Scar 17s Optic, what say you??

[Blake 50]

I am looking for an optic for a scar 17s.  I am looking at low power magnification scopes, something 1-4,6,8,10 etc.  What would you get and why? 

 

I currently have or have owned:

 

Vortex PST 1-4x and 2.5-10x and for the money they are a great value but might not stand up to the 17s's abuse

Vortex HD Gen 2 1-6x this currently sits on my 16s and my only complaints are its heavy and has capped turrets

Leupold 1-4x VR Patrol I wasn't a fan of the reticle even though the glass was good on it

Trijicon TA-11 this is one of my favorite optics and I have 2 of em on different rifles but since having variable power optics I find them more useful, especially with my vision issues

Trijicon TA-31 Very clear glass, great optic if you get right up on the scope but the eye relief killed it for me.  Sold it for another TA-11.

lot's of other low end stuff that I wouldn't put on this bad boy

 

What I am considering:

 

Elcan Spectre DR 1-4x

USO 1-8x

Steiner 1-4x

Another vortex gen 2 1-6 if I don't find another perfect match

SWFA 1-6 but I don't really like the reticle

 

 

I have three non negotiable traits in the scope I will buy:

1 - Mil based reticle

2 - Turret adjustments match the reticle (i.e. mil/mil)

3 - Illuminated

 

I would love to hear any other available options you have or know about. Budget should be $2k or less. 

 

So, what say you NJGF?

[njpilot 671]

Hey bud,

 

I don't think the PST would have a problem handing the recoil from the Scar. They are supposed to be built pretty well.

 

Also, talk to Shane about the Elcan. He had that on the LMT before I bought it. It is kinda heavy for what I remember.

[n4p226r 105]

I've heard amazing things about the USO 1-4.  i think on a 308, something with a little more distance would work for me though.   i'd say a night force or similar 2.5-10x in a bobro mount

[Blake 50]

Hey bud,

 

I don't think the PST would have a problem handing the recoil from the Scar. They are supposed to be built pretty well.

 

Also, talk to Shane about the Elcan. He had that on the LMT before I bought it. It is kinda heavy for what I remember.

 

Thanks for the input!  I got the reco on the Elcan from Shane lol.  Everything I have read about the Scar 17 says they are hard on scopes which is why even though I have had good luck on other rifles with the pst line I was hesitant to go that route.

 

I will have to look up the weight of the Elcan.  I can tell you when I put the hd gen 2 on the 16s I felt a big difference in the weight and she is now almost 10lbs, not something you want to lug around all day.

[Blake 50]

I've heard amazing things about the USO 1-4.  i think on a 308, something with a little more distance would work for me though.   i'd say a night force or similar 2.5-10x in a bobro mount

 

I want the option to shoot both eyes open, so a 2.5-10 is out of the running.  The uso 1-4 or 1-8 (especially the 1-8) is still in the running.

[Blake 50]

Open to other brands/models I might not be privy to, let me know your thoughts!

[Earlswagger 13]

Op if bread isn't an issue, I would give real consideration to the elcan, the 1x6 is the nuts on a 308. As I'm sure you have heard, you normally use 1x or the units max, meaning the variable units rarely get used in other then the extreme ends anyway.

 

As for weight, most people say, when you add the weight of a mount and the scope, the elcan is actually just a heavy. ( since it comes with a mount)

 

Good luck with whatever you get, the 17 has been on my drool list for a while.

[Blake 50]

Op if bread isn't an issue, I would give real consideration to the elcan, the 1x6 is the nuts on a 308. As I'm sure you have heard, you normally use 1x or the units max, meaning the variable units rarely get used in other then the extreme ends anyway.

 

As for weight, most people say, when you add the weight of a mount and the scope, the elcan is actually just a heavy. ( since it comes with a mount)

 

Good luck with whatever you get, the 17 has been on my drool list for a while.

 

If Elcan made a 1-6x I probably would have bought it already, but the DR is a 1-4x.  You are correct in that myself and most users go nothing or full power.  I'm just not sure 4x is enough for me.  The HUGE selling point of the Elcan is that the eye relief of both magnifications is the same.  Thats why its on top of the list. 

[checko 180]

Just took a class with a dude who sold all his ars and invested in all scars. His optic of choice on all of them was the elcan.

 

I couldn't tell you my ass from my elbow on that platform but this dude definitely did his research.

 

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

 

[Displaced Texan 11,731]

I'm also considering a low power variable for my Colt 901. I have many of the same choices you have in mind, for the same reasons. The only one I would add to your list is the Trijicon VCOG.

1-6x24, with illuminated reticle.

MSRP of $2800, but street prices are quite a bit lower. Plus, take into consideration it comes with a mount, the $$ looks a little better.

 

ETA: reading is fundimental. You are looking for mil/mil type reticle/turrets. The VCOG has 1/2" per click and BDC. Choice of funky reticle or horseshoe. I'd chose horseshoe.

Robustness of Trijicon products applies here, as I understand SCAR's are notoriously rough on optics.

[Shane45 807]

Played with the V-Cog, wasn't doing it for me. The reticle is a bit on the odd side for its intention and the FOV is far inferior to the Elcan. Yes the Elcan is a bit of weight BUT when you take a regular scope and add mounts etc etc its pretty close. But in particular it balances well on a SCAR. I suspect its because of its short footprint and where it lands on the rail on a SCAR. I like the USO 1-8 a lot BUT your mission statement needs to be favoring the longer distance over the shorter one.

[CageFighter 236]

the SpecterDR gets my vote.  

   fortunately, this post is right up Shane's alley! 

[MidwestPX 172]

I'm also considering a low power variable for my Colt 901. I have many of the same choices you have in mind, for the same reasons. The only one I would add to your list is the Trijicon VCOG.

1-6x24, with illuminated reticle.

MSRP of $2800, but street prices are quite a bit lower. Plus, take into consideration it comes with a mount, the $$ looks a little better.

 

ETA: reading is fundimental. You are looking for mil/mil type reticle/turrets. The VCOG has 1/2" per click and BDC. Choice of funky reticle or horseshoe. I'd chose horseshoe.

Robustness of Trijicon products applies here, as I understand SCAR's are notoriously rough on optics.

Which is exactly why mine wears an ACOG.

 

I don't know what to suggest other than an ACOG as the SCAR 17 seems to be a notorious killer of optics, particularly red dots.

[WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot 358]

FWIW, from another board I frequent:

 

Elcan Specter DR is the day optic to have for the FN SCAR 17. I recommend the 1.5/6x model for the .308 SCAR, and which has the ranging reticule for 7.62x51mm NATO. The light transmission and clarity of the optics are spectacular, and you really see how this counts when using the Specter DR with night vision. The long top rail on the SCAR rifles positively SCREAMS for clip-on night vision or thermal scope in front of the day optics!

 

The Elcan Specter DR is the USSOCOM SOPMOD spec for Block III plus for a good reason.

 

The allegations that the SCAR-17/17S rifles are more prone to breaking scopes is an Internet rumor. The recoil impulse on the SCAR-17/17S is less than many other .308 battle rifles -- this is immediately apparent when firing the SCAR-17 in full auto.

 

The "scope killer" rumor got started when some shooters, noticing how much softer the recoil is on the SCAR-17S, decided to mount standard PVS-14 (night vision monoculars) to their SCAR-17S rifles. Unless using the special filmless intensifier tubes, the max recoil force that a standard PVS-14 can handle is no more than that generated by the .223 / 5.56x45mm cartridge. When their PVS-14s began failing, these guys began reporting that the SCAR-17S is unusually harsh on "scopes".

 

Then when military field reports described a part in the SCAR-H / SCAR-17 buttstock assembly was prone to breaking, the rumor mongers automatically assumed this was because of "unusually sharp recoil forces" and used this faulty assumption to reinforce the "scope breaker recoil" rumor. From there, the rumor grew to say that the SCAR-17 was destroying optics from the USSOCOM SOPMOD baseline.

 

A Military Times article written by former SOF is often attributed as the source of the "SOPMOD optics busted by SCAR 17" field reports. In fact, the article says nothing of the sort. Instead, it says that SOF have favored the SCAR-17 so much in the field that they were pulling optics off their KAC rifles to use on the SCAR-17 for longer range sharpshooting. Somehow this got twisted on the Internet rumor mill to suggest that SOF were so disgusted with what the SCAR-17 was doing to their optics that they were pulling them off and putting them on their KAC rifles. LOL!

[Blake 50]

Thank you all for the responses.  I am leaning towards an Elcan, but I need to ponder which one to get.  The major drawback of the 1.5-6x is that shooting both eyes open without a true 1x isn't gona happen for me and that kind of kills it.  I have some thinking to do.

 

If anyone here has either model they want to sell feel free to shoot me a pm.