One of the things that makes the SCAR series of rifles so cool is the ability to easily swap out all its major components. When it was first introduced the plan was to have a conversion kit for the SCAR 17 that would allow it to shoot not only 7.62 NATO ammo but 5.56 NATO as well, easily swapping out the barrel in just a few minutes, with more calibers coming online in short order. That has yet to appear on the civilian market, but hope springs eternal. In the meantime other manufacturers have created 300 BLK kits and other conversions, but now it looks like FN is getting back into the game with a 7.62×39 Russian conversion . . .
As Soldier Systems points out (pictures from there as well), one of the major requirements for the SOCOM contract that FN won was the ability to swap between not only the more popular NATO calibers but also the ubiquitous 7.62×39 cartridge as well. Five years after the contract was awarded FN has finally produced the last piece of the puzzle and provided a conversion kit that truly allows a US soldier to deploy with a single rifle yet use almost any ammo they might find in the field.
One of the best parts of this new kit is that the gas block has dropped that awkward flip-up front sight. Much sleeker and lighter than the original, I just hope they roll that change out to the entire product line.
There’s no word as to whether this will be available for civilian sale, but I’m gunna put in a purchase order for one anyway. Just in case.
SCAR 17 (sorry, MK17) kitted for theater ops…. check.
SCAR 17 7.62×51 mags (empty or filled)….. check
7.62×39 conversion kit (barrel, bolt, lower) to schlep around in a backpack, —just in case— 7.62×51 becomes scarce and there happens to be an abundance of AK mags and 7.62×39 ammo laying around (BUT NO AKs!!!)…. seriously?
Neat concept, and I would buy it, but blaming it’s NEED on SOF/SOC requirements? How about a boutique conversion for the mall ninjas with SCAR 17s? BTW, 7.26×39 AR-15 much?
Uh, that functionality was specifically required by the SOCOM contract that FN won to provide the gun. It isn’t marketing buzz, its a contractual requirement that is a little late to the party.
I get that, Nick.
It doesn’t change my point about how absurdly useful it’s going to be for the operator at the receiving end of that contractual requirement…..
ETA: the ‘blaming it’ remark was not directed at you, but the fact that this conversion is intended to be fielded to our SOF troops…
I guses its so SOF can raid and the locals will see x39 cases and think it was beef with another Haji group. Because packing a conversion kit on patrol is ridiculous.
Clearly.
It’s still pretty ridiculous if you think about it. It means that the operator has to carry around half of a second gun in his backpack, just in case he runs out of his preferred ammo and has to switch to 7.62×39. Then he will have to re-zero his optic after the switch, because 7.62×39 has completely different ballistic characteristics than 7.62×51 or 5.56×45. For the same weight and bulk, he might as well take a few more magazines of his preferred ammo. If he really has to change calibers, chances are he will find an AK along with the ammo.
See… this makes sense and I think I finally figured it out too. It’s not that there’s not a lot of AKs and their magazines full of ammo… I’m thinking DOD finally got sick of having to say “Dammit Carl! Did you leave your Scar Heavy out there on the battlefield again!? When you pick up the AK, don’t drop your SCAR!” And so the AK mag well SCAR conversion was an attempt to get the operators to stop leaving their SCARs out there.
Roy – Problem solved! Now there will only be a SCAR lower receiver, barrel and bolt left on the battlefield instead of an entire SCAR.
And at least the ACOG is still attached.
Having not been an operator of any kind other than playing Rainbow Six in the late 90s early 2000s…
I can see a squad (are they called squads?) having 1 or 2 of these conversion kits just in case the whole squad starts running low they could funnel bad guy ammo to the 1 or 2 people with the conversions and then the guys with the conversions funnel their good guy ammo back to the rest of the squad. Something like that.
Battlefield pickups were pretty simple on Medal of Honor, and that’s all I really know about how any of this works.
But on a practicality stand point. Why 7.62x39mm? I realize that a lot of towel head bad guys are running around with their derpaderpastan AK47s… but the derpaderpastan machine gunners have 7.62x54r. Why didn’t they just simply make some single stack 54r magazines and have a 7.62x54r barrel swap? You kill the PKM gunner, steal his belt, wrap it around your body all John Rambo like and when you run out of 7.62×51 you swap your barrel and start loading up some 54r.
The 7.62×39 and the AKM are still the most prolific weapons system in the world. Because our strategists believe that future conflicts will be in third world countries, where this system is dominant, it makes it even more likely that there will be lots of 7.62×39 around. I think it’s purely a numbers game.
Would stand to reason that if there is a lot of 7.62×39 ammo and mags ‘laying around’ in the future conflict, there might, possibly, be serviceable weapons that use the same, no?
Yup – see my comment above. The smartest thing to do would be to send them into the conflict zone with a load out of 7.62×39 and forgo the NATO calibers. Then they don’t have to carry an extra half rifle, swap parts in the field, re-zero for a different caliber, or anything else.
Just as an attempt to insert a little logic in the conversation, most here would agree, Nick especially, that the SCAR is a much superior weapon system to the venerable AK series.
If a small Special Ops group is going in they would no doubt prefer to go in with the SCAR no matter how many AKs they might acquire lying about at their destination. They would also prefer to have available an almost unlimited source of ammunition and magazines.
Based on the scenario into which they will be inserted they may choose to convert their SCARs to 7.62×39 before insertion in order to take advantage of supplies they will find at their destination.
Have you seen “Lone Survivor”? What would those SEALs have given for a weapon that gave them the opportunity to scavenge the mags of the AK wielding men they killed in that running battle?
Any SOF group that is going into a area where they need to run so convert they use 7.62×39 is going to be running HKs not Scar. And this is already a thing. This is just a late addition to what was required by the contract. Doesn’t mean its actually a good idea.
That would be the missionaries?
Kidding aside, which HKs do they stock for the purpose?
Know that no operator made this decision. Reps from FN lobbied the military to sell them more overpriced, tax payer funded junk. No soldier, especially an SF, guy is going to carry more weight. This is government-corporatist fascism, always veiled as patriotism or some such nonsense. Just like the cry from the left of ‘what about the children’, there is also the much used ‘what about the troops’. I have 2 on backorder.
I know that hdd defense(?) has been making conversions for some time now with an aluminum receiver and their barrel conversion. If they plan on putting this to the civilian market the 1000$ barrel conversion plus however much a fire control unit might be a bit of a turn off to most buyers. We will see.
I was turned off by how awkward the Scar 17 looks with an ak mag sticking out of it.
If what I’ve read is right (m4 carbine.net) this is the company who developed it
https://youtu.be/Iy8IF3PXo2w
Might as well roll it out for civilian sales, because military use is limited.
Fascinating. But I bet the MSRP of the kit is going to be killer… and I’d rather buy another Arsenal AK, LOL.
Or two lol
Still waiting for all those bushmaster ACR caliber conversion kits to be made….any day now….
This comment made my morning. I remember when the ACR was supposed to be something modular and exciting. Then bushy gave up and some people decided to make their own barrels for the gun.
It’s too bad. Magpul had a cool concept. Wish it had been expanded upon.
Look up the Polish MSBS rifle that does everything the ACR was supposed to do and then some including the ability to be converted to a bullpup rifle if one chooses.
At least the Poles will try to do a better job of marketing this to the gun market since they do not have much of a presence here except for a few surplus firearms and AK’s.
The biggest thing I love about FN is that they are not HK, and they love us lowly civilians. I just reallly wish to hell they’d price their SCARs a tad bit more affordably. Sig Sauer pricing? Please!? For us lowly people? Pwease!?
Except that it is our import laws and Germany’s export laws that hamper their ability to make anything other than handguns and a few token MR series rifles to the civilian market.
Even if HK set up tooling stateside to build guns they would still have to be approved by the German government for civilian sale if it is a military firearm. Look at the hubbub over SIG by the German government having pistols end up in Mexico (Colombia?) which is a country on Germany’s “do not sell” list.
Too bad it’s for the 17 only. If they had this for the 16 and a 300blk setup that worked without modifying the bolt, I could free up some space in my safe. Ok, that’s a lie. I would buy a new safe instead.
Well, if I had been prescient enough to buy a SCAR before CT banned purchase of those evil assalty weapons, I’d definitely be keen on some caliber conversion kits.
The need for the extra gun half isn’t for a foot patrol, this is forward recon week long patrols. Or forward operating bases with piss poor supply routes. Then having an option to use local ammo in your quality gun is great. You can maintain operation tempo and have different calibers with different abilities. Also battlefield pickups are sketchy at best. Afghan bullets are loaded lightly so they don’t grenade the gun.
Probably on $3000 per conversion kit, barrel not include.
It’s $3000, but it includes everything, except parts and labor…
*snicker*
Thanks, Nick. This article made my day!
this has been around for a while, here is a video of it
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/09/22/handl-defense-releases-video-of-scar-47-lower-intermediate-calibers-a-possibly/
Does that mean 12 gauge as well? Nice looking and practical. You only have to buy two types of ammo now. Thomas Jefferson’s letter to James Madison on January 30, 1787 have the last word: “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.” I have the right to feel safe and that includes carrying a loaded firearm. I have the right to protect myself and if you don’t like it tough $hit.
The 2nd Amendment was put into the Constitution so the people could protect themselves from a corrupt government. No double standards put DC politicians on Obamacare and SS and take away their guns.Thanks for your support and vote.Pass the word. mrpresident2016.com
I like the front site on the gas block of my Scar 17S. It cowitnesses with the ACOG when it’s up.
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