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Thread: MK-16/17 SCAR gallery from OEF-A

  1. #1
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    MK-16/17 SCAR gallery from OEF-A

    I've been meaning to do a little SCAR review using some pictures I took in Afghanistan. I don't intend this to be an exhaustive writeup of every capability and feature of the weapon. I think others have done a good job of that already. I'm just going to show a few pictures of some used and abused SCARs and add captions describing my observations after using them in training and on combat patrols. Overall I liked the weapon and found the 7.62 a good cartridge for the longer range engagements typical in Afghanistan. I'm more than happy to answer any questions but the rules prevent me from talking specifically about capabilities or employment of any weapons system. I will say that in my experience the reports of good accuracy and reliability that you can read about elsewhere are pretty accurate. Some well qualified shooters have stated that the precision of the MK-17 in certain configurations compared favorably to the M-110. Anyway, on to the pictures.

    Here is a picture of the way I had my MK17 set up in Afghanistan. This is the Shorty barrel with AAC suppressor. Sometimes I used the suppressor sometimes I didn't. I had to rezero with it when I put it on so for the most part I just left it off. I might as well mention now that after changing barrels the user needs to zero his optic. The POI shift between barrel changes is enough that I didn't feel comfortable unless I zeroed. I like the medium barrel for the MK17. The shorty has a lot more recoil and scares up a lot more dust. However when using a suppressor, especially the long AAC one, the shorty barrel is useful for keeping the rifle at a reasonable overall length. We were in and out of vehicles a lot and some of the guys opted for short barrels, even unsuppressed, mainly out of convenience.


    Here's my "dismounted patrol" setup for the MK17. More often than not I went sans suppressor. The bobro bipod was nice to have but it's important to make sure it's tightened with the locking piece between rail sections. The only real complaint I have with this weapon is the ambi mag release. When walking around in kit for long periods of time there is a pretty good chance that at some point your kit will bump against the mag release and drop your mag in front of everybody. It would have been nice if they come up with a better guard around the release or a user-reversible non-ambi mag release lever.


    Here's a picture of the same weapon w/o suppressor. I put a magpul MOE grip on it to get a better position for my trigger finger. I do this for my m4 (ergo grip) and personal AR-15's too. On the SCAR the MOE grip doesn't fit perfectly and leaves a little gap between the grip and receiver. I decided to run it this way and it never caused any problems. The grip screw threads into a square nut in the receiver and is a pretty sturdy setup. Why FN didn't make the receiver compatible with AR grips is beyond me. Somewhere in the net a guy with a SCAR light said he was able to modify a Magpul grip to fit flush. Also you can see the Magpul sling that I used during deployment because that's what I brought. It's one of the earliest ones to come out at it's very difficult to adjust. I highly recommend a Blue Force Gear or Vtac if you want a two point, adjustable sling.


    Here's my buddy's shorty MK16 with a Docter sight and cheesy forward grip. He had that grip all through premission training and deployment and it actually worked well for him.


    Here's a shorty MK17 next to an M4. They're a bout the same length but of course the MK17 is a bit heavier.


    Exploded MK17 medium


    A major complaint with the MK17 is the mags. They're hard or impossible to get more of and the base plate can tend to slip off like this. I never had one get so bad that it lost rounds or couldn't be easily slid back on but it sure was annoying. A few properly applied strips of duct tape works wonders but it's just one more thing to keep track of.


    Here's a picture of the trigger group after a decent amount of shooting and walking around in the desert. It's pretty grimy and dusty in there but the trigger pull and selector switch never felt gritty. The thing is built like a tank. The SCAR has a much better trigger pull than an issued M4.


    Here's a picture of the stock. It has a very long toe that some liked and some didn't. Personally I found it to be very well executed. One caveat is that it's important to make sure the locking tab clicks into place after you adjust the stock length. If you don't the thing will collapse under recoil and you'll smack yourself on the nose. Ask me how I know. At the front end of the cheek piece you can see a little depression cut out for a BUIS. Nice touch. When this picture was taken I had the rear BUIS off to try to get better eye relief with my SpectreDR. Later I put the ELCAN back forward and replaced the rear BUIS.


    Here's the dirtiest part of the gun, the piston, after not being cleaned for a long time. Honestly I think the carbon kind of reaches equilibrium and I didn't find it all that important to clean the piston or gas block. I generally just wiped down the bolt and carrier and hit the receiver with compressed air. Then added lube and called it good. I didn't have any malfunctions.


    Finally a gratuitous pick of the business end of a (unloaded) MK17.
    Last edited by mkmckinley; 01-10-12 at 09:54.

  2. #2
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    Very enjoyable read pal, Thanks for your service

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    Outstanding post and thanks for your service.

    Can you comment on how liked the actual suppressor was when it was needed, and the general consensus on the combat worthiness of the SpecterDR? Thanks.

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    Thanks for the kind words. The only suppressors I have had much experience with are the older SOPMOD ones issued for the M4's, the one that comes on the MK12 SPR, and the AAC ones we got with the SCARS. I can say hands down I like the AAC ones best. They are a little bigger but they worked very well. I don't have a decibel meter but they were subjectively quieter and held up to a lot of abuse. I also like the attachment method a lot better. A simple screw on/off is the way to go. I did see a POI shift but I think you're always going to see that when you hang a suppressor off the end of a barrel.

    Most of the guys issued with a Spectre DR like it a lot. The battery life is very good. There's no debating the mid range shooting benefit of a 4X mag. I also like the idea having a quickly adjustable 1X or 4X without having to dial in between between. The downside of the SpectreDR the is weight. Also, on a couple units including mine, the POI shift between magnifications was significant. I'm talking 4" at 25 meters. This was confirmed by other shooters including a higher level sniper qualified guy. I ended up zeroing on 4X and not worrying about the 1X shift at CQB distance. If you bought one I'm sure the manufacturer would take care of it but it sucked to get one issued that way. I'm a little disappointed that a Elcan would send us optics with such an obvious defect. That said I've read on the net that the issue has been fixed. We never had any problems with the mount but that has been identified as a potential weakness. I know of a few SpectreDR's that are several years old and going strong.

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    Outstanding and thanks for the pics as well. Any issues with stock durability. I've got a 17S and after using it some, that seems to be the only potential liability. I Love the stock for what it is, and the ergos, but it rattles a bit. Thanks again for taking questions, user feedback for any SCAR and the H in particular is most welcome.

  6. #6
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    Glad you liked the pics. I seem to remember one of the stocks breaking when we did our initial T&E of the weapons. The issue was that something came apart and allowed the stock to come completely off, i.e. the piece with numbers on it could be separated from the rest of the rifle. I can say that I abused the crap out of my stock and didn't have any problems. If I owned a SCAR I wouldn't worry about the stock too much. If you run over it with a truck or something I'm sure FN will replace it for you. I think Vltor or someone is making an M4 stock adapter if you don't trust the factory one, but I don't see a reason to not trust it.

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    Glad to meet a fellow Elcan lover...didn't know they were being issued to USA units....is the SCAR your personal?

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    The SpetreDR's are issued. I wouldn't say I love the Elcan, but it is nice to have a 1-4X optic. It has its pros and cons. Battery life and a great reticle are big pros. The problem with POI shift and the fact that it weighs a lot for a 4X are something to consider.
    Last edited by mkmckinley; 01-10-12 at 09:59.

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    photo of scar L

    I see you have a photo of the scar L. What are your thoughts on it? Is it better than an M4? Does it have a future with SOCOM?

  10. #10
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    The MK16 is a good weapon. They handle recoil well especially under full auto,not that it gets used much. The controls are ambidextrous which is a big deal for lefties. The folding stock, in general, is way overrated in my opinion. Unfolding it adds a step in deploying the weapon. However the adjustability of the SCAR stock is really nice. Overall the system is very good. It's reliable, accurate, and easy to maintain.
    Last edited by mkmckinley; 01-10-12 at 10:00.

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