Battle Rifle
Springfield Armory's SOCOM-II
Moves The Concept Forward.
Story By Massad Ayoob
Photos By Ichiro Nagata
The reason was contained in one word — shootability. The comp made a stunning difference. Vented on top to project upward gas jets to force the muzzle down in firing, the compensator also had an expansion chamber. Expanding gases hit the frontal wall of the chamber as the round discharged, literally trying to pull the rifle forward and away from the shooter’s shoulder. The result was the softest-shooting .308 Winchester/7.62mm NATO battle rifle this writer ever fired. I was not the only one who came to that conclusion.
In 2005, Springfield Armory followed with the SOCOM-II. Supplementing rather than replacing the original SOCOM-16, which remains a bestseller, the “dash-two” has a subtly different set of attributes.
The most visible attributes of the “Mark II” version are the slightly rougher-surfaced synthetic stock (for better hand traction) and, most obvious, a 360-degree set of Picatinny rails. The quad rail attachment adds weight. The Gen One SOCOM-16 is 8.9 pounds unloaded and the heft of the Second Gen SOCOM-II is 10.9 pounds, unloaded. It’s all in the rail system, which means the extra weight is up front.
The good news with this particular variation is ample. Lights can go wherever you like them. A laser sighting module is best mounted underneath, so the gun will be hitting point of aim/point of impact at least in terms of windage, with the bore of the rifle directly above the source of the beam. Some prefer their white light units on the bottom, too. However, some like their forward hand to be well forward. This means lateral mounting may work better, putting a unit like SureFire’s X200 or InSight’s 6P where the thumb can more easily reach its toggle switch. In some configurations of combat carbine, such as Dave Lauck’s custom AR-15 patrol rifle, identical white light units are mounted parallel on either side of the fore-end, allowing for ambidextrous use around different configurations of cover, or in case a rifle is shared between left-handed and right-handed partners.
The quad rail, sometimes called a cluster rail, makes all this easy, and the top track of the rail system is still there for telescopic sights, ACOGs, Aimpoints or EOTechs. The SOCOM-II includes Springfield Armory’s proven telescopic sight mount, over the action in the traditional location rather than forward in the Scout Rifle configuration, for marksmen who prefer them there.
The rail system also makes a great contact surface for an impromptu rifle rest. Its squared forward edges just lock into a flat wall-type barricade for firing from behind vertical cover. For horizontal cover, they rest nicely on every surface from shooting bench to patrol car hood to windowsill. The latter is particularly effective with the SOCOM-II if you can get to the corner of the window opening, bracing the side of the rail system against the side of the window frame, and the bottom portion of the rail on the sill itself.
Contrary to popular myth, this hard contact between stock (or in this case, a stock accoutrement) and another hard surface will not cause “mysterious vibrations making your shots go awry.” All it will do is steady you for much better accuracy when a shot has to be taken under field conditions in urban combat environments.
The added two pounds of the “dash-two” SOCOM is all up front. This helps the rifle hang steady for many shooters trained in the standing offhand position of the conventional marksman. It also can’t hurt recoil and muzzle jump control, though having shot both SOCOMs side by side, I can’t honestly say I feel the heavy one kicks less.
The bad news is both subjective and objective. The SOCOM-II with rail system costs a little over $2,000, compared to $1,780 for the SOCOM-16, which isn’t exactly cheap either. That’s an objective difference. Most anything else I don’t like on the SOCOM-II is more subjective in nature.
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The Aimpoint sight is also seen overseas in the hands of our military. This one is in A.R.M.S. Mounts.
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Cheese Graters
Those four-sided Pic rail sleeves are sharp. One rifle-savvy friend of mine calls them “cheese graters,” and I won’t argue the point. Yes, the rifle accessory companies sell you little plastic strips to snap into Pic rail spaces you aren’t using. Before someone says, “Be a man! Suck it up! It’s only momentary discomfort,” I think I should add a point.
The discomfort of the sharp edges on a wrap-around Pic rail set is not going to bother you when you’re handling the rifle in the gun shop. They’re going to come into play in heavy training, where you might be running the gun for 500 rounds a day in an intensive course. That sort of heavy handling chews up even hard, callused hands.
Finally, the weight, steadying in one situation can be a definite negative in others. As applied to the SOCOM-II, the added two pounds make the gun muzzle heavy. I found it distinctly slowed me down going between multiple targets. It slowed me down coming up from low ready for fast snap shots at 25 yards. It just plain slowed me.
A soldier, hunter or hiker who carries a rifle all day in the mountains, soon becomes conscious of every pound of excess weight. My bedroom closet doesn’t complain about the excess weight of the SOCOM-II over the SOCOM-16. Neither does my SUV. Neither will my patrol car if I choose to take either rifle on duty. But remember, eventually we may deploy a heavy rifle and use it for its intended purpose. When that happens, the weight factor kicks in.
Ever been on an all-night manhunt? I have. I was glad I had a 6-pound-something Ithaca police shotgun instead of a 7- or 8-pound-something Remington or Winchester. Ever hold someone at gunpoint? I have. The cavalry may take a long, long time coming to your aid. A lighter rifle is a whole lot easier to hold someone at gunpoint with than a heavy one, if the circumstances don’t afford you something to brace its forward weight upon.
If you doubt this, take a carefully-unloaded 11-pound rifle and see how long you can hold it on target, dry-fire, from off-hand standing before the tremors start. Pretty soon, holding the gun up is all you’re able to think about. Lighter guns make sense for holding criminals at gunpoint, a thought never occurring to people who haven’t had to do it, or who assume responding officers magically appear as soon as the bad guy surrenders.
There are times you need to hold your firearm in one hand while operating a radio, cell phone, or other device with your other hand. A muzzle-heavy long gun is not the ideal choice there, either.
I don’t like the looks of the SOCOM-II. It appears huge and clunky to me. I keep wanting to attach a satellite dish to it or something. Yet, I suppose, there will be others for whom it will be the epitome of “way cool, high-speed, low-drag” functional beauty. I guess it really is “in the eye of the beholder.”
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| The EOTech Holosight (above) fits handily on the SOCOM-II’s top rail. Popular with military units overseas, the rugged EOTech works well with night vision equipment, is waterproof to 33' and can operate for up to 200 hours on “N” alkaline batteries. | The aperture in the rear sight (above) is wider than in some older M14s, a good optimum for fast acquisition and long-range accuracy. With forward-mounted optics, the magazine can still use the stripper-clip guides. |
Several friends and acquaintances have purchased SOCOMs. Virtually all chose the original SOCOM-16. Without exception, my friends have been pleased with how theirs shot. All are satisfied with the single rail on top, designed for mounting an optic “Scout Style,” forward of the action.
Mine was able to give me 2" groups at 100 yards with the best ammunition and iron sights. Since I’m old with old eyes and not by any means the world’s best iron-sight rifleman at that distance, I’m pretty darn happy with it.
I have heard, but not seen personally, of minute of angle groups with the SOCOM rifles and I can believe it. I’ve owned M1A Springfields that would shoot 11⁄2" groups at 200 yards. I have no reason to doubt their baby brother might be capable of a minute of angle.
Where the accuracy comes in on the SOCOM guns is not on the “inherent accuracy” side, but the “practical accuracy” side. Inherent accuracy addresses what the gun-and-ammo combination is mechanically capable of. Practical accuracy recognizes what a good shooter will likely be able to actually do. Those things are apples and oranges.
In terms of practical accuracy, the SOCOMs shine. The SOCOM-16 weighs 8.9 pounds, but its weight is so perfectly centered and balanced between the shooter’s hands, it feels a couple of pounds lighter. The iron sights on these rifles are excellent, and the Tritium insert in the front sight is much appreciated.
The front end of the SOCOM-II hangs dead steady. If you like the old-fashioned target shooter’s offhand position, with the tricep of the support arm against the torso and the palm under the receiver instead of under the barrel, the nature of the M14’s design and its protruding magazine make it easy. With the bottom of the 20-round magazine resting in the palm of the hand, arm alignment is perfectly in line with the hips for a dead-steady weight distribution. It doesn’t strain any muscles and allows you to concentrate on sight picture and trigger press.
These rifles come with rugged iron sights, well-protected from the hard knocks of life by their Garand-based design features. That’s all I personally need. With those sights, the rifle stays under a 1/2" at 25 yards. Friend Clint Smith popularized the term “urban rifle,” which he defined as the combat use of a rifle at pistol distances and 25 yards is basically pistol distance.
The rifle will do an inch or better at 50 yards with the iron sights. Tactical police officers tell us that the average real-world employment distance of a SWAT precision rifle is between 50 and 60 yards. This is “eye socket accuracy” at this distance. Two inches at 100 yards? That almost lets the shooter pick which chamber of the target’s heart the bullet will contact. Bottom line? Either SOCOM configuration has sufficient accuracy for most purposes.
One of the first questions going through your mind when you see a short-barreled .308 Winchester rifle is, “Will I lose so much velocity the power of my rounds will be compromised?” The answer is, “No, not really.”
The difference is there. Basically, the SOCOM concept turns a Springfield Armory M1A .308 into a .300 Savage. This is not a bad thing, assuming identical 150-grain bullets and typical velocities. The .300 Savage has been killing man-size and larger animals with great efficiency since the early 20th century. The same ballistics work with .308 ammo out of SOCOMs. It is worth noting that at the age of 16, Nicholas Reese killed an elk of substantial size at 100 yards or more with a single round of 165-grain .308 from an early SOCOM-16 rifle. Nicholas is the son of Springfield Armory CEO Dennis Reese.
A 16" .308 has the necessary power to punch through car doors, and barricades typically encountered in house to house combat. This is why the M14, supposedly long obsolete for battle, has made its way back with American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. One has only to look at pictures coming back from those fronts in the news media to witness the return of the M14.
Reports from those same combat zones are troops have some reliability and power level concerns with their short 5.56mm M4 assault rifles, but they love those little guns because they are easy to maneuver in and out of vehicles. The MOUT environment (Military Operation, Urban Terrain) of current “Fourth Generation Warfare” has given our troops new appreciation of compact small arms.
The SOCOM simply puts those two concepts together. The M14 in civilian dress is the Springfield Armory M1A, and there are credentialed small arms experts who believe that the M1A is the finest iteration of the M14 platform. The SOCOM versions are to the standard size M14 as the M4 is to the M16 — shorter, handier, faster handling.
Note puff of smoke above comp, which is driving the muzzle down.
Though spent .308 casing is barely out of the ejection port, muzzle is still on target.
Now all that remains is for the shooter to pick which SOCOM. If you have a need for high-speed optics or assorted white light and lasers starboard, port, and under the bow, the SOCOM-II may be the one for you.
If all you need is a light, fast, incredibly easy-kicking rifle firing a powerful cartridge, and maybe some white light on board (which can be attached by other means than Pic rails), and perhaps optics mounted in the Scout Rifle position, then the original SOCOM-16 may be your better choice.
The key is Springfield Armory has given us a choice of two superb battle rifles with long-range capability configured for the intensive needs of CQB — Close Quarters Battle.
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