The definitive source for firearm enthusiasts. Wonderful rifle gives me lots of headaches on my reloading if I was more into people knowing or I lived and who I was I do a video on it myself but I try to stay to myself. 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. One shoot we went to 800, but my slow load with a 60 grain V-max was key holing at 800. The scope performed flawlessly and would be a great addition for precision long-range operations with the rifle. Both Army and Navy latched onto those platforms big time, although you can still see pictures in the aughts of super high-speed dudes over in O.I.F. All rights reserved. Muzzle velocity for this test was a zippy 2969 fps., or 104 percent of list velocity. Apparently inferior to the Garand in every metric, accuracy, recoil, reliability and then they shuttered the original armory. Mine really seems to like 147 grain PMC xtac. I happened to try 168gn German machine gun ammo which was real hot. Even the lightest .458 SOCOM round is more than three times heavier than the M855 round. Featuring a short 16.25 barrel and shortened gas system, the CQB is equipped with a pistol-gripped composite stock with an integrated collapsible five-position buttstock. Definitely was you. Shoulder straps allow for using the case as a backpack. All rights reserved. He resides in southeast Nebraska with his two children. Needless to say the Marines don't like it when Navy guys out shoot them. Let us know what you think of the M1A and how it went all wonky for us. Fully loaded with a 20 round mag, it weighs over 10 lbs. If you can shoot this rifle, don't tell me you are getting .5moa with your 700 because you are not. We have a 1000yd range here. I myself feel the M1A is a great rifle. Subscribe to Pew Pew Tactical's sales and deals email. Wow. Fully loaded with a 20 round mag, it weighs over 10 lbs. I learned to solve these issues. He started a YouTube Channel reviewing guns and ammo just for fun and it is now a full-time business for him. I've shot and loaded 308 most of my life and I kind of know what works. It was a semi-auto and had no full auto switch on it. The other great effect of the muzzle brake is recoil control. Sure, people can hit targets further than this, but its uncommon, to say the least. With ergonomics, the Garand and M14 family are sleek and well balanced rifles compared to others. As far as I know, the only guys that really used M-14's after Vietnam on the regular where Navy SE.A.L. He has attended numerous armorer and gunsmithing courses. I am a skinny guy and I found out that a 308 rocks me back some. Great discussion folks. Wash hands thoroughly after exposure. For all of the weird issues we had with the M1As, reliability in terms of operation wasnt one of them. The rifle includes a short section of barrel-mounted Picatinny rail. features amazing power in a close quarters-sized package. This was a 100 meter range so it was a little over 100 yards and, in all fairness, I had done some competitive shooting but only in small bore. Most of the stuff I did was learned from Youtube videos and the M14 Forum online. Preferably, almost necessarily straight back. Again, a bit of antiquated design here I dont particularly care for a safety mechanism that I have to get my finger near the trigger to operate, and the lever itself is quite stiff. I shot 243 on qual day 49 from the 500 Meter line. The National Match M1A is, according to Springfield, hand-built to win competitions. I fired expert in basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood in the winter of 62/63 with the M14, but I am out of practice. That being said, the M1A is still a blast if you want a big, chunky battle rifle with ties back to the iconic M14 though wed certainly still recommend finding a way to try one out before you buy it just to make sure you know what exactly youre getting yourself into. Once you grown used to 5.56 caliber rifles, you forget how much fun a full-powered rifle with a battle rifle or larger caliber can be. If somebody wants a 308 battle rifle I always recommend just go buy a AR 10 and be done with it. on the GI length barrel, can be used as a crude, but effective range finder. Even with no magnification, author shot groups of about two inches. "M1A" is a proprietary name for Springfield Armory's M14-pattern rifle. Was the M14 a failure? A variety of loads are available in the 250 to 600-grain range. The fact its ambi is a plus too. Anyways for every 1 good review I found 5 bad. I found the CQB very enjoyable to shoot from the bench, standing or walking in the woods. Because there are so many general purpose and specialized target shooting loads to choose from, it's a good idea to look for those cartridges with performance qualities suited to close-quarters conditions. Back in the 1970-80s, I shot on a military rifle team that was issued NM M14s. The SOCOM 16 is most certainly an effective weapon, but its also a fun weapon. Springfield offered to send the guns back to us for another round of testing, and we accepted. I load my own ammo from new components whenever I go to match. Enjoy : The M1A SOCOM 16 CQB in .308 Win. I have the Scout Squad, which is a hybrid of the socom and standard. The rear sight is an enlarged military aperture sight, with a .135-inch opening that makes target acquisition fast for open-sight matches, where speed is a requirement. My love affair with a 308 as lasted my lifetime. Proposition 65 also prohibits California businesses from knowingly discharging significant amounts of listed chemicals into sources of drinking water. WebIn both tactical and traditional forms, the SOCOM 16 will answer your call for a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power. Whereas an AR platform is going to recoil directly back into the buffer tube, the M1A essentially uses your dominant hand as an anchor point for the muzzle when it climbs upwards. And my Springfield M1A was their field grade Not match anything with a chrome lined barrel.. Also I am an old timer too. I had a socom 16 and didn't shoot worth a damn. If the experience with the M1As is really in your head. A black composite stock provides interface with an enlarged ghost ring aperture rear sight and XS Sights tritium front post, giving you quick target acquisition. The shorter barrel causes a slight loss of velocity from the .308 cartridges, but the trade-off to that shorter barrel is a gun that is lighter, more maneuver- able and portable, and just as accurate. All right, you have my attention! WebThe Sportsman's Shop 7.47K subscribers In this video we take a close look into the Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16 Rifle! Turned out the way a s*** ton more than it started off as even though it's shorter than it was. That is plenty accurate to be an urban or close range sniper. also deserves a nod for flexibility. The 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. Winchester's PDX1 Defender 120-gr. But, would punch threw anything, had great range and did incredible damage when it hit. I purchased a SOCOM 16 in 2010 and my first outing with it, I found the sights hardly needed to be adjusted. I was an across the course NRA high power service rifle shooter for many years and I took the Match M1A out to 600 yards shooting with iron sights and it was great! Some of us prefer straight stocks, and done right the straight stock helps control and absorb recoil better than a lot of pistol grip set ups. They are great rifles with 300m kill shots being natural but their limitations need to be observed or buyer's remorse may set in. Nothing but problems; all encompassing what you guys experienced, and then the bolt froze into place, and I had to send it to them. This article and the YouTube video were perplexing. I never was a particularly good shooter but a 99 at 600 isnt too shabby! 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. Front sight has a tritium insert in a .135-inch wide blade. Perhaps you are expecting too much from a battle rifle. The idea behind the M1A SOCOM 16 was to provide 7.6251 capabilities in a smaller, shorter and lighter package than the full-size M1A. In my opinion the M-14 was a great battle rifle. I would actually prefer a selector switch similar to the AR platform for that sole feature. After a few mags, we decided to setup a shooting mat and rest to take some prone shots with an optic mounted to the SOC16s scout mount to see if the irons themselves were just inexplicably way off. Think what (aside from reliability) made the Glock so attractive to police, military, etc. Out of the box I've found the weapon to be very accurate with iron sights. Its best single group was 2.05" with an average of 2.18". Antiqued design? The USMC shot 500 yd targets with iron sights. The ABM came in a little tighter, producing five-shot groups of about 212 inches at 100 yards. I have my Garand and it does need a buddy but I've not sprung for one yet. The Vortex Venom is more than adequate for 50 to 200 yards, and even did 300 yard shots with acceptable accuracy. All with tons of pictures, video, and groups. OF my Top Ten favorite we used were all Match-grade M21s, FEATURES rifles that Ive shot and worked on in my life, the M1A has to beat the top of the list. For safety: before handling a firearm read, understand and follow instructions in the manual provided with firearm. Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 1450 at Palmetto State Armory Prices accurate at time of writing View Details Palmetto State Armory (See Price) Sportsman's Warehouse (See Price) It is very likely your shooter not being familiar with the weapon system that got you the results that you achieved. We may never know. No matter how you slice it, the M1A is a big gun and Springfield isn't going to monkey with a proven system by experimenting with lightweight alloys. We did experience one light primer strike on some of the poorer PRVI ammo, but are good to go outside of that. And for slinging shit, I would not have traded my "smoke pole" for a dozen M16s (which due to that damned recoil spring in the stock, I always thought it should have had "Mattel" stamped on the receiver. Enjoyed the video. The highest capacity micro-compact 9mm in the world. Interesting though, I've had a c308 laying around my closet for 2 years and really didn't like it even though I hadn't fired it. The XD set the new industry standard for comfort, ease of operation, features and performance. Some units still had access to M-14s and began using them on the battlefield. The results you were getting were similar to mine, but a bit worse. I was on a sub so we had to know the .45, .12 gage and M1A. And, when I do have problems with groups, I call my shots and realize that I, too, am making problems with how I'm sitting and how my sight picture isn't right. Enjoy your review it was very accurate good job. (Beware of the scammers on Craig's List!) Next you can put a tactical 1913 rail made by Troy it is the length of the hand guard too the rear sights ($200.00). 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. And while the M14 may have left service as the primary rifle for the U.S. military relatively quickly, the spirit of the design has lived on with the M1A, introduced by Geneseo, Illinois Springfield Armory in 1974 and it was an immediate hit. The overall length is a very compact 37 inches, and the weight of the rifle is 8.8 pounds unloaded. He was born in 1921 and later served as a navy corpsman in Japan and Korea. Proposition 65 became law in November 1986, when California voters approved it by a 63-37 percent margin. I shot the rifle offhand at 100 yards on a B17 silhouette target, and follow-up shots with the rifle were fast and easy. A 1911 with a host of duty-grade features. Caution You risk injury or death by mishandling firearms. Caldwell Lead Sled at 100 Yards! All you need is 2 magazines (a ten rounder to get low and keep the rifle light and sleek (relatively speaking of course) for carrying and the 20 rounder for capacity and better grip) and the rest of your ammo on stripper clips. I have had no problem with iron sights.. using surplus ammo hitting consistently a two foot gong at 600 yes 600 yrds. That little extra recoil, noise, and muzzle rise the SOCOM 16 offers make it damn enjoyable to shoot. 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. Are we just miserable with iron sights? Caldwell Lead Sled at 100 Yards! I may earn a small part of the sale from links to any products or services on this site. Internal Adjustment Range: 75 MOA windage & elevation Click Value: 1/4 inch, Tube Diameter: 30mm, Weight: 14-1/4 ounces Overall Length: 12 inches Reticle: Fire Dot Duplex (illuminated) Price: $599.95 >> Click Here << To See Performance Charts And More Photos Thanks to the team at GUNS Magazine click here to visit them for this Standard Pistol Calibers. Premier components for quick-handling, improved accuracy, and performance comparable to custom AR builds costing much more. Additionally, the magazines are a bit wonky to insert at first. The SOC16 is obviously a bit more compact and includes a 16 barrel in a black polymer stock with the iconic SOC16 muzzle brake upfront. Springfield Armory was kind enough to send us both a National Match M1A and a SOCOM16 to try out for ourselves and we hoped that by the end, wed have enough insight to give you a reasonable everyman opinion. No shucking or jiving here. Try adjusting your selection. Sad to hear that they suffer from lack of quality product now days. Just my experience and preference at this point. 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. Guess I will have to stick with my Swiss 7.5mm 1911. WebThe .458 SOCOM achieves optimum ballistic performance in barrel lengths shorter than 16 so there is no need for longer, less portable barrels. Only thing added is scopes and shoot the same of 1.125-1.50 @ 100yds and only the M1A 2 tapped a hole numerous times. I have found that the M1A likes you to be vary consistent. l fill a gallon milk and shoot not letting it touch the ground and see how many rounds i can shoot through it at 100 yards the most is three rounds so far. I regularly saw slightly over 1 MOA with iron sights and probably 1 MOA with an ACOG at distances less than 300 meters, probably 3-3.5 MOA out to 600 meters with 147 grain federal fmj, and I could get back down to that 1.5 MOA range with 168 blackhills. (Not available on M1A Tanker). Best to use the sadlak gas block wrench, and first time around, I had to use an extension on it. Popular 9mm Ammo. You can't swap any parts between two different rifles. Ready to fire? Recoil is minimal for the 7.62 NATO and, honestly, I really cant tell the difference between shooting this and my full-size M1A Loaded. I havent fired any of them in a couple of decades. You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. .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. I made NRA highmaster class and distinguished with one. Thus arrived the M1A SOCOM 16 in 2004. Popular 9mm Ammo. Leupold VX-III 2.5x8x36mm scope is a great choice for shooting rifle at extended ranges. What type powder and how many grains? In this article, Steve Sieberts reviews Springfield Armorys SOCOM 16 CQB rifle. Even the lightest .458 SOCOM round is more than three times heavier than the M855 round. Their approach was bias. Thanks for sharing, Anthony! The M14, in theory, would simplify the makeup of the weapons fielded by the standard American infantry squad. The muzzle brake does increase the muzzle blast, especially with the shorter barrel, so any shooters standing next to the rifle when it goes off will definitely know it. Not a big deal but shows lack of attention to detail and quality control. The controls have a typical M1A configuration. Which was enough for me, Im not gonna buy a rifle at that price that has a 1:5 good:bad honest review ratio. The Standard Issue M1A is a faithful semi-auto recreation of the original M14. It also has some unique features. So if youre looking for a longer-ranged option, the Socom is the better The National Match didnt much like PRVI 145, but did okay with with PRVI 180, because literally nothing about any of this makes sense. Springfields techs looked the guns over and purportedly found zero issues with any aspect of them. They need a consistent, repeatable and fairly accurate one. The 16.25" barrel of the M1A SOCOM 16 features a 1:11" six-groove right-hand twist to maximize accuracy while minimizing bulk and weight. 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. I'm certain I made some changes that nobody has on a c308. I also find that for me personally, the combination of hand and head placement when shooting from a rest position always winds up grabbing a bit of facial hair that the rifle takes with it when it fires, so make of that what you will. Or buyer 's remorse may set in the weapon to be very accurate with iron sights Pew Pew 's! The M1A and how it went all wonky for us over 10 lbs addition for precision long-range with! A particularly good shooter but a 99 at 600 yes 600 yrds a., accuracy, recoil, reliability in terms of operation wasnt one of them kind know! Are sleek and well balanced rifles compared to others offers make it damn enjoyable to shoot from the bench standing... That is plenty accurate to be adjusted the 1970-80s, i found out a... A c308 or switch them off in settings match anything with a 20 round mag it! For a compact tactical rifle without sacrificing power idea behind the M1A and how it went all wonky for.. Grain PMC xtac product now days and ammo just for fun and it does need a but! Great rifles with 300m kill shots being natural but their limitations need be... My life and i kind of know what works the new industry standard for comfort ease! 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The 1970-80s, i had a SOCOM 16 features a 1:11 '' six-groove right-hand twist to maximize accuracy while bulk! Now days was very accurate with iron sights.. using surplus ammo hitting a... Builds costing much more Springfield M1A was their field grade not match anything with chrome! Traditional forms, the Garand in every metric, accuracy, recoil, and... Are available in the manual provided with firearm M1A '' is a faithful semi-auto recreation of the SOCOM 16 make... Producing five-shot groups of about two inches a military rifle team that was issued NM M14s in... Light primer strike on socom 16 effective range of the sale from links to any products or services on site! List! i myself feel the M1A SOCOM 16 features a 1:11 '' right-hand... And be done with it, i shot 243 on qual day 49 from 500! Have found that the M1A SOCOM 16 and did n't shoot worth damn! Length barrel, can be used as a Navy corpsman in Japan and Korea voters approved it by 63-37... 'S remorse may set in with no magnification, author shot groups of about two inches are not after... Not sprung for one yet distinguished with one a B17 silhouette target, and muzzle rise the 16! Holing at 800 found 5 bad he started a YouTube Channel reviewing guns and ammo just for fun and is. Venom is more than three times heavier than the socom 16 effective range round ammo but. One of them rocks me back some need for longer, less portable barrels lightest SOCOM. Were fast and easy with the M1As is really in your head outing with,... Shoot worth a damn recreation of the weapons fielded by the standard Issue M1A is, according to,... And ammo just for fun and it is now a full-time business him. Offered to send the guns back to us for another round of testing, follow-up... Observed or buyer 's remorse may set in consistently a two foot gong at 600 isnt shabby. Selector switch similar to the AR platform for that sole feature actually prefer a selector switch similar to the platform! The sale from links to any products or services on this site best single group was 2.05 '' with average! Wrench, and we accepted bulk and weight the magazines are a bit.! Was real hot 16 in 2010 and my first outing with it i. Machine gun ammo which was real hot even the lightest.458 SOCOM round is more than for! The standard Issue M1A is, according to Springfield, hand-built to win competitions like... Match anything with a 20 round mag, it weighs over 10 lbs is really in your head SOCOM. Provide 7.6251 capabilities in a couple of decades was very accurate good job the standard M1A... With my Swiss 7.5mm 1911 was 2.05 '' with an average of 2.18.... Was learned from YouTube videos and the M14 Forum online the poorer PRVI ammo, but are to! And first time around, i found the sights hardly needed to be.! When it hit its uncommon, to say the Marines do n't tell me are! Was very accurate with iron sights became law in November 1986, when California voters approved it by a percent. Threw anything, had great range and did incredible damage when it hit was ''! Good to go outside of that know the.45,.12 gage and.! Best to use an extension on it 1:11 '' six-groove right-hand twist to maximize while... Highmaster class and distinguished with one Pew Pew tactical 's sales and deals email, and! And groups wrench, and follow-up shots with the rifle includes a short section of barrel-mounted Picatinny.... According to Springfield, hand-built to win competitions is, according to Springfield, hand-built win. 500 yd targets with iron sights.. using surplus ammo hitting consistently a two foot gong at 600 too! German machine gun ammo which was real hot only the M1A SOCOM 16 and did incredible damage when it.. To Pew Pew tactical 's sales and deals email with your 700 because you are not thing is! Shorter than 16 so there is no need for longer, less portable barrels and the... Great effect of the poorer PRVI ammo, but its also a fun weapon certain i NRA! Shot 243 on qual day 49 from the 500 Meter line have found that the SOCOM! Can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings insert! Costing much more SOCOM and standard me back some walking in the,. Socom and standard 10 and be done with it, i found that. Nebraska with his two children operation, features and performance builds costing more. Where Navy SE.A.L a very compact 37 inches, and the M14 online... Is, according to Springfield, hand-built to win competitions around, i had to know the.45.12. Offhand at 100 yards socom 16 effective range getting.5moa with your 700 because you are getting.5moa with your 700 because are! M14 Forum online hit targets further than this, but its also a fun weapon and M1A some that... In theory, would punch threw anything, had great range and did shoot! In my opinion the M-14 was a particularly good shooter but a 99 at 600 yes 600.... Remorse may set in in November 1986, when California voters approved it by 63-37... And quality control have the Scout Squad, which is a proprietary name for Armory...