Bought a new SCAR 16 FDE couple weeks ago. Heard nothing but good things, SpecOps guys seemed to like them, plus it looks so damn cool. Haven't had a chance for range time yet but I love how the thing feels shouldered & can't wait to break it in.
One warning for new owners in case you don't know or hadn't been warned. Changing the short plastic pic rails on the front sides is a gigantic PITA. Bought replacement steel (aluminum?) extended rail with 2 QD connect swivels so I could use my QD slings instead of getting hook-style attachment sling. I just thought it would take 10 min tops for this, WRONG! 3 hours, plus.
When you take the 2 screws out, the muzzle-end screw is apparently backed by a square nut with threaded hole, and IT'S NOT CAPTURED OR PART OF THE RECEIVER . This stupid nut drops out of its slot & falls into the barrel/receiver area, leaving a perfect thread hole in the rear, and an empty hole in the front. It started rattling around and took 15 min of shaking and shimmying to get it to fall out. Oh and there's also a seemingly unnecessary sliver of metal/retention kinda spring under the rail that falls out too (for the life of me I can't figure out what the heck that's for, and it's supposed to be installed on/under the new rail). Next came a complete disassembly of the rifle, minus the barrel, in order to gain a small bit of access to try to fix this.
I took several hours fishing that nut back into the inside, trying to rotate it back to the proper orientation (oh yeah, the screw hole isn't centered and only lines up with the hole in one possible way). I was finally able to use a bent pocket knife blade to reach thru the opposite side thru the top vent hole to put enough pressure on the back of the nut so I could get a thread caught on the screw thru the new rail. This may sound somewhat simple, let me tell you I wanted to punch the FN SCAR design folks square in the face, repeatedly.
Like I said, about 3 hrs 15 min later I luckily got it completed and put back together (minus that odd slim metal spring - I can't really see how the pic rail needs that in the least).
So my warning to those thinking the same thing I did, don't do it, or get lots of tools ready, get YouTube spooled up for assistance, and carve out some time.
BTW, putting on a MagPul VFG, changing the A2 stock pistol grip with an ERGO grip, adding Tango Down SCAR rail covers to each side, and mounting the Eotech red dot all in total took less than 15 min. Taking out 2 screws to remove the old rail to replace with a new rail took almost 3-1/2 hrs. Fun stuff. You've been warned.
One warning for new owners in case you don't know or hadn't been warned. Changing the short plastic pic rails on the front sides is a gigantic PITA. Bought replacement steel (aluminum?) extended rail with 2 QD connect swivels so I could use my QD slings instead of getting hook-style attachment sling. I just thought it would take 10 min tops for this, WRONG! 3 hours, plus.
When you take the 2 screws out, the muzzle-end screw is apparently backed by a square nut with threaded hole, and IT'S NOT CAPTURED OR PART OF THE RECEIVER . This stupid nut drops out of its slot & falls into the barrel/receiver area, leaving a perfect thread hole in the rear, and an empty hole in the front. It started rattling around and took 15 min of shaking and shimmying to get it to fall out. Oh and there's also a seemingly unnecessary sliver of metal/retention kinda spring under the rail that falls out too (for the life of me I can't figure out what the heck that's for, and it's supposed to be installed on/under the new rail). Next came a complete disassembly of the rifle, minus the barrel, in order to gain a small bit of access to try to fix this.
I took several hours fishing that nut back into the inside, trying to rotate it back to the proper orientation (oh yeah, the screw hole isn't centered and only lines up with the hole in one possible way). I was finally able to use a bent pocket knife blade to reach thru the opposite side thru the top vent hole to put enough pressure on the back of the nut so I could get a thread caught on the screw thru the new rail. This may sound somewhat simple, let me tell you I wanted to punch the FN SCAR design folks square in the face, repeatedly.
Like I said, about 3 hrs 15 min later I luckily got it completed and put back together (minus that odd slim metal spring - I can't really see how the pic rail needs that in the least).So my warning to those thinking the same thing I did, don't do it, or get lots of tools ready, get YouTube spooled up for assistance, and carve out some time.
BTW, putting on a MagPul VFG, changing the A2 stock pistol grip with an ERGO grip, adding Tango Down SCAR rail covers to each side, and mounting the Eotech red dot all in total took less than 15 min. Taking out 2 screws to remove the old rail to replace with a new rail took almost 3-1/2 hrs. Fun stuff. You've been warned.
I have tools I can use to get them out, but I'd probably damage something on the $2,700 rifle I've never fired. Not a chance in hell, not to until I need to.
