When I reviewed the SCAR 17s, one of the major complaints I had was about the magazine. Its a proprietary design, and as such makes buying spare mags both expensive and difficult. Thankfully, a company called Handl Defense has come up with a new aluminum lower receiver or the SCAR 17S that takes regular PMAGs, and can be shipped straight to your door. You heard me right — a lower that can be shipped to your door.
The observant readers may remember that the SCAR platform makes the upper receiver the serialized part (and therefore the actual “gun”), while the AR-15 makes the lower the serialized part. Nifty, eh?
From the manufacturer’s website:
Handl Defense introduces the SCAR25, The first major upgrade for the FN SCAR-H platform. Made from billet 7075 T6 aluminum. We have completely re-engineered this lower receiver the way it should have been done it the first time. We have specifically designed the magazine well to be compatible with the readily available and combat proven SR-25, and M110 magazines, including the widely used MAGPUL P-MAG 20 in .308. We redesigned the grip tang to accept all M16/M4 compatible grips such as the Magpul and ERGO grips. We re-contoured the arch above the grip to accommodate gloved and smaller hands better reach to the fire controls.
While taking PMAGs and other standard AR-10 magazines is a great benefit in and of itself, having an aluminum receiver instead of the plastic one that comes with the gun is another big improvement. The lightweight yet sturdy material means that the gun not only weighs less, but you’ll be less scared of melting your gun to your hand.
Current list price is set at about $300, or 10% of the cost of the original firearm. And from where I’m sitting that’s a great investment — especially if you already had the money to throw around to buy the thing in the first place.
[h/t reader Dan]