I was shocked at a few of the groups I was able to get. I also wanted to see what I could expect with affordable ammo like this.

So, I mounted each optic and got it zeroed at 100 yards using Tula ammo. Next up is the Hi-Lux Long Eye Relief 2-7x32mm with three-post BDC Reticle, which Hi-Lux offers for $160. The Vortex Crossfire II scout scope mounted on the Springfield SOCOM 16 CQB rifle.įirst up is the Vortex Crossfire II 2-7×32 Scout, which I found on Amazon for $149. I just wanted to see how small we could get our groups on the SOCOM 16 CQB, and also consistently hit the steel out at 500 yards. The purpose of this article is not individually reviewing these optics, but rather just seeing what we can get with an entry-level/affordable optic for under $200. After all, if we can get 1 MOA or even 2 MOA with a $150 scope, why keep looking? For this article, it came down to two for me: the Hi-Lux 2-7x32mm and the Vortex Crossfire II, both under $200. I wanted to start with the most affordable and go from there. You can find optics ranging from $150 to $500. When you look for an M1A scout scope, there are not a lot of options available. The author sighted the rifle in at 100 yards before reaching out to 200, 300, 400 and 500 yards. Thus, I decided I needed to reconsider the scout scope option and take a closer look. I could push the red dot with some success out to 400 yards, but 500 was just not hitting the steel. As I was playing with it out at some distance, I really wanted that extra magnification for accuracy and possibly hunting applications. Original scopes would often offer 2x magnification while modern optics can be variable power.Īt the same time, one of the big attractions to the SOCOM 16 CQB is for CQB, thus the optional addition of the Vortex Venom. they were designed to allow a shooter to keep both eyes open when shooting – similar to a red dot optic. What is a scout scope? A scout scope is a low power optic that is mounted ahead of a gun’s action. A scout scope mounts forward of the action. The above rifles show a traditionally located scope and a red dot optic on M1A rifles. To me, it seemed like a halfway attempt between a scope and a red dot. I had always been sceptical and figured they really were not that great, as it’s not like we see a lot of them. To be honest, I had never tested one, or even looked down a gun with one. I realized I was not going to be able to accurately assess accuracy (no pun intended) with a 3 MOA red dot not at real distances, anyway. Would this allow me to “have my cake and eat it, too?” Scouting Ahead It really got me thinking, just how accurate can this “mini” M1A be? Recoil was about the same as the larger rifle, and the reliability and power were the same. I was surprised at the accuracy I was getting using a 3 MOA red dot at 100 yards using TULA ammo. Recently, I did an article where I used the M1A SOCOM 16 CQB with the Vortex Venom red dot to go all the way out to 400 yards. The addition of a scout scope on this Springfield SOCOM 16 CQB rifle made ringing steel at 500 yards relatively easy. The problem has always been that this is not a particularly compact or lightweight gun. I would even say it has very acceptable recoil. Few will dispute that the M1A has power, accuracy and reliability. The scout scope on a M1A rifle might be one of those things where the old adage applies. And that is the problem - several of these directly conflict with each other, such as power versus light recoil and light weight versus accuracy. Everyone has heard the saying, “have your cake and eat it too.” I think we all know what it means, but how does it apply to firearms? Well, just in a broad sense, most of us want the following: power (stopping power), accuracy, low recoil, light weight and reliability.

M1a socom cqb scope