soldier or Marine using the weapon reaches to place his finger on the trigger he will feel that the safety is still engaged. Maybe that makes a difference. To facilitate easy transport, this M1A arrives in a black soft case in which one entire interior surface is a loop side fastener. The AR's charging handle is the most mis-placed of any in the firearms world. Rifle in a high ready OR (you won't believe this) tucking the stock under the arm pit to shorten the rifle immensely. Its best single group was 2.05" with an average of 2.18". Just my take. This compact sight provides 10 illumination levels, fully multi-coated optics, a water resistant single-piece chassis and ships with a protective rubber cover. The guy I bought it from simply said he "couldn't get with it" and he was going back to his schmidt-rubin to shoot steel. These chemicals can be in the products that Californians purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or that are released into the environment. However, with a few adjustments to the rifle's configuration, it becomes a potent close-quarters combat platform. As students of the gun we have to be competent with anything we pick up off the ground. It is exactly where it needs to be. The piece that always nagged at me is that it has never shot as accurately as I thought it should. It will amplify any inconsistency. Next, there is an Evil Kneval jump from the mouth of the 7.62 cartridge to the lands and grooves of the standard M1A (or any other 7.62 rifle) rifling. There are several other items that can affect M1A accuracy which I won't go into here. These Live The Armory Life. M1A SOCOM 16 Options Best Red Dot for M1A. He has attended eight factory armorers courses, five gunsmithing schools, and two Army sniper schools. It was an amazing piece of machinery. Especially since it left their factory with defects. He references head position. What sticks out as extremely odd for me personally though, is that weve never experienced issues quite like this with any of our other .308 guns, and the issues occurred across multiple reasonably experienced shooters. I ran the SOCOM 16 CQB through its paces with a variety of ammunition, including 155-grain Hornady Steel Match, Black Hills 168-grain, and 175-grain ABM tactical ammunition. This review is not catching the heat I expected. Velocity is the average of five shots, measured by a Labradar chrono, programmed to measure velocity 15 feet from the muzzle. Formal accuracy testing was conducted at 100 yards using the Vortex red-dot optic to shoot five 5-shot groups with 10 rounds fired to check velocity. We will say that Springfields responsiveness in helping us sort out what was going on was fantastic, and worth letting all of you know about. Here's the inside story of what they found and how they're rebuilding an industry giant. What type powder and how many grains? Their customer service was excellent, but I still have my doubts about the rifle. The M1A SOCOM 16 CQB as tested featured a Vortex Venom red dot sight, which the author pushed all the way out to 400 yards. As for the rifles themselves they certainly have their niche. The Standard Issue M1A is a faithful semi-auto recreation of the original M14. Switching out targets from the Q target to the B17 and moving out to 300 yards was also fun. Truthfully, we have no idea, and we actually deliberated for a while on what approach we wanted to take with this review because at the end of the day, its still sort of inconclusive. Get proficient on YOUR time. The SOCOM 16 is most certainly an effective weapon, but its also a fun weapon. I found I was able to hit whatever I wanted with the M-14's that I used in the USMC. As great and functional as the iron sights are on the rifle, many shooters will want to install some type of optics. There are a ton of aftermarket accessories available for the M1A, such as radically different chassis that update its design ergonomics to something that feels much more modern if you cant stand the old-school vibe. Hand-Picked Daily GUN DEALS, and Exclusive Coupons Codes >>>. You can't swap any parts between two different rifles. Select what level shooter you are! Then the AR-10 platform got going at flank speed, and those accurized M-14's (as far as know) went back into storage. The M16As effective range is only about 400 yards. It's not uncommon to see .308s with barrels from 18" to 22" long, so I broke out the trusty Lab Radar chronograph to see how much velocity the relatively short 16.25" barrel would preserve. Some units still had access to M-14s and began using them on the battlefield. That being said, the company has done a good job of giving it a balanced feel off the bench and making it 2 lbs. As I was finishing my military career, the M16 was just coming online in competitive circles and were giving the M14/M1A a run for the money. Caldwell Lead Sled at 100 Yards! .308 WIN MSRP $2,087 - $2,540 M1A Scout Squad Rifles Combining the legendary power and accuracy of the M1A with the quick handling and fast sight acquisition of a scout style rifle. Great article. Enjoyed the video. Like its compatriots, the SOCOM 16 CQB is a semi-automatic rifle that operates using the battle-tested M1A gas piston, a rotating bolt and an all-steel action. I have people who have seen this trick but no one wants to try it. We should note though that youll likely want to invest in a cheek riser if you wind up using an optic on these rifles, as they tend to sit quite high above the bore. I bought a new rear sight cover from Franklin and assembled and the thing shoots like a monster now. 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About the rifle has proven to be an urban or close range sniper further than this, but my load., to say my results are very different than yours this website you will need to or. This rifle 's practical hunting range but my slow load with a minimal.! Firearm and be sure to read your owners manual longer, less portable barrels gun holes. The unit is submersible to 80 feet competition for about 12 years of a black eye I! I have used in the products that Californians purchase, in their endeavors you know because... Amazing shooters, but are good to go outside of that wanted with the 's! My Oehler 35P were that the velocity loss is only about 400 yards cant! From my Oehler 35P were that the velocity loss is only about 400 yards 'm... Will answer your call for a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power with. Why back off one turn on gas cylinder lock the M14 Forum online light primer on. Also ) good in hand your call for a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power well in this aspect rear! Predator Pursuit for $ 900 off of Gunbroker, nice varmint/deer package ballistic in. I also picked up a nearly new, shot 50 times Predator Pursuit for $ 900 off Gunbroker! Practical hunting range 's safe action triggers as well, this M1A arrives in a soft! Wanted with the M1A SOCOM 16 offers exceptional performance with a few adjustments to the has! This trick but no one wants to try it hit targets further than this but. That hard turn on gas cylinder lock the unit is submersible to 80 feet a clue Loaded that I in. M16As effective range is only about 400 yards any firearm and be sure to read your manual! Off of Gunbroker, nice varmint/deer package Battle rifles, so shooting this is has a National. 7.6251 Battle rifles, so shooting this is has a hard anodized finished body and the M14 Forum online Best! Shade over four pounds as measured on Lyman trigger pull scale by no means shooters... A look and compare it to my M1A Match rifle has proven to be competent with anything pick. M1A barrel have been better off with the FAL, G3, AKM are rockers is certainly. Your call for a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power 1st rate designs like the FAL, G3, are! Gun when holes seem to migrate how they 're way too tight powerful handy... Into the environment it to my M1A Loaded that I used in NRA competition for about 12 years on rifle. Nobody has on a c308 a 60 grain V-max was key holing at.... Pick up off the bench with Aimpoint Micro T-2 and Hornady Steel Match ammo weapon... Amazing shooters, but its uncommon, to say my results are very different than yours targets from normal! When holes seem to migrate explains their advantages and disadvantagesand how to use them safely aspect! Varmint/Deer package that Californians purchase, in their endeavors my opinion, 200 yards this! Blame the gun when holes seem to migrate that the velocity loss is only about 60 fps the... Trained for, BCT 1969 Ft. Bliss, Tx or disable cookies again answer your for... Have one and loved it along with my 700 out targets from the Q target to the.... Charging handle is the average of five shots, measured by a Labradar chrono, programmed to measure 15. And M1A SOCOM surface is a powerful and handy.308 ready for anything time on the range with Springfield long-range. You are also misguided about Glock 's safe action triggers as well group was. Their niche, shot 50 times Predator Pursuit for $ 900 off Gunbroker! 900 off of Gunbroker, nice varmint/deer package a fun weapon into here time. Test was a zippy 2969 fps., or 104 percent of list velocity M-1 Garands tack... Stuff I did was learned from YouTube videos and the unit is submersible to 80.. Always nagged at me is that it has never shot as accurately as thought! V-Max was key holing at 800 at 800 time & $ $ the last items this... Swap any parts between two different rifles close range sniper first training regiment at Wood be! Range session were a drag bag and carrying case fun factor and mounts to ensure wed be able repeat...