By Massad Ayoob<\/a><\/p>\n In today\u2019s article, renowned firearms trainer Massad Ayoob examines the M1A as a SHTF rifle. As a survival rifle, how does this .308 measure up? Read on for Ayoob\u2019s take on the subject.<\/em><\/p>\n F<\/span>irst, let\u2019s define SHTF as treated in this article. A simple quiz. Question: \u201cWhat is \u2018The Walking Dead\u2019?\u201d Possible answers are (A) a television fantasy show, (B) a training film, (C) a documentary. If you answered anything but (A), please stop reading this now.<\/p>\n In a matter of weeks several months back, America went from normal to hitherto-unseen massive unemployment, shortage of critically needed goods, and a plague compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918\u00a0plus\u00a0<\/em>predictions of a depression equaling or exceeding that of the 1930s.<\/p>\n All of a sudden, it looked as if the\u00a0S<\/strong>(tuff)\u00a0was\u00a0<\/em>going to\u00a0H<\/strong>it\u00a0T<\/strong>he\u00a0F<\/strong>an. People who had never owned guns before started buying them\u00a0en masse,\u00a0<\/em>and those of us who already had them discussed, \u201cWhat guns for SHTF?\u201d<\/p>\n The answer, of course, depends on what kind of \u201cS\u201d we expect to hit which \u201cF.\u201d<\/p>\n This writer lives more or less in the boondocks, in a part of the country subject to enough natural disasters that most folks keep plenty of food, water, gasoline and generators on hand. Those who make predictions about such things most fear urban dwellers who will quickly run out of food, become desperate, and go mobile and predatory, first raiding sources near them and then ranging out into the hinterlands. Road pirates, if you will.<\/p>\n While I think a semi-auto .223 is an excellent choice for urban self-defense use and have more than a couple on hand, as I look out over my acreage, I\u2019m pretty sure that the first firearm I\u2019d reach for would be my Springfield Armory SOCOM 16.<\/p>\n Friends who sail the seas armed in areas where boats get hijacked and the legitimate owners\u2019 corpses get dumped in the water tell me that drilling large holes just below the attackers\u2019 waterline can be expected to have a powerful deterrent effect. The analogy with \u201croad pirates\u201d would be that the threat would come on wheels. In my decades as a law enforcement trainer I saw enough vehicles get shot up to know that I\u2019d want a .308 for reliable, decisive penetration of auto bodies and safety glass.<\/p>\n Yes, a shotgun with penetrative Brenneke 12 gauge slugs would do admirably for that, but one would be limited to somewhere between one and 10 rounds before reloading became necessary, and if those vehicles contained hostile armed occupants, a .30-cal. autoloading rifle would seem much more practical.<\/p>\n During World War II, the legendary Audie Murphy destroyed a German staff car and its occupants in a few seconds with a borrowed BAR<\/a>, and somewhere I have a photo courtesy of the Imperial War Museum in London of a similar vehicle destroyed with a BREN gun. So needless to say, a .30-caliber has some punch behind it.<\/p>\n When the SOCOM 16 was introduced midway through the first decade of the 21st<\/sup>\u00a0century, its keynote feature was its 16.25\u201d barrel tipped with a brilliantly designed little compensator. It featured an expansion chamber to pull recoil forward away from the shoulder\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>ports on top to jet gases upward and help keep the muzzle down.<\/p>\n The improvement in controllability has to be felt to be believed. I\u2019ve found the rifle capable of 2\u201d groups at 100 yards, and it\u2019s so shootable that one friend of mine gets 1.5\u201d groups from his at 75 yards,\u00a0offhand.<\/em><\/p>\n Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n At 8.9 lbs. unloaded, the SOCOM\u2019s short configuration brings its center of balance back far enough that it feels a couple of pounds lighter. Though Springfield offers an adjustable stock with AR-like pistol grip, I stayed with the conventional (original M14 configuration) stock because years of weapon retention has taught me that it gives much more range of movement to the defender in a struggle for the weapon.<\/p>\n If the SHTF situation happens, the SOCOM 16 \u2014 with prices starting at $1,987 MSRP \u2014 will prove to be worth every penny. I know that I\u2019m happy I have mine, and I feel very secure having it handy.<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n
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Urban or Rural<\/h2>\n
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Why the SOCOM for a SHTF Situation?<\/h2>\n
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Pushing Forward with the .308 Rifle<\/h2>\n
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Final Thoughts on the SOCOM 16 for SHTF<\/h2>\n
Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n
Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n
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<\/p>\nM1A\u2122 SOCOM 16<\/span><\/h3>\n
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