More Rangers with SCAR rifles
The Rangers were showing off their new SCAR rifles on the weekend.
Rangers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, G.A. stand at attention on the infield of the Lowes Motor Speedway as they are honored for their service to the nation during the Coca Cola 600 NASCAR pre-race military appreciation show in Concord, N.C. on May 24, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Trish Harris, USASOC News Service)
A large high resolution version of the photo can be seen here.
Can anyone tell me what the device attached onto the muzzle is? I am guessing it a device to prevent the gun firing or chambering a round?
Hat Tip: Defense Tech
I’m a stickler for making things look good at these kinds of events, and these soldiers are an embarrassment. There seems to be no standard for how the weapon is slung, the position of the buttstock, and as brought up by Dax, one moron actually has a magazine in his rifle while the others don’t!
When it comes to combat it doesn’t matter in the least how each guy wants to sling his weapon etc, but in the public eye where their only real job is to look the part, even the little things like they aren’t all wearing the same color belts makes a difference.
Back to the original question… due to the color of the covers, it only makes sense that they are BFA’s.
Strange. None of the soldiers have magazines in their rifles but the one third to the right. Wonder why? Assuming they were firing blanks then they should all have mags. If the guns are for show, then there shouldn’t be mags in any. Thoughts?
SORRY BUD, BUT U ARE HORRIBLE MISTAKEN AND OR ILL INFORMED. 5th SF IS MOST DEFINETATLY NOT AT FT BRAGG AND YES THOSE ARE RANGERS FROM 1/75. RANGERS AND 160 SOAR DO DOG AND PONY SHOWS ALL THE TIME AT NASCAR AMONG OTHER PLACES. YOU CAN YOUTUBE THE ALSO VIDEO
The 1st Battalion is located at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, GA. The 75th Ranger Regimental HQ and the 3rd Ranger Battalion is located at Ft. Benning, GA near Columbus, GA and the 2nd Battalion is located at Ft. Lewis, WA.
I can’t really see what kind of weapons they have but I would bet that they are some kind of M-16 upgrade with a piston system to increase reliability.
Also, why would the Rangers(whom I used to be with) be accepting honors for their service in North Carolina? Ft. Bragg is the SOCOM HQ and they have many homegrown special operations units there, specifically the 5th Special Forces group(if my memory serves correctly). Why would the Rangers be flown up to be presented an honor at a civilian racetrack? Military ceremony, yes but a NASCAR race?!
I think somebody’s got their signals crossed.
Maybe it’s so dem Army guys don’t poke ‘ems eyes out?
@R.A.W.
Bah!
Operator Designed!
Who cares who designed it?
It is a great design.
http://www.accucounter.com/Leading%20Edge%20SCAR%20article.pdf
To be honest I’m not sure that they are BFAs ? The construction doesn’t appear strong enough (would like closer inspection !!!) The type I used with the UK service was larger and metal (and of course bright coloured). If anything, due to being in a civilian area in a no-comabt situation, could they be the no-live-round / dust covers indicators ? Could be completely wrong so please can you send me one so I can confirm – Ha Ha Ha !
“Finally some US troops have a rifle worthy of the US.”
Which, naturally, required that it be designed by Belgians.
Bah! Muzzle cap, BFA, I care not!
Here is to all the folks that said nobody will use the SCAR.
Finally some US troops have a rifle worthy of the US.
I didn’t think of a BFA… makes sense. I’m pretty sure they’re being issued with AAC flash hiders, so it could be some sort of BFA that works along with the AAC thread system. I still think there’s way too much stuff to simply be a shoot off muzzle cap, those are just thin plastic.
Na-SCAR ? coincidence? yeah probably
higs, LOL
Could just be a dust cover.
A Blank adaptor maybe?
They look like blank firing adaptors to me :shrug:
Here we go, muzzle caps.
http://dsgarms.com/index.cfm/product/131/ar15–m16-muzzle-cover-per-each—red.cfm
It’s just a dust cover for the muzzle. Thin plastic, shoot-through if necessary. It doesn’t prevent functioning of the weapon, but here it seems to be functioning as a visual indicator that the guns are not loaded.
Possibly it’s a blank firing adapter, which increases backpressure enough that the gun cycles when it’s firing blanks.
It looks like the MILES blank firing adapter minus the transmiter.
Blank firing adapter, perhaps?
fancy-dancy FN blank firing adapter? that would explain the orange color.
It does look like some sort of blank firing device.
Looks like these are the Lite (5.56) versions by the shape of the one magazine that is in one of the rifles.
The “muzzle devices” could be something similar to these AR muzzle covers…
http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR128-7.html
It appears to be a blank firing adapter (BFA) as if you look at the Ranger on the far left that has the SCAR over his right shoulder muzzle forward there does not appear to be a muzzle hole and it does look like it has a screw on the top for tightening. I am suspecting that dressed as they are the Army probably put on some show with them fast roping off a blackhawk and doing a little fire and maneuver show.
This is great. The SOCOM guys get cool new weapons and eventually they filter through the rest of the service. I would love to get my hands on a SCAR. Also having one in the gun safe would be cool.
I’m not sure what those things are either, but they look similar to the attachment they use when firing blanks during training, but not sure why you would want blanks in the setting they are in.
Look closely at the guy at the back left… it looks like the plugs totally encompass the end of the barrel. Do you think they are just a sort of dust covers?
Oh well, hopefully someone knows!
Looks like the BFA the British use… – I thought the SCAR L could take the M4/M16 BFA…
Maybe it is just a shoot off muzzle cover to keep dirt out. Just a guess.
Looks like a bullet catcher to me, too much material to just be a dust cap.
From the small pic, it’s hard to tell exactly, but it looks like a red dust cap, with tape around it to prevent it from being so non-camoflauge obvious.
Like the old joke (all too true), about the Army’s red tent stakes (so people will see them and not trip on them), having to be pounded all the way into the ground.
Plus on some the screw is positioned at the top of the barrel, on others it’s positioned on bottom. If it were some sort of manufactured connector I’d guess it would be in the same place on all the rifles.
Could they be blank firing adapters?
At first blush I would have said it was a rubber cap to keep the barrel dry during water-borne ops. But on some of them you can see something that to me looks like a set-screw. Maybe it’s just a pin that snaps into the muzzle to more securely attach the cap, like a twist-lock/QD or something? If it were tight enough to keep water out, you’d think friction would be enough to keep it in place.