Willie Lowman
New member
I got my SCAR about 10 years ago. I picked up a AAC Mini-4 suppressor for it. I joined the FN forums to learn more about it... Time passed...
I never really fell in love with the SCAR like I thought I would. I already had two AR15's and there was something about the SCAR that kept me from ever liking it as well as the AR. There were few options for customization for the SCAR when I got it. I didn't like the folding stock. It had too much wobble in it for my taste. While it's 6 position slider and adjustable cheek riser made it seem like and attractive option, I quickly changed it for a Vltor tube with a B5 stock. I have little use for a side fold stock and I like how I can change the height of the Vltor. I would be happy if I could find a A2 style stock for it as I rarely change the length of pull except to make more room in a gun case.
My second gripe with the SCAR was the front handguard. The steel rail below the barrel gets hot pretty fast. Pic rail is not the most comfortable thing to hold on to and it gets even less appealing when it's burning hot. I experimented with vertical grips and the magpul AFG. Eventually I did some dremel work to make a hybrid AFG/vert grip that I liked pretty well. The machine screws that held the grips on the rail would still transfer heat to my hand but I had to do quite a bit of rapid fire before that became a problem. I also did not care for the carbine length handguard. I added a 2 inch extension that gave me the 'railestate' that I wanted.
About a year ago I thought about selling the SCAR. Then I realized that I had not actually spent much time with it. So for the length of 2018 the SCAR was the only rifle I shot. I was going to give it a chance.
My thoughts after this time; First, the SCAR is a better rifle than an AR15. But at $2400 for the SCAR vs $1000 for a Colt AR, I don't think it's a $1400 better rifle. How is it better you ask? Well, the SCAR does have some ambidextrous controls. The mag release and the safety is on both sides. The bolt hold open/release is only found on the left side. There is an uninterrupted rail on the top. Standard flip up iron sights that are adjustable for windage and elevation front and rear. All that and a reciprocating side charging handle that can be put on either side of the receiver.
The SCAR is fantastically reliable. I have now fired over 3000 rounds through it and have never had a malfuction of any kind. Even with the gas setting set to the suppressed mode but without the suppressor mounted the rifle worked. Cycling was slow and ejection was very weak but it still worked. It is also a much cleaner action than the AR that I am used to. The piston keeps most of the carbon out of the action (unless I am shooting suppressed). Cleaning the SCAR is very quick and easy. While I am not a fan of fishing a cleaning rod through the receiver to push the piston out, basic maintenance on the SCAR takes much less time than an AR15.
I found that I really like the charging handle. I only hit my thumb with it once. The placement of the charging handle allows for cycling the action without moving my head from the stock. Also I can look and see if the rifle is in battery by looking at where the handle is in it's cocking slot. I did add a 3x magnifier to my red dot. This put the mount of the AimPoint over where the charging handle's slot. I changed the factory handle to a GG&G offset handle so I wouldn't bang my knuckles when cocking the rifle.
The most recent changes/upgrades I did were changing the pic rail for a MREX extended hand guard. I like this much more than even my extended rail that I used before. Unfortunately this handguard still gets hot pretty quickly. I also switched the PRO for a Comp M5.
I never really fell in love with the SCAR like I thought I would. I already had two AR15's and there was something about the SCAR that kept me from ever liking it as well as the AR. There were few options for customization for the SCAR when I got it. I didn't like the folding stock. It had too much wobble in it for my taste. While it's 6 position slider and adjustable cheek riser made it seem like and attractive option, I quickly changed it for a Vltor tube with a B5 stock. I have little use for a side fold stock and I like how I can change the height of the Vltor. I would be happy if I could find a A2 style stock for it as I rarely change the length of pull except to make more room in a gun case.
My second gripe with the SCAR was the front handguard. The steel rail below the barrel gets hot pretty fast. Pic rail is not the most comfortable thing to hold on to and it gets even less appealing when it's burning hot. I experimented with vertical grips and the magpul AFG. Eventually I did some dremel work to make a hybrid AFG/vert grip that I liked pretty well. The machine screws that held the grips on the rail would still transfer heat to my hand but I had to do quite a bit of rapid fire before that became a problem. I also did not care for the carbine length handguard. I added a 2 inch extension that gave me the 'railestate' that I wanted.
About a year ago I thought about selling the SCAR. Then I realized that I had not actually spent much time with it. So for the length of 2018 the SCAR was the only rifle I shot. I was going to give it a chance.
My thoughts after this time; First, the SCAR is a better rifle than an AR15. But at $2400 for the SCAR vs $1000 for a Colt AR, I don't think it's a $1400 better rifle. How is it better you ask? Well, the SCAR does have some ambidextrous controls. The mag release and the safety is on both sides. The bolt hold open/release is only found on the left side. There is an uninterrupted rail on the top. Standard flip up iron sights that are adjustable for windage and elevation front and rear. All that and a reciprocating side charging handle that can be put on either side of the receiver.
The SCAR is fantastically reliable. I have now fired over 3000 rounds through it and have never had a malfuction of any kind. Even with the gas setting set to the suppressed mode but without the suppressor mounted the rifle worked. Cycling was slow and ejection was very weak but it still worked. It is also a much cleaner action than the AR that I am used to. The piston keeps most of the carbon out of the action (unless I am shooting suppressed). Cleaning the SCAR is very quick and easy. While I am not a fan of fishing a cleaning rod through the receiver to push the piston out, basic maintenance on the SCAR takes much less time than an AR15.
I found that I really like the charging handle. I only hit my thumb with it once. The placement of the charging handle allows for cycling the action without moving my head from the stock. Also I can look and see if the rifle is in battery by looking at where the handle is in it's cocking slot. I did add a 3x magnifier to my red dot. This put the mount of the AimPoint over where the charging handle's slot. I changed the factory handle to a GG&G offset handle so I wouldn't bang my knuckles when cocking the rifle.
The most recent changes/upgrades I did were changing the pic rail for a MREX extended hand guard. I like this much more than even my extended rail that I used before. Unfortunately this handguard still gets hot pretty quickly. I also switched the PRO for a Comp M5.
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