We go hands-on with the latest generation of FN SCAR to see what's new in the iconic system.
In October 2025, FN announced they would be discontinuing commercial production of the SCAR after nearly two decades. But like the death of Superman in 1992, these proclamations to the end of an icon were premature. Just a few short months later we’re here to show you the newest generation of SCAR rifle — and the most significant changes FN has ever given to the system.
Ever since the advent of the SCAR in 2008 there have been plenty of fans but no small number of detractors. Though it never replaced the M4 in U.S. Army inventories, it found a home with Special Forces and is now an issued rifle for SOF units in two dozen nations. Though initially launched in two variants (a 5.56mm “light” and 7.62mm “heavy”), it would be the heavy SCAR 17S (also called the SCAR-H) that captured the most imaginations and garnered the most fans.
In 2018, FN would bring the Mk20 precision model, first chambered in 7.62mm followed by a 6.5 Creedmoor variant in 2020. In late 2022, the tiny 7.5-inch barreled 5.56mm SCAR 15P personal defense weapon (PDW) would be released, with a .300BLK model coming in 2024.
There were always downsides to SCARs, many which existed due to the combination of the timeframe of initial design and FN’s plodding response to demand. Paired with an enthusiastic user base, this led to both a dedicated aftermarket and countless competitors looking for market share (we even ran a whole article about so-called “SCAR-Killers”).
Because FN isn’t a company that moves fast (those that deal with generational government contracts around the world rarely are), it took them some time for this new batch — all told they’ve been working on them for five years. After taking an insights-driven approach to development, they put it all together to upgrade and improve the entire SCAR family of arms. Let’s check out what they did.
Furniture & Controls
This is the easiest one to see outside. Gone are the Picatinny rails widening the profile and reminding you this is a rifle designed not just when quad rails were ironically cool — but nearly new. The forend is now longer for more space for both accessories and your hand, and features M-LOK slots across five angles. Speaking of longer, the top Picatinny rail now encloses the gas regulator, the old folding front sight shunned for a low-profile Magpul. The rear sight is also replaced (a shame, because the OG SCAR rear is the best iron sight ever made).
The gas regulator comes with a removable cover, the better to keep your hand from overheating, especially when shooting suppressed. And we do mean suppressed; this has been a sore point with SCARs (though we’ve never had a problem popping a can on them) — FN redesigned the barrel with more shoulder for increased muzzle device compatibility, specifically for silencers (both competitors and their own new line).
The buttstock of the SCAR is an oft-replaced item. A lot of people like to stick an ACR stock on there (the only part of that failed rifle that remains), but FN has stuck to the “Ugg” stock so long that the fuzzy footwear it was named after actually came back into style for a while. It’s been upgraded with the addition of a QD cup on the rear, and FN also has OEM options for AR-style stocks and Picatinny-railed rears.
QD cups are also now found on either side of the rear receiver plate, and each rifle comes with an additional M-LOK QD mount.
Gone is the A2 grip, FN instead opting for a more-upright model. The new trigger module is designed to be compatible with aftermarket grips without modification. Speaking of the trigger module, it features a new set of controls.
The selector levers are more readily swappable (each gun comes with extras of different sizes and lengths), the magazine releases are more ergonomic, and there’s an excellent ambi bolt lock/release on the right side that’s easy to use.
The trigger itself has changed, for the better. It used to be a crapshoot what kind of trigger you’d get, but now FN tells us each rifle will be more refined right from the factory — precision rifle or not.
In terms of colorways, you still have the traditional unmatching FDE, lame black, and a great-looking gray.
Bolt Carriers
The heart and soul of the FN SCAR lie in the bolt carrier and wheelbase barrel cradle, and you can track generational changes by examining these parts. FN didn’t change anything about their barrel attachments with this latest, but they made significant shifts with the bolt carrier.
The SCAR was originally designed with a reciprocating charging handle, one which moves back and forth with every shot, explicitly because U.S. Special Operations Command demanded one.
The initial requirements for the SCAR were outlined way back in 2004, back when the Global War on Terror was new and modern warfighting was first getting figured out. The thinking at the time was that a reciprocating charging handle meant there would be no need for a forward assist, and that the potential downsides would be minimal.
USSOCOM requirement or not, that moving charging handle remained the most major complaint people had about the SCAR for many years. Some subpar non-reciprocating aftermarket options were offered, but most simply managed it with technique.
Then, in 2021, FN released the Gen 2 NRCH (Non-Reciprocating Charging Handle). The NRCH was accomplished with an internal sled that detached the charging handle from the bolt carrier. This also added the ability to run dual charging handles and to be truly ambidextrous. The bolts and small parts remained the same. Importantly, this was also a backward-compatible conversion; older SCARs would just need a new (or modified) receiver front plate to work with the internal sled.
The Gen 3 changes are even more significant. It shares the same internal sled and charging handles as the NRCH, but the carrier body is lightened, multi-piece, modular, and even has a hydraulic buffer pinned inside. The top arm of the carrier, called the bolt carrier front rail, keys in place so the same bolt carrier can be used across different systems and calibers. The hydraulic buffer arrests the movement of the carrier right at the peak of rearward recoil, making for a more-gentle curve despite the lighter weight of the unit and is designed to prevent damage to optics.
Though the bolt itself is slightly shorter than the previous generations, the other small parts remain the same. And like the Gen 2, the Gen 3 is also backward compatible — you can drop a complete unit into a SCAR from 2007 if you change that front receiver plate.
Small Parts & Extras
The looks are the easiest to see, but outside the BCG what really got me going was seeing that all the small fasteners are now Torx. This makes maintenance ten times easier, because small hex screws are just so damned easy to strip out.
You’re still going to want to use heat to remove them (thread locker being what it is) but you’ll find that you’ll have a much better time.
In addition to the extra selectors and charging handle, FN ships the SCAR with an M-LOK vertical grip. Each SCAR now comes with a nice padded soft case you’ll actually use for the range, too. Sized just right to tuck into a Pelican for air travel.
On The Range
Hydraulic buffers stuffed into rifles often have the scent of snake oil, largely because they’ve previously been sold by the unscrupulous as add-on solutions for problems that don’t exist. That said, we’ve seen them used to good effect by OEMs before (here’s looking at you, B+T), and this is FN, after all. So, when it came time to hit the range, we were cautiously optimistic. SCARs are already light shooters for their weight class, so even if they were exactly the same there wouldn’t be any complaints. [Cue drumroll] … And?
The SCAR-H feels like a SCAR-H, but a touch lighter. We’re still talking about a 16-inch barreled 7.62 with polymer furniture here, but things get a bit more obvious when you shoot a Gen 3 and a Legacy side-by-side. Even when both guns are rocking longer handguards for more leverage, you can tell the Gen3 SCAR-H is better.
It’s a similar story for the Mk20. This is a very capable rifle, and we’ve previously shown you an example in 6.5 Creedmoor that printed .597 MOA groups. Hitting beyond 1,200 yards was more about reading wind and a ballistic calculator than improvements to the system itself. No one is crying about less recoil and a reticle that settles faster, however.
The dark horse here is the SCAR-L. This is the one the U.S. Military liked the least, but still finds a fan with at least one RECOIL editor (and the editor of RECOIL OFFGRID, too). And, out of the box, the new Gen 3 SCAR 16S shoots like a custom tuned gun. Extremely pleasant shooting gun with fast follow-ups.
Nightforce Optics NX6 2-12
Gracing the top of the SCAR on the cover of this issue is the new Nightforce Optics NX6 2-12. As the name implies, each scope in the NX6 line has a 6x power factor covering the whole gamut (1-6, 2-12, 3-18, 4-24, 5-30, and 6-36). Many are available in both first and second focal plane, MOA and MRAD. The one you see here is first focal plane with MRAD adjustment — perfect for a 16-inch 7.62mm gun.
The reticle is an FC-MRx, which is based on Nightforce’s FC-DMx LPVO reticle but with 20 MILS of holdover instead of 10. The center is illuminated in both red and green, and you cycle through illumination levels by pressing the button on the left side of the optic. There’s a parallax adjustment, but as it’s unmarked, you’ll have to check it for yourself when you get behind the rifle (which you should be doing anyway, because those markers are just a guideline anyhow).
The new Fieldset turret system allows you to easily float your turrets after zeroing without requiring a special tool (though it does come with one). Simply twist the mechanism on the top of the to turret to unlock, pop it off to reposition, replace, and twist back to lock. It’s not like messing with small screws was especially difficult or anything, but this is easy.
Loose Rounds
It’s clear that FN took a lot of time with this generation. They addressed the furniture, suppressors, controls, and small parts while maintaining their advances with the non-reciprocating system and keeping everything backward compatible. The fact they added extras and did all this without increasing the MSRP is saying something — oh yeah, they didn’t increase the price; Gen 3 is priced the same as the last. Which ain’t cheap, of course, but we’re talking about FN, not the race to the bottom.
SCARs have a following for a reason.
More FN Guns
- One FN Centimeter: FN 510 Tactical Review
- Instinctively Ready For Action: FN Reflex Review
- The FN FAL: The AK Of The West
- The FN FNC: Underappreciated Icon?
- The Redesigned FN High Power
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