View Full Version : 14.5" Socom Ammo
I just took my 6920 M4 marked, LE prefix serial number, and slapped on a Colt Socom profile 14.5 and RAS for a block 1 clone. What grain do you guys prefer with this barrel?
Stopsign32v
11-13-23, 20:11
I don't know but it sure sounds like a badass build. Could you offer us some pics?
Mine likes IMI 77 OTM, but for just drills it eats anything.
Leonidas24
11-13-23, 23:31
What do you want to do with it? For drills and mag dumping into trash, whatever 55gr brass is cheap and plentiful. For serious work, Barnes 70gr TSX or IMI 77gr.
Hammer_Man
11-14-23, 00:43
These barrels arent too picky, any brass case cartridges will work for general range blasting.
BufordTJustice
11-14-23, 01:11
What do you want to do with it? For drills and mag dumping into trash, whatever 55gr brass is cheap and plentiful. For serious work, Barnes 70gr TSX or IMI 77gr.
I am loving Barnes 70gr TSX 5.56 NATO.
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Mine shoots well with IMI 77 gr as others mention. For Drills and General Range work it does fine with with about any m193 or clone.
69 gr RMRs and 77 gr OTMs. Every so often some 62 gr too. I'll never insult my SOCOMs with 55gr crap.
I don't know but it sure sounds like a badass build. Could you offer us some pics?
Let me do some resizing of my pictures, I'm on another, unrelated forum, that is the same platform and my pictures always post there but for some reason I have issues posting pictures here. Give me a minute and I'll post some up.
Mine shoot extremely well with 55 grain loads.
Colt M4A1 SOCOM Barrel Accuracy: Another Look
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_m4a1_with_kac_ras_handguard_001-1881912.jpg
In 2010, I posted one of the first publicly available, in-depth accuracy evaluations of a Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel. At that time, the Colt SOCOM barrel was relatively new to the civilian market. Many people, including myself, were pleasantly surprised by the level of accuracy/precision that I obtained with the SOCOM barrel; particularly since it is a chrome-lined, NATO chambered military-grade barrel. Since that time, the Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel has developed a significant appreciation amongst AR-15 enthusiasts.
The M4A1 SOCOM barrel
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_m4_socom_barrel_01_resized-1305762.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_m4_socom_barrle_02_rsized-1305763.jpg
More recently, I assembled another upper receiver group based on the Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel. This new build features a Colt cage-code marked M4 upper receiver, a Colt C marked bolt carrier group and a 13 Geissele MK14 M-LOK free-float hand-guard.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_socom_21d_resized-1305765.jpg
A genuine Colt M4A1 SOCOM barrel is 14.5 long and has a medium contour; it is not an HBAR. The barrel has a 5.56mm NATO chamber and a 1:7 twist.
Colt SOCOM barrel
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/stripped_socom_barrel_02_resized-1305778.jpg
Colt HBAR
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_16_inch_hbar_6721_02-1305761.jpg
A genuine SOCOM barrel has the typical M4 circumferential cut-out located approximately 1.4 forward of the gas block for the attachment of an M203 grenade launcher, as well as rectangular shaped cut-outs underneath the hand-guards on the port and starboard sides of the barrel, located approximately 1.4 aft of the gas block, for the same reason. The gas port on a genuine SOCOM barrel has a diameter of 0.062 and the barrel employs a carbine-length gas system.
The SOCOM barrel has a stripped weight of 1 pound, 14 ounces. That is only 2 ounces heavier than the ubiquitous 16 government profile barrel found on the Colt 6920.
Colt SOCOM barrel
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/stripped_socom_barrel_02_resized-1305778.jpg
Colt 6920 barrel
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/Colt_16_inch_government_profile_6920_bar-1305760.jpg
The stripped weight of the SOCOM barrel is 5 ounces heavier than the stripped weight of the standard Colt 14.5 M4 barrel. The pic below shows the difference between the standard M4 barrel and the SOCOM barrel. From the gas block journal forward, the two barrels are identical
SOCOM barrel on top, standard barrel on bottom
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/socom_barrel_comparison_to_standard_m4_b-1305776.jpg
The next pic is a close-up comparing the two barrels in the area between the chamber and the gas block journal, showing you where the extra weight is added.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/socom_barrel_comparison_02-1305775.jpg
The date-code on my original SOCOM barrel was 11/03 and the date-code on my newer SOCOM barrel is 02/18
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/date_code_fro_socom_barrel_01-1305768.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/new_socom_barrel_date_code_01_resized-1305773.jpg
My original SOCOM barrel had an F-marked front sight base. Colt no longer stamps an F on their front sight bases, but their newer front sight bases maintain the length of 1.98 from the top of the barrel to the shelf for the front sight post.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/f_marked_front_sight_base_of_socom_barre-1305770.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/f_marked_front_sight_base_comparison_21-1305769.jpg
My original SOCOM barrel was stamped:
C MP 5.56 NATO 1/7
The newer SOCOM barrel is stamped with Colts cage code.
13629 M P 5.56 NATO 1/7
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/socom_barrel_stamp_01_resized-1305777.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/new_colt_socom_barrel_stamp_01_resized-1305772.jpg
Both of these SOCOM barrels have the O stamp near the chamber portion of the barrel. Naturally, the M4A1 SOCOM barrel has M4 feed ramps.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/0_stamp_for_socom_barrel_01-1305759.jpg
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/m4_feed_ramps_of_socom_barrel_01-1305771.jpg
Accuracy Conmparison
In 2010, my original SOCOM barrel with the 11/03 date-code produced a 10-shot group fired from a distance of 100 yards that had an extreme spread of 0.90. That group was fired from my bench-rest set-up using match-grade hand-loads and a high magnification scope.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_socom_barrel_10_shot_group_at_10_ya-1305767.jpg
My newer SOCOM barrel with the 02/18 date-code produced a 10-shot group fired from a distance of 100 yards that had an extreme spread of 0.93. This group was fired off of sand-bags using match-grade hand-loads and a high magnification scope.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/colt_socom_2020_10_shot_group_at_100_yar-1305766.jpg
. . . .
Molon, did you test with FSP installed and non free float? I see one rifle with a G rail, thanks for the great post btw.
I don't know but it sure sounds like a badass build. Could you offer us some pics?
71064
Resizing photos on here seems to be a PITA, I must be doing something wrong.
Hammer_Man
11-14-23, 22:25
Resizing photos on here seems to be a PITA, I must be doing something wrong.
It’s best to host your pic on a third party site such as Imgur, and post the link between: and .
For example if your picture is hosted at “https://i.imgur.com/nK1OElX.jpg”, you would write: ”https://i.imgur.com/nK1OElX.jpg”
https://i.imgur.com/nK1OElX.jpg
71064
That's cool. My thing is though.. I can't deal with the excessive length of the KAC VFG. Plus it's relatively fragile. Personal preference of course, but I'm a stubby VFG user. I get that you're going in the clone direction though.
That's cool. My thing is though.. I can't deal with the excessive length of the KAC VFG. Plus it's relatively fragile. Personal preference of course, but I'm a stubby VFG user. I get that you're going in the clone direction though.
The RAS just came in on Monday, the broom handle was just for the picture. It's not going to live there.
They're cool looking in the clone realm, but impractically long in the real world. The only ARs I shoot right now are are 14.5 Socoms with pic rails. I have one of the 14.5 Colt Govt profile uppers, but I can't feel the weight difference when I pop it on the same lower.
They're cool looking in the clone realm, but impractically long in the real world. The only ARs I shoot right now are are 14.5 Socoms with pic rails. I have one of the 14.5 Colt Govt profile uppers, but I can't feel the weight difference when I pop it on the same lower.
I've got everything to make another 14.5 socom upper, it will wear a DD RIS II FSP and Surefire 4 prong.
Hammer_Man
11-15-23, 10:36
I've got everything to make another 14.5 socom upper, it will wear a DD RIS II FSP and Surefire 4 prong.
I built one of those and it was a cool looking blaster, but a bit nose heavy even without a suppressor mounted. Next one will use a lighter profile barrel.
I built one of those and it was a cool looking blaster, but a bit nose heavy even without a suppressor mounted. Next one will use a lighter profile barrel.
That's the odd thing. I can't feel a significant balance or weight diff on my Socom vs. Govt profile (both with M4 RAS)
I built one of those and it was a cool looking blaster, but a bit nose heavy even without a suppressor mounted. Next one will use a lighter profile barrel.
I plan on eventually doing a URGI upper build.
Molon, did you test with FSP installed and non free float? I see one rifle with a G rail, thanks for the great post btw.
The first barrel tested in my previous post had the FSB on it, but was free-floated for the test.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/daniel_defense_omega_rail_on_m4a1_002-3028834.jpg
...
The first barrel tested in my previous post had the FSB on it, but was free-floated for the test.
https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/28568/daniel_defense_omega_rail_on_m4a1_002-3028834.jpg
...
Thanks, it adds context.
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