History
“SCAR” stands for Special Operations Force Combat Assault Rifle, and it was the name of the military’s solicitation for a new select-fire rifle family. The family was to consist of a Light model chambered in 5.56 NATO and a Heavy version in 7.62 NATO.
FN won the bid, and the FN SCAR started deployment in 2009. In 2010, SOCOM canceled the SCAR-Light contract, citing funds and limited performance improvement over current 5.56 rifles. The SCAR-Heavy has stayed in service to this day.
Related Review: High-Quality Battle Rifle – FN Scar 16S
Like many people, I disregarded the SCAR platform because of the negative press it got a decade ago. I heard that the gun:
- was heavy
- had bad ergonomics
- was jarring to shoot
- was hard on optics
- had a reciprocating charging handle
- didn’t do anything the AR-15 couldn’t do
- and, finally, was expensive.
So, when I received this new SCAR 15P, I was not enthusiastic. Well, let me tell you, forget everything you thought you knew about the SCAR platform.
The SCAR 15P
Today, I have the SCAR 15P released in 2023. It’s a large format pistol version of the SCAR-Light, with a shortened barrel and gas system. It was developed from a 2019 PDW solicitation for the SCAR-SC, which is short for “SCAR Subcompact.” The SCAR-SC chambered in 5.56 was select-fire with a telescoping stock. The SCAR 15P is the commercial version, which is semi-automatic with only a Picatinny rail on the rear. FN also just released a .300 Blackout version, and conversion kits will be available soon.
The Baby SCAR sports a 7.5-inch cold hammer-forged, chrome-lined, free-floating barrel with a three-pronged flash hider. This is one of the weirdest additions to this gun. I don’t know why they chose such a large flash hider on a weapon designed to be compact. I’m sure a 7.5-inch 5.56 barrel produces a big fireball, but this flash hider seems like overkill.
The overall length is 19.75 inches with no brace, and the weight is 5.65 pounds. The upper is monolithic, meaning the handguard and upper receiver are one piece. It’s also hard-anodized aluminum.
Charging Handle
There are dual ambidextrous charging handles that are user-configurable. One is long and angled, and one is short. You can install either on any side or just use one on one side.
One of the biggest complaints with the original SCAR was the reciprocating handle, which meant whenever a round was fired, the charging handle would move back and forth. This was a requirement by the military in the initial contract as it gave the user more direct control and power when clearing malfunctions. However, it also had the consequence of catching on gear during firing and severely limited hand placement on the rifle since one didn’t want their fingers to be hit by the moving charging handle.
Around 2020, FN introduced the NRCH modification, which stood for “Non-Reciprocating Charging Handle.” This backward-compatible upgrade eliminated the reciprocation but still allowed the charging handle to act like a forward assist. This was a very popular change.
More Features
The rest of the controls are AR-15 pattern. An ambidextrous 45-degree safety lever is very fast to flip, and the magazine release is also ambidextrous. The bolt lock and release are the standard one-sided AR-15 style, which needs to be upgraded.
Picatinny rails all the way around the handguard and all the way down the top of the receiver make accessory mounting easy. It would be easier with M-LOK, but Picatinny is fine. I installed a Holosun SCRS red dot and magnifier combo. I also included a weapon light, since this is very much a combat-style gun. There is also a Pic rail on the back of the gun, where I mounted a SB Tactical TF1913 Side Folding Pistol Stabilizing Brace. There is a little wiggle in this rear rail, but I didn’t notice it when firing.
Six loop-style sling attachments are built into the receiver. The 15P also came with a Magpul QD socket adapter for the Picatinny rail, and I’ve installed a Magpul MS4 sling here in a single-point configuration. The lower receiver is polymer and houses the trigger group and magazine well. SCARs take standard AR-15 magazines, and I decided to use the new Mission First Tactical Translucent magazines. They come in lots of fun colors, are super light, and seem very durable.
An A2 pistol grip comes with the pistol. I’m not sure why they chose this grip for a premium gun, but it can be easily swapped to any AR-15 grip. The single-stage trigger feels mil-spec and broke around 5 pounds. It’s not match-grade, as there’s creep before the break, but it is acceptable. The reset is good.
Gas System
The heart of the rifle is its adjustable short-stroke gas piston system. FN’s short-stroke system is reputed to be very smooth and soft shooting, possibly because of the weight of the carrier. Short-stroke systems have less reciprocating mass. Combined with the cold hammer-forged barrel and heavy-duty construction, the SCAR has proven to be very accurate and reliable. There are stories of test guns running 200,000 rounds without an issue.
The gas system is also adjustable, with Suppressed and Normal settings. This is a little weird, as FN says the use of suppressors void the warranty. This is why I didn’t throw a can on this one. I’ve seen many SCARs run with suppressors, so it’s probably more of a legal issue than a reliability one.
Shooting
I was surprised, but I loved shooting this gun. It truly is soft shooting and very controllable. I think it is gentler than comparable short-barreled AR-15s. I had no problems gripping the forend despite it having a taller handguard. I think those qualms were overblown.
Accuracy was good, especially for a short barrel. I shot a decent four-shot group at around 1 MOA with match ammo. The fifth shot was a flyer and totally my fault. I only had a 3x magnifier. In general, I would say that you can expect 1-2 MOA out of this setup, which is not bad for such a short barrel.
I think that’s decent and more than enough for the engagement distance this pistol is designed for. I landed a few shots on steel at 300 yards, and that’s good enough for me from a PDW.
It was loud, but any 7.5-inch 5.56 would be. I think it’s actually quieter than a standard AR at this length.
Conclusion
This is a great PDW. It’s compact enough to fit in my Mission First Tactical backpack, and the weight is on par with other 7.5-inch AR-15 pistols. This gun is more reliable than AR pistols. You get the power and ubiquitous availability of the 5.56 round without the issues of a short-barreled AR.
My initial criticisms of the baby SCAR turned out to be unfounded. This may still be an expensive gun, but you can find some good deals on Guns.com. Price is in line with a high-end AR like a Daniel Defense or Geissele. Act fast – because I don’t if I can keep myself from buying one.
