New AR or M1A...help me decide
- Thread starter GreenTN
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So far all my 7.62 has come in boxes of 250 rounds plus from South Africa or Portugal or God knows where, as long as it's cheap. I'm not accurate enough yet to need factory ammo, maybe if I get a scope some day and catch up to that rifle in accuracy I'll buy some.
Was the price of 7.62 affected by the run on the gun store? I'm getting it for 60 cents a round now, just wondering if the price will drop in the coming months. I'm sure 5.56 was affected considerably by the recent demand. Last I saw, it was 40 cents per round. I plan on getting a 5.56 eventually, so I hope that price goes down.
DarkswordDX
Member
I own one of each.
SOCOM II is my second favorite rifle after my M1A National Match. The AR is somewhere down near the bottom.
Thr raw power of the SOCOM is in a whole different league. It's at least as accurate as a 16" barrel AR. The muzzle break is one of the most effective I've handled on any platform, and recoil is very pleasant.
If I had to pick my gripes with it, it's on the heavy side and the report is loud as hell. But I wouldn't trade mine for 5 AR-15s.
SOCOM II is my second favorite rifle after my M1A National Match. The AR is somewhere down near the bottom.
Thr raw power of the SOCOM is in a whole different league. It's at least as accurate as a 16" barrel AR. The muzzle break is one of the most effective I've handled on any platform, and recoil is very pleasant.
If I had to pick my gripes with it, it's on the heavy side and the report is loud as hell. But I wouldn't trade mine for 5 AR-15s.
LoneStarWings
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- Jan 27, 2009
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- 445
I occasionally use a Burris 2-7x 32mm Pistol scope w/ Electro-Dot Reticle on the scout mount with QRW rings. I mostly just use that for bench rest shooting when I want to test the accuracy of a load, and use the iron sights for everything else.
Frankl03
Member
I have an M1A Loaded with just a few rounds through it but I'm thinking of going with a M1A Scout. I handled one today at Cabelas and really liked it. I may sell the Loaded and go for the Scout.
Frankl03, my suggestion for you:
Have your loaded re barreled with a nice 18.0" Crazy Horse barrel
from SEI and sell the original barrel to recoup some of your money.
The Crazy Horse barrel is a medium heavy profile, SEI can turn it down to
a standard profile for weight savings. Cryo and M80HT are recommended.
Have your loaded re barreled with a nice 18.0" Crazy Horse barrel
from SEI and sell the original barrel to recoup some of your money.
The Crazy Horse barrel is a medium heavy profile, SEI can turn it down to
a standard profile for weight savings. Cryo and M80HT are recommended.
longdayjake
Member
Not really the same round. The grendel shoots a smaller caliber bullet, but it can shoot the same grain bullet at a higher velocity. It has a little more case capacity. The difference between the 7.62x39 and the 6.5 grendel is that the 7.62x39 has a tapered case whereas the 6.5 grendel is a straight walled case. This gives it a grain or two more case capacity which gives it a little more velocity. Its sectional density leads to greater penetration than the 6.8 and it should be pretty close to the 7.62x39 in penetration with bullets of similar or same grain. Not only that but there are many more 6.5 bullets for reloading than .311 for the 7.62x39. Another good thing about the 6.5 is that when you make brass from 7.62x39 you don't have to trim the necks at all. You just size, charge, then seat the bullet and shoot. Nothing better for a reloader. The one down side is that they are extremely addictive to shoot and you will find yourself shooting more and more of it as you go.
Gunfighter123
Member
I have both ARs and M1As ---- for longer range { 400yards+} I like my full size M1A -- but for under 400yds -- I will take my SOCOM 1 everytime !!! I have/had about every
.308 battle rifle made --- the Socom 1 has the least amount of recoil then any of the others.
PandaBearBG
Member
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2009
- Messages
- 463
+1 for the AR 10, best of both worlds.
Expertowgunner
Member
shot the white feather m1a and a ar-10 that was customised to be like the sass. my favorite?? the ar-10 seemed to be a better choice for me as it was lighter, less felt recoil, and better ergonomics. if you want to know which was more accurate they were about the same for me as in hitting 8 inch gongs at 600 yards was good enough for anything id ever want.
DSAPT9
Member
So far you have been given a lot of info and it is all-good! Like every thing else we all have our reason for liking something and some times it just has to do with the COOL factor. Like most things there are pros and cons with both.
First I am a .308 fan and feel it is the ultimate survival/hunting cartridge ever produced for the area I live in (just my opinion). I hunted with an M1A for over 6 years and carried the same rifle while doing my scouting before hunting season started. They are heavy, the loaded mags are heavy and after a day of packing you know you did something. Bullet choices are from 147 to 220 in factory but as mentioned before the SOCOM does not really like the heavier bullets. If you re-load there are even more bullets to chose from.
I have had the opportunity to play with all three sizes and I also agree the scout with the 18-barrel is a better choice but a lot harder to come by. The SOCOM is also noisy with the short muzzle break very loud in the woods but much faster to maneuver through heavy brush. They are fun at the range and have a high COOL factor. It would be a better choice for hunting over the AR and the short barrel will be a good general-purpose gun out to 250 to 300 yards (just my opinion).
The AR-15 platform is just hard to beat for all around fun. They are light, no recoil and ammo is still cheaper than .308. Loaded thirty round mag of 5.56 weighs a little less than a twenty round mag of .308 so you can carry more rounds for the same weight and almost same space. Magazines are cheaper and more readily available for the AR all though that is slowly changing as more M1As are being sold. It is not a good hunting round for big game. I have taken several DEER over the years with my AR but I do not feel it is a good ELK rifle. Yes shot placement is the key factor with any hunting situation but the round is lacking power for my taste. There are more optional toys and do-dads for the AR than anything else except for maybe the 10/22.
So I guess what it comes down to is what you want to use it for and what options you want to add to it down the road. I like the control layout of the AR so well a few years back I sold my M1A and ordered 2 DSA-SA58 (fal) rifles both with 16.25 barrels one folding stock and one with standard stock. I do not like the AR-10 plat form it is not as comfortable as the FAL design. The standard stock is now my Hunting rifle. I have a Leupold 3x9x40 on it, a full tactical rail and forward grip. It is sited in with federal 180-gr. soft points. I have been able to get 1.25 to 1.5 in groups at 100 so it is a great hunting rifle out to 300 yards. They are not tac drivers and have never been known to be but they do have that COOL factor.
Just enjoy what ever you get!
First I am a .308 fan and feel it is the ultimate survival/hunting cartridge ever produced for the area I live in (just my opinion). I hunted with an M1A for over 6 years and carried the same rifle while doing my scouting before hunting season started. They are heavy, the loaded mags are heavy and after a day of packing you know you did something. Bullet choices are from 147 to 220 in factory but as mentioned before the SOCOM does not really like the heavier bullets. If you re-load there are even more bullets to chose from.
I have had the opportunity to play with all three sizes and I also agree the scout with the 18-barrel is a better choice but a lot harder to come by. The SOCOM is also noisy with the short muzzle break very loud in the woods but much faster to maneuver through heavy brush. They are fun at the range and have a high COOL factor. It would be a better choice for hunting over the AR and the short barrel will be a good general-purpose gun out to 250 to 300 yards (just my opinion).
The AR-15 platform is just hard to beat for all around fun. They are light, no recoil and ammo is still cheaper than .308. Loaded thirty round mag of 5.56 weighs a little less than a twenty round mag of .308 so you can carry more rounds for the same weight and almost same space. Magazines are cheaper and more readily available for the AR all though that is slowly changing as more M1As are being sold. It is not a good hunting round for big game. I have taken several DEER over the years with my AR but I do not feel it is a good ELK rifle. Yes shot placement is the key factor with any hunting situation but the round is lacking power for my taste. There are more optional toys and do-dads for the AR than anything else except for maybe the 10/22.
So I guess what it comes down to is what you want to use it for and what options you want to add to it down the road. I like the control layout of the AR so well a few years back I sold my M1A and ordered 2 DSA-SA58 (fal) rifles both with 16.25 barrels one folding stock and one with standard stock. I do not like the AR-10 plat form it is not as comfortable as the FAL design. The standard stock is now my Hunting rifle. I have a Leupold 3x9x40 on it, a full tactical rail and forward grip. It is sited in with federal 180-gr. soft points. I have been able to get 1.25 to 1.5 in groups at 100 so it is a great hunting rifle out to 300 yards. They are not tac drivers and have never been known to be but they do have that COOL factor.
Just enjoy what ever you get!
GreenTN,
I have a M1A scout. I purchased it as my "one" rifle... you know, the one that could do it all, etc... the one I would go to if tshtf... the one I would wring out enough accuracy out of to show I knew what I was doing...
The scout meets all of these requirements...
Yet, I still find myself interested in an AR platform... Why you ask?
It is what I learned on (thank you USMC) so AR's feel so natural... that's it, really... it just feels right.
I think you should do whatever you can to fire both and then decide. You can get whatever you want out of each platform... but you'll probably like th feel of one or the other better. What you like, you will undoubtedly shoot better...
Best of luck to you.
John
I have a M1A scout. I purchased it as my "one" rifle... you know, the one that could do it all, etc... the one I would go to if tshtf... the one I would wring out enough accuracy out of to show I knew what I was doing...
The scout meets all of these requirements...
Yet, I still find myself interested in an AR platform... Why you ask?
It is what I learned on (thank you USMC) so AR's feel so natural... that's it, really... it just feels right.
I think you should do whatever you can to fire both and then decide. You can get whatever you want out of each platform... but you'll probably like th feel of one or the other better. What you like, you will undoubtedly shoot better...
Best of luck to you.
John
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