Shook Guns part 7.5

Shook Guns Part 7.5:
SCAR Modifications

As awesome as the FN SCAR family of rifles is right out of the box, there are a few mods that I've done to personalize & maximize their effectiveness (besides, I'm not going to be caught dead running a STOCK configuration of anything...)

Item #1:
The A2 pistol grip that comes standard on the SCARs (and every AR15 in the world) is my LEAST favorite grip. EVER. I don't recall ever leaving one on the gun for more than 2 minutes. Unfortunately the SCARs aren't 100% compatible with AR15 grips, but a little modification of the grip or the receiver tang allows their usage. Here's an awesome post about how to do the Mod properly...which I found a week after figuring it out on my own....

For my SCAR-16S (5.56mm) I went with the Magpul MIAD (my all-time fave):


On the SCAR-17S (.308) I'm trying out the TangoDown BG-17 Battlegrip:



Item #2:
The handguard on the SCARs is ridiculously short...way too easy to accidentally grab onto some red-hot barrel or gas block. For the 16S I chose the extra long rail extension from Primary Weapon Systems (PWS SRX Rail):


I like it, but don't LOVE it, so for the 17S I'm going to try the Branham Tactical Extension Rail (ordering Monday A.M....)



Also evident in the above pic (Item 2.5?) is the fact that I swapped the factory PWS muzzle brake for the Surefire MB556AR. However, this was only because I wanted to be able to run my SF Suppressor (silencer) on it. Otherwise I'm a big fan of the PWS FSC series of compensators (although the SCAR is kind of a pig with the silencer on it so I probably won't use it that much...)


Item #3:
I don't shoot with iron sights. Firstly, I can afford not to. Secondly, with modern optics (quality ones, that is), you can pretty much count on your shit working through anything (but I still ALWAYS have back-up iron sights on ANY rifle!). For the 16S I went with my old standby, the Trijicon ACOG TA31F:


This particular unit was the first ACOG I ever bought, and since I had long ago painted it with Brownells Aluma-Hyde it seemed like a proper fit for the brown beast that is the SCAR-16S. (Bonus Fact: Yes, that is a used bike inner tube modded to regulate the brightness of the ACOG via covering the fiber optic tube on top...this is a bike blog right?)

For the .308 I am temporarily "borrowing" a demo Schmidt & Bender Short Dot 1.1-4x scope from work:


So, it's not really mine, but that's OK...because if I had dropped $2600 on it (average retail price) I would be sorely disappointed. It's awesome quality, and literally bulletproof, but just doesn't do it for me.

Item #4:
Stock options? Non-existant at this point, although VLTOR is making an adapter that accepts any AR15 stock, but it doesn't side-fold, so fuck that. I'm perfectly happy with the factory stock...sure, it rattles a bit, but if these guys haven't broken theirs than I'm probably gonna be just fine....



My overall conclusion is that the SCAR family is pretty dope. I wouldn't own the 5.56mm if I didn't have the .308, but I will definitely spend a lot of trigger time on both (possibly using the 16S for the MGM Ironman match this year...) and keep the Shook Guns readers posted on future developments.

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Shook Guns Part 6

Shook Guns Part 6:
Continued SCARification

In the last installment of Shook Guns, we were introduced to the 308 powerhouse that is the FNH SCAR-17S. After having its glorious presence in my safe for a few weeks, I realized that even after I acquired some more mags for it, I'd never shoot it as much as my 5.56mm AR15 carbines. Why? Because the majority of my shooting is either in competitions (where 308 is disadvantageous) or training classes (where the co$t of shooting 1000+ rounds in a weekend makes 308 prohibitive). So my dilemma was, I wanted to have this badass gun for the end of the world, and be proficient with it, but I knew I'd never dedicate the time and money to train with it.
The solution?
Buy another SCAR, in 5.56mm...



Luckily for me, there was recently a batch of SCAR-16s imported that had "Factory Blemished" anodizing on the upper receiver. What that means is that these 100% functional and warrantied rifles look ugly, but are several hundred dollars less than normal. I actually kind of like the blems, and the worst case scenario is it becomes a candidate for a camo paint job...




I won't go into details about the SCAR-16S because it is identical in form and function to the 17S, other than being a bit smaller and lighter. It uses standard AR15 mags (i have a few (hundred) of those laying around...), and gives me a cheaper platform to learn the nuances of the SCAR family. Fortunately, there was a Rifle/Shotgun match at Rio Salado Sportsmen's Club in Mesa AZ the day after I got this, so I was able to test it out on targets from 0 to 250 yards.
I was shooting under an alias (can't have too many of those...), but a look at the results shows me in the top 10 for every stage and overall (as well as 3rd in my division).

Video from the CQB Stage:


Random Pics from the match:







bonus vid: (suppressed full-auto M4 action)


it got hot enough to burn the finish off of his silencer:

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