After spending a little more time with this system, and finally getting some own time, own dime time on it.....I offer a few observations.

If you want something different, then it might suit you. If you want something more accurate, or more reliable, I would contend that is still up for debate. Compared to the low end AR family, the SCAR is far and above in the accuracy and reliability department. But if you are buying the higher end stuff, Noveske, etc...then you will find accuracy and reliability tough to judge between the two.

While it looks rough and clunky, it is actually quite ergonomic. I don't care for, nor do I quite understand the folding stock. It feels flimsy, and I don't like the potential disaster waiting to happen if and when the stock decides to break at the hinge point. The adjustable cheek piece is another item I don't quite "get". Cheek weld for me is fine off the rear portion of the stock with irons, RDS, or long range scope. I am pretty "average" in physical stature, so I imagine unless you are way to the left or right of that, the adjustable cheek piece might just be another chunk of plastic on the stock. The LOP adjustments are well within acceptable range, and should fit damn near every body size.

I am a much bigger fan of the AR15 style grip they decided to go with over the original. Of course, I am not all that thrilled with the AR15 grip, but having the option to change it to any AR style grip is nice.

I was not thrilled about the reciprocating charging handle, but have found that it is not the issue I initially had imagined it might be. It does not get in the way, and makes racking the action pretty easy, when compared to the AR platforms. Since it also switches to the other side, makes it the same motion for lefties. (which I could care less about since I was born normal). But from a training standpoint, there is not a separate set of procedures for a lefty.

Which goes for most of the rest of the rifle as well. Pretty much anything that can be done from the right handers perspective can be reversed to accomodate lefties. The mag release is ambi, as is the safety. The safety comes in three lengths, and you can install any length on either side to best suit your needs. I would still prefer the long safety be a tad longer, but those with bigger/longer fingers may not think so. One nice feature for the righty that cannot be duplicated for the lefty is the ability to lock the bolt to the rear one handed. While not critical by any means, it certainly is a nice feature, when that action is necessary.

The iron sights that come standard are decent. Not sure how I feel about the front sight being attached to the gas block, but since I hardly use them (some training and emergency use only), I guess it does not matter much. Both front and rear are protected, the front by an enclosed ghost ring, and the rear by short, but functional "wings". Adjustments are easy enough, when compared to AR sights, no need for anything special.

I like the AimPoint T-1 sights, and decided to go with that as a primary sight for most applications, though I have shot extensively with the Nightforce 2.5-10 as well in LaRue rings. The T-1 in LaRue mount ends up with a little higher mechanical offset than it does on an AR, due to the lower bore line to rail relationship than an AR. The cheekweld is fine, but perhaps mounting it a tad lower would be a little better, mainly for those transitioning from an AR to the SCAR. Maybe lop off 1/3" from the mount? Or leave it? Personal preference I suppose. Personally, I would like a lower mount. The irons co-witness the RDS in the lower third, and lowering the mount would put that more towards the center, if that matters to you.

I am still not a fan of the sling attachment points. They are "D" ring style, and for righties, you have a choice of high or low at the rear of the receiver, and one high at the front of the receiver. Lefties only get one choice; high at the rear. The slots are small, requiring some sort of closed hook attachment (think HK MP5)from the sling, and for the righties, they are all vertical, which kind of causes the sling to distort a bit instead of naturally flattening around your body. The lefty rear point is horizontal, which makes more sense, given the design. I would prefer the front attachment point be a little more rearward, but that is fixed with an aftermarket rail mounted attachment.

The rails are MilSpec 1913, though the side rails are short in comparison to most AR rail systems. I had some heartache with this at first, but have found that lack of real estate to not be as much of an issue as I had initially assessed.

The civilian version only comes with one magazine, which I suppose is fine, since most people willing to shell out the money probably have a few AR mags around, but for the price....I would expect more. Not like magazines cost a ton to make. Whatever, probably why I don't work for FNH. Mags are what they are. The FNH mags are pretty much like every other AR mag on the market.....disposable. I have heard of some older style P-Mags not working in them, with the need to file the appropriate spots as needed with some AR lowers. I have only run HK and FNH mags. Will run some TD mags soon. I have had plenty of issues with the TD mags in my AR's, we'll see if the fare any better with the SCAR.

The muzzle brake/flash hider on the civilian version is kind of a hybrid, trying to be a brake and hider at the same time. How well it does either is certainly debatable. Give it some cool points for looking mean, but that is about it. Hard to tell if it really gives much advantage as a brake, since the recoil impulse feels identical to rifles equipped with the AAC three prong hider. Recoil is more straight back than an AR, and barely moves the sights off target. It takes a little getting used to, but is not a detriment. Just different.

Trigger is a little creepy, so if you are one that has anything other than a true MilSpec trigger in your AR, you will likely find it wanting a little. It is smooth though, and is not likely to effect accuracy. For long range shooting, the trigger can be tougher to manage, but overall, the rifle is plenty capable of getting the hits. Blame misses on the trigger if you want, but it will be a tough sell.

Accuracy is good. Better than most AR's out of the box, and on par with what some would describe as SPR's. Though at the end of the day, precision AR's capable of equal accuracy are still cheaper than a SCAR, minus glass of course.

Disassembly/Assembly is pretty straightforward, though a quick trip through the manual is probably useful the first time or two. Cleaning is a little easier than with a DI AR, since the majority of the crap stays out of the action. Even so, I was never a big fan of cleaning my AR's more than functionally clean anyway, so I don't notice much difference. While the gun runs cooler, the barrel still heats up nicely. Don't know why I bother to mention that.

Overall, the SCAR is a good gun. Reliable, accurate, ergonomic. Is it better than an AR? Up for debate. In some area's yes. In some area's no. In some area's, people will argue on the ranges and internet for years to come. If you have the means and want to change platforms, go for it. It is a good system, different but strangely familiar, and works with your current gear and accessories. If you don't want to drop the $2700-$3000 for a reliable, accurate rifle system, your current AR will probably keep you going just fine.

Personally, I like it. I was very against it the first few times I shot it, constantly seeking to find the faults. And I suppose there was some natural resistance to change. But after putting one or two rounds downrange with it, it made it harder and harder to argue against it. And harder still not to like it. I don't think it will be replacing the AR as America's rifle anytime soon, but I have no issues grabbing it or an AR in case the Zombie hordes attack.

Awesome report, Sean! Thanks ...

2,000 round challenge has been completed on this rifle. We are actually at just over 2300 rounds, and the rifle has been sent off for some barrel chopping.

When I received this rifle, I did not clean or lubricate it at all. It came out of the box, optics went on, and firing began. The rifle still has not been cleaned, nor will it be cleaned until it indicates it is in need of it.

I have fired a variety of ammunition, all factory loaded. I have not fired any 55 grain ammo, but have shot 1600 rounds of 62 grain ball, 400 rounds of 77 grain Black Hills OTM, and the other 300 were an assortment of R2LP, 87 grain HP's, and Green Tip.

Zero malfucntions. Not one.

Magazines used have been: FNH, HK, HK Maritime, P-Mags (black no window), and the Tango Down ARC mags. All functioned flawlessly, but the P-Mags will not drop free. They don't get stuck, they just wont drop free.

One issue I have run into however is support for the platform. FNH does not currently offer spare components for this system, and their answer to a broken or worn part is "Return it for service". Not a wise move on their part in terms of customer service, however I imagine that like most big military manufacturer's, they really don't care about the nickel and dime civilian market when they are scoring multi-million dollar contracts from the government.

If I was seriously looking at the SCAR as a "go to" weapon system for defensive or duty use, I would have serious reservations about spending that kind of money on a weapon that has to be sent in for service. Hopefully FNH will figure it out and start offering parts replacements for purchase, but until then, I would not recommend this weapon for any serious use, as you never know just how long your gun will be out of service while it is being serviced by the factory. Besides being inconvienient......it is assinine to spend that kind of money to pay for round trip shipping to the factory to have a $12.00 extractor replaced.

More time has passed, and the SCAR as a replacement rifle for the M4 in SOCOM units has died.

Not that I was terribly shocked by the announcement. It is a good rifle. But was not so much better than the M4 to justify replacing it. In fact, one could argue with merit that the M4 outperforms the SCAR in some area's. My personal fundamental issue with the SCAR is that most of the benefits that were touted as the driving factor for this rifle's adoption came as a matter of convienience for the bean counters and REMF's vs. a more effecient system for troops closing with the enemy.

Just the same, I still have no issue running it instead of an AR based system, and have total confidence in it's accuracy and reliablity. Intending this purchase as an SBR, it took me a little longer than I had intended to pull it off. FNH, still has no support for the civilian market, and is not remotely interested in selling a short barrel to the masses, which did put a minor hiccup in the process as I had to find someone competent to chop the barrel, and open the gas ports as required for use with and without a suppressor.

The good folks at Noveske Rifleworks were willing to work with me on this project, and it turned out great. Runs like a raped ape, and the work was performed with the type of attention to detail we have come to expect from John Noveske and his team. Special thanks to Joel, who was the man behind the magic on this one, and broke out of his comfort zone by chopping and hacking a non-AR carbine.

Thank you for the real world review of the SCAR. I've been debating getting the SCAR-H but the idea of a $2700 AR-10 is a bit perplexing. It's good to know that it's reliable and I agree that the CS sounds less than spectacular. I look forward to more reports and again thanks for the great review.

Steven@LG

Lucky,

We have to be careful lumping the SCAR-H and SCAR-L in with their respective counterparts as a matter of family vs. family. The comparison of the Light to the M4 is one observation, but we cannot make the assumption that the same comparison applies between the Heavy and the AR-10 variants.

The SCAR-H is a solid system, and is very likely to see limited adoption in one form or another by some organizations. The accuracy of the H is better than any production AR-10 on the market by a long way, and is probably even slightly better than most "accurized"/custom versions. By the time we get around to talking about money, well, you get what you pay for. If you buy a low rent Bushmaster version of an AR-10, you will get low rent performance. If you buy a quality top end rifle, then you are right back at your 27-30 bills price tag before optics.

Of course, if it is just to plink around with, and won't see any serious use, then perhaps a lower end rifle will suit the need. But if one is looking for a 7.62/.308 semi-auto where accuracy, reliability, and durability are concerns you will pay for that one way or another, whether it is a higher end AR-10, or the SCAR-H.

Obviously concerns are support for the platform. There is plenty of AR-10 support in terms of subject matter experts, accessories, and after market parts. Not so much with the SCAR-H. Also, the standard trigger on the SCAR is service grade, not match grade like you can get on a quality AR-10. I am just guessing here, but I imagine the SCAR-H being released for civilian sales is not going to have the upgraded precision trigger. The standard trigger is not bad, especially for a service grade, but it is not as crisp as it should be for long range precision work.

Just some observations......there are certainly some quality AR-10's out there that will match a SCAR-H in terms of price point, and performance. Then again, there are plenty more that will not.