SCAR 17s First Dance

Ok... So I bought the rifle. I spent too much. The money was in no way justified in any situation. I just have a very expensive toy. Not as much as most motorized toys that I have owned, but pretty close.



Here are the specs:

• 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win.)
• Semi-auto only
• Short-stroke gas piston
• Rotating, locking bolt

RECEIVER

• Hard-anodized monolithic aluminum
• MIL-STD 1913 accessory rails at the 3, 6, 9 and 12 o’clock positions
• Adjustable folding front and folding/removable rear iron sights

BARREL

• Hammer-forged, chrome-lined, fully free-floating

STOCK

• Telescoping side-folding polymer stock
• Adjustable cheekpiece
• A2-style pistol grip

OPERATING CONTROLS

• Ambidextrous safety lever and magazine release
• Charging handle may be mounted on right or left side
• Enlarged trigger guard for easier access when wearing gloves
• Composite polymer trigger module

MAGAZINE

• 10 or 20-round capacity
• Steel or aluminum body
• Low friction follower

The iron sights are variable for both windage and elevation, so... You need to get an initial zero on them when the rifle comes out of the box, just as you would if you had an optic or scope or something.

I was excited to shoot it, so I forgot all of my tools... No matter, I would shoot it to see where the sights were and to get a feel for the .308 round.
I have shot large caliber rifles before, along with shotguns of just about every gauge, and of course handguns in various calibers. One thing is universal about big calibers. RECOIL. How that recoil is handled is generally dependent on the shape of the rifle, and how the rifle handles the gas. Traditional stock rifles tend to recoil upward and back in to the shoulder. This is due to the barrel being right about even with the grip on the stock. Modern rifles drop the grip down in to a pistol grip, moving the barrel up a bit so that the recoil goes directly inline with the shoulder. Rifles, like the SCAR, also add a muzzle break on the end of the muzzle to diffuse the gas and greatly reduce muzzle flip. The result is that the recoil on the SCAR goes almost completely backward in to the shoulder. The major problem with high caliber semi-auto weapons is that follow up shots are difficult to place because the muzzle flip draws the rifle so far off target. When the recoil goes directly in to the shoulder and the break prevents muzzle flip, you can place follow up shots on target very easily.

The SCAR's muzzle break and design makes the recoil very manageable, and very easy to put back on to target. I burnt through the big 20 round magazine in very short order.

The action is so smooth that when I went through my first magazine, I checked to see if the rifle malfunctioned when it stopped shooting. The mag goes dry that fast. About my only complaint was that I shot through the 60 rounds I had with me so quickly. I am going to spend a TON of money in ammunition with this gun.

I shot some nice groups at 25 yards, telling me that the rifle is very accurate. However all of my groups were low and to the left... I need to bring the gun back and adjust the iron sights to get a true zero.

There are a few things that I know I will have to do to the rifle. I will need a front grip. Doing a standard magazine grip is actually a little dangerous with this rifle because it uses a reciprocating charging handle. If your thumb is in the way, the charging handle will break it. Doing a standard front grip is a bit awkward and uncomfortable.
I also know that I want to put some sort of optic on it. Optics are cool, and the new ones have variable power scopes so that you can choose your magnification with the push of a button.

So what will I end up with?? Something like this:

Only my rifle is black.