Description
The M1A™ SOCOM 16 CQB 7.62 brings the rugged M14 action into the Information Age. The gun’s beating heart is John Cantius Garand’s peerless battle rifle action upgraded with 0.135″ ghost ring sights and a 16.25″ premium carbon steel 1:11″-twist barrel. All this rides inside an Archangel® composite chassis that features a collapsible stock and plenty of room for accessories
The M14 may not have been the most remarkable of service rifles, but it undeniably generated a cult following. In fact, there is enough of a following for the old battle rifle that it remains in production to this day. Most notably among these manufacturers is Springfield Armory, which makes the SOCOM 16 CQB.
M14 Heritage
Springfield produces several models of M14 derivative rifles, some aimed at the classic appearance of their predecessor (like many iterations of the M1A), and others that reflect the aesthetics of a modernized weapon (such as the SOCOM 16). As of this writing, the SOCOM 16 CQB is probably the best example of a modernized M14or M1A rifle.
The SOCOM 16 takes the classic M1A and trims the barrel, gets rid of the wooden stock, and tosses the gun in a modern polymer chassis system. It also works in a .135 inch ghost ring rear sight for quicker target acquisition. The exact model in this review is the Archangel CQB stock.
You’ll be able to tell many differences. The classic M14/M1A is almost ten inches longer than the SOCOM 16. But when you lay a classic M1A next to a modern SOCOM 16 CQB they look like entirely different weapons.
Archangel Stock
The Archangel chassis is a big leap forward for the SOCOM 16. This chassis gives you a modern pistol grip, an adjustable/collapsible M4 style stock, and a small section of M-LOK slots for attaching rails and accessories. The stock comes with removable rails at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions. Forward of the rails is a QD slot for attaching sling mounts. The SOCOM 16 also sports a forward section of Picatinny rail designed for red dot, or long eye relief optic.
In front of the rear sight is a stripper clip guide that also doubles as a mount for miniature red dots. Springfield even sells a model that comes with a Vortex Venom mounted.
Behind the sights and in front of the stack is an ambidextrous QD mount for slings, and another is on the stock itself, so you have options for setting things up the way you want.
