The FN SCAR® 16S: A New Generation of Rifle

Photography by Jorge Nuñez

Built From the Ground Up, This Semiauto Version of the Carbine used by U.S. Special operators Is a Future We Can Embrace

Working in the gun industry has its perks. One of those perks is that you get to play with lots of cool new stuff coming down the pipeline. Sometimes it’s a one-off prototype that will never see the light of day outside of closed demonstrations. Other times you see something that makes you want to whip out your credit card on the spot.

In 2008, I got my first introduction to the FN SCAR at the FN Manufacturing facility in Columbia, South Carolina. The day was filled with instruction on the SCAR from the FNH USA staff. We learned to break down the rifle and about the careful design and engineering that went into the weapon. Instead of putting lipstick on the M16, FN designed from the ground up what is, in my opinion, the best assault rifle on the world market today. And I use the term “assault rifle” in its proper context, as all of the rifles we shot that day were full-auto with short barrels that would also fall under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

The SCAR-L, as it was known, went on to be fielded with special-operations units and the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment. Now, FN could have been like many European companies and completely snubbed the American shooter, but they did not. Instead, it released the SCAR 16S, which is perfectly legal for shooters in free states such as mine (Tennessee). The SCAR 16S is a semiauto-only rifle with a slightly longer barrel than the SCAR-L to avoid triggering the NFA. FNH USA made it as close to the original as possible — no funky receivers or special “anti-freedom” magazines. A semiauto version of the military rifle for the freedom-loving American shooter.