Socom 16 - Not Too Bad

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Welding Rod

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I put my Aimpoint T-1 on my Socom 16 today. I have shot it with irons and with a Leupold 2.5x scout scope. I vastly prefer the T-1 to either.

The irons are very dificult to shoot precisely - and not because I am inept with irons, I am a regular high power match shooter and shoot them 2 to 4 times per month. They are just designed for very close range with a wide post and large aperature.

I thought the Leupold scope fouled the balance of the gun, and was a little high so I took it off after the first time or two shooting it.

The T-1 on the factory SAI mount is a little higher than I would prefer, but perfectly livable. The iron sight line is just below the bottom of the viewing window. The light weight helps maintain a reasonably good balance too. The red dot is beautiful on dark iron plates.

I found my accuracy level increased with the Aimpoint. Oddly my goups with it are a little better than with the 2.5x scope. I have no explanation for that other than I removed the rear pointed screw out of the top of the cantilevered part of the SAI scout rail which bears down into the top of the barrrel. Perhaps during barrel heating that might have caused some POA shifting?

With the Aimpoint and shooting some reloads that I wanted to try with IMR 3031 and Horanady 150 FMJBT w/C seated to the cannelure the group sizes were about 2.5" at 100 yards. Not bad as the COAL I used to seat to the cannelure leads to a lot of bullet jump with that bullet in a 308 cartridge. My other M1As don't seem to care for that much jump either.

I know my other M1As do a lot better with 168 SMKs so hopefully this Socom can do even better with some match quality loads.

What a hoot to shoot. The 100 yard gong, which I believe is 10", was child's play in any position. The only real question is how fast can you shoot it.

Good day at the range.
 
Ah jeeezz. :banghead::banghead::banghead:

I just figured out why it was shooting so good (1.5 to 2.5 inch groups). I was just out in the garage cleaning, looked at the some of the targets, and realized I shot the paper targets at 50 yards not 100!

Sorry!

I was zeroing and shooting 2 other guns today as well and evidently had so much fun I lost track. No wonder it seemed to go so good. So no, the T1 isn't shooting any better than the Leupold scope. Makes sense now.

Still a great day though and I still look forward to trying some 168 SMKs in the Socom.
 
nice setup. very practical and straightforward
 
Man, I LOVE that rifle. I've been contemplating either having a scout rifle built or getting a Ruger, but yours has me thinking. That looks like it would be much more handy than an AR variant.

It's been a long time since I've had a C-More red dot, but memory tells me that they sit lower than the T1s do. Maybe something to check out if you want to try to get something lower on the rifle. What I did with the C-More was to not use a rail. I had a rail milled flat and drilled and tapped it and attached the C-More directly to the flat. Sort of like a Slide Ride rig.

Anyway, very nice.
 
I agree, that is a great optics choice for that type of rifle.

I think you would like it even better if you swapped out that factory SAI scout mount for an Ultimak M8. The Ultimak sits lower, and actually allows you to get a lower 1/3 co-witness with the iron sights through the Aimpoint. It would also let you get pretty much the same cheek weld through the Aimpoint as you get with the irons.
 
Nice rifle. My rifle is almost identical except that it is a scout in walnut and no optics a of yet.
I will purchase a Leuopold Scout once I save the cash. Is your scout scope a variable or fixed? A recent article in guns and ammo? uses a variable scout scope in ultra low mounts.
 
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Dang, that looks good! If I had a Socom 16 the first mod would definitely be the wood stock. That setup looks awesome. I bet she is a dream to shoot. *drool* :D
 
what i like about those rifles isn't that the ergonomics are conducive to super-fast, accurate shooting and manipulation (mag changes, clearing malfs, etc) like an AR15. what i like about them is how amazingly simple the controls are. because, depending on who is using it, simple is sometimes a lot more desirable than ergonomic elegance.

iow, that's exactly the kind of rifle i would hand to a new shooter and expect them to be effective. i think (as silly as it might seem) the controls on an AR15, while better, aren't necessarily intuitively obvious and are intimidating to some shooters. i mean, you usually have to explain a few times how to use an AR15. any n00b could pick up a socom16 and figure it out
 
Red Leg - My Leupold is a fixed model. I think I still have it (with rings) if you are interested. Here is a picture from when I had the scope on there:

(Edit: I just remembered I traded off the scope a year to two ago)

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Taliv - I agree with your thoughts... the intuitive nature of its operation is great.
 
Man, thats sure is a sweet rifle. Once I get outta college and land a job I'll have to pick one up :D

When I was at the range on Sunday, there was a guy shooting his standard M1a at a FOUR INCH SQUARE piece of steel I had hung at 200 yards with his STANDARD SIGHTS :what: :what:

He wasn't making every shot, but it was darn close! (3 or 4 out of every 5)

Of course, he had handloads, but claimed that everything else was stock.

Have fun with the new boomer!
- TNG
 
I got a standard loaded M1A, I hear you need a cheekpiece for it if you scope it. dont see one on yours, is there that much a difference? just wondering, cause I am hungry for a scout squad now.
 
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