M1A

Blaming the problem squarely on irons doesn't feel right either, although it probably should be stated that the guy who's the lead tech at Springfield...

Now, this particular gun, the SOCOM 16 M1A from Springfield, this is the muscle car of the gun world. So, send your hate mail. I'm pretty sure I'll ge...

Springfield Armory has been doing a fantastic job on these. Again since 1974. They've just taken a really legendary rifle and continue to make it bett...

It's my fun toy Now I do have a little bit of disappointment.

Springfield Armory M1A Scout AWB compliant model, 18" barrel, GI wood stock. Aimpoint PRO mounted to the scout rail, which gets very hot very quickly. The VTAC sling is comfortable but I might replace it.

There's been a pretty heated rivalry between these three rifles over the years, so of course I need to throw my crap opinion out there too. The FAL is my favorite overall, followed closely by the G3. Both were ergonomic and well designed rifles for the time period, The M1A, while not a bad rifle, is definitely outdated in my opinion compared to the other two.

I'm an inveterate fudd, and have no emotional investment in any of these newfangled semiautos, so you can be sure I'm not coming at this from any fanboyism: the AR-10 is the definitive, obvious choice for a .30 caliber practical semiauto rifle. The M1A and FAL are options only if you're so deeply in love with those platforms that you just feel you need to have one (in which case you know what's for you already), but unless you're at the mercy of nonrational compulsions, just get a modern AR-10. It's the default option for a reason.