I went through this very same issue last year. I handled an AR10 and an M1A. I chose the M1A Springfield. Accurate, durable, fun to shoot and in my opinion beautiful to look at, great wood. Works great for deer hunting. Put a Springfield scope mount on it and a Leopold scope. I have since handled a M1A SOCOM with the 16 inch barrel. If I had to do over, I would choose the SOCOM. It is lighter and seems so compact and fast handling, more so then the standard M1A.
Cheese