Novice 1st Impressions: ACR vs. SCAR

[lloydkristmas]

Thanks for the write up.

The SCAR is almost certainly the better gun, though there is nothing really *wrong* with the ACR, even though many on the internet might imply that there is.

I feel the SCAR is more 'advanced' than the ACR is, and is a more viable combat weapon. The ACR isnt bad, it just didnt live up to the hype, and because of that, it will forever remain 'sub-par' in the eyes of a lot of serious critics.

If the ACR was priced at $1400-1500 with a 1/7 barrel, I think it would be getting a lot more praise and attention than it is now.

For now, at least, SCAR wins. Welcome to the site!

[Hootiewho]

The bottom rail is attached to the barrel extension (near the chamber) only, and does not contact the rest of the barrel at all. It sits about 1/2 inch or more away from the barrel from the attachment point all the way to where the rail ends.

Heat is no more of a problem than a DD or any other rail on an M4/M16.

I've run my 16s pretty hard, and have not had anything "melt". It gets warm, but I keep a rail cover on it. What it does do is serve as a heat sink for the chamber area of the barrel, which is a nice plus during heavy firing as it helps to keep the chamber area a little cooler.

Guys, the longer I have the SCAR, the more I am convinced that there is not a single aspect of the rifle that didn't have a purpose during designing. For the 5.56mm, if you even remotely think you might want to SBR it, go for it as it handles like a dream with the 10" barrel.

As far as rearward recoil impulse, I DO believe it is less than most rifles. I'd say the part of the recoil impulse that people say eats Eotecs for breakfast is the chambering or going forward part. To me, this is a good thing as it helps to balance out the recoil and keep the muzzle down. I have the means to actually prove or disprove this using the same type equipment I did in the SCAR vs AR write up, but the time and getting my hands on all the other rifles to check against are what limits me. I have the 16s and damnit if the 17s didn't follow me home just last night. I fought off the urge to buy the 17s, but I was too weak. With the brake removed on both, I cannot tell any difference in the recoil respectively. They are actually more pleasant to shoot with the brake off for me. The 17 is the softest shooting .308 I have ever shot, period.

Here is the thing, yes the SCAR and the ACR are both piston rifles, but in truth the SCAR is about as similar to the ACR as it is the AR. Let's not forget the AR is actually a piston rifle, it's just the piston is in the BCG and not on the barrel. To sit down and compare the operating system of the SCAR toe to toe with the ACR is apples to oranges.

The SCAR has been tested, proven, and is backed by one of the world's oldest and largest military firearms makers. Luckily, Uncle Sugar and FN were the Beta testers for me. Just looking at the ACR model that is obtainable, it is made by Bushmaster, with the buying public as the Beta testers. I am sure the design will mature and get better. I personally have nothing against the ACR as the idea is a great one, but for ME the SCAR is the better choice.

[Tacoma213]

I fought off the urge to buy the 17s, but I was too weak. With the brake removed on both, I cannot tell any difference in the recoil respectively. They are actually more pleasant to shoot with the brake off for me. The 17 is the softest shooting .308 I have ever shot, period.

I was thinking of replacing the PWS brakes on my 17's (yes, two...don't tell my wife) with the Armalite AR10 bird cages until I settle on a suppressor in 308. I have not shot mine yet, but did the PWS change the recoil impulse in any positive way?

I have shot the ACR's and have decided they are not for me. There is nothing really wrong with it, but the pedigree on the FN SCAR is too compelling to overcome the BM ACR. If Remington decided to come out with its version, I might take another look. Until then, it's the SCAR for me!

[lloydkristmas]

I'm seeing posts about FN's refusal to sell parts for the SCAR....Is this a SCAR-specific decision? I dont have a SCAR but I have an FS2000, and parts, while expensive, are easily obtained. In fact, the customer service guy at FN even sent me a couple parts free of charge. They werent even to replace broken stuff, just extra parts to have on hand.

If FN is refusing to support civilian SCARs, then thats a damn shame, because in my experience, they have provided excellent support for their other products.

[variablebinary]

At this point both FN and Bushmaster suck when it comes to spare parts, spare barrels, SBR barrels, and multicaliber kits.

I was expecting more from Bushmaster at SHOT, and I got exactly what I expected from FN at SHOT; Zero

Now we have HK in the game. I am eager to see what they have to offer in terms of uppers and barrel configurations. Probably the same ass end support as FN and Bushy

The excuses are bullshit too. Colt cranks out a ton of M4's daily and you can still get a variety of configs from them.

[Hootiewho]

In a perfect world, they would introduce the parts before they did the rifle, but the world's not perfect. I am with you, as I would love to have a spare bolt/extractor...but there are some parts available. It is still very new to the civie market, and let's face it...with ANY Mfg Govt contracts come first. The HK416 was out for several years before parts were available. People horse-laughed guys for buying $3k+ uppers with no spare parts. Now you can get whatever you need at places like HKparts.

How long was the M16/AR15 out before an average man could buy parts? A long time. As much as I like my Colt SBRs, if Bravo had been up and running when I bought, I would not have gotten Colts, and in truth if it weren't for SAW and Brownells, if your Colt broke it would probably make the trip back to the factory.

I've pestered the guys at FN for info in doing that SCAR write up, they've all been exceptionally pleasant to deal with. I live less than 2 hrs from the Irmo plant if I were ever in a "pinch". I have no doubt that eventually most if not all parts will be available. If all the folks who complain about the parts situation would send Grant $300/each and tell him to order bolts from FN, I'll bet Grant would have FN SCAR bolts in short order.Money talks, it's as simple as that. If Grant did put the money up to order 50 bolts, how many do you think he would actually sell right now? Very few, and that's the problem, cause most shooters don't buy until theirs breaks and all these dealers and FN know that.

At this point both FN and Bushmaster suck when it comes to spare parts, spare barrels, SBR barrels, and multicaliber kits.

I was expecting more from Bushmaster at SHOT, and I got exactly what I expected from FN at SHOT; Zero

Now we have HK in the game. I am eager to see what they have to offer in terms of uppers and barrel configurations. Probably the same ass end support as FN and Bushy

The excuses are bullshit too. Colt cranks out a ton of M4's daily and you can still get a variety of configs from them.