Put one layaway today.  I normally would have paid outright and filled out the paperwork if not for a SNAFU on my part.  If the rifle is a no-go I'll be stuck with a restocking fee unless I can get them to waive it if I buy something else- like a different M1A.

I've heard conflicting things about 16" barrel and modified gas system- any first-hand accounts to reliability?

What about out-of-the-box accuracy?  I'm not looking to amaze anyone from the bench, mostly something that will be satisfying for noisy, medium-ranged plinking every now and then.

Should I get it?

I thought removable magazines are a no-no in the Peoples Republik of Kalifonistan or is that pistol gripped stocks and magazines?
I'm so confused

Quoted: I thought removable magazines are a no-no in the Peoples Republik of Kalifonistan or is that pistol gripped stocks and magazines? I'm so confused

Removable mags are ok w/o a pistol grip.  The muzzle attachments for the full-size M1As are different here in Kali though.

Quoted: Quoted: I thought removable magazines are a no-no in the Peoples Republik of Kalifonistan or is that pistol gripped stocks and magazines? I'm so confused Removable mags are ok w/o a pistol grip.  The muzzle attachments for the full-size M1As are different here in Kali though.

Gotcha. You know those pistol grips alone are responsible for more deaths than bicycles and cars

Hi CC,
                     Get the Socomhave  I then tried about 15 rds. at the 200yd. , same size target , I hit it 12 out of 15 --- hits ALL OVER the placehe      I see where I need to shoot more from !!!
                    The Socom handles very quickly and the big sights were easy to see . I think the fat front sight was the reason for the groups to be so large at 100/200 yds.  Then again , Im 48 years old and wear glasses.
                     I do like the battle sights on it but I want to get some optics on and try some more longer range shooting. I have read here and other websites about owners hitting steel "gongs" at 500 yards with there scoped Socoms.
                      In the end ---- you will do what a lot of other M1A owners do ------- buy a Socom/Scout and a full size "sniper" onehen                                                                          Bird aka GF

Try here ---http://ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=6&f=6&t=190480

I absolutely love my SOCOM 16, I put an Aimpoint on it and this thing really zings.

No issues w/ mine either. A fun gun to shoot. The gas system works great and it has the least recoil of any .308 I've ever shot. Wear earplugs or hearing protection when shooting (should be doing that anyway).

Thanks for all the feedback, fellas!  I really appreciate it.  Looks like I'll have a good reason to start stocking 7.62 ammo

Some more questions for a rifle newb if you guys would be so kind:

Is 7.62 NATO and .308 Win the same thing or is it different like 5.56/.223?

Aside from swapping the barrell, What would be involved in converting a SOCOM 16 into a regular configuration with 22" bbl. or the scout length 18"?

What's the life expectancy for the barrel?

Would replacing the factory synthetic stock with a (bedded) wooden stock affect performance +/- ?
(saw a couple snub-noses in wood in the pic thread and I think I swooned a little)

Are there slotted heat shields (handguards?) available with scout rail cut-out?  Would I even want one in the first place?

Ammo: An economical round that behaves ok with the 16"?  Grain/Velocity?

Ammo: A commercial round that works well with the 16"?  Grain/Velocity?

Suggestions for an optic to be placed on the scout rail?  I'm open to zero-magnification and up to whatever is reasonable.  Preferrabily something that doesn't require an elevated cheek rest.  BTW,  I wear glasses too- astigmatism.

Thanks in advance!

The Socom is avery sweet close combat rifle!  im shooing 3 in. groups at 50 yards with mil surplus ammo offhand and with bad eyes.  it is what it is.  if your looking for a tough CQB hard hitter then buy it!  at 1500 bucks what the hell!  Add it to the collection and keep going. just buy usgi mags and stick to good ammo.  take care of it and it will take care of you!   buy more ammo! buy more mags!  get a garand!   get a AR!  get a AK!  buy a doublestack  45 , get a 870 remington! and keep goin!    it only gets better!

Finally brought her home this week- lookin' good with the other girls!

Do I need to wipe down or replace the lube(?) the guts are slathered with or is it good to go out of the box?

Quoted: Finally brought her home this week- lookin' good with the other girls! Do I need to wipe down or replace the lube(?) the guts are slathered with or is it good to go out of the box?

That's a nice Trio you have there

I was checking out a rack of 9 new M1A's the other day and noticed all
of them were slathered with grease - this is something new for SA Inc.

I would check for smooth function, shoot a few rounds, clean and grease.

If I was in Kalipornia............I would own nothing but shotguns, 1911's and M1A's (with me taking trips to Nevada for magazines every now and then)

I love mine. The action on my NIB SOCOM felt a little tight and rough, but after one trip to the range and 100 or so rounds, it has settled in and is as smooth as butter. It has surpassed my G3 and FAL as my favorite 308.

Now go and get one of his older brothers from CMP, I'm pretty sure that should be CA ok.

Have a good one!

Can any of you guys in the know tell me what kind of accuracy you are getting with your socom's at 300?  I'm not sure if I want to go with the socom or the scout.  I've heard a lot of bad things about the reliability of the socom, plus I would like to be able to take it to an appleseed shoot and I want something that will be able to achieve hits out to 300+

Any suggestions?  I'd really appreciate some feedback.  

I do have a fullsize M1A, but its a bit unweildly and I'm planning on setting it up as a long range rig anyway.

Thanks

I love the SOCOM, but I have trouble at 300 yeards with any short barrel rifle, be it a SOCOM, AR-10 or M4. Even with a full length Garand it is hard for me, unless I have a 20x scope.

Hmmm....muzzle brake.

Can you put a Vortex on there?

Thanks guys!

I was a little on the fence mostly due to the pricetag but I'm nearly in awe of it now that I have it home.  
So, Gunfighter123, et al. thanks for helping push me over edge on this one.  I can't wait to get it out to the desert!

texastactical:  The wait was far to long!  I was an idiot and didn't realize my ID had expired, so I had to wait in the DMV, then wait for the new one in the mail, then wait 10 days for the background check.  The worse part is that I missed out on a couple good shoots with friends while I was waiting for the card to show.  Lesson learned- bleh!
BTW, can you tell us how your SOCOM was set up in the competition you won?

rogue007:  I hear ya- 1911 is next on my list.  I own a Glock that goes bang every time and for that I'll allways love it but since it's limited to 10rds here, I 'd really prefer a single-stack auto and the 1911 has no rivals there IMO.  For living in the PRK, I think I've done OK in the hassle-free, evil-looking and effective department

timothy585:  Yep.  I would discribe it as tight and rough at the moment- looking foreward to breaking it in!  What kind of cheek rest are you using there?

I'm crushing on the M1A now- there's just something about the reciever and its complex contours and asymetry that stimulates my mind.  My friends mini got me looking in this direction and thusly, the SOCOM has got me looking to the OGs.  If this is a sickness, I don't want to be well.

you know i have a standard M1A and i put the south african ammo under  1.5 inches consistantly at 100 yards open sight,  sorry to goet off topic but this ammo is some good shit, i would recomend it to any shooter just trying to find the average group of his new rifle with open sights , or a small magnifacation scope, ( im sure their is better out their then the SA ammo for tac driving ammo)

Is it possible to get the SOCOM 16 with a flash suppressor instead of the muzzle break?

I got to play with a SOCOM 2 with the Vltor rail recently and I thought it was pretty nice but the rail added too much weight.  I think I'd rather have the standard stock.

Don't know about the flash suppressor but I've heard only good things about the brake that comes std.  I'm not wild about the looks of it but I figure if it's purpose-designed and works then it can't be all bad.

Agreed about the cluster rail... I don't think it helped woo me any that on the demo model, the bottom section seemed a little cockeyed.  I figured that for the $300 markup on the SOCOM II, I could find a lighter/ more elegant solution if I want to mount crap on it- if not right away, then eventually.

I'm keeping my eye on this.

Good times!

Finally got her out to the range today- fired 100rds mixed South African and American Eagle.  In a couple of weeks, I'll take her out the desert and really put some miles on!

My only real bummer of the day was that it came with a loose front sight and I didn't have a short enough allen key to tighten it up on the spot.   I'm no rifleman by any stretch of imagination so it took me a good while to get the POA and POI in the same neighborhood esp. with my drifting front post.  Once everything was dialed in is when I realized just how freakin' huge the front sight is!  While I'm sure the big tritium sight is great for close quarters, using it on targets I have to use binos to see the holes in left a little to be desired.

All that nonsense aside- Mechanically, it just hummed along.  In fact, I think the 'warm fuzzies' I was getting were letting me know that closing the action/ stripping the first round off the magazine with buttery smoothness is one of my new favorite things

I think what supprised me most was how soft the recoil felt with the GI buttplate - I trulely think that I could shoot this all day and be a happy camper.

Here's a couple pics from today- along with a cousin (my buddies)...

i'm jealous.....ahh i want a SA so bad....i don't care if it's a socom or not.....well actually i would probably go w/ a standard b/c my ar is 16" so i would want a longer barrel on this rifle.....now if the funds were flowing

Yup. I'm um...'gunning' for a 16. Played with a SOCOM II last night. It's overkill, in my not so humble opinion. Just too much rail. Now to sell my Kimber UCII and Keltec SU-16C to raise the funds...

Is it possible to take the rail off a SOCOM II and have it becomes a SOCOM 16? Or does it have a different stock for that rail?

Yes, you can take it off. Rather quickly.