I have been very happy with my SCAR 17 for several years now, especially after getting it SBR’ed and suppressed with an AAC 762-SDN6.
Probably my only complaint with the rifle was the balance of the weapon with the suppressor on, coupled with the cramped feeling of the short rail. It never seemed to be an issue with my SCAR 16 SBR since the shorter barrel (10.5") puts the suppressor weight further back, but on the SCAR 17 with it’s 13" barrel, I felt that getting my hand a bit further forward and some more room as well would help.
There are a number of extended rails available for the SCAR series - some have been out for awhile, some have been more recent entries. However most of the options out there seemed to be too long and/or too heavy for my needs on a 13" SCAR 17.
Enter Kinetic Development Group’s MREX rail series. While they seem to be a relative newcomer to the firearms and SCAR market, initial reviews on the internet seemed very positive. As I looked more into the product, it seemed to bring little to no increase in weight, shorter rail options that would work well with the 13" SCAR 17, as well as streamlined mounting options (Keymod and MLOK).
As the specs on the MREX 4.9" MLOC model list only a 2.5 oz in weight, since I had replaced the OEM polymer side rails with aftermarket metal side rails with QD options, I believe that the installation of the MREX on my rifle was at most a net zero increase in weight.
This morning I took apart my 17 to install the MREX on the rifle. Overall installation was straightforward with the exception of getting the barrel into the MREX with the pre-installed attachment bridge. My barrel is a OEM 16.5" barrel that was cut down to 13", rethreaded, and had an AAC 51T Blackout suppressor mount installed by Marvin Pitts @Nefarious Arms. As I tried to install the barrel into the rail as was demonstrated in the very helpful video on the KineticDG website, it was obviously not going to work.
(yes, the barrel is dirty)
Of course this got a “YGTBSM!” as I looked at the problem. I could remove the Blackout mount, something I really didn’t want to do. Then the easy solution dawned on me, just remove the attachment bridge and slide it in behind the muzzle device and gas block. While it took a minor bit of jimmying to get it back into position and screwed into place, it was an easy process.
Attachment bridge removed, allowing the barrel to slide into the rail.
Hard to see but I’m sliding the attachment bridge in behind the gas block.
Otherwise, the installation was easy to follow via their online instructions.
As installed, the feel of the SCAR was very streamlined and smooth - so much different than the OEM feel with rails on the bottom and the sides. I installed 3 MLOK rail pieces to attach the VFG, a light, and one more up forward to allow for use of a bipod.
I hope to get to the range this week to re-sight the rifle in and get a feel for the MREX while shooting some drills. While it isn’t a cheap rail ($299), compared to some others available such as the Lancer manufactured Handl Carbon Fiber rails ($450-480), it isn’t the most expensive on the marked and I think it’s well worth a look if you find yourself in the need for an extended SCAR rail and a more smooth, streamlined fore-end is something you might want.
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