The star of the show, however, was Hornady’s 155-gr. To 175-gr., from Black Hills, Hornady, Federal and Remington-all of which landed their best groups in under an inch. We put a total of six different loads through the rifle, ranging from 150-gr. Normally this would be a 100-yard test, but lacking a magnified optic, we felt 50-yards was better suited to dialing out human error. To see what level of precision the M1A CQB was capable of, we set up shop 50-yards away from our targets and began drilling 3-shot groups. 7.62x51mm military surplus ammo we had kicking around.

As we’ve come to expect form Springfield’s M1A platform, reliability here was 100-percent…even with some 30-year-old, overseas-manufacturer 147-gr. Weapon manipulation during reloads was also quicker, more controlled and easier on the firing hand wrist, thanks to the more vertical angle of the stand-alone handgrip. The SOCOM 16 has always shown itself as a very controllable rifle under recoil, but the enhanced ergonomics afforded by the Archangel stock enhanced the SOCOM’s shooting experience to a measurable degree. Short-range function testing our M1A CQB immediately revieled one stand-out attribute-this is an extremely shootable. While not as streamlined and simplistic as the tradition rifle stock typically fitted to the SOCOM, the handling characteristics and customization aspects of the Archangel stock are worth the tradoff. Weapon manipulation-and in particular, ease of speed reloads-is greatly enhanced simply through the addition of a vertical grip. The balance of the components are straight SOCOM 16, with the same receiver, Garand-style bolt group, gas system and controls, including the outstanding trigger group for which the M1A has become justly famous. The barrel is fitted with a proprietary muzzle brake that directs combustion gases upward, reducing felt recoil and keeping muzzle rise so flat that fast follow-up shots are a snap. Chambered in 7.62 NATO only, the CQB is fitted with a 16-1/4 inch Parkerized carbon steel barrel with 6-grove rifling cut at a right-hand twist rate of 1 turn in 11 inches. The guts are pretty much identical to those of Springfield Armory’s M1A SOCOM 16, introduced in 2004. and aftermarket magazines like the one shown are readliy available-including through Springfield itself. While Springfield includes one 10-round magazine with each rifle, 20-round U.S.G.I. One of the two versions of the SOCOM 16 CQB comes with a Vortex Venom red-dot optic mounted in a Springfield Armory Clip Guide Red Dot Mount, which is the one we received for testing. 135” enlarged military aperture ghost ring that is adjustable for both windage and elevation. 125” blade and protective ears, while the rear sight is a. Sights consist of a dovetailed, drift adjustable (for windage only) front XS post with tritium insert. An AK-style pistol grip creates the exact grip angle and distance desired between the hand and trigger, and can be replaced with any standard AK-style grip.

The handguard cover is cut out for an installed, 4-inch Picatinny rail section for mounting a long eye relief, scout-type magnifying optic or red-dot scope. Both side M-Lok slots are fitted with composite 3-slot Picatinny rail sections, while a composite 7-slot rail is installed in the middle two slots on the bottom.

The forearm has single, 2-3/4 inch M-Lok slots on both sides far forward and four 1-1/4 -inch M-Lok slots along the bottom for mounting accessories. Four more QD sling swivel receptacle are provided on both sides of the stock, front and rear. It also features a removable rubber butt pad, lever-type locking latch and a single, vertical, quick detach sling swivel receptacle in the heel. An integral, 2-position raised comb increases comb height to a useable level for a variety of optics types. This one-piece, full-length rifle stock incorporates a 5-position collapsible buttstock mounted on an integral, AR-type commercial-spec polymer buffer tube, so you have the option of installing any AR-compatible stock. The most striking visual feature of the SOCOM 16 CQB is its Archangel stock.

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