Technical Review of the Classic Army SCAR-Light (EX16 Mod0)

The Classic Army SCAR-Light

This gun comes with the following features from Classic Army:

• Unique Serial Number
• Metal Charging Handle
• 7mm Metal Bearing Gear Box
• Hi-Cap Magazine (300 Rd)
• Metal Flip up Front & Rear Sight
• CNC made Metal Upper Receiver
• Up to 9.6V Mini Type Battery can be used
• Fiber Lower Receiver & Retractable Folding Stock
• Magazine Released Catch can function in both sides of receiver
• Bearing Spring Guide, Bearing Piston Head, Sealed Nozzle & Cylinder
• Motor without screw type

Background

SCAR stands for Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle. It was designed by FN Herstal to meet the current and future operational requirements of US Military Special Operations Forces. At this time, the SCAR has completed several phases of test and evaluation with USSOCOM and well on its way to being operationally fielded by SOCOM operators. It is believed that all fielded SCAR’s and all future US small arms weapons systems will no longer be merely black in color but tan to reflect the environments of our current and near future conflicts. The SCAR is the first major totally new assault rifle system to be developed and issued in quantity by the US military in 40 years. If you wish to learn more about this firearm, much detailed information on the history, development, and technical features of this firearm can be found on the web.

Appearance

The Classic Army SCAR-L is an extremely well-made AEG. The finshed appearance of this gun greatly exceeds all of our expectations. The color tones of the tan furniture and the earth colored metal one piece upper receiver complements each other exceedingly well. Even the magazine that the gun comes with is earth colored. The SCAR-L will also use any M4/M16 type magazines available on the market. The entire one piece upper receiver is precisely CNC machined and the finish is impeccable. The metal sights, gas block, and barrel colors and textures are particularly well-finished (the CA rear sight looks better than the one we saw on a real SCAR!). The laser etched markings are found on the left side of the rifle and display a unique serial number much like all the Classic Army brand AEG’s. There are high quality machined screws placed on the receiver precisely to emulate that on a real SCAR which really finishes the details on this gun. No detail is missed and no shortcuts are made in the production of this gun.



The SCAR sports a fully adjustable folding stock. In order to replicate gun dimensions and proportions accurately, the stock can only house a mini battery (up to 9.6V can fit) and still has the ability to fold and adjust. The buttpad is rubberized and the gun feels very comfortable when shouldered.



Here you can see the SCAR with the stock folded in to give a more compact look and feel. The stock slants downward slightly when folded so it can clear the ejection port.



The mini battery fits right in the rear of the stock. Changing battery in the SCAR is not the most convenient or field expedient. There is a small hex screw that must be removed in order to access the battery compartment. In the picture above, you can see the hole to the right of the red positive wire where the screw is removed.

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This is the solution to making battery changes not so cumbersome and as easy as swaping a battery out of a full stock gun. Here are the easy to follow step by step instructions:


Unscrew the allen screw that holds the extending piece of the stock in place


Remove set screw


Reattach stock extension to the gun


Now you can extend the stock till it comes right off and access the battery compartment that way


The CA gun does include a hex screw for this purpose. The hex wrench and other stuff can be stored in a small compartment in the back of the stock that is accessible with the removal of a simple push pin.

The CA SCAR comes with sturdy metal sling mounts on both sides for right and left hand users.

Here you can see the rear sling loops.

Here you can see the adjustable cheek rest. The top button allows the cheek rest to adjust up or down and you can see the slight variation in height from the two pictures.

The SCAR’s stock has the ability to adjust in and out like a slither style stock. The black button can be pressed to allow the user to retract or collapse the stock to the desired position for comfort and control. There are 3 stock extension positions.

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The SCAR is also built to accommodate every user as it is a complete ambidextrous weapon. Below are several key features that make this a very unique and high quality product.

The charging handle is removable and can be attached on the other side to allow left and right handed users to access the hopup with ease.


The magazine release switch is extended on the left side of the rifle to make it accessible for a lefty and allows for quick tactical reloads. The magazine release on the right side of the AEG is located in the same place as an AR-15 style rifle for right handed players.

The SCAR’s ambidextrous selector switches are similar to a Tokyo Marui Sig 552 and not like the MP5 variants. Instead of having a rod or pin attached to one switch running through the body and gearbox, the switches interact with gears on the outside of the gearbox.

Here you can see the gears highlighted. Note the SCAR uses a Ver II type gearbox with 7mm bearing bushings.


The flip down rear sight is completely adjustable. Each click is very positive and the finish is fantastic.


The detail and finish on the front sight is also flawless. You push a spring loaded button to raise or lower it with a firm click and it is very sturdy. Even the adjustable gas knob rotates with a satisfying click sound.

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Performance

The Classic Army SCAR ROF is fast and the gearbox sounds great. The gearbox sports all the best parts that CA has to offer. They include a Teflon type cylinder as well as an aluminum piston head and spring guide with bearing. The sample we tested shot 330-335 fps with a 0.20g BB at a rate of 800 rounds per minute with an 8.4v source. At 9.6v, it fired close to 1000 rounds per minute. Although this is fun to do, it is not wise as the piston could strip with such a high rate of fire on a stock gun. One of the main reasons would be the 7mm bearing bushings that come standard in the gearbox. With bearing bushings, there is little to no resistance. Therefore, even though the gun uses a mere mini-type battery (up to 9.6V), one does not need to be as concerned with battery life with most commonly accepted power upgrades.

You can see the break down of the CA SCAR is quite simple. A few pins and screws and you are instantly down to the lower with the gearbox and the barrel/hop unit exposed for easy upgrades. Getting the gearbox out of the lower is not so fun.


he external selector switches have gears on the inside of the lower receiver and are actually on top of the selector switch gears on the gearbox shell. You can remove the external switches like a TM Sig 552 but unlike it, you cannot remove the cams. The only way we were able to free the gearbox was to pry open the lower receiver and free the lower switch gears from the gearbox shell. Then the gearbox just popped out.


Standard Ver II gearbox with the exception of the selector switch gear located just to the upper left of the trigger.


Here you can see the rather large and different selector plate with the other gear for the selector switch.


The hopup unit looks like a combination of an M15 and AUG.


Inside the gearbox looks just like that in a CA CQB but with a slightly longer nozzle.


Here you can see the CA polycarb piston and Aluminum piston head along with the spring guide with bearing.


Classic Army includes their high torque motors in the SCAR.

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Upgrading

Given the stock velocity of the CA SCAR, we felt it was going to have the same performance results as an M15 Carbine type AEG. We checked the shimming and cylinder compression and they were very impressive. Almost no mechbox tweaking was needed in our sample. We did add a little more grease to the cylinder and piston head o-ring just to make the seal extremely tight. The shims need no adjustments. We went with a Guarder SP120 to see what velocity we could achieve. After reassembling the gun, we made sure we got the selector switches lined up just right. This is a little more tricky than most ambidextrous AEG’s since you cannot line up the gears of the switch before reinserting the gearbox into the lower. Just like we removed the gearbox, we had to pry open the lower to get the gearbox to seat properly. It took only one try, but it was a lucky one. The selector was a little quirky, but we managed to set it just right so the gun would select properly and function without error. The gun clocked in at 410-415fps with a Guarder SP120 spring and drawing only 16 amps. The rate of fire was a nice 700 rounds per minute with an 8.4v source and jumped up to 800+ rounds per minute on a 9.6v source.

Future Developments

Despite the fact that the real SCAR will be produced in earth/tan color for the military, we believe CA will (and should) be releasing a black model soon. Also under development is the CA SCAR-H. Like the M15 series, they will probably also release conversion kits to recreate various length barrel looks for the CQB, assault, and sniper versions. We also believe that CA has anticipated and will address the concerns of airsoft gamers about battery capacity and will produce an aftermarket stock that would be able to store a larger battery but at the expense of realism in size and functionality.

Conclusion

The CA SCAR has it all, the looks, feel, attention to detail, and superior internals and performance. This AEG is one of a kind and will definitely turn heads. Classic Army has produced an AEG that we are confident will even convert detractors of the brand. There is NOTHING we can find wrong with this gun. The performance and quality from this model can be justifiable for a much higher retail price point. For under $400 market price, you cannot beat the deal with a CNC machined metal upper receiver, body materials, top notch internal parts and unique look in the airsoft market. Plus, you will be ahead of the game in emulating the look of US special operations warriors of the 22nd century. We were very impressed with this rifle and even if you weren’t a fan of it before, you will be very soon.