Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles FN SCAR, How close are we?

I've heard this name come up more and more lately. Even saw the gunny (R. Lee Ermey) talking about them on the History channel. He say's they are going to replace the M16/M4 platform very soon.

True? If so, how soon?

What about this weapon, is it any better than what we have now? If so, in what way?

It looks like a very close cousin to the M16. I would assume it runs off a piston. Correct?

I looked at some of the civian versions on gunbroker. I can't see myself running out and buying one at today's prices. Right now I'm looking backwards anyway. For some reason I feel like I "need" a M1A NM.

Terry

I haven't shot them, yet, but have handled all the variations.
They are simpler mechanically than the M-16 family, just as the FAL was simple. Hope to get to shoot one or two in a few weeks. They are pretty expensive, but way cheaper than the HK which was derailed at the last minute.

It's still a 5.56mm. Scaling up the cartridge and mechanism would make for a more robust action, as well as giving more downrange lethality - 6mm, .25, 6.5mm.

Personally, if I were designing something, it would be a 7.62x51mm for M-240 and sniper rifle compatibility, and a short 7.62x35mm using the same 147-gr bullet for the bulk of fighting, which is in-town or in hills or in forest, where 95% of shooting is under 100 yards.

golly Lee24, just man up and admit that you designed the SCAR.

Sam, that will be in Lee24's next post, he is not done googleing yet

IOW, if you guys ever get your hands on a SCAR, you'll have a little to talk about. If you ever get to shoot and field strip one, a little more.

Until then, your usual filler noise.

The SCAR was picked for Special Ops, which is a whole world away from being a general issue infantry rifle. You want to see what a rifle is made of, you have to give it to a front line grunt, not a special ops guy. The SCAR looks very promising, but it needs development in military service. Don�t forget, every famous military rifle had a good deal of failings when they first entered military service; you�d be a fool to think that any new rifle would do any better.

The Army's 75th Rangers are using the SCAR and that is about as hard core grunt as it can get.

75th rangers are Special Operations soldiers. They�re highly trained, highly motivated, tough soldiers. They know how to handle and maintain their equipment with the best of them. The real acid test is when you give them to regular infantry; that�s my point.

Still, this is good news and I hope all works out. You don�t hand a new weapon straight to regular infantry; you always want to start with the Spec Ops boys, who will help to find the issues before the infantry gets it.
I like the SCAR and I think it holds a lot of promise for the future.

I agree.

It looks like Remington has taken over the Magpul/Bushmaster rifle, and intends to push it as an alternative to the SCAR. They've even made changes to it to make it more 'SCAR-like'.

see: http://www.remingtonmilitary.com/acr.htm

And they're making it in 6.8spc as well as 5.56. Very cool.

I really like the 6.8, but I'm wondering where it's going to find a home; perhaps with special ops. For infantry troops, the 5.56 makse more sense because of the flatter trajectory and less recoil. I know the 6.8 doesn't have much recoil, but it is a touch louder and does kick a tad more than the 5.56, and you can guarantee that will cause scores to go down on the range. Enough to matter? I really don't know.

But it's clear that the Army isn't interested in the 6.8 for general issue, and as a longer range round for something like the DMR, the .308 is clearly superior.

I think the 6.8 could be interesting in the machinegun role; would love to see some testing of that.

Still, if I'm in a combat zone, I'd like the 6.8 (provided it's in a completely reliable rifle) over the 5.56 because it hits harder and shoots flat enough.

Honestly, I can't for the life of me think of a single reason (other than weapon reliablility) why special operations would ever choose the 5.56 over the 6.8...okay, if they were shooting indoors and didn't want over penetration; but other than that.

I don't know if the 6.8 is going to find a home in the military, and if it doesn't; that's a shame.

You know, years ago, I put some thought into a new round for a military rifle, and you know what I came up with? A 6.5mm bullet in a shortened .30 Remington case. The developers tried exactly that on their way up to the 6.8...Made me feel kinda good that I was on the right track.

The only thing that kept me from trying to develop it, was the lack of a rifle to try it in. Because of the magazine well of the AR, I didn't want to try it on the AR because I knew there would be mag issues (and that's the number one issue with the 6.8 in the AR). At the time, AK parts kits weren't really available, which left the Mini 14. The Mini 14 has an absolutely excellent magazine, but the rest of the rifle was of questionable suitability for my project; so I decided not to pursue it.

I have had AR of most varieties except full auto for some years. Got a Scar 16S this spring. More plastic than I care for, the stock seems fragile, but no issues yet. Very simple internals and shoots great. Trigger could stand some work, but that is not going to happen till more experience and parts are out there.
Still deciding whether to put an Eotech or Comp on it, but it is a keeper.

Looks like a near carbon copy to the FN.
I'm not sure what Remington's thinking on this really is as I can't honestly see the US military giving a company (who, for the most part deals with consumers)a government contract to supply them with small arms. If the US military ever changes standard service rifles, I would have to say that FN would be the company to beat since they already supply the US with numerous small arms. It will be a long time though before the current rifle will be phased out, why change what works.

Maybe Big Green sees the writing on the wall and is thinking their commercial sales will dry up due to the political climate and they need to diversify to stay solvent.

Well, reports on the SCAR are so far all good. What I like is the field-changeable barrel, and the folding buttstock option.

However I agree that if you want to find out how well it really does, give it to some REMFs like truck drivers or whatever and see if it still works in 6 months.

SOCOM is using 6.8SPC and the reports are favorable. Yet like the SCAR and the M4A1 it's not general issue. It should be pointed out that SOCOM has and uses as they wish AKM's 47 and 74, K98K's, MP5's in 9mm, 10mm and .45ACP, HK's 91/93 and the latest G36, all kinds of stuff. SF actually trains with indigenous weaponry with the locals.

I know a couple of guys who are dealers that have them in stock right now - want one?

hammer

I can't believe the number of posts you guys have - mannilicher do you fall asleep at the keyboard or what?!