scar vs ar-15- educate me

rockstarr · Sep 22, 2017

looking for some education here. Why are the scar rifles so much more expensive? I am looking to understand why one would rather spend 2 times the amount of money an ar-15 that is well equipped costs or even 4 times what a base model ar-15 costs?

Are scar rifles superior?

smokey · Sep 22, 2017

The scar is more exciting to shoot, because you're always slightly at risk of dinging up your thumb.

-Z/28- · Sep 22, 2017

The SCAR is an entirely different rifle. Its piston driven and fully ambidextrous.

Bountied · Sep 22, 2017

I had a scar for about a month. Took it to the range once and then traded it. I liked it but they are not really worth the money. The folding stock was the best part.

AACo · Sep 22, 2017

I too owned one. The 17s. Probably the smoothest and lightest recoiling 308 I ever shot (and the loudest). It is an innovative platform, but just couldn’t justify the cost to own in my collection.

If you do purchase one, I recommend you budget in $2-300 for a Geissele Super Scar trigger. Just like the Tavor, stock trigger wasn’t all that great IMO. It’s a battle trigger.

AssMan · Sep 22, 2017

Yes, the SCAR is superior. Only downside is that it's a bit heavy.

Logan Betterton · Sep 22, 2017

The Scar is it's own platform; different than the standard using some proprietary components. Although the calibers might be the same as an AR, this is a gun most own in addition to an AR (versus choosing one over the other). They might look heavy at glance, however their 7.62 only weighs 8lbs. That's pretty lightweight compared to whats out there in 7.62. I've shot both the 16 and 17 and they are soft shooting rifles (most noticeably the 7.62). It's hard to really say why the price is where is, as there is really nothing to compare to being it's own platform.
This is also one of those guns that people "briefly" owned when discussing. I'm not sure why, but both of my friends who owned one were very excited to acquire them but sold them shortly after. Not sure why but that seems to be a trend.

FWIW they are not going to be as modular as an AR, but very few things are anyway.

BigSteve57 · Sep 22, 2017

At the time I was shopping for a .308 rifle I was considering the LWRC REPR and the FN SCAR.
I got wind of some opinions that the folding stock of the FN could easily break at the hinge.
The word easily is subjective and I never got much more than that.

So I opted for the REPR's.
No regrets.

OrbitalEllipses · Sep 22, 2017

Owned a 16 and 17. Sold the 17, kept the 16.

Boss94 · Sep 22, 2017

I have both . But to me the scar is a step above! ! You truly have to shoot 1 to understand. The recoil impulse is so much less. Especially suppressed ! With a aftermarket trigger they are even better. If I could afford a 2nd scar 16 I would buy another.

Bountied · Sep 22, 2017

I got the 17s because I wanted an all purpose battle rifle. I outfitted it with a 1-8X scope and bipod hoping it would be a good shooter. It was 3MOA at best with FGGM 168s.

I then thought I'll throw a red dot on it and it'll be more of SHTF type rifle, but I already have enough of those.

My M1A and my M&P 10 are both sub MOA guns so why do I need another semi .308 that is more of a range toy? I really liked the feel and the weight but it just didn't fill a niche that I didn't already have covered

The brake was annoyingly loud.

rockstarr · Sep 22, 2017

interesting thoughts on this. I half thought it might be 1 of those novelty firearms that don't perform that much better but because of the price/novelty, people just buy them for status.

smokey · Sep 22, 2017

I'll just toss in here too that the tavor 7 is a thing that should be out soon. For a price vs capability discussion, if I'm spending more than I would for an AR, I'd personally go tavor rather than scar.

-Z/28- · Sep 22, 2017

rockstarr said:
interesting thoughts on this. I half thought it might be 1 of those novelty firearms that don't perform that much better but because of the price/novelty, people just buy them for status.

I wouldn't call it a novelty. It was designed specifically for a US special forces contract. If anything it's just a case of not being what most civilian shooters can justify. Sort of like how most people who just casually work on cars don't own SnapOn tools. They're better but not enough to justify the massive cost difference for a non-professional user.

bigdv · Sep 22, 2017

-Z/28- said:
I wouldn't call it a novelty. It was designed specifically for a US special forces contract. If anything it's just a case of not being what most civilian shooters can justify. Sort of like how most people who just casually work on cars don't own SnapOn tools. They're better but not enough to justify the massive cost difference for a non-professional user.

That there is a good analogy!

rockstarr · Sep 22, 2017

bigdv said:
That there is a good analogy!

agreed

rob-cubed · Sep 23, 2017

I still don't understand why SCARs are SO damn expensive. If they dropped the price a few hundred dollars or so they'd move a lot more units. Is it REALLY a $2K+ rifle?

The SCAR can't do anything a decent AR can do aside from the folding stock and some neat ambidextrous features and barrel swapping and... OK, honestly it's really a pretty solid design. It was marketed as an AR-killer and if it wasn't for the hefty price tag, it probably would be a lot more popular. It *might* have actually been a contender for military adoption if they hadn't priced it out of requisition territory.

Are they good rifles? Yes. Are they worth the huge markup? Hmm.

Minuteman · Sep 23, 2017

smokey0118 said:
I'll just toss in here too that the tavor 7 is a thing that should be out soon. For a price vs capability discussion, if I'm spending more than I would for an AR, I'd personally go tavor rather than scar.

Yep.

For folks that already have extensive AR platform training and aren’t willing/able to do the same to master a different platform (SCAR or AK or Tavor, M1A, etc), just stick with what you know for defensive rifle.

But... if you are starting from scratch, and have the extra scratch; there are better systems that are worth the premium in my opinion.

Then again, if today actually is TEOTWAWKI (I doubt it), or if there are no new guns/parts made; there will be more AR guns and parts than any other available. Long live AR, long live 5.56!

bigdv said:
That there is a good analogy!

That was good. Hope he doesn’t mind if I start using that analogy.

DaemonAssassin · Sep 23, 2017

Here is the saga of an AR n00b and the end result. Yes, I assembled it for him.

https://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=214050

MikeTF · Sep 23, 2017

Why not an AR in 6.5 creedmore (long range) or 6.8 (short range, i.e under 300 yards)?

scar vs ar-15- educate me

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