Has anybody else turned their backs on the standard AR-15/AK-47 platforms for the M1A SOCOM-16 or SOCOMII?

I've always loved the .308 as a medium-sized game round but "business" rifles were always so limited as far as caliber were concerned. Since Springfield Armory re-worked the gas system of the M1A and built a short to intermediate range alternative in .308 caliber, has anybody else defected and what are your impressions? I've been building custom M4s, Minis and AKs for customers since 2000 and continue to do so, even though I believe that the "shorty" M1As are far superior. What say you?