Springfield Armory SOCOM

The Springfield Armory M1A SOCOM 16 and M1A SOCOM II are variants of the Springfield Armory M1A.

History

The SOCOM 16 was introduced in 2004, with the SOCOM II being introduced a year later in 2005. It appears the SOCOM II was discontinued at the end of 2014.^[1][2] The SOCOM 16 CQB, a SOCOM 16 with a pistol grip and telescoping stock, was introduced in early 2016.

Design

The SOCOM 16 and SOCOM II are largely identical to the standard M1A, but feature a 16.25 in (413 mm) barrel, rather than the standard model's 22 in (560 mm) barrel. The specially designed muzzle brake is designed to reduce the increased recoil produced by the shorter barrel. In addition to the top rail for optics, the rifle has enclosed Garand-style iron sights, with tritium inserts for low or dim light conditions. The rifle will accept any M14 magazine, with typical capacities of 5, 10, or 20 rounds.

The only difference between the SOCOM 16 and SOCOM II is the Picatinny rails. The SOCOM 16 features a short length of Picatinny rail in front of the action, above the handguard,^[3] whilst the SOCOM II features a "Cluster Rail System", with a continuous top Picatinny rail from just ahead of the action to the front of the handguard, and shorter lengths of rail on the sides and bottom of the handguard.^[4] The extra Picatinny rails allow for more attachments, including scopes, grips, lights, and lasers, but also means the SOCOM II weighs 10 pounds, compared to the SOCOM 16's 8.8 pounds. Because the rails add weight at the front of the weapon, it is more muzzle heavy than the SOCOM 16, making it more difficult for some users to engage multiple targets quickly.

References