The face of a marksman: Hathcock's record-setting target shooting brought him to the attention of officers sculpting the Marines' sniper unit. His field craft is what made him especially lethal.
To answer demand for more rail space, Springfield Armory has launched a second-generation with a detachable A.R.M.S. S.I.R. system. While this is quite functional, it looks odd as the Star Wars angularity of the S.I.R. clashes with the lean grace of the traditionally shaped stock. Most observers would prefer some sort of chin rail, perhaps as part of the upper sling swivel.
Speaking of the stock, S.A. offers it in black composite and the new LE camo, which was a happy accident: The company asked a supplier to come up with something "urban and cool," and the result was an immediate hit.
While Federal Gold Medal Match tossed tighter groups, these proved that Hornady's 155-grain (top three) and 110-grain (bottom) TAP loads like the M25's 1:10-inch, four-groove Kreiger barrel. The 168-grain TAP didn't like it and could only be squeezed into 3.5 MOA.
Since 9/11 there have been a series of military purchases--just small enough to avoid drawn-out bidding and testing but large enough to strain production--of the entire selection of M1As. Additionally, numerous police departments are rediscovering the reliable simplicity, user-friendly operation, proven ergonomics and terminal-effects advantages of this proven veteran.
The Horus Vision reticle can be intimidating at first. As with most specialized instruments, analysis and regular use can make it extraordinarily effective for engaging targets at widely varying long ranges.
White Feather
With the White Feather, Springfield Armory now has a tackdriving M25 with earthy etchings to honor the Marine Corps' most celebrated practitioner of the art of "reach out and touch someone."
The honoree, of course, is Gy. Sgt. Carlos N. Hathcock II, USMC (Ret). You read about him in the book Marine Sniper, you saw his exploits ripped off in the movie Sniper (really--Tom Berenger shoulda known better), and some of you were lucky enough to meet him at lectures and seminars before his death in 1999. Fortunately, Gunny Hathcock lived long enough to etch his wisdom into a generation of American marksmen, just as his signature (along with his nickname--in English and Vietnamese) is now etched into the receivers of these fine rifles.
Basically a much-upgraded version of the Carlos Hathcock introduced in 2001, the White Feather's McMillan fiberglass stock is stippled on the steeply dropping grip, comes with a recoil pad and an adjustable comb, and hosts a Harris bipod forward.
Detachable 10-round box, (20-round mags legal in some states)
BARREL LENGTH:
22 inches
OVERALL LENGTH:
45 inches
WEIGHT:
12 pounds, 12 ounces, without scope
STOCK:
Black synthetic w/adjustable cheekpiece
FINISH:
Blued
SIGHTS:
None. Receiver scope rail is standard; test rifle was fitted with Meopta and Horus scopes
PRICE:
$4,648, without scope
The muzzlebrake on the 22-inch Krieger 1:10-inch, four-groove barrel is sleek, lacking a front sight as the rear is taken up by a Navy-style, John Clements-inspired scope mount. This is mounted to the rear-lugged receiver.
The whole effect is one of lean economy, a sort of "just the facts, ma'am" approach to reliable, semiauto long-range accuracy.
"A .300 Winchester Short Magnum would be outstanding," Dermody says wistfully, but he admits there is no current plan to introduce tasty alternatives to .308. "We're building them as fast as we can and can't keep up with demand," he says of M1A production. "We just knocked out a wall to expand part of the line."
My local club's rangemaster, Dr. Elliot Milch, did the range test with Federal's sublime 168-grain Gold Medal Match. With three five-shot groups, it averaged a hair over 13/16 inch. But we found that it was definitely not happy with 168-grain TAP, offering only 3.5-inch groups.
Sturmschreiber David Fortier recommended lighter bullets, so I got some of Hornady's 155- and 110-grain TAP and headed back to the range. Voilà, you'da thought I hit the previous groups with Preparation H. Both the 155s and 110s shrank down to 1 1/2 inch--and that was off the bipod.
The White Feather M25 is now the flagship of the Springfield Armory line and is as accurate and reliable as it is collectable.
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