MachIVshooter
Member
So, today I finally had a chance to compare these two rifles side-by-side. The AR is my Armalite AR-10A2 Carbine, the SCAR was a black 17 standard.
Initial impression is a subjective one; The SCAR is kinda ugly, particularly the humpback-looking stock. But it does shoulder well, and feels lighter than the AR-10 carbine, despite the actual empty weight difference being less than 2 ounces. Of course, my AR-10 has a sling, a 3-9x40mm scope plus steel carry handle base, a 25 round mag and a decent sized Surefire hanging off the front of it, versus the SCAR with only a 3-9x scope and 20 round mag.
We couldn't really compare accuracy, as he had not zeroed (or even aligned) his scope, but I suspect they're both about the same as 16" carbines, somewhere in the 1-2 MOA range with ball ammo. I know my AR-10 averages 1.3 MOA @ 100 yards with 150 gr. FMJ.
Controls are, of course, very similar, except for the major detractor of a significantly protruding reciprocating cocking handle on the left side of the SCAR that will whack your thumb if you hold it like an AR. That didn't feel good. They should have set it up like a G3. Oops.
The side-folding stock of the SCAR does make it a little more portable, coming in 7" shorter when folded than the AR-10 with stock retracted. Extended OAL when firing is the same for either at 38". Aside from that, I'd say they compare well ergonomically.
Reliability. The SCAR did not bobble once, he was using Radway green surplus. We did have one hiccup in the AR, but there is a reason; I was using up the last of some steel-cased cheapo Barnaul ammo that had got wet when my basement flooded. Most of it was fine aside from cosmetic corrosion, but a few of the cases were pretty rough from the corrosion, and the stoppage was simply friction in the magazine causing the rounds to hang up, so the bolt closed on an empty chamber. The AR-10 has never had a stoppage with brass cased ammo and quality magazines (some of my converted cheap import M1A 30 rounders are less than reliable).
The biggest difference I noticed was the recoil impulse. The AR-10 is not exactly gentle, but the SCAR leans more toward abusive as .308 autoloaders go. It felt very similar to a G3.
In summary, I'm glad I have my AR-10. The SCAR is a nice rifle, but the nastier recoil impulse combined with having to watch out for that reciprocating handle are two major negatives for a rifle trying to compete with another design that costs half as much (or less). YMMV, but I'd still buy an AR-10 over the SCAR, even if the SCAR were less expensive.
Initial impression is a subjective one; The SCAR is kinda ugly, particularly the humpback-looking stock. But it does shoulder well, and feels lighter than the AR-10 carbine, despite the actual empty weight difference being less than 2 ounces. Of course, my AR-10 has a sling, a 3-9x40mm scope plus steel carry handle base, a 25 round mag and a decent sized Surefire hanging off the front of it, versus the SCAR with only a 3-9x scope and 20 round mag.
We couldn't really compare accuracy, as he had not zeroed (or even aligned) his scope, but I suspect they're both about the same as 16" carbines, somewhere in the 1-2 MOA range with ball ammo. I know my AR-10 averages 1.3 MOA @ 100 yards with 150 gr. FMJ.
Controls are, of course, very similar, except for the major detractor of a significantly protruding reciprocating cocking handle on the left side of the SCAR that will whack your thumb if you hold it like an AR. That didn't feel good. They should have set it up like a G3. Oops.
The side-folding stock of the SCAR does make it a little more portable, coming in 7" shorter when folded than the AR-10 with stock retracted. Extended OAL when firing is the same for either at 38". Aside from that, I'd say they compare well ergonomically.
Reliability. The SCAR did not bobble once, he was using Radway green surplus. We did have one hiccup in the AR, but there is a reason; I was using up the last of some steel-cased cheapo Barnaul ammo that had got wet when my basement flooded. Most of it was fine aside from cosmetic corrosion, but a few of the cases were pretty rough from the corrosion, and the stoppage was simply friction in the magazine causing the rounds to hang up, so the bolt closed on an empty chamber. The AR-10 has never had a stoppage with brass cased ammo and quality magazines (some of my converted cheap import M1A 30 rounders are less than reliable).
The biggest difference I noticed was the recoil impulse. The AR-10 is not exactly gentle, but the SCAR leans more toward abusive as .308 autoloaders go. It felt very similar to a G3.
In summary, I'm glad I have my AR-10. The SCAR is a nice rifle, but the nastier recoil impulse combined with having to watch out for that reciprocating handle are two major negatives for a rifle trying to compete with another design that costs half as much (or less). YMMV, but I'd still buy an AR-10 over the SCAR, even if the SCAR were less expensive.
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