The First FN SCAR

by
posted on November 10, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
KeefeReportSCAR1.jpg

I was filming an episode of American Rifleman Television at the offices of FN USA recently, when they broke out one of the most important American military rifles of the past 25 years: the very first SCAR Light. The U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) required a 7.62x51 mm selective-fire rifle that would give them increased range and knockdown power. The engineers at Fabrique Nationale in Herstal, Belgium, responded with the gun that would become the Special Operations Command Combat Assault Rifle, the SCAR in both 7.62 and 5.56. The rifle shown here was the 5.56 rifle fabricated by FN and sent to SOCOM. It has fired literally tens of thousands of rounds, and it performed so well that the gun was adopted by SOCOM. Though there are no active SCAR Light contracts, it remains an important part of the SCAR family.

FN's engineers were very proud of the futuristic F2000. They thought it was the modern solution for infantry soldiers on the battlefield. But the operators in SOCOM wanted something more akin to a conventional infantry rifle. What they wanted was the SCAR. Because of this prototype and its 7.62 brethren, U.S. SOCOM troops and Army Rangers have one of the most effective rifles ever produced.

One of the best feature of the SCAR is its piston system, which changed little from the prototype

On the prototype, you can clearly see how the final folding and collapsible buttstock would look and function on the SCAR.

The prototype of the SCAR shows the reciprocating operating handle and ambidextrous selector switch as incorporated in the design adopted by SOCOM.

American Rifleman's Mark Keefe was able to handle the original prototype of the rifle that would become the SCAR Heavy. This rifle was submitted to SOCOM and was extensively tested.

Latest

Hearing Healthy
Hearing Healthy

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.