Hi all, a potenial seller of a Socom 16 directed me here for advice as I choose my next weapon.

Seeking a handy carbine for stalk hunting (deer, pigs, ie medium game) that i can get on quicker than my Rem 700, but still take the occasional poke to 250 yds. Also want something more fun to shoot so i shoot more. .308 is my choice of cal., so my short list of weapons is Browning BAR Shortrac, and BLR, and Remingtom 7600/7600P. Added some defensive and all weather capability to my list of attributes after reflecting on family getting robbed during Katrina, so have added the Socom 16. I know I'm asking a lot of a weapon, so seeking thoughts on the pros/cons of my 4 options. Optics will be the Trijicon TR21. Here are my thoughts now based on what I have read, experienced and learned:

BAR Shortrac
pros - accurate, light, fun to shoot, good hunting weapon
cons - long for defensive, all weather dependabiltiy unknown, expensive

BLR
pros - fair accuracy, light, good hunting weapon, reliable, affordable
cons - levers so so fun, trigger tough to tweak, defensive ?

7600/7600P
pros - good accuracy, faster than lever, good close hunting/defensive gun, reliable, affordable
cons - fair weight, trigger tough to tweak, noisy

Socom 16
pros - capable of good accuracy (SA told me they quote 3.5" at 100 yds out of the box; with the two upgrades, glass bedding and trigger job they quote 1.75" at 100 yds before ammo selection -- if this is true certainly a 300 yd gun in my opinion and really made me seriously consider this weapon), semi auto, great close hunting/defensive gun, all weather reliable, fun factor very high
cons - very heavy for still stalking all day/mountain treks, very loud without ear protection, am I going to scare my hunting buddies away !?, very exspensive even used

Sorry for the long text. Really zoned in on the Socom and trying to pause and think since this is a lot of money for me. I know it is fun and capable, but I mostly hunt and need to be sure I can use a socom often at different ranges and game to get value for my spend.

Thanks in advance for any feedback on the Socom vs. traditional hunting weapons.

John