Just when you thought the M1A has seen its day, this old warhorse proves it’s not ready for the farm just yet. Of any military weapon system, the M14 / M1A has a glorious history. When SOF needed a sniper platform that could handle the rigors of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, they turned to the M14 / M1A platform. It was subsequently enhanced with the EBR chassis from Sage International Ltd. The M14/M1A has served our armed forces and international partners since 1959.
Springfield Armory has been building M14 rifles since their inception and in 1974 they introduced the M1A semiautomatic version of the M14. Over the years, Springfield Armory has produced a number of variants: National Match, Super Match, M21, M25, SOCOM 16, Scout Squad, SOCOM II.
For 2016 Springfield introduced the SOCOM 16 CQB shown below. The new rendition features a 16” barrel, a six position AR style adjustable buttstock, the pistol grip is AK patterned so any of the tactical AK grips will fit and M-LOK rail system at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions. The rifle ships with iron sights or Vortex® Venom Red Dot. The rifle is lightweight and very handy but I did miss the longer sight radius of the full length M1A. However, equipped with a reflex sight this baby can deliver 7.62×51 punch in a close quarters environment.
You should start seeing the SOCOM 16 CQB first quarter 2016. M.S.R.P. will vary with configuration.
FOG HORN 