Tag Archives: 300 blk

Alas, We Could Hardly Afford Thee: FN Ends the SCAR Line, Kinda

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FN has confirmed that the legacy vaunted SCAR line of modular rifles, as we know them, is discontinued.

Designed for a circa 2004 USSOCOM tender, the SOF Combat Assault Rifle became a real thing in its select-fire 7.62 NATO (SCAR Heavy and the Mk 20 sniper variant) and 5.56 NATO (SCAR Light) variants within just a few years. Besides limited U.S. military service with the special operations community, the SCAR was adopted by the Belgian military to replace the FN FNC, going on to serve smaller roles with commando-type units in more than 25 countries, ranging from Japan and Indonesia to Bosnia and Finland.

Offered to the commercial market starting in 2008 with the semi-auto SCAR 16S (5.56) and SCAR 17S (7.62), the rifle became a much sought-after commodity, with guns often reselling in online auctions for well over the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

The line expanded with the SCAR 20S 7.62 Precision Rifle in 2019 and the 5.56 15P pistol in 2022, both of which later saw caliber expansions to 6.5 Creedmoor and .300 Blackout, respectively. Then came the 17S DMR in 6.5.

A generational update came in 2021 with models that had a variety of quiet upgrades as well as non-reciprocating charging handles, or NRCH (“Nerch”) variants. Besides the black and “50 shades of FDE” colorways, FN also introduced MultiCam, Desert, and Woodland camo models.

All that now seems destined to the dustbin of history, to be put on the same shelf as the FN FAL, as the company this week quietly shifted several SCAR S variants to the “discontinued products” section of its website.

On social media this week, when asked if the rumors of the entire SCAR line being discontinued are true, the company’s official X page responded, “Correct. We just completed our production run of the legacy FN SCAR series. What’s in the market now is the last. If you’ve always wanted one, now is the time,” then followed up with, “U.S. production of the legacy SCAR 16S, 17S, and 20S has been complete. No more will be made.”

FN provided Guns.com the following statement:

No more rumors. FN America has completed our final production run of the commercial legacy SCAR series in the U.S. This includes the 16S, 17S, and 20S, but not SCAR 15P. What’s currently in our market is all that remains—so if you’ve been wanting one, now’s the time to grab it before it’s gone.

None of this affects FN’s global military SCARs – these are still in demand and still in production.

Look for more info leading up to SHOT Show 2026!

If you own a commercial legacy SCAR, don’t worry about support or parts. Owners can still receive service through our support center, and spare parts will remain available through official distributors for a period of time. As for accessories, magazines for the legacy SCAR 17S and SCAR 20S will continue to be available in the future; however, the supply of accessories such as barrel assemblies will be limited over the next five years.

For the time being, the company is still listing several NRCH SCAR S variants along with the 15P pistols as “active” on its website, but who knows what 2026 will bring.

I mean, we know, but are sworn to secrecy enforced by the FN Gnome.

Ugg boots forever!

FN Finally Making the ‘Baby SCAR’ in .300 Blackout

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The SCAR-SC. I mean, will you just look at it? How is this thing not in 150 different movies? (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The FN 15P debuted at last year’s SHOT Show as an NFA-compliant ode to the SCAR SC, which is on the no-no list due to the Hughes Amendment (which for the record should be repealed, thanks, Ronnie). The semi-auto 5.56 chambered large format pistol is the smallest SCAR in production, going even shorter, at under 20 inches long, than the 21-to-25-inch SCAR SC.

Now, the pistol-length FN 15P is available in .300 BLK, a caliber that is much more ballistically suited to a platform with a 7.5-inch barrel.

Being fully aware that Blackout shines in suppressed platforms, FN has updated the 15P in .300 to include gas regulator settings for subsonic and supersonic ammunition, a .30-caliber flash hider, and a dedicated 30-round magazine optimized for the stubby cartridge’s geometry. Plus, replacement barrel assemblies are on the menu for those who have the 5.56 variant and want to swap out to the BLK. 

The FN SCAR 15P in .300 will be offered in both a tactical peanut butter (FDE) with black accents as well as good old-fashioned black on black.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Always wanted a suppressed HK53-based SBR?

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The Heckler & Koch HK53 was designed in the 1970s as an ultra-compact version of their 5.56mm HK33, basically, the German answer to the Warsaw Pact AKS-74U Krinkov or Colt’s various Vietnam-era Commando models. They saw some export success, and in the U.S. the pre-Homeland Security Border Patrol adopted them for some tactical teams (hey, Customs had the Steyr-AUG at the same time, so you can see the need for competition).

Well, SilencerCo teamed up with Canton, Michigan’s Dakota Tactical Firearms to craft a limited run of just ten (10) roller-locked semi-auto HK53s SBRs in .300 BLK, equipped with matching Omega suppressors.

Termed the D300 by DTAC, these guns usually run bigfoot on a unicorn rare on the market. Each uses an 8.3-inch free-floated fluted barrel and a “sear-ready” tungsten-filled bolt group. The DTAC hand guard is freckled with M-Lok (because what isn’t these days?) while the receiver runs a 1913 Pic rail for your optic needs that go beyond the standard HK drum/post sights. A collapsible A3 stock, tools and 30-round mag complete the package.

How mucho do they run? Check out my column at Guns.com for that stocking sticker, along with some more sweet pics.

A factory Ruger Mini-14 in .300 Blackout? No foolin

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The good folks at Ruger have been in the Mini-14 biz for going some 40 years or so and in that time have cranked out millions of these rugged .223 carbines. As time has gone by, the company has trotted out offerings of these guns in 5.56×45 (there is a slight difference over .223), .222 (not a misprint) 7.62×39 (Mini-30) 6.8mm (Mini-6.8) and .308/.243 (XGI). Well now, the time has come to add a new caliber to that field:

Why .300 BLK?

The 300 AAC Blackout round (7.62x35mm) was designed by a suppressor maker, Advanced Armament for use in modified AR-15s. The goal was to use the same .223 case, neck it down to accept a .308 bullet 2-3 times the normal weight of the 40-71 grain .223, and give it performance that equaled or bettered that of the standard and popular AK-47/SKS round, the Combloc 7.62×39 (which itself owes some allegiance to the old German 7.92×33mm Kurz used in the world’s first assault rifle, the StG-44).

In the end, you have a .308 that fits in a standard NATO M16/AR-15 magazine and can use the same lower receiver paired with an upper in the appropriately changed out caliber. A neat benefit (and the reason it was introduced by AAC) of the round is since it uses such a big fat bullet over a low charge, its usually subsonic which means you can use it with a suppressor and not have to worry about the sonic boom of the ammunition to add to the sound signature.

(Left to right: .223 with .55-grain bullet, .308 WIN with 173-grain bullet, .300 BLK with 125-grain bullet)

(Left to right: .223 with .55-grain bullet, .308 WIN with 173-grain bullet, .300 BLK with 125-grain bullet)

Introduced last week, Sturm, Ruger unveiled its newest offering in the Mini-14 Tactical series, and advised that it is an optimized .300 BLK platform geared with suppressors in mind.

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Read the rest in my column at Ruger Talk