SA Socom 16 or Scout Squad Rifle - Decisions Decisions

[Rockrivr1]

Ok, I know people really hate these kind of threads. But I'm stuck. I want to get a good Semi Auto Scout Rifle and am not sure which way to go. I currently own a Match M1A and that thing is a tac driver and I've never had one single problem with it. So I decided to base my scout on the M1A platform.

My problem is whether to go with the Socom 16 (or Socom II) or the Scout Squad Rifle. 16" vs 18" bbl and different sights seems to be the only difference between the two. Some say that accuracy is diminished when you reach out with the 16" bbl, but some say that is crap.

So which would you get and why. Thanks

 

[Dionysusigma]

Scout Squad. The SOCOMs don't have a walnut stock option. Also, even though I wear ear protection, a .308 coming out of =< 16" is just too much.

 

[FPrice]

I have handled (not shot, just handled) both and based on this limited exposure I think I'd go with the Scout vs. the SOCOM. But I'd like to shoot both before having to make a buy decision.

 

[El Rojo]

Boy that new SOCOM II looks sort of cool. I already have my Loaded M1A, but the idea of having a shorter barreled version is starting to appeal to me.

Having guns is like a deadly virus, it keeps getting worse and worse. From one project to the next. I don't even know when the last time I shot my 700 VS in .308 was, but I needed a FAB-10 and a SU-16. I have issues.

 

[LooseGrouper]

I just bought a SOCOM last weekend, and am taking it to the range tomorrow. I was agonizing over the decision too (3 or 4 months), but I went with the SOCOM because the dealer was overstocked (no scout squads in stock) and cut me a good deal.

My basic thought was that I could get the SOCOM for fairly cheap and try it out for a while. If I don't like it so much, I'll just keep shopping until I find a good deal on a scout squad and trade it in.

I really like the scouts. My only issue was that big compensator on the end. In my opinion it's about 2 inches bigger than it needs to be. If SA would offer the scout with the SOCOM muzzle brake, I'd have ordered one and paid extra if necessary. But then again I've seen some pics of a pretty cool scout on which somebody put an aftermarket Vortex flash suppressor and then gave it a nifty homemade paint job.

 

[Ian]

I'd go with the Squad Scout. It uses standard gas system parts; the SOCOM doesn't. More importantly, I think 18" makes more sense than 16" on a .308. Better velocity, less blast, etc.

 

[Matt-man]

I really like the scouts. My only issue was that big compensator on the end. In my opinion it's about 2 inches bigger than it needs to be. If SA would offer the scout with the SOCOM muzzle brake, I'd have ordered one and paid extra if necessary.

The Smith Enterprise brake is quite a bit shorter than the Springfield brake, and is still quite effective. I think it's perfect for a Scout.

 

[Risasi]

If you wanna look cool at the range, are unmarried, AND there are chicks there go for the Socom.

If you want to reach out past 300 yards, want a gun that lasts longer, and uses standard SA parts go with the Scout. The extra 2" are worth it IMAO.


Decisions, decisions...hmm, cool or function, function or cool.

 

[TheHomelandSoldier]

I agree on the 18". You will get better performance of the .308 out of the 18" bbl, it needs at least that much to maintain velocity / burn potential. I also think the rifle looks more balanced in the scout squad size, even over the full size.


-THS

 

[24kshooter]

If you did not already have a M1A I would definately recommend the Scout - 18" and flash supressor are better for longer range shooting and all around performance - however if I were you I wouold probably get a SOCOM - now which one ? SOCOM or SOCOM II -that is a delima.

 

[geekWithA.45]

Scout Squad!!!!

-18" barrel's a better muzzle V/length tradeoff: IMO 16" leaves too much performance on the table

-The SOCOMs use newly designed gas piston assemblies...presumably these are well tested, but they're springfield proprietary, and who wants to buy a car the first couple of model years?

-The tactical premise of .308 for CQB confuses the snot out of me:

It's quite a bit much gun for CQB, but in order to turn it into a CQBesque kind of affair, they make it less capable as an MBR. I don't mind having an MBR with _some_ concessions to close range flexibility, but the SOCOM seems to want to flip the balance to the other side of the spectrum.

And finally, you can get the same XO sights from XO as aftermarket parts.

 

[El Rojo]

The tactical premise of .308 for CQB confuses the snot out of me

That is an excellent point that was about to fly right over my head. I like the .308, but do you need it for 20-30 yards? Of course not. Why not stick with something that is less recoil and easier to lug about? Thanks for clarifying that for me.

 

[Beethoven]

I did not know that the SOCOM's gas system was redesigned.

This alone would make me choose the Scout with its standard system.

 

[Risasi]

Yeppers, Ian and I already pointed it out. And it's been mentioned like gang busters elsewhere.

It looks like GWA45 was able to more clearly say this though.

BTW: I have also heard, but not confirmed that the barrel is more prone to throat erosion. This is due to the shorter barrel not fully burning all of the powder. I don't know if it's true, but it was claimed excessive barrel wear could occur in as little as 9,000 rounds.

Anyone else want to chime in on that little tidbit off of the Internet Ether?

Personally if I was going to spend as much as the SOCOM costs I wouldn't care. I'd just order an extra barrel or two. And then the barrel could always be what's it called? Counter bored? Basically recrowning a little further down the barrel. This would be a good idea as short as the barrel is already, but it would do in a pinch if you wanted to get a little more life out of the barrel. Of course this is assuming that the excessive wear theory is true...

 

[Nightcrawler]

I recently was beating the same horse, though over a future FAL purchase.

The research I did, including shooting off an email to SWAT Magazine (to which Denny Hansen replied personally), indicates that you lose only about 150 feet per second when going from a 20+" barrel to a 16.25" one.

As Denny put it, it's still going Mach 2 and it IS a .30 caliber.

In any case, I think the SOCOM looks funny, with the stubby barrel and full-length stock. However, when mated with a certain McMillian Brothers stock, you get something pretty cool looking. Especially with a sturdy ACE SOCOM buttstock on there.

The Scout-Squad will fit this stock too, obviously, but the Scout Squad looks okay with a standard stock as well.