Quote Originally Posted by mkmckinley View Post
Good question. If I could carry anything in 5.56 I'd carry my personally owned Noveske with a VTAC handguard that extends past the front sight. I hate the short rails that both the M4 and MK16 have. If we're comparing an as-issued M4 with a MK16 I would probably go with the MK16. The SCAR has a much better stock. I also like that the SCAR has a flip down front sight and a switchblock for using a suppressor. I know there is some controversy regarding flip down front sights on the AR but personally I like the one on the SCAR. Most importantly I don't worry about its bolt breaking. During pre mission training my company had a lug break on an M4. Not surprising considering the amount of rounds we shoot but also not something I worry about with the SCAR. However the issues I have with the M4 can be mitigated by parts selection and aftermarket goodies. Furthermore there are some things I don't like on the SCAR. A big one, and one I forgot to mention earlier,is that the left-side mag release can get depressed on ones kit and drop the mag. After spending a lot of time with an M45 this wasn't something I was prepared for. I wish the mag release was better protected. The selector lever on the M4 is better placed; it's faster. Apparently FN designed the SCAR with a 45 degree selector lever. During early testing our friends in the Navy were having AD's and blaming it on the selector lever. FN changed it to a 90 degree selector like an M4 even though the switch is optimally placed for 45 degrees. You can see on the photo below where they omitted the position at 45 degrees, moved the semi setting to 90 degrees, and added the Auto position at 180 degrees. you can also see the gap between the pistol grip and receiver that I encountered when I installed a MOE grip. There wasn't any wobble with the aftermarket grip installed this way. It held up just fine.


Comparing the MK17 to an M110 is a little tricker for me. I don't have a ton of experience with the M110 as our snipers are pretty protective of them. I've messed around with one at the range but never carried one. I think, again, the SCAR stock is a lot better. The M110 has a long free float handguard which I like. They're both pretty damn accurate. In my experience they're pretty comparable. I don't think you can go wrong with a MK17 if you want a semi-auto in 7.62. I guess I would also go with the SCAR in this case since it's what I carried and I know I can trust it.

Here's another gratuitous pic. Case of beer to anyone who knows the name of the dog.
You got to get some sandpaper and a knife and do a little work on the pistol grip so that it fits the receiver.