Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

HOG0317

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Minuteman
Dec 30, 2008
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Long Beach, CA
I have a Springfield Armory SOCOM 16 that I'm thinking of having a local smith do some work on. Probably bed the stock, rework the trigger to about 3 pounds, and mount a ST-10 on. Just curious if anyone has done anything like this to a SOCOM 16 before and if so what kind of accuracy did you get at different ranges? Thanks, Mike
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

I have a socom 16 that I dropped into a Troy MCS. Before I changed stocks I was seeing 3 moa groups. Now I am seeing 1.5 - 2 moa groups out to 300 yards. Beyond 300, grouping begins to grow. You may have problems mounting an ST-10 due to eye relief with the forward scout rail on the socom stock. This is why I went with the troy mcs. It allows mounting a scope similar to an ar platform. I mounted a NF 2.5-10 and it is awesome. Troy mcs gives the socom the ergonomics of an AR platform, increases the accuracy and reduces the recoil. Down side to the troy system is increased weight. The next step for me is to put in a new trigger group. Good luck.
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

An ST10 on a Socom is....... well about as useful as lipstick on a pig.Throw a Eotech or Aimpoint on it and be done. I dont think you can bed that plastic stock either.
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

I would try some of the simple stuff like unitizing the gas sytem, get a good trigger job and get a good stock like the Sage, JAE or a nice tight fitting GI stock. I am not sure what type of ammo you are using for your accuracy test, I would use Black hills or Federal match ammo for a baseline before you do any up grades and then check after the up grades.
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

Someone here will probably tell you that their M1A is a .25 MOA rifle "all day" and I won't argue with them about it. There are some accurate rifles out there based on the M1A. In my experience, however, making the M1A into a true sub-MOA platform is pretty darned difficult and expensive (when it can be done at all), and it's just going to "get loose" on you again faster than you'd like it to.

The SOCOM 16 is an absolute hoot to shoot and it'll maintain minute-of-(small)-pie-plate with ease. Slap an Acog or Eotech on that rifle and go have some fun. If you're looking for true high-precision accuracy, buy a bolt gun.
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

Reworking the trigger to 3lbs can be dangerous and get you into a lot of trouble. To lighten the trigger pull you have to shorten the hooks on the hammer which can in turn cause the disconnect to not properly hold the hammer long enough for the sear to stop it causing a double fire. This could now be interpreted as an automatic weapon if someone who gave a shit was around you. 4.5 lbs seems to be the lowest any reputable smith will go. As far as bedding the plastic stock, dont waste your time...they are flimsy enough to begin with, there are plenty of aftermarket options available, mostly depending on what you plan on doing with the rifle. Forget the ST-10, why mount a 10x on a weapon designed for 25-200 yards? Get rid of the front mount completely and look into a mount from Sadlak for the receiver. If USO is your choice then 1-4 or 1.5-6 would work...puts the optics more over the center of mass and also gives you a huge field of view with some magnification for longer distances. I wont start throwing out accuracy numbers because every rifle is different and two of the exact same rifles may shoot the same ammunition completely different. To keep things simple for a fun rifle out to 300 yards here goes,

1. Sadlak steel mount
2. Sadlak spring guide
3. Unitized gas cylinder
4. 4.5lb trigger group
5. Scope of choice(low power variable,remember large field of view)
6. Develop a load the gun likes or shoot a lot of different factory loads.

With any luck you will see 2-2.5moa. If you are looking for more consistent accuracy you will need a much better stock and possibly a match grade barrel depending on how far you want to shoot.
 
Re: Accuracy with a SOCOM 16??

I have a standard older model with an H&R barrel and trigger and a TRW bolt. I shoehorned it in a McMillan stock that had been bedded for another rifle (it fit very tightly) and it shoots 1" with Lake City .308. I couldn't be more pleased.