Unboxing
Very well packaged and shipped by GrabAGun. The FN box was well constructed. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done. You'd think for a $2500+ rifle you'd get something a little better than a bunch of cardboard, but hey, then it would cost several hundred more bucks. The rifle is simply beautiful and intriguing. It makes a great first impression. Screams bad arse.
First Look
Picked it up and was impressed at how light the rifle is. Lots of plastic helps keep the weight down to be sure. A bit intimidating after shooting 7.62 out of the all wood and steel M1A, but ... polymers have come a long way. All controls were rather intuitive, and I was operating all the various buttons and such immediately. May have to break down and read the manual soon.
Locking and loading for the first time
Ammo loaded up easily into the 20 round magazine. Something about that 7.62 round makes me smile. Such a big rugged round. Magazine is easily inserted into the rifle, secures well. Chambering was a breeze, nice audible feedback. Charging handle works just fine. May have to look at some after-market options there, but nothing urgent, by any means. Front and rear sights move easily, sight picture is great. Reminds me of a ghost ring system. Butt stock gives you a lot of options with length of pull and cheek riser.
Firing Position
Rifle is easily shouldered and rises very naturally. I have no front vert hold for it yet, but was able to use it comfortable with the rails. I was wearing shooting gloves. It comes up naturally and easily.
First Shots
Here was the jaw dropping moment of the day. I've only shot 7.62 out of a M1A so I was expecting a strong punch to the shoulder, but...I was stunned at how manageable it is. Makes the AK feel like a 12 gauge shotgun in comparison. I'd put the felt recoil somewhere between a 5.56 and an AK, frankly, it is not that much more than a M1 Carbine! Trigger broke rather cleanly. It's a military trigger, of course, so it is fairly heavy. Not as heavy as the stock trigger that came with my M4 Carbine, about the same as a M1A.
Sound
I was glad I had double plugged, with 33dB foam plugs and electronic muffs, but it was not really all that bad, as far as I was concerned. But then as my son shot it and a couple other guys at the club who wandered over I was amazed at how loud it is when you are standing near it. Sounds like a cannon! Everyone was shocked and it was funny seeing how people wandered over to see what the heck it was making all that noise, particularly when I put rounds through it quickly. Big smiles all around. All in all, a great first experience. My gun club was having "sight in days" where the general public are able to bring hunting rifles out to zero them, so I could not get to the rifle ranges to work on the sights. Looking forward to that.
Here is a video of our first range session with the SCAR 17S
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wqbj2IM_qQ
Very well packaged and shipped by GrabAGun. The FN box was well constructed. Nothing fancy, but gets the job done. You'd think for a $2500+ rifle you'd get something a little better than a bunch of cardboard, but hey, then it would cost several hundred more bucks. The rifle is simply beautiful and intriguing. It makes a great first impression. Screams bad arse.
First Look
Picked it up and was impressed at how light the rifle is. Lots of plastic helps keep the weight down to be sure. A bit intimidating after shooting 7.62 out of the all wood and steel M1A, but ... polymers have come a long way. All controls were rather intuitive, and I was operating all the various buttons and such immediately. May have to break down and read the manual soon.
Locking and loading for the first time
Ammo loaded up easily into the 20 round magazine. Something about that 7.62 round makes me smile. Such a big rugged round. Magazine is easily inserted into the rifle, secures well. Chambering was a breeze, nice audible feedback. Charging handle works just fine. May have to look at some after-market options there, but nothing urgent, by any means. Front and rear sights move easily, sight picture is great. Reminds me of a ghost ring system. Butt stock gives you a lot of options with length of pull and cheek riser.
Firing Position
Rifle is easily shouldered and rises very naturally. I have no front vert hold for it yet, but was able to use it comfortable with the rails. I was wearing shooting gloves. It comes up naturally and easily.
First Shots
Here was the jaw dropping moment of the day. I've only shot 7.62 out of a M1A so I was expecting a strong punch to the shoulder, but...I was stunned at how manageable it is. Makes the AK feel like a 12 gauge shotgun in comparison. I'd put the felt recoil somewhere between a 5.56 and an AK, frankly, it is not that much more than a M1 Carbine! Trigger broke rather cleanly. It's a military trigger, of course, so it is fairly heavy. Not as heavy as the stock trigger that came with my M4 Carbine, about the same as a M1A.
Sound
I was glad I had double plugged, with 33dB foam plugs and electronic muffs, but it was not really all that bad, as far as I was concerned. But then as my son shot it and a couple other guys at the club who wandered over I was amazed at how loud it is when you are standing near it. Sounds like a cannon! Everyone was shocked and it was funny seeing how people wandered over to see what the heck it was making all that noise, particularly when I put rounds through it quickly. Big smiles all around. All in all, a great first experience. My gun club was having "sight in days" where the general public are able to bring hunting rifles out to zero them, so I could not get to the rifle ranges to work on the sights. Looking forward to that.
Here is a video of our first range session with the SCAR 17S
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wqbj2IM_qQ
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