Talyn

In 2011 California will begin requiring fingerprints for all ammo purchases. In my book that one beats 922r.

Very nice. Gives me many ideas in case I get an M4.

You lose 40-50 fps with every inch of the barrel is the rule of thumb. Published by the ammo companies & common knowledge.

Hope it runs fine for you. Good luck with your Socom.

I have 4 M1As - Standards & Scouts. Have shot them for 20+ years in competition. I know how to clean & maintain M1As. Recoil is not an issue. I have shot Socoms but don't have one & wouldn't for the following reasons. #1 - The Socom gas system is different than the longer barrels & more finicky. #2 - 308/7.62 factory ammo is loaded for best performance from longer barrels. You will lose performance with the 16". #3 - By getting a Scout you gain some manuverability advantages over a standard but maintain performance in ammo & your gas system is still the same. I have both Ultimak & SA factory rails on M1As. The Ultimaks are the best but still need a smaller red dot (Aimpoint T1) to get the best cowitness. The M2's are OK but big (I have those too). Plus it depends on your mount. I use QR rings for the M2 which adds to the height but I can pop it off quick. You can get a Scout for much less $ than the Socom & put the savings into mags & ammo. But it's your money. My .02.

Nothing will co-witness with the factory mini-rail. Strongly consider passing on the Socom and going with a Bush/Scout model. Socoms have some reliability issues due to the short barrel, and the muzzle blast will roast a chicken.

I realize each M4 owner needs an individual letter, but since there seems to be a trend towards 13 vs 11 parts to deal with with ATF then having more US part options would be good. Since some think the Factory polymer handguard feels the best having a US made equivalent would be nice for those that don't want a full blown railed system in it's place. My .02

In order to help with the 922r parts count (in light of the most recent ATF letter) I think it would be relatively easy to make a modified factory handguard. Considering the handguard is polymer with some metal parts a add some flats for pressure pad placement on each side, a different texture and "made in USA" molded in. Keep the shape as close to the factory as possible with those new features. My .02