Before the original M16 rifles were issued, U.S. Army and Marine units carried 7.62mm M14 rifles. M14s are looked upon with a certain awe and respect all their own. Today, M14s are still being issued and have proven popular with the troops because of their reliability, extended range, accuracy, penetration, and terminal performance. Compared to an M4 carbine, however, a full-size M14 handles like a splitting maul. Because of this a number of small and specialized military units wanted a more compact version of the M14. This interest eventually led Springfield Armory to bring out an abbreviated model for the commercial market. It undertook a project to make its traditional M1A both dramatically shorter and handier for CQB-type scenarios. The result is the M1A SOCOM.