After the three gun competition yesterday I’ve decided I need to child proof my M1A SOCOM 16. Why? Because unlike most intelligent creatures on the planet I apparently have not learned to associate burning and pain with not doing something.
Case in point, after the final rifle stage I did the stupid thing I often find myself doing, grabbing the rail attached to the barrel of my rifle. Unlike a hand guard attached rail, the barrel attached rail on the SOCOM 16 seems to exist only to move heat to an easily contactable surface so the user can burn their hand. As this is the 157th time I’ve made this mistake I think it’s about time that rail comes off and a standard hand guard goes on. Heck it’s not like I can really utilize that rail anyways as I’ve always been concerned anything I attached to it would be completely cooked after a few magazines.
I also think it’s high time to replace that fat front sight with something that doesn’t completely cover a 10 inch target at 100 yards.
Bwaha! Yeah, see, that is exactly one of the Very Good Reasons that buying the SOCOM over the SOCOM II was a good idea – imagine that burning sensation all over the entire top of the gun. Damned thing needs oven mitts to handle it after a day at the range…
That said, slap an Aimpoint on that bad boy and get going… those come with cute little rubber jackets to wear, after all… 😉
Funny you should mention this now, though… I spent another useless afternoon yesterday searching for some combination of cantilevered optic mount plus extended eye relief scope that would make the SOCOM at least maybe-competitive at Boomershoot. Talk about “should have learned better by now”…
Yeah I’ve not found a single good option for an optic that could be used on the SOCOM 16 rail. As for an Aimpoint I’m a little worried the rubber jacket would melt right off.
I’m pretty sure I can cook a strip of bacon on that rail after a magazine of ammo has been fired. Now that I think about it I believe I’ve found the reason for that rail… bacon cooking.