Gun Review: Springfield Armory’s SA16-A2—The M16A2 All Over Again?

The M16 was as iconic a military weapon as there ever was. When introduced in its original version in 1965, it was a game-changer. We went from the M14’s 30-caliber round to a much smaller .22-caliber round. Some loved it, some didn’t. The rifle was new and basically untried; in some ways, it didn’t perform. But the powers that be worked on it and brought out the A1 and A2 versions, which increased reliability. To this day, it is a rifle that provokes discussion wherever such things are talked about. Springfield Armory jumped on the M16 bandwagon, of sorts, with their introduction of the SA16-A2. 

Many readers out there have had experience with the M16 in its various military versions…unfortunately, I was not one of them. My life went a different direction, so I did not serve but I have the utmost respect for all who have served, or are serving, their country. So, it is a different perspective that I bring to the table. I wanted to say that upfront. Many of you have taken M16s apart and reassembled them blindfolded…I respect that. I will go at this review from a civilian shooter’s angle – is this particular rifle a good buy for those looking for an M16-like AR? Let’s find out.

History

We can’t discuss the M16 or any derivative without taking a quick look at the original.

The M16 was the military version of ArmaLite’s AR-15 rifle. Adopted in 1964, the rifle was issued in quantity the next year and was headed to the jungles of Vietnam in short order.

The report card came back a bit dodgy. When issued to troops, the belief went around that the rifles would not need to be cleaned as often as other weapons. The original M16 had no forward assist, and the chamber was not chrome plated. These factors decreased reliability. Additional hits to reliability included rifles not being kept clean and the ammo and powder used at the time. Casualties among our soldiers and Marines were the tragic result. With dirty chambers, cases could get stuck coming out or wouldn’t chamber fully. The problem was with some rifles that there was no way to coax a new cartridge into the fouled chamber until the A1 version came out. Eventually, ammo was also improved by switching to a cleaner-burning powder, which aided reliability.

In 1969, the M16A1 replaced the M14 as the standard-issue military rifle. That version included a forward assist, chrome-plated chamber, a new flash hider, a small “dam” around the mag release to prevent a mag dropping accidentally and some other upgrades. Finally, the rifle came into its own. The A2 version was adopted by the Marines in 1983 with the Army following in 1986. The A2 had additional upgrades over the A1, including the ability to fire the new M855/SS109 5.56mm cartridge. 

For a complete rundown of the M16’s history, check it out here. 

The SA16-A2

Notice right up front that our example has “A2” in its name. The SA16-A2 is, as the website calls it, a “faithful recreation of the M-16A2, one of the most capable and iconic rifles in history.” While I don’t have the experience with the M16 many of our current and former military readers may have, I appreciate the AR platform. I own several and have always been interested in the M16. I am old enough that I could have served in Vietnam in the early ’70s, and I have friends who did. So, it was with great interest that I received this rifle from Springfield Armory to test.

Specs

BARREL: 20-in. 4150 CMV, Chrome Lined, 1:7

SIGHTS: A2

UPPER RECEIVER: Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum, Type III Hardcoat Anodized,                                   Forward Assist, M4 Feed Ramps 

LOWER RECEIVER: Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum, Type III Hardcoat Anodized, Accu-Tite Tension System

BOLT CARRIER GROUP: Enhanced M16 w/ 9310 Steel Bolt, HPT/MPI, Phosphate

GAS SYSTEM: Direct Impingement Rifle-Length, A2 Pinned Gas Block

HANDGUARD A2 Polymer w/ Integral Heat Shield

STOCK: A2 Fixed

TRIGGER: Mil-Spec

MUZZLE DEVICE: A2 Flash Hider

RECEIVER EXTENSION: Mil-Spec Rifle Length

RECEIVER END PLATE: Mil-Spec

BUFFER ASSEMBLY: Rifle

CHARGING HANDLE: GI Style

SAFETY: Single Side 90 Degree

TRIGGER GUARD: Mil-Spec

GRIP: A2

MAGAZINE: (1) GI Aluminum 30-Round

WEIGHT: 7 lbs., 8 oz.

LENGTH: 39.5 in.

MSRP: $1,249

Photos

Here are a few pics showing different aspects of the SA16-A2:

 Dust cover. Note the SA logo on the bolt.

 Carry handle and rear sight.

 Front sight from the top and the flash hider.

 Side shot showing bayonet lug

 Receiver, left side. Note the engraving “Property Of U.S. Govt.” – interesting!

Right side of the receiver. Note the “Burst” marking. It doesn’t work – I tried! Yeah, I wish.     They are just trying to be faithful to the original markings.

Shooting the SA16-A2

We set up targets at 50 yards, not 100, in my backyard range. My OEM eyeballs are not what they once were, especially with the AR’s iron sights. 

In my defense, I’ve killed deer with an AR, in 7.62×39 of all calibers, but that was with a nice scope. The carry handle negates the ability to mount a scope in the traditional manner, so if you are a “seasoned citizen” as the late Rush Limbaugh used to call us with eyeballs to match, you might want to bear that in mind.

I wasn’t concerned about the accuracy issue, Springfield Armory makes some nice Ars, and they have a reputation for putting bullet holes close together on the target. Heck, I’ve not met any AR in recent history that wasn’t at least a 1.5-MOA shooter by those with better eyes or an optic mounted. The Picatinny rails on other ARs make mounting an optic easy. That’s one downside to having a dedicated carry handle installed, as I just mentioned above. Carry handles that attach to a Pic rail give you the best of both worlds, in my opinion. 

At any rate, I put bullets downrange. I shot three different types of ammo that I had on hand: two 55-grain factory loads and one 50-grain FMJ handload. The factory loads were a Winchester 5.56 Target & Practice load and an Armscor 55-grain ball load. The handload was a 50-grain Hornaday V-Max Moly over 25 grains of WC-846, a military pull-down powder equivalent to BL-(C)2. They were assembled on a Dillon XL-750 progressive press that had been sent to me for review. It did a great job cranking out those loads. 

Garmin Xero C1 Sidenote

I set up my Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph on the bench behind and to the side of the muzzle. If you don’t have this Garmin chrono, you might consider saving your pennies and buying one. It is by far the easiest-to-use chronograph I’ve owned, and I’ve owned a few. No downrange sensors, no wires, no sky screens – just a Go-Pro-camera-sized plastic box on a tiny tripod on your bench that does all sorts of ballistic math magic and can export your data via Bluetooth to your phone, and thence your laptop. I’d dreamed of something like this for years, and I finally was able to buy one and fulfill that dream of owning a wireless, radar chrono. 

As I said above, I am not the best shot in the room with an AR and iron sights, but at least you’ll get an idea of what the rife is capable of in better hands. The rifle performed as expected. The trigger broke cleanly with very little take-up or creep and was better than many other AR triggers I’ve encountered. 

Here are some targets and other info. I got ballistic data on two of the loads and will show that with the target.

Some Results

Winchester Target & Practice – I did not collect data for this load. In terms of accuracy, we might want to keep looking. This target, at least, was not the best and representative of others with this ammo.

 

 Armscor

Average Speed: 3230.9

Std. Deviation:          5.4 

A low SD helps keep things consistent. This particular group might have been better if I had been more consistent!

Handload

Average Speed:  3131.5

Std. Deviation:        49.1

The high SD works against this load, but in some ways, with this target at least, it is the most consistent one.

Who Is This Rifle For?

With the forty-zillion AR rifles, carbines and pistols out there now, how exactly does this SA16-A2 fit in? Who is the intended market? I think the answer to the last question is fairly obvious. As I said above, I’ve been interested in the M16 for years, and not having military experience with one only made it all the more appealing to me. So, I think I can safely say that this rifle will appeal to shooters who have had experience with the real deal – and also those who have not had that experience but always wanted to shoot one, like me. Even though this rifle has no “Burst” mode, it is pretty close in its specs, looks and handling to an earlier version M16. I am sure that there are differences…those who have had experience with the real M16, please feel free to comment below. But, for most intents and purposes, this rifle will fill the bill for a civilian version of the old tried ‘n true.

Summing Up

If you, like me, have wanted to own a civilian version of the venerable M16, you might want to give this Springfield Armory version a look. In terms of a shootable, well-made civvie AR in the M16 mold, this rifle works. Even without the usual 15-inch Picatinny rail on top, you will find accessories for this rifle that will enhance your shooting experience if you desire to do so. The M16 has given “birth” to a myriad of AR-pattern rifles…why not take a look at a rifle similar to the one that started it all? 

 

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