It literally saved his life on countless occasions.
I probably put 5,000 rounds through that rifle, without a single malfunction I can remember.
The M1 Garand was limited as a battle rifle by its semi-auto-only operating system and8-round en bloc clip.
With a five-position length-of-pull adjustment and two position cheekpiece, Springfield brought ergonomics of the M1A platform more in line with a modern defensive rifle with the addition of an Archangel stock system. A Blue Force Gear Padded Vickers sling is shown attached to the stock’s rear QD sling mount.
In fact, Springfield Armory was founded to produce the M1A, which was its first product.
The companys latest iteration the M1A SOCOM 16 CQB is the subject of this review.
The most striking visual feature of the SOCOM 16 CQB is its Archangel stock.
Further modernizing the rifle is an M-LOK compatible forend — with attachment slots on the sides and bottom — letting you install any M-LOK accessory needed. Three Picatinny rail sections are included; two of which we used to mount a SureFire M300 Mini Scout weaponlight and Magpul RVG vertical grip. Also visible is the barrel-mounted Picatinny optics base, which is standard equipment regardless of whether or not you opt for the receiver-mounted Vortex optic.
An integral, 2-position raised comb increases comb height to a usable level for a variety of optics types.
Four more QD sling swivel receptacle are provided on both sides of the stock, front and rear.
The guts are pretty much identical to those of Springfield Armorys M1A SOCOM 16, introduced in 2004.
The CQB model is available with or without a Vortex Venom mini red-dot optic, factory installed in a proprietary stripper-clip guide mount. Although it does mostly obstruct your view of the iron sights, we found the mount to be rock solid and sight-acquisition of the Venom’s 3-MOA reticle super-quick when mounted in this particular location.
Short-range function testing our M1A CQB immediately revealed one stand-out attribute this is an extremely shootable .30-cal.
7.62x51mm military surplus ammo we had kicking around.
We put a total of six different loads through the rifle, ranging from 150-gr.
Attached to the muzzle of the SOCOM’s 16.25-inch barrel is an Springfield’s proprietary, multi-port muzzle brake, which does an outstanding job of taming felt recoil.
The star of the show, however, was Hornadys 155-gr.
Steel Match, steel-cased load.
Again, no malfunctions to report.
Dovetailed-mounted in the top of the muzzle device is a windage adjustable, winged XS front sight equipped with a Trijicon Tritium insert for night-time acquisition.
One 10-round magazine is included, and 20-round magazines are available optionally.
- See them at your firearms retailer, or contactSpringfield Armory, Inc., Dept.
(800) 680-6866; Web:www.springfield-armory.com.
While Springfield includes one 10-round magazine with each rifle, 20-round U.S.G.I. and aftermarket magazines like the one shown are readily available — including through Springfield itself.
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M1ATMSOCOM 16 CQB
Weapon manipulation — and in particular, ease of speed reloads — is greatly enhanced simply through the addition of a vertical grip. While not as streamlined and simplistic as the tradition rifle stock typically fitted to the SOCOM, the handling characteristics and customization aspects of the Archangel stock are worth the tradeoff.
We’ve never been disappointed with an M1A’s downrange-precision capability, and the SOCOM CQB continued this trend with the majority of ammunition we fed it. Taking top honors was Hornady’s steel-cased, 155-gr BTHP Steel Match load, printing this 0.65 inch group.
