So I've been thinking of moving into a larger caliber platform and I have been discussing the idea of building a 6.5 grendel Ar. The flip side to that being i am also considering the Scar 17. I have been discussing this  with another forum member (LRRPF52) who knowledge of both the 6.5 grendel and the AR10 platform is quite substantial. After my initial conversation with him, I tossed the idea of the AR10. I have even gone so ar as to spec out the build for the 6.5 and also the Scar once I add my tacticool doodads onto it. Easily with the Scar, I will be spending another 1000 right off the top, and with the caliber differences between the .308 and the 6.5, has anyone here run a Scar17 as hard as they can to see at what point it will go kaput? I have read that FN's CS is horrible and also some issues with bolts breaking and showing wear after only a few hundred rounds. Is this to be expected or has it been addressed on the factory side of things? I would really like the opinions of the SCAR 17S owners out there as my wife is pretty much set on one for herself, and will possibly SBR it if i can talk her into it, but I am looking to fill a DMR role with this rifle.


Thank you,

I had a Scar 17 and am now building a 6.5 Grendel AR.  I will say that it is an apples to oranges comparison and it will completely depend on what you are looking to do with the rifle.  Both the Scar and the 6.5 Grendel can fill a DMR role.  Do you want a longer range rifle that share parts commonality with the AR platform?  Or do you want a 308 battle rifle?

Yeah do you want something mainstream or something weird?  ;)

IBTP

Edited to add: SCAR 17... that's what I did.

Any reliability issues? Excessive/ Premature wear or damage?
How is the recoil? I've read they are pretty soft shooting for a .308

As cool as 6.5 is, we all know that .308 is never going to go anywhere. I like both but when I look at odd caliber I usually think about the long run. Will there be ammo for it 30 years down the road.

about the same as my 6.8 with a good brake

 

SCAR 17 FDE

The ammunition argument is probably one of the biggest driving forces to get the Scar. I know the cost is up there, and the CS from FN leave alot to be desired, but I think my overall satisfaction with the Scar will be greater than the 6.5.

I own a SCAR 17 FDE. No issues. Its the lightest and most balanced semi .308 you can buy, and light recoiling compared to heavier piston .308's.

There's no reason not to get both (such a cop-out answer I know). If both you and your wife are showing interest in the SCAR-17 then I'd say get it first, after that if you still have interest in the Grendel you can save up for it over time.
I'm not sure why FN gets a bad customer service rap, they've been very helpful to me the few times I've had to call. I've only called once about my Scar-17, I had lost some parts (purely my idiocy, no other excuse) in the lower and I asked if I could buy some, they said no because frankly they didn't have any stateside at the time. (This was a while back so I don't know if the factory parts situation has improved) I wasn't S.O.L. though because Midwestgunworks had the parts in stock that I needed so I ordered them and was on my way, I didn't feel they were particularly overpriced either.

I only have a modest 400 or so rounds through my SCAR currently but it's a very nice and well built firearm, there's some finish wear on the bolt carrier but nothing to get excited about. My Armalite DEF-10 appeared to have more "wear" put on the BCG after 10 rounds. Wear and tear are just the cost of doing business, firearms that get used a lot (and I mean A LOT) will have to have parts replaced, it's the nature of the beast. Think of replacing a BCG as replacing a transmission in your car, you HOPE it won't happen the minute you drive it off the parking lot but if it does, it's not like you're just NOT going to replace it.. you need to get to work. (That's what your warranty is for though, which is why I prefer to buy new versus used for most firearms).

Due to the nature of their operation, the SCAR-17 has a reputation for being an optics eater, so in the best interest of a DMR, spend a little extra and get something nice with a good warranty, pass by that "cheap but now" option for sure, a nice rifle deserves a nice optic.

Generally the terms "DMR" and SBR" don't fit in the same sentence, so you'll need to decide what you're going to be doing with it. Personally I don't see the point of shortening the .308 barrel below 16", there are much more efficient cartridges out there to SBR and you don't end up with a neutered cartridge with a huge fireball (unless that's what you want).
I think in the end the SCAR will be more versatile and will have more support than the 6.5G in the long run.
That said..
I'm about to purchase a 24" 6.5G AA upper myself (I figure why not go with the cartridge designer and have some factory support if I have issues) and see what I can do with it, though honestly I don't have as much room to shoot it as I would like. I'll probably pair it with a spare LMT lower and eventually buy a .458 Socom upper to put in a fitted pelican case I've had under my bed for a few months so I can carry around the best of both worlds, a high BC laser and a hog dropping thumper.

I apologize for my OP being a bit vague... There will be a minimum of 1 Scar17 in the house lol... My wife is getting one. Her's is the one i was pushing for SBR to help her with handling. My potential purchase was to be the DMR role rifle and it will not be Form1'ed The rifle in question will probably be the last firearm purchase i make for some time as i want to dump my time, money and efforts into training, physical fitness, and other disciplines to further develop myself and eliminateas much ME error as possible.
My top opticschoice right now is a Vortex 2.5-10x 32mm. MOA Reticle, although it is followed closely by the a Leupold 2.5x8.

When I cut my SCAR17 barrel down to 13", I really didn't notice a big difference in the handling characteristics because their barrels are so light that 3" off the end doesn't add up to much.  BUT… I shoot mine suppressed most of the time and moving the suppressor back 3" DOES make a big difference in the handling of it.  So, I usually recommend that if you aren't going to run is suppressed, to just leave it as is, but if you are going to run it suppressed, the better handling may be worth the loss in velocity

I had heard somewhere that there were efforts to make a 6.5 chambered SCAR17 conversion. I can't remember what caliber specifically though (6.5grendel, 6.5creedmore, .260rem, etc). I'll have to reach back out to a few secret squirrels to see if anything has happened.