MK-16/17 SCAR gallery from OEF-A

[mkmckinley]

Thanks for all the responses guys, Im glad this thread is generating some interest. Id like to answer some of the questions as well as I can.

As far as the mags, overall, they worked very well. They're steel and didn't have any feed lips bending or anything. I didn't see any mag related stoppages at all.

The charging handle is located in a good spot for me but it can bite if you're not careful. It's a training issue really. It can be placed on the right side which is a nice feature. What I really like is that you can easily lock the bolt back one handed. It totally eliminates that M4 hand jive we're all familiar with.

I generally liked the mid length barrel the best for both the MK16's and 17's. They handle recoil better and the optics and BUIS are calibrated for that length. The BDC in the SpectreDR was spot on with the middy barrels.

I'm not sure about the AAC MITER system. I wasnt aware the POI could be adjusted. I did the net training as part of getting the SCAR and they didnt mention anything about it. My POI shift was vertical so it was pretty easy to compensate for. I was impressed by the AAC ruggedness and suppression ability. We got them hot enough to melt glove and boots and they still ran fine even after many rounds.

[wileecoyote]

Thanks for your service and thanks for putting up those pics and comments. It's always interesting for me to see real working guns with real world opinions as being a civvie it's not something I come across.

I also appreciate the US Soldier's ability to always adapt. I think we get a little jaded being able to buy whatever we want. Our guys just make it work, whatever it is. I think we could arm them with rocks and sticks and they'd find a way to make it work.

My question would be if you could take whatever you wanted, be it 5.56 or 7.62 would you want to use the SCAR platform again or the AR platform (ie M4 and say M110 Carbine or whatever they're calling the military 16" SR-25 EMC). Not many folks use them as much as you guys day in and day out to be able to draw a comparison.

[Bowser]

Sweet pictorial man. I enjoyed it.

[infidelprodigy]

I'll see if I can dig up more on the MITER system and post up the specifics for general info.

[SRT-M4]

My question would be if you could take whatever you wanted, be it 5.56 or 7.62 would you want to use the SCAR platform again or the AR platform (ie M4 and say M110 Carbine or whatever they're calling the military 16" SR-25 EMC). Not many folks use them as much as you guys day in and day out to be able to draw a comparison.

Im curious about this as well.
What are the pros and cons to each platform?

[Stephen_H]

Thanks for sharing. Great write up.

Stephen

[mkmckinley]

My question would be if you could take whatever you wanted, be it 5.56 or 7.62 would you want to use the SCAR platform again or the AR platform (ie M4 and say M110 Carbine or whatever they're calling the military 16" SR-25 EMC). Not many folks use them as much as you guys day in and day out to be able to draw a comparison.

Good question. If I could carry anything in 5.56 I'd carry my personally owned Noveske with extended hadguard. 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 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. 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 M4 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 to flip on and off. 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 a 45 degree sweep. 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 a MOE grip was installed. There wasn't any wobble with the 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. 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.

[mkmckinley]

You may have just won "best post on M4carbine.net".

Thanks,
Cameron

Thank you that's a huge compliment but I don't think I can compete with Rob's chart, among others.

[Cagemonkey]

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.

[Lynn Freshly]

Case of beer to anyone who knows the name of the dog.

"Shithead" ??


Great post by the way. Thanks for your service to our Great Nation.

Lynn