Springfield Armory's SA16-A2

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Mk-211 said:
I was in the army when the A2's were first issued. Today I want a removable carrying handle so I can mount optics.

While I think the whole retro thing is cool and some people will buy it, $1,250 will have most passing.
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Can be found in the wild for ~ $1,000.

For a rifleman, good apertures work fine, like a 1X optic.
 
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Gun-Reck said:
Can be found in the wild for ~ $1,000.

For a rifleman, good apertures work fine, like a 1X optic.
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Define “rifleman”. Every “rifleman” is better with an optic than they are with irons. The military realized this fact somewhere around 2004 and has never looked back. Springfield’s rifle will resonate for folks looking for nostalgia, but in the end, it won’t sell well enough for multiple production runs.
 
I guess the question is, would I want to be issued a 20" with A2 irons or a 14.5" M4 with an ACOG?

For me, personally, I'd take the full-size. But then, I'm unlikely to ever have to squeeze into an APC or a chopper with a rifle and full kit.

For the average mechanised trooper, the M4 with optics is clearly more appropriate. Can an exceptional shooter score better with a fresh 20" A2 at 100+ yards using optimized ammunition ? Maybe.....

I wouldn't feel undergunned with either, honestly- unless I'm being suppressed by heavy machine guns from elevation, in which case nothing in 5.56 is gunna help much. Everything is a compromise.
 
Robert said:
Meh, it's another AR in a market saturated by them. I'm sure it's a nice A2 clone, but again meh.
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It also pretty much negates a large portion on the versatility of the AR platform, basically shedding 40 years worth of combat development.

My 1st issue weapon when I came back in as a 2LT in 87 was the M16A2.. so a little nostalgia, but not enough to overcome 7.8lbs worth of lacking modularity.

and I truly love the "all a Rifleman needs" quip, chit "real riflemen" shoot single shots with 30" barrels that load from the muzzle. Zero need for fast follow up shots.
 
It's just a battle rifle, with very little to go wrong.

Sub-3MOA w/ ball ammo out to 300 yards rifle.

Aperture sights work fine for that application at those ranges.

Do not own any AR's, but like the looks of this one.
 
I'm not sure having an SAI roll stamp is worth a four-digit price tag.
I'll flat out guess, without looking, that a person could find a complete A2 for under US$800, and for even less as pieces-parts. And the money saved could go into useful things like an upgraded trigger, a carry handle optic and the like.

But, that's my 2¢

And, for what it's worth my clone-correct A2 was a whopping $400 back in 1994 just ahead of the AWB. (USG CPI says that's $847 in 2024 dollars).
AR-15 w bayonet M7.png
When Bushnell's had them on sale I picked up the re-popped 4x optic (not shown), and I'm happy with that two hundred bux spent.
 
PSA has their version for $600. Its not a perfect clone, as it has a removable carry handle, but I really don't see that as a bad thing and actually a better option. Ive put together a number of PSA AR's now, and all have been good shooters and no trouble. I wouldn't hesitate to go that route.


Over the years, Springfield has left a bad taste for me, rifles and pistols. Unless the gun was one of their early 80's guns, I would avoid them. But, that's just me.
 
Gun-Reck said:
It's just a battle rifle, with very little to go wrong.

Sub-3MOA w/ ball ammo out to 300 yards rifle.

Aperture sights work fine for that application at those ranges.

Do not own any AR's, but like the looks of this one.
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You don’t own an AR, but you are somehow an expert on what is required to fight with one? I’ll say it again. There’s a reason every branch of the military with a ground fighting force has made the change to optics over iron sights. It’s the same reason that these rifles will be tough to sell. There are entirely too many benefits to red dots or magnified optics.
 
marksman13 said:
Aperture sights do not work AT ALL like a 1X optic. Shoot a red dot against irons for time and see how that theory works out for you.
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Optically, they function exactly like an infinite focal plane 1X optic.

That a more modern/heavier/expensive/fragile sight exists that may be faster, does not negate the aperture's utility.

It's a battle rifle.


​
 
marksman13 said:
You don’t own an AR, but you are somehow an expert on what is required to fight with one? I’ll say it again. There’s a reason every branch of the military with a ground fighting force has made the change to optics over iron sights. It’s the same reason that these rifles will be tough to sell. There are entirely too many benefits to red dots or magnified optics.
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Not owning one - doesn't mean that I have no experience w/ them.

This is a Civilian Defense rifle, not a CQB door-kicker.


My choice was an aperture sighted Mini-14 Carbine, but I like this new rifle.

Shoot mostly aperture sighted rifles from field positions.

Also hunt rabbits and squirrels w/ aperture sighted .22 LR's.

If one sucks w/ apertures, it is not the sight's fault.
 
Gun-Reck said:
Not owning one - doesn't mean that I have no experience w/ them.

This is a Civilian Defense rifle, not a CQB door-kicker.


My choice was an aperture sighted Mini-14 Carbine, but I like this new rifle.

Shoot mostly aperture sighted rifles from field positions.

Also hunt rabbits and squirrels w/ aperture sighted .22 LR's.

If one sucks w/ apertures, it is not the sight's fault.
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This has nothing to do with being able to shoot iron sights. It has everything to go with the fact that better options exist and a rifle not built to accept those better options isn’t going to sell very well, especially when better quality rifles, in more versatile configurations can be had for less money.
 
marksman13 said:
This has nothing to do with being able to shoot iron sights. It has everything to go with the fact that better options exist and a rifle not built to accept those better options isn’t going to sell very well, especially when better quality rifles, in more versatile configurations can be had for less money.
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"Better," for the average civilian shooter, is generally heavy, expensive Gucci stuff.

A Defense/Battle rifle is like a hammer.

It just needs to do the work.
 
Gun-Reck said:
"Better," for the average civilian shooter, is generally heavy, expensive Gucci stuff.

A Defense/Battle rifle is like a hammer.

It just needs to do the work.
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Again, your ignorance is obvious. I’m done. I hope you single-handily buy enough of these to make them profitable for Springfield. I hope you buy enough of them that they have the free cash to bring back the 10mm TRP Operator I’ve been looking for.
 
Gun-Reck said:
It's a battle rifle
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No. A battle rifle is traditionally a full sized rifle chambered in a full power cartridge. For instance, a FAL, M-14, M-1 rifle, G3, or similar rifles. A battle rifle can be select fire, but does not have to be.

In my avatar photo I'm shooting my iron sighted FAL. I absolutely love that rifle. On the day that photo was taken the farthest target on the course of fire was 425y. I was making consistent hits at that range using the iron sights. Guess I'm a rifleman... I'd absolutely love a 4x or 1-6x scope on that rifle.
 
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Y'know what I think would sell better than this? (And these will sell.)

This exact configuration in 308...and just to get someone's knickers in a twist, make a 6.5 Creed version too.

THAT'S a "battle rifle".

A 16 inch 556 flat top with a red dot will do everything this will do and do it better.
 
Nostalgia,

Brings back memories starting at Paris Island. It still makes me smile thinking about shooting 500yds with a good degree of accuracy with the aperture sight.

Until.... I moved up to Gun Chief and and was issued an M9 that couldn't hit a pie plate at 5yds no matter what the armorer did to it.😆
 
Wonder if they'll offer an A4 version? That is one I might be willing to buy for nostalgia purposes, but even then I doubt I would since I deployed with an M-39 or Mk12 and Mk18. So I guess I'm not the target audience for an A2 even though I did use one of those at Parris Island and during ITB at Lejeune.
 
It should also be noted that this rifle has a 1:7 twist rate, which allows it to shoot the heavier 77 gr. Razor Core round.

Not a traditional .30 battle rifle like the M1, but a battle rifle none the less.
 
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