AR Sponsor
Posted: 8/26/2013 5:29:06 PM EDT
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I recently purchased an FN Herstal SCAR 17S; first purchase of an AR variant in .308. I took it out this weekend and was a bit surprised by a few things.
1st: It is loud 2nd: The trigger is not bad at all. I had heard that the trigger had a lot of take up and was gritty. That was not the case with mine. It was a little heavy but it wasn't gritty and it broke pretty good, not Geissele good, but OK. 3rd: The recoil wasn't bad. In fact, not much more than my AR15s. 4th: I was expecting less accuracy with it being a "battle" rifle rather than a precision rifle. I had moments were I was stringing 3 shots together at 100 yards. I never could get 5 touching but for my first time out with this rifle I was happy with the performance. I was using Federal Gold Match 175gr ammo. The fit and finish are very acceptable and it is lightweight for it's size. It is also easy to field strip and, being a piston rifle, the bolt and receiver stayed very clean. Out of the 300 rounds I fired, I had no issues of any kind. Anyone looking for a .308 AR variant should give this rifle a look. 
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I actually bought it at a gun show for $2800 out the door (including taxes). I went to the show to buy fat 50 ammo cans for the .308 ammunition I was stocking up for the GA Precision GAP-10 I ordered. Figured I would fill the 10 month wait on the GAP-10 with the SCAR. Yes the SCAR was an impulse purchase but it turned out to be a very good one IMHO.
The scope is a Nightforce 3.5-15x50 MOAR, model C429. The scope is mounted with an AADLAND 20moa. This is an excellent mount by the way. My decision on the scope and mount was made, by a large degree, on what I had heard about the SCAR 17S being rough on scopes. Figured I would get a rock solid scope and mount. I already have a 1-4 scope with a QD Bobro mount if I need it to go on the SCAR but I wanted to work on some distance shooting with the SCAR to start with. BTW, the Nightforce is extremely clear across the entire magnification range. Couldn't be more pleased with it. The bipod is an Atlas with the attached ADM mount, model #BT10-LW17. And I thought the Harris mount I have on my AR was great. The Atlas is in a whole other class. The index clips are Larue Tactical and fit very snug, no wiggle at all. Perfect product for this type of application. As far as the SACR being an AR variant, that is probably my loose interpretation. |
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At first I was not fond of the gun, I found them to be too tall for me, the recoil impluse was also somehting I didnt dig, as well as the recipricating charging handle that can mess you up if you grip the gun improperly and fire it. I had also heard some negative things from some high speed end users in Afghanistan about the Stock being a weak point and prone to breaking if one were to land on it wrong.
However I recently had some pretty positive experiences with them both home and abroad, mind you this is only the SCAR 17 not the 16. The light weight of the rifle when you are humping up the sides of mountains be it in Wyoming or Afghanistan, I have done both recently, cannot be taken for granted. The folding stock of the rifle comes in very handy while on horse back or in and out of vehicles or in travel bags. It has very acceptable accuracy for a piston gun, I would say if you do your part you own anyhting withing 4-600 yards of you all day. There are many upgrades on the market now, triggers, new lowers that take Pmags, rail extensions, safety selectors, ect. Very importantly, the gun is affordable and obtainable. forbetween 2500-3000$ you can own a battle rifle that is modular, battle proven, lightweight, accurate out to a good distance and reliable in harsh environments. I would own one, im saving up for a secret Christmas present to me later this year. 
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