Fabrique Nationale SCAR-L Goodness.........

This is a cross post from my thread at M4Carbine.net. Too much to retype......

First of all, I'd like to thank Brett from FN Herstal (http://www.m4carbine.net/member.php?u=285) for bringing a SCAR-L to the Vickers Advanced Carbine and Pistol class this past weekend http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=16765, it was an opportunity that few civillians have had thus far.

My first impressions....the SCAR-L is one of the most well thought out platforms I've seen, period. It's an evolutionary system that incorporates the best of several different systems.

The engineering, construction, ergonomics, simpliciy and reliablity really impressed me.

The SCAR-L certainly feels lighter and handles better for me, than a similar DI AR carbine with similar accessories on it, and I much prefer the buttstock on the SCAR series to anything I've tried on an AR. The adjustablity and folding mechanism remind me of the later variants of the SIG 55X series (Swiss StuG-90), which is one of the best out there, period.

Ergonomics were great overall, although some of us who handled it thought that they would have set the selector up like a M4/M16 if they were designing it. Handguards remained manageable even after many, many magazines had been put through it by the students at the class.

I honestly can't remember how many rounds Brett said he had through the 10" barrel but it's accuracy was superb. He did not clean it for the entire class and when it was field stripped on TD 3, it was FAR cleaner inside the receiver than a DI gun would have been, and cleaner than a typical AK would have been with it's long stroke gas system. There was one failure that I am aware of, using Prvi Partisan SS-109, which certainly isn't known for it's consistency.

Breakdown for field stripping was a snap, and detail stripping, including the removal of the barrel, was very easy with the supplied tool.

Someone was really thinking when they designed this system. J.M. Browning and D. Saive would be proud. I've had an appreciation for FN systems for years, having owned numerous FN-49's, FAL's, P-35's, and having shot a number of FNC's. The SCAR is definitely a 21st Century rifle system.

I know this sounds like a puff piece, but I was honestly blown away by the quality and design of the system. As I told Larry, I don't care if it's a 17th Century matchlock musket or a phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range, if it goes bang, I dig it. I really dig this carbine.

When it makes it to the civillian market, I'm buying one.

Enough jibber-jabber......time for pictures: