SCAR being deployed
The Army Times (via. Murdoc) report that the 75th Rangers are receiving new FN SCAR rifles:
About 600 members of the 75th Ranger Regiment will soon take the Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle into battle.
The 600 SCARs are the first of 1,800 that U.S. Special Operations Command began fielding in early April, SOCom spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Denise Boyd told Army Times.
The first photo I saw of the SCAR in the “wild” was when Defense Tech linked to this Navy photo taken last month showing a SEAL with the SCAR replica (see update below) slung over this shoulder.
090415-N-6403R-006 SEAL BEACH NAVAL WEAPONS STATION, Calif. (April 15, 2009) Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 12 conduct an equipment check before getting underway for a training exercise at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua T. Rodriguez (Released)
UPDATE: Turns out that the above photo shows a replica SCAR. From a Wikipedia discussion:
“I received an email from FN confirming that the image appears to show replica weapons (FN mentioned Independent Studio Services, the same company that the earlier editor did). Actual FN SCAR rifle stocks are solid plastic in “Flat dark earth” color – solidly that color throughout, not a paint or coating over a darker black color. The FN employee has some of the ISS replica weapons and confirmed that they are manufactured in a solid black base material then painted the flat dark earth on top of that. He also confirmed that ISS has made replica SCARs for the SBS teams for training, and that SBS and SEALs routinely do use replica weapons in this manner to avoid training wear and tear on actual rifles.”
Thanks to Anon for the link to the Wikipedia discussion.
In regards to the image, from Wikipedia:
“I received an email from FN confirming that the image appears to show replica weapons (FN mentioned Independent Studio Services, the same company that the earlier editor did). Actual FN SCAR rifle stocks are solid plastic in “Flat dark earth” color – solidly that color throughout, not a paint or coating over a darker black color. The FN employee has some of the ISS replica weapons and confirmed that they are manufactured in a solid black base material then painted the flat dark earth on top of that. He also confirmed that ISS has made replica SCARs for the SBS teams for training, and that SBS and SEALs routinely do use replica weapons in this manner to avoid training wear and tear on actual rifles.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:FN_SCAR#SEALs_image
Anon, thanks!
Replica as in non-functioning?
As for the rifle itself, I hope it proves more reliable in combat than the Stoner Rifle has. I don’t care for 5.56mm myself but it certainly does the job.
“It’s a solid cast plastic part, used as a fit and feel replica in a training situation where there’s no intent to do any firing, just familiarization of boat ops / water ops with the rifle, so the operators are doing their other skills while appropriately (simulatedly) encumbered by the rifle.”
…continued from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:FN_SCAR#SEALs_image
My best friend just got assigned to the 75th Rangers a couple weeks ago. He told me about seeing a large shipment of SCARs along with suppressors.
I havent heard such good things about the SCAR. Its very accurate but the Plastic stock easly brakes. Some SEAL unites have decided on still useing there M-4s over SCARs. In spec ops many men can chose there weapons so itll be a mixture of guns in there hands for quite some time.
SCAR is a fine rifle. Those that have any opinions against it oppose its ugliness (which is irrelevant if the &^%# thing is accurate, reliable, simple, and rugged). For the military in general, though I do not know if it is as practical as the ACR would be (or a gas piston AR15 upper).