The .308 M1A Tanker has arrived, the perfect blend of old and new technology. The DNA is quite obviously Springfield Armory’s SOCOM 16, a technological marvel in its own right. Shortening the barrel of an M1A is no small feat, but the decade-plus of SOCOM 16 service has shown that it can be done.
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This rifle version retains all the goodness of the SOCOM that we have come to expect. Significantly shorter overall length of 37.25″? Check. Muzzle brake designed to tame .308 from a 16″ barrel? Check. XS tritium sights, for all conditions? Check. But all the familiar M1A features are there as well. Garand-inspired action? Yep. Flip-up buttplate on the stock? Check.
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Yesterday, and Today
The rifle’s modern features combine with a beautiful vintage-style walnut stock to create something truly profound. When you pick it up, the gun feels like something from a different era. It evokes a weapon from a different time. It makes one think of Omaha Beach and Pork Chop Hill, even if the modern features (and magazine-fed action) make it historically “incorrect” for those eras. And your grandfather would have much rather carried this, by the way.
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Pair it with something like a Springfield 1911 TRP, and you have all the defensive firepower you would ever need. Functionality at a level we expect of modern weapons, but clearly with the heritage of a bygone time.
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With the legendary reliability of the M1A on board, the new rifle wouldn’t be out of place as a truck gun, urban survival gun, or hunting the mountains of the West. Chamber in the venerable .308, this is a do-all gun like we have never seen before.
I highly recommend checking out Will Dabb’s review of the Springfield M1A Tanker for all of his experiences with the gun on the range.