SCAR vs ACR a comparison
- Thread starter mildot
- Start date
Thank you. I've often lurked on the board here, but wasn't sure if a southerner would be welcomed.
Oh, and if anyone wants to meet me at the border to trade a SCAR or ACR for a Tavor, PM me. (j/k of course)
I've wanted that rifle since it was first announced and it eats at me that they're just north of me but I can't lay my hands on one here in the States. Our goofy gun laws (on both sides of the borders) get so tiresome.
My dealer has one (black) that's out getting serviced for the recall. He claims he'll sell it to me for a good price once they get it back. I'll see how good his price is. The rifles aren't selling well here in the States, lots of bad publicity online which I think is really taking its toll and he wants to unload it.
If I can get it for anything south of $1800 I will buy it to abuse. I bought a used SCAR for a song ($1800) that I use for reliability testing. If I can land a ACR for the same price, I'll make the side-by-side comparison more interesting with water, sand and mud.
The basic stock and front handguard are available from Bushmaster. I've ordered a FDE basic handguard from them which should be here in a few days. I'll include it in a future video. I have no interest in buying the basic stock as it's non-adjustable and rather short, like AK short.
- Location
- 54°52'56"N 112°10'7"W Alpha Bravo
Thank you. I've often lurked on the board here, but wasn't sure if a southerner would be welcomed.
Please, stick around, your vids and reviews are great. Don't be a stranger, there are quite a few Americans on this board.
BTW nice rifles, I want a SCAR so bad it physically hurts me....
Wow at those prices I'd get one of each and either keep them both or just the favorite one!
As I understand it:
A few of them are in the country (all spoken for), waiting for the RCMP to release an FRT#. The U.S., for the time being, is not allowing any more to be exported.
Which strikes me as odd.
Why would our State Dept. block the export of SCARs but allow the export of ACR's? Is it because the SCAR was adopted by SOCOM? SOCOM dropped the Mk16 (SCAR 16S) so now that it's not being procured by the military, will export resume?
If the ACR wins the military trials, will they then block the export?
blaxsun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
From what I gather many of the decisions on what is approved for export is often contradictory and subject to change without notice. The ACR has been approved but in a non-threaded and fixed stock version; these may also be the reasons the SCAR is declined in the future (all indications are it will not be approved, but stranger things have happened).
More info on the comparison.
I pulled the barrels from both rifles and put the rest of the rifle (receiver, stocks, bolt carriers) on the scale to weigh the actions sans the barrel.
The results surprised me.
SCAR 16S: 5.2lbs
ACR: 5.2lbs
It would appear that the weight difference of 1.2lbs is all in the barrel, and this would account for the ACR feeling nose heavy, which it does.
I pulled the barrels from both rifles and put the rest of the rifle (receiver, stocks, bolt carriers) on the scale to weigh the actions sans the barrel.
The results surprised me.
SCAR 16S: 5.2lbs
ACR: 5.2lbs
It would appear that the weight difference of 1.2lbs is all in the barrel, and this would account for the ACR feeling nose heavy, which it does.
blaxsun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Wow! That is definitely surprising! Is the melonite coating on the ACR barrel a contributing factor, is it the gas assembly/tool-less removal system - or is it just a really heavy profile barrel?
The ACR appears to have a superior barrel replacement system, and I think utilizing the existing components for an aftermarket barrel will be less involved with the ACR than the SCAR. That being said, I still can't get over the 1.2lb weight difference!
- Location
- 54°52'56"N 112°10'7"W Alpha Bravo
See thats the trade off, the ACR looks waaay better with the folding stock and railed forend. I would definitely reconsider an ACR if we could get the folder and railed end, man it looks good.
Bottom line these are two beauties either way you slice it, if export wasn't such a ##### then perhaps the price would come down as more supply came in...
It's seriously such a shame.... We're so close, yet so far away....
Bottom line these are two beauties either way you slice it, if export wasn't such a ##### then perhaps the price would come down as more supply came in...
It's seriously such a shame.... We're so close, yet so far away....
blaxsun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
You can replace the RAIL on the SCAR with an extended one as well as the pistol grip, and that really enhances the appearance. They're both really hot-looking rifles, though. Aside from the weight, I'm curious to learn how they shoot.
Starscream
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Southern Alberta
Because they can. And it makes them look busy.
Seriously. The State Dept. I'd imagine is just as subject to public perception and political pressure as any other department. The whole story about the US supplying guns to the Mexican drug cartels probably has a factor in it to, in spite of how nonsensical it is.
Yeah, it is most likely political more than anything.
We catch flak about our gunfights, even by our own citizens. I run into people that are amazed we are allowed to own the guns we do regularly. I live in one of the States that allows open and concealed carry. When I open carry people are always taken back by someone wearing a gun openly. That's just my state though. In Arizona people carry openly all the time and no one blinks an eye.
Anyway, I digress.
We catch flak about our gunfights, even by our own citizens. I run into people that are amazed we are allowed to own the guns we do regularly. I live in one of the States that allows open and concealed carry. When I open carry people are always taken back by someone wearing a gun openly. That's just my state though. In Arizona people carry openly all the time and no one blinks an eye.
Anyway, I digress.
blaxsun
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Thanks for the 3rd video instalment!
ACR. The biggest downsides seems to be the heavier weight (+1.2lbs, nose heavy) and the positioning of the safety selector. The stock is more solid, it has the canted/reciprocating charging handle and the positioning of the bolt catch/release is really innovative. The little quirks like the pistol grip core and o-ring on the firing pin release seem to have easy work-arounds. Several things unique to the ACR: there is the option for a fixed stock with a top sling mount and you can get a lighter/extended polymer hand guard. The MBUS will also probably be replaced with the narrower Gen 2 version later this year which addresses the width issues.
SCAR. The disadvantages seem to be the cheaper stock (prone to breakage) and that you need to upgrade everything with aftermarket parts to put it on par with the ACR: pistol grip, metal stock latch, canted charging handle and extended rails (there's more real estate on the ACR). It's considerably lighter, well-balanced and appears to have less recoil. The SCAR already seems to have a lot of aftermarket parts available for it, including a Magpul safety selector and Geissele trigger group - so that's certainly an advantage.
One thing that sticks out in my mind is that the SCAR won't take standard PMAGs without some modification (or risk damaging the bolt release). I'm not sure if this is also prevalent with EMAGs, but considering the PMAG is pretty much a standard these days it does seem like a glaring oversight.
ACR. The biggest downsides seems to be the heavier weight (+1.2lbs, nose heavy) and the positioning of the safety selector. The stock is more solid, it has the canted/reciprocating charging handle and the positioning of the bolt catch/release is really innovative. The little quirks like the pistol grip core and o-ring on the firing pin release seem to have easy work-arounds. Several things unique to the ACR: there is the option for a fixed stock with a top sling mount and you can get a lighter/extended polymer hand guard. The MBUS will also probably be replaced with the narrower Gen 2 version later this year which addresses the width issues.
SCAR. The disadvantages seem to be the cheaper stock (prone to breakage) and that you need to upgrade everything with aftermarket parts to put it on par with the ACR: pistol grip, metal stock latch, canted charging handle and extended rails (there's more real estate on the ACR). It's considerably lighter, well-balanced and appears to have less recoil. The SCAR already seems to have a lot of aftermarket parts available for it, including a Magpul safety selector and Geissele trigger group - so that's certainly an advantage.
One thing that sticks out in my mind is that the SCAR won't take standard PMAGs without some modification (or risk damaging the bolt release). I'm not sure if this is also prevalent with EMAGs, but considering the PMAG is pretty much a standard these days it does seem like a glaring oversight.
Thanks for the great, in-depth review. I see alot of people (not just this review) writing about the disadvantages of the ACR ( heavy, bad safety placement, recall).... I'm sure there are disadvantages to just about any platform but people really love to hate on this one. All I know is I've got one on pre-order and have been eagerly waiting for it to get into the country for some time before the pre-order started. When it arrives I plan to shoot the bejesus out of it with a big smile on my face and judge for myself just how good/bad the gun turns out to be . I'll be sure to find one of these threads and let people know : P
Once again, I very much enjoy the work you do reviewing the guns on this military arms channel.
Once again, I very much enjoy the work you do reviewing the guns on this military arms channel.
