#SCAR17

Imperial Arms Co. has been making some great products for the SCAR platform. Specifically, their Cypher X, to build your own pistol version of a SCAR. Or their MTM which allows you to use LR/SR .308 mags and more importantly AR triggers. Well, now they are coming out with the Buffered Bolt Carrier to help mitigate recoil.

The United States Marine Corps made the decision back in early 2020 to equip its infantrymen with a universal weapon optic by adopting the Trijicon VCOG (Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) 1-8×28 riflescope as the Squad Common Optic (SCO). After an extensive evaluation process, Trijicon emerged as the chosen manufacturer for the SCO along with their 1-8x28mm VCOG optic. The contract would secure about $64,000,000 for the 19,000 units the USMC ended up ordering and delivery began in February of 2021 with the final units being delivered sometime this year (2023). The optic was meant to be primarily fielded on the M4 carbine and the M27 IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle). However, as stated by the Marine Corps themselves, the optic is intended to be as ammunition and weapon system agnostic as possible which should mean it can easily be adapted to be effectively used on virtually any platform. Today we’re going to put that theory to the test by putting the legendary durability of the Trijicon VCOG up against the unstoppable force that is the FN SACR 17 – a rifle that is infamous for destroying nearly every optic put on it.

The HK433 family is going full power, Heckler & Koch told TFB at the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting. When speaking to representatives of the company about their new rifle which was being shown off in the USA for the first time, I asked the question (expecting a sly wink and a “we can’t tell you that” as a response): “Will the HK433 family be available in 7.62mm NATO?” Much to my surprise, the answer was “yes, we are working on that now.” Beyond that, the representatives would not comment any further.

In recent testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, General Mark Milley, the Army Chief of Staff, admitted during questioning that the Army is looking at alternative rifle platforms to the current M4 Carbine. Milley’s comments were made primarily during a conversation with Senator Joni Ernst, transcribed below:

The FN SCAR 16 is the 5.56×45 version of the SCAR platform, and it certainly has been catching the eyes of militaries around the world. While no major military has committed to adopting it yet, it is in limited use by many different armed forces. So what’s under all the aluminum?

France, one the world’s first adopters of the bullpup rifle, will officially be abandoning the stockless rifle concept for good, it seems. The competition to replace the venerable FAMAS bullpup rifle has moved forward, and the only competing bullpup design, HS Produkt’s VHS-2, has been eliminated, along with Swiss Arms’ SG 550 and Beretta’s ARX-160. The downselect means that the next French standard rifle, replacing the four-decade old “Bugle”, will be either the Fabrique Nationale SCAR or the Heckler & Koch HK416, two heavyweight competitors on today’s rifle market. Sputnik News reports:

The term “battle rifle” is a colloquialism that is generally used to refer to rifles firing a full caliber cartridge and generally are select fire. After WWII, many nations decided to forego intermediate rounds in favor of heavy hitting, powerful fully automatic long arms that lasted until intermediate cartridges seized the day. In this video, we take a look at 5 that we consider the best.

In October, I traveled out to see my co-writer Alex C. to collect data on the weights of different long guns and some of their components. Over that weekend, I weighed 58 rifles and submachine guns, and numerous magazines, bolts, bolt carriers, and other miscellaneous items. The purpose of this was not only to collate a general list of the weights of different weapons, but to be able to enhance the accuracy of a previous spreadsheet I’d produced showing the loaded “combat” weights of different rifles; that being available at this link.

Mesa Tactical has introduced a new SCAR stock adapter for use with AR-15 buffer tubes. From the press release:

Parker Mountain Machine makes some accessories for the SCAR platform. Their latest product are replacement side rails for a SCAR 16S and SCAR17s.

Hickok45 takes a look at two .308 battle rifles. The Springfield Socom 16 and the SCAR 17.
When he compares the recoil, I concur. My SCAR17 recoil is so soft, it is like a smidgen higher than my AR-15 in .556.