ASixx where you been hiding?
Anyway, I figured when you were in they were still using Muzzleloaders.
Good info BTW, thanks. Interesting to hear from someone who dislikes the 5.56, all you ever here is praise for the fast light bullet. I'm getting ready to build an M4, but now you got me thinking again about the M1A... I've Been Drooling over the Springfield M1A SOCOM for awhile now. Wonderful rifles, and a do it all caliber, gotta love em. Any thoughts?
Yeah - muzzleloaders - funny guy...
The M1A is a sweetie in my opinion. It has some of the best sights on any MBR and has great ergos, for me anyway, making instinctive shooting and shooting from non-standard positions a breeze. It also shines in a high dirt environment and is easy to maintain. The FAL is also very nice, but doesn't work quite as well for me. The G3 is, in my opinion, an ergonomic mess - like shouldering a 2x4.
But if I were to grab for something to go into the dark place, I have to confess, it'd be a 10T or variant thereof
as long as I could take a kit with me. Lacking that, toss me a '14 and I'm good to go.
As to the SOCOM, personally, I'd go with the standard 'long' barrel, but then again, I like to reach out and touch things.
I understand the SOCOMs do pretty well out to around 500 meters, but it takes an operator to keep 'em in the mix at that range. In comparison, my old M1A NM will ring the gong at 880 with boring regularity as long as I'm shooting 168's or heavier. It tends to throw 150's with a bit less care.
Also that one's a bit too dolled up for my tastes. Take away the scope and the picatinny system -- just give me a clean, slick, snag-free carbine. Less to go wrong - less to hang up on your gear.
Remember: The definition of a grunt is a guy who, if you gave him two 3" steel ball bearings, would within a few hours break one and lose the other.