THE SCAR WITHOUT FN

The Self-Assembled Modular SCAR 17

- Frank Plumb

As a former team guy, I was issued a SCAR MK17 when they first came out. It was light, powerful, and a bit different but full of promise. Accurate for man-sized targets to 800 meters and beyond, it was modular, modern, and could be used in structures or wide-open terrain. Flat ranges and an SFAUC course of three will tell you a lot, but you never really know for sure until you deploy with it - which is why NSWC Crane safety certifies everything that touches a MK17. It's only with hard use that you see things that the designers might've missed. Just a few short years after carrying one, and a decade ago back in 2012, I started working on SCAR enhancements, first with Handl Defense and now with Plumb Precision, and that continues to this day.

There are multiple SCAR models. The original concept, the MK16, and its commercial market variant the SCAR 16S/SCAR-L, is chambered in 5.56x45mm, and a PDW SCAR 16, the SCAR-SC, is available to law enforcement. Fabrique Nationale most recently released the SCAR 20, a commercial market variant of the USSOCOM MK20 in both 7.62x51 and 6.5 Creedmoor. But here we're focusing on the most popular, the FN SCAR 17S ("SCAR-Heavy") and its MK17 USSOCOM variant.

The MK17 operates closer to the edge of its design limits; it's not an AR, or an AK - it's a big-block 460 stuffed into a '69 Mustang. The capability and promise of the platform can be compromised without careful consideration of your modifications. Most know that SCARS can be rough on optics, and some suppressors can give them a bumpy ride. If you start overdriving the gun, you might just break it.