I just got my SOCOM 16 in today and took it out to make sure it worked fine.
After shooting my friends M1A standard... I had high expectations..

The gun is very easy to whip around.
Set up.

Socom 16 first gen.
ML2 Aimpoint with ARMS throw lever
Buffer Tech spring buffer

I shot approx. 120 rds of the dreaded Indian Ammo... I sorted the rounds and threw away about 3 rounds due to split necks, over sized bullet, and some other strange anomolies.
The ammo shoots as expected... minute of cantalope at 50 yards... But they did shoot fine with no problems..
I also shot 20 rounds of surplus portuges and what a difference... beautiful ammo and at 50 yards in really cold weather with no gloves and snow still shot 2" groups at a fairly rapid pace.

What impressed me was the fast shot to shot recover time and the small amount of recoil.... even compared with the standard M1A...15 yards... 3 targets... double taps el presidente style was no problem with 100% hits in the chest area.

I bought a 30 rd magazine and modified it to make it more reliable... The info was put up by a gentleman in the m14forum.   Basically you dremel a small amount of material off the front of the mag... it worked great... when I got home I dremeled off just a small amount more to ensure no bullets get stuck on the mag... The standard mags and 5 rd mag all shot 100%.

Alot of magazines and sites talk about the heat build up with rapid fire and I must say I didnt notice any of that... again I had no gloves and at no time was it uncomfortable to handle any part of the gun.
The 2 stage trigger from Springfield was fantastic...
I did notice that the SOCOM didnt have the distinct "ping" sound of the standard... I really liked that.
Muzzle blast and noise levels didnt seem to go up due to shorter length and barrel.. That was a concern of mine and I was pleased.

Just to have something to compare to.... I shot my 11-87 SWAT scattergun tech shotgun right after this shoot.... bird shot, buck shot and slugs.... The SOCOM was very light in comparison and compares easily with the recovery time of a 16' AR... the AR has a little snappier recoil where this has more of a push..
Very happy.... highly recommend one... I didnt want the 2 lb weight increase of the SOCOM II so I just put a small section of a rail under the hand guard and it works great.
I am looking forward to putting about a case of ammo through her in the next few weeks and taking it to Tactical Response...Later in the year I will take it hunting with my son.


Anthony

You can't hunt with that thing!

Just kiddin' man.   Great review. I don't have the SOCOM (have a Standard) and have no intention of getting one, but I enjoyed the read anyways.


BTW... where's DZA? (De-Militarized Zone Alpha?)

I think they are cool.  But, I just can't  justify spending $1500+ on a gun that shoots over 2 inch groups at 100 yd.   They seem to be on par with a CETME at over 3X the price.  I don't understand why they are so damn expensive.  

I agree they are pricey... I got mine, an amipoint, arms throw, 4 20 rd mags, sling, etc. for 1500.00 total.. So I took it.
The weight and speed of use I think far outstrip that of the CEMTE... and I hate the recoil feel of the roller lock/
A

Quoted: I think they are cool.  But, I just can't  justify spending $1500+ on a gun that shoots over 2 inch groups at 100 yd.   They seem to be on par with a CETME at over 3X the price.  I don't understand why they are so damn expensive.

You need to shoot one for yourself to dispel this bullshit statement.

I'd probably have a SOCOM to call my own by now if this CA/AR15 loophole didn't open up. Some money got spent on this once-ever opportunity rather than a SOCOM.

I'll make do with my standard M1A Props for a good review though.

Quoted: Quoted: I think they are cool.  But, I just can't  justify spending $1500+ on a gun that shoots over 2 inch groups at 100 yd.   They seem to be on par with a CETME at over 3X the price.  I don't understand why they are so damn expensive.   You need to shoot one for yourself to dispel this bullshit statement.

It was written in Guns & Weapons magazine (April 06) so it must be true - NOT.