A peek inside the custom AR world with the JP Enterprises SCR-11 — in .224 Valkyrie.
What the JP Enterprises SCR-11 Offers verses other Valkries:
- Side charging handle
- Exaggerated magazine well
- Machined-from-billet 7075-T6 upper/lower receiver
- Adjustable gas block
- Air-gauged, button-rifled, cryogenically treated barrel
- Low mass bolt
- Silent Capture recoil spring
- Armageddon Gear Revolution Trigger
Minnesota may be the land of 10,000 lakes, lefse, lutefisk and goofy accents, but it’s also home to some great manufacturing. We’ve got 3M, Target, General Mills and Best Buy. And, as a shooting enthusiast, we’ve got Federal Premium Ammunition, Birchwood Casey, WildEar, a host of others — and JP Enterprises (aka, JP Rifles).
JP Enterprises is a high-end gun manufacturer specializing in custom AR parts and builds. They have loads of options and configurations to choose from, and there’s literally something for everyone, regardless of discipline — from hunting rifles built to customer specifications, to tack-driving long-range AR-platform guns.
The 224 Valkyrie
When Federal announced the introduction of the .224 Valkyrie, only a few companies were able to put together barrels and bolts in short order. JP Enterprises is one of those companies who got on the ball … and kept it rolling.
JP has been around for more than 25 years, and their shop has a great following from shooters “in-the-know.” Very popular amongst precision and competitive shooters, and gaining traction with the weekend shooters, JP offers everything from full custom rifles to simple add-ons to existing builds, such as triggers, buffer springs and everything in between.
The Full Rifle: SCR-11
I’ve been lucky enough to tinker with a few JP Rifles in .224 Valkyrie. They offer the JP-15, the PSC-11 and the new SCR-11. SCR stands for Side Charging Rifle, highlighting the fact that the charging handle is located on the side of the receiver.
The SCR-11 is a small-frame equivalent to their already popular LRP-07, designed for both competition and hunting enthusiasts. The SCR-11 can be purchased as a full package with pre-suggested configurations, or you can select parts from JP’s online rifle builder, customizing it to fit your needs. The rifle comes in .223 Wylde, .300 BLK, 6.5 Grendel and —of course — .224 Valkyrie. The gun features top-of-the-line JP components, sustained sub-MOA accuracy guaranteed, improved ergonomics for easier operation and a constant cheek weld while manipulating the side-charge system.
Outside The Box: The SCR Concept
The SCR, or Side Charging Rifle concept, is an incredible feature because it keeps any gas from escaping or venting out the top of the receiver. It also keeps the internals protected due to less exposure. In short: Say goodbye to blowback and powder residue in your eyes.
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The SCR’s side-charge system is ideal for competition use where leverage and a constant cheek weld can save critical seconds. The bigger handle allows for easy access and lighting fast charging, while still folding away cleanly.
The Receiver
The machined-from-billet 7075-T6 upper/lower receiver set features the left-side-charging system on the upper, and an exaggerated magazine well for easier, faster reloads. This is a great addition for competition shooters: There’s nothing worse than fumbling with a mag, losing precious seconds. Standard finish on the receiver is anodized matte-black hard coat, but Cerakote is optional … and highly recommended.
The Barrel And Bolt
While the options are nearly endless, ranging from 10.5 inches to 22 inches, the SCR-11 I got my hands on featured a 20-inch JP SuperMatch 416R air-gauged, button-rifled, cryogenically treated barrel that’s thermo-fit to the receiver. It also had a JP large-profile muzzle brake and an adjustable gas block.
The adjustable gas block is a very cool feature, allowing me to fine-tune the amount of gas that was being pushed toward the bolt carrier group to optimize the operations of the action. The rifle has a Low Mass bolt, which was significantly lighter than a mil-spec bolt, making the reciprocating mass much lower.
The Guts And Trigger
The SCR-11 also had one of my favorite AR accessories from JP — the Silent Capture recoil spring. The Silent Capture spring eliminates the “twang” you hear when firing many of the ARs on the market, and it allows you to get back on target with ease and retained focus.
Another important tool on the SCR-11 is the Armageddon Gear Revolution Trigger. One of the most common inconsistencies for precision shooters is the lateral force they apply on the trigger when they squeeze, causing pulled shots. The “roller trigger,” which was developed by Tom Fuller from Armageddon Gear, features a free-rolling trigger that makes it nearly impossible to squeeze the trigger with any lateral force because your finger will roll off to the side.
Whether you are in the market for an SCR-11 or want to upgrade your existing ARs, I suggest checking out the trigger options from JP Enterprises.
The Furniture
Again, the buttstock and grip are fully selectable based on customer needs, but, the rifle drove featured the MagPul UBR Gen 2 stock and a MagPul MOE grip.
The UBR was an adjustment for me: I like to run smaller-profile stocks and I’m used to standard adjustment protocol. The UBR is a bit less friendly when it comes to speedy adjustments. However, if you’re going to shoot long-range and aren’t going to be moving the stock, it’s a great option.
The handguard is the JP MK III modular, rapid-configuration system. With a Cerakote finish and options from 7.125 to 17.25 inches in length, it’s not only sexy and comfortable — it’s not tied down.
Getting Glass
Sitting atop the rifle was a Bushnell XRS II 4.5-30x50mm G3 scope. The XRS II features the deadly Horus reticle, 10 MILs per revolution on elevation, windage turrets for exact adjustments and the Throwhammer throw lever for speedy magnification adjustments. The scope was more than enough for predators and varmints — and perfect for precision shooting.
The Test
The SCR-11 performed flawlessly in comfortable temps, as well as scorching heat. Like any test gun, there’s no babying or gentle charging. From humid air to dust-blown, sun-bleaching prairie heat, there were no failures to feed or eject, or with any other issues with gun operation. And that’s saying a lot with you add sand into any shooting equation.
The accuracy was nothing short of fantastic — on paper, steel and prairie dogs.
On paper, with a 200-yard zero in a non-controlled setting, MOA accuracy was common, with an initial five-shot group coming in at just a hair over that benchmark. After putting 140 rounds of the 90-grain Sierra MatchKing .224 Valkyrie from Federal Premium through it, then switching to the 60-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip for another case of testing, I can comfortably say that the gun is sub-minute-of-prairie-dog at 550 yards. Whilst pushing the gun and the cartridge to the limit, I was able to take down a prairie dog at 686 yards, confirmed. On a calmer day with a good rest and bags, I would think that 1,000 yards would be easily attained.
With the options on the SCR-11 I had in-hand, target and prairie dog shooting was an absolute blast. With little-to-no recoil and long-range capabilities, the gun exceeded expectations.
The only drawback, however, is the weight. If the gun would’ve been setup for a spot-and-stalk antelope or deer hunt (for which the .224 Valkyrie is more than capable), an 18-inch lighter barrel would’ve been ideal, with a smaller and lighter-weight optic as well. The nice thing about JP is that those are options you have.
With the introduction of the .224 Valkyrie in 2018 and the customizable options of the JP SCR-11, the small-frame AR platform guns have been elevated to a new level.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the December 2018 issue of Gun Digest the Magazine.
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