SCAR 17 S: The "Perfect" Survival Gun?

[darthkevin]

So recently I came into some money. More money then I've had in a long long time. I've decided to basically get a rifle that I have been looking at for a long long time. I want a SCAR 17 S. Basically I wanted a .308 caliber semi auto rifle. I know there are a lot out there with AR10s, M1A and a slew of other ones in the mix but the SCAR is where it is at for me. I started thinking about it a little and the SCAR in my opinion is the "perfect" survivalist rifle. The scar is lightweight coming just over the weight of a standard AR. But it offers .308 caliber. We all know how effective the .308 is at taking game plus it's well documented accuracy. I have personally seen scars that have been used and used and never cleaned with may minimal carbon fouling due to the short stroke piston. It just runs really clean. It has a pretty decent capacity, and if you change the lower (yes for 400 to 500 dollars) you can use standard m110 Pmags that come in 25 rounders. Honestly it is a great all around gun able to touch someone out to 600 meters -further with quality glass- but also able the be ran through clearing rooms. I honestly think that this rifle is probably the best .308 semi auto ever made...now I need to start looking at optics lol.

 

[freedom]

Are you the 2014 era @ArtVandelay?

 

[darthkevin]

Are you the 2014 era @ArtVandelay?

I don't understand what you mean?

 

[fyroc]

The SCAR 17S is a great weapon, but hardly the perfect survival rifle. Personally, I don't want to carry around a 8ib (dry with no optics) rifle. There isn't really a perfect survival rifle. However, if I had to pick 1 do it all rifle. It would be DD MK18 suppressed with an Elcan.

Why you ask?

Light weight... Try carrying around a 8 - 10 pound rifle please extra mags... especially .308.
Suppressed... I can hunt without alerting everyone around me.
Concealable... If I need to make a low profile.. store that shit in a bag.

 

[Shemp]

I don't understand what you mean?

For a while I ran through probably 20 different gun platforms...and still change out guns fairly often. He was just making fun of me

 

[freedom]

I don't understand what you mean?

I'm glad you're happy with your purchase, it seems like a fine rifle. I think I would go with an acog. A little practice and you can become very proficient at 6-800 yards even with a 2.5x. People make 600 yard shots with irons everyday.

 

[Shemp]

I had a scar 17 and absolutely loved it. It is one of the best damn rifles made...but it needs to be about $1k cheaper. No matter how you look at it they are overpriced for what amounts a super modern AK.

I would steer very clear of those Handl defense lowers. I've heard of nothing but problems with them being out of spec. Maybe things have changed,but that was the prevailing attitude a year or so ago.

I wish I had the money to still have mine. I'll have another one day.

As far as survival rifle...I dunno. They aren't indestructible and parts are expensive and very hard to find. The fact that the recoil impulse is absorbed by a peice of plastic that is also the baseplate for the stock hinge bothers me...that really should be aluminum.

 

[DoglegArms]

So you came into some money? I can help you spend some of it!

Look at the LWRC REPR too.

Also keep in mind a REAL survival weapon is going to be suppressed.

BTW I have a Sandman-L well below MAP.
https://www.doglegarms.com/Dead-Air-Sandman-L-p/da-l.htm

Griffin Optimus at MAP.
https://www.doglegarms.com/Griffin-Armament-Optimus-p/ga-optimus.htm

 

[Cudruln]

I like the scar platform. It is a very aggressive looking gun that preforms well. As far as a end all be all rifle just not sure if I would go with a .308, although I do agree a long range weapon would be a valuable one to have around. I think the biggest downfall (like stated previously) would be the weight.

On that note I would like to shoot one and possibly own one in the future. So how about a range report and more in what you decide for optics.

 

[Cudruln]

And yeah it needs to be suppressed. You can't run survival weapons with out the ultimate survival tool, the suppressor.

 

[darthkevin]

I'm not too worried about the weight. I used to carry a m249 SAW and a M240B while in the army for a while. My M4 with the 320 plus an ACOG was well over 9 lbs. Not to mention ammo, water, gear, I was in the 160 to 170 lbs range. The reason I put quotes around the word perfect is I realize that not everyone is going to see the same rifle for the same need. For me, I'll take the SCAR even if over priced. I haven't seen too many things on breakages. I saw some with chrome falling off the bolt, but if you don't have another bolt for your SHTF rifle then you don't have a SHTF rifle.

 

[darthkevin]

The fact that the recoil impulse is absorbed by a peice of plastic that is also the baseplate for the stock hinge bothers me...that really should be aluminum.

They make an aluminum replacement. Also tango down offers a aluminum replacement stock lock those would be really the only two pieces I would be worried about.

 

[darthkevin]

So you came into some money? I can help you spend some of it!

Look at the LWRC REPR too.

Also keep in mind a REAL survival weapon is going to be suppressed.

BTW I have a Sandman-L well below MAP.
https://www.doglegarms.com/Dead-Air-Sandman-L-p/da-l.htm

Griffin Optimus at MAP.
https://www.doglegarms.com/Griffin-Armament-Optimus-p/ga-optimus.htm

With the BATF making the new ruling I'm going to wait till all the panic buying goes down before I even think about a can for the front.

 

[Shemp]

They make an aluminum replacement. Also tango down offers a aluminum replacement stock lock those would be really the only two pieces I would be worried about.

Yeah I know. It should have been aluminum from the get go. That was my main engineering complaint with th rifle...though the recoil impulse could have been tuned better as to not destroy optics.

If I had the cash I'd get another in a heart beat. I just came to realize that for the 3500 I had in the scar and acog I could get two AKs and 5-8k of ammo, several mags, and still have money left over. I'll never shoot through it all and will probably never break anything.

My dream setup would be a two tone fde/black scar 17 with an elcan.

 

[darthkevin]

Yeah I know. It should have been aluminum from the get go. That was my main engineering complaint with th rifle...though the recoil impulse could have been tuned better as to not destroy optics.

If I had the cash I'd get another in a heart beat. I just came to realize that for the 3500 I had in the scar and acog I could get two AKs and 5-8k of ammo, several mags, and still have money left over. I'll never shoot through it all and will probably never break anything.

My dream setup would be a two tone fde/black scar 17 with an elcan.

I'd love an elcan, but for my purposes I'm sure an ACOG would do fine. But the ACOG I want is only about 100 bucks cheaper then the elcan

 

[EugenFJR]

I'd love an elcan, but for my purposes I'm sure an ACOG would do fine. But the ACOG I want is only about 100 bucks cheaper then the elcan

For the extra $500 bucks you would spend on the extra "lower" I'd buy a shit ton of the hard to find (and expensive) mags, they do wear out and are not a dime a dozen like M16 mags. I have heard that the SCAR runs well in .308 rifle combat style courses, where the AR .308 rifles tend to have issues from time to time, and go down. I did not like shooting the SCAR in 5.56 b/c every time I went to use the charging handle my hand would scrape aginst the base of the CCO, or Eotech, that was on the rifle. If it was my rifle I'd get a 1-4 or 1-6 power scope with mil dots for longer shots and ranging targets.

 

[Shemp]

For the extra $500 bucks you would spend on the extra "lower" I'd buy a shit ton of the hard to find (and expensive) mags, they do wear out and are not a dime a dozen like M16 mags. I have heard that the SCAR runs well in .308 rifle combat style courses, where the AR .308 rifles tend to have issues from time to time, and go down. I did not like shooting the SCAR in 5.56 b/c every time I went to use the charging handle my hand would scrape aginst the base of the CCO, or Eotech, that was on the rifle. If it was my rifle I'd get a 1-4 or 1-6 power scope with mil dots for longer shots and ranging targets.

Another BCG for the SCAR was about $800 last I looked

 

[EugenFJR]

Another BCG for the SCAR was about $800 last I looked

$800 bucks could buy you one hell of a nice scope to go on the rifle... I have no idea what parts tend to wear out the soonest on that rifle, so I'd have no idea what kind of spare parts you might need to keep on hand. I'm sure there is a SCAR forum out there somewhere that could offer better advice.

 

[Cudruln]

With the BATF making the new ruling I'm going to wait till all the panic buying goes down before I even think about a can for the front.

@DoglegArms has some very good prices and has not increased for any "panic"