My wife has given me a golden opprotunity to purchase any rifle of my choice for my birthday this summer and I am having a very difficult time deciding. I have limited it to the two rifles mentioned in the post. I have fired the POF but not the SCAR but will be doing so latter this summer. I have done some searching but not really found any negative press on either rifle other than the SCAR stock breaking in rare instances. So I bring my delima to the M4 Carbine experts. If it were up to you which would you choose and why?
PS. Thanks for all that you guys do here. I have learned alot from reading the many posts here.
I own a POF P415-16-12SX, and if I had to do it all over again, I would buy the exact same rifle. My only complaint (if I even had to think of one) would be that it is a little front heavy due to the heavy barrel and the rail system, but nothing too bad to turn me off to it.
My departments SWAT team recently replaced their Colt shorties for POF shorties, 11" I believe.
I was talking to one of the guys about it and he said they were having some reliability problems with the short Colts. Then it would take weeks or sometimes months for replacement parts or rifles from Colt.
POF is local here and therefor replacement parts or other work doesnt require shipping rifles.
He also said that the POFs have been super reliable and proved to be very accurate.
I have both and shoot both. I love my POF rifles and the SCAR is not far behind. The only negatives for me on the SCAR is the reciprocating charging handle and try to flip up the front sight after firing it. Make sure you have BurnGel on hand.
PM me for a lead on the 12" rail POF rifles.
Good luck with your decisiion and props to your wife!
SCAR definetely has extra gee-wiz factor at the moment, but doesn’t have nearly as strong aftermarket support (something improving daily) or parts availability from FN (something rumored to maybe improve someday…). The SCAR will have better resale, for what that’s worth.
The POF accomodates a lot more AR kit without modification and has readily available parts, but has less gee-wiz going for it and is also heavier.
Honestly, if it weren’t for the parts issue I’d personally favor the SCAR, so maybe you should take a leap of faith.
Of course if it were me I think I’d just get an MSAR and FAL instead for the money.
The guys at a range / gunshop said they have had multiple issues with POF. I was surprised. I saw one such incident where it jammed and they could not get it to breakfree. The guy was shooting beside me, I ask- can I shoot your POF, he said sure if I can get it to work. I never shot it. Both incidents surprised me.
Check out the forums at professional soldiers, they have lot’s of negative things to say about the Scar. I wouldn’t touch a piston upper AR either but whatever floats your boat.
[ I wouldn’t touch a piston upper AR either but whatever floats your boat.[/QUOTE]
Out of curiosity why? From my humble understanding the piston adds reliability and ability to avoid gas tube fouling which I experienced with my first rifle (DPMS, I know better know). That is why I like these systems I can shoot the cheapest dirtiest ammo I want supposedly:confused:.
I see some ACR’s going for less than SCAR prices, even on gunbroker.
To address your question, though, I’d go with the SCAR. The POF I had (one of the older-generation models, before the plated receivers) was fairly underwhelming. Balance was awkward and the recoil was sharper than a DI setup. I never had functional issues with it, but I never really pushed it hard.
The OP is asking for advice, not a poll. Thus, it would be helpful to explain your choice rather than just post SCAR or POF. As he said, “and why”…
Given the two you mentioned, I would have to say get the SCAR for the same reason Scotty mentioned: military grade in a civilian package.
I am a bit unclear as to your purpose for the rifle, but the SCAR is light and compact enough to use all day and not wear you out. Weapons used outside the range tend to be carried more than shot. Your wife will also like the SCAR more than the POF due to the design. The downside is that spare parts are nil, but I think FN will be around a lot longer than POF.
POF seems to be focused on heat reduction, often at the cost of other factors. For instance, I find the rifle to be a bit front heavy and the rail too large for my tastes. Does the SCAR have an issue with heat? I don’t think so.
Are you left handed? If so, the SCAR is a great choice.
Lastly, don’t discount the ACR just because Bushmaster is making it. There is a big difference between the quality of their normal carbines, and the ACR. It is not as tested as the SCAR, but I think has a lot of potential.
