AGM SCAR-L review by Booligan
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Real Steel History
Ordering
First impressions/Packaging
Included
Gun Specifications
Externals
Trademarks
Magazines
Performance
Internals
Modifications
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
I’ve always had an interest in the various SCAR offerings from the various manufacturers, but it seems like most of the major ones have already been reviewed to death, or just weren’t what I was looking for. In comes Airsplat, with the new AGM model that nobody really knows too much about as far as I can ascertain, so I decided to bite the bullet and give this one a shot! I was quite impressed by this latest offering from AGM, so let’s dive in and check it out!
Real Steel History:
Well, the SCAR, built by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal is a modular assault rifle built for US SOCOM (Special Operations COMmand). It is available in both light and heavy variations, with the difference being the caliber it’s chambered in. Each variant is available in three barrel lengths, CQB, standard, and long barrel versions. Lastly, FN has recently been developing an IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle) version, which fires from a closed bolt until it hits a set temperature and switches into open bolt firing mode. The first rifles were issued to operators in April of 2009, with a battalion of the US 75th Rangers being the first large unit to deploy into combat in the same year.
This airsoft replica is of the 2nd generation design, whereas the current production version is the 3rd generation, so there are some differences between this airsoft replica and the issued weapon.
MK16 in three barrel lengths
Info and picture courtesy of wikipedia.com and world.guns.ru
Ordering:
I was browsing Airsplat’s “New Arrivals†section and I came across the AGM SCAR, both in black and in tan. I knew I had to have it, and Airsplat was nice enough to send it over so that ASR can have a review of it! It is currently priced at $159.95, which means it qualifies for Airsplat’s free shipping deal. I received my gun 2 days after ordering it, which is my normal transit time. Everything was well packaged, and arrived safe and sound without any damage.
First impressions/Packaging:
The AGM SCAR came in a nicely decorated cardboard box, which was a pleasant departure from the totally blank box that the AGM M4 I reviewed came in. It housed everything in four foam pieces to keep it stable during shipping.
From here on, click all pictures to enlarge
Included:
Included with the SCAR are one 300 round hi-cap magazine, 8.4v mini type battery, trickle charger, cleaning/unjamming rod, front sight adjustment tool, magazine winder, manual, a VERY unusable sling (seriously, don’t even try it), and a new addition from Airsplat, a sheet showing basic AEG functions, which will be useful to new players.
Gun Specifications:
Weight: 7.5lbs
Length: 29â€-30.5â€
Width: 2“-3.5â€
Height: 10†(grip to unfolded sight)
LOP: 12.5â€-14â€
Sight Radius: 16.75â€
Externals:
The externals on the AGM SCAR are a combination of metal and ABS plastic, and everything that should be made of metal on the real gun is appropriately replicated on the AGM.
Starting at the rear, the stock is made of plastic and is the 2nd generation design. It extends to three separate positions, and the cheek rest is adjustable to two different positions. The stock also folds to the right side for CQB use, or for easy and compact storage. The stock serves as the home for the battery, which is kind of a pain to install.
Stock
Stock extended
Cheek rest adjusted
Stock folded, take care not to pinch the wires when folding and unfolding the stock
The simplest way to install the battery is to fold the stock and unscrew the bottom hex screw from the stock portion. This will allow you to completely remove the stock portion from the assembly. You can now install your battery, connect the wires, and be good to go! Reinstall the stock and screw in the hex screw that you removed.
Shot into the battery storage area
Moving forwards, you will first find the one point sling mount, which is located just in front of the stock. The SCAR features a one piece metal upper receiver which goes all the way to the faux gas assembly, and a plastic lower receiver which houses all of the fire controls for the gun.
Sling mount
The upper receiver, as mentioned previously, is metal, and features an integrated full length optic rail. It also houses the mock bolt assembly, which has a charging handle that can be unscrewed and put on either side, and can be pulled back quite far and released forward to give a satisfying metallic thwack. Pulling back the charging handle exposes the cylindrical hop-up adjuster as well as the upper portion of the gearbox.
Upper receiver
Other side
Mock bolt pulled back, exposing the hop-up
Charging handle can be mounted on either side
The lower receiver is similar to the M4 design, but has a few changes, namely the ambidextrous selector switch and magazine release. The selector switch on mine is slightly sloppy in its function, occasionally needing to be clicked a little bit further from the desired setting to properly function in that setting. The trigger pull typical of an AEG, not too light, not too heavy. The magazine release is nice because of the ambidextrous design. Just push the button on either side to release the magazine. The mock bolt release serves no function, other than to move around unnecessarily and generally irritate me. I would love the G&G functional bolt catch, but hey, this is a CA clone.
Lower receiver
Other side
The grip is of the standard M4 style, complete with a ventilated, flat head screw adjustable motor base.
Grip
The front of the upper receiver functions as the handguard, so it can get its own section. Basically, the lower portion is a big metal chunk which houses a 20mm RIS, about 7†long. There are two 20mm rails on the sides, each about 4†long. Lastly, above the side rails at the very front, there are two sling mounts, one for each side.
Handguard
The front assembly houses the folding front sight, faux gas system, and the 14mm- threaded muzzle. The included flashhider is a solid orange plastic affair, just begging to be replaced with something that has a little more flair.
Front assembly
Threaded muzzle
The sights are made of metal and are a folding design. The rear is adjustable for windage and elevation using hand adjustable knobs. The rear sight has a relatively small hole which makes rapid target acquisition a bit tricky. The front sight folds as well, but requires you to push a button located on the left side before moving it from either position. It is adjustable for elevation using the included tool. Lastly, there is a very long 16.2†long 20mm rail for mounting whatever optics you can think of, which has laser engraved numbers for consistent accessory mounting.
Rear sight
Front sight
Top rail
Overall, I was quite surprised by the external quality of this gun. The upper receiver is nicely manufactured with no seam lines or anything else. The lower receiver has a slight seam line that isn’t really detrimental to the overall look of the gun.
Trademarks:
Oddly enough, this gun has actual trademarks laser engraved on the left side. It has full FN Herstal trades, as well as the SOCOM “MK 16 MOD 0†specification. There is a serial number, but it is not unique.
FN trades
The other side has AGM trademarks, including their “commando†logo.
Right side trades
Magazines:
Being that this is the “Light†model, it uses standard M4 style magazines. Included is a 300 round metal wind up hi-cap, which serves its purpose nicely.
Magazine
I’ve tried it with TM, JG, UTG, SRC, ICS, and MAG magazines and haven’t found any that didn’t work. The mags all fit in with very little wobble and solidly come out when you push the release button.
Performance:
Baseline performance after a 1000 round break in period is as follows:
FPS (Tested using TSD .20g BBs shot through a Madbull V1 Blue Chrono):
Low: 405.4 FPS
High: 416.8
Average over 10 shots: 411.5
ROF (Recorded using Audacity/stock battery after 100 round break in): 14 RPS
Range and accuracy were acceptable. It's not a sniper rifle by any stretch of the imagination, but the high velocity and effective hop-up combine to put the BBs downrange in a relatively consistent fashion. Using TSD .25g BBs, I am able to hit a man sized target at 145' 90% of the time, with the hop-up almost maxed out. As with most ACM guns, a replacement bucking will work wonders for consistency and accuracy.
Internals:
The AGM SCAR features a V2 gearbox with a gear operated ambidextrous selector switch. This switch makes it a royal pain to get to the gearbox. In order to get to the gearbox, you must first unscrew the three allen head screws at the rear of the upper receiver; one on each side, and one on the top rail. With them removed, you can pull off the stock assembly. You then need to remove the front receiver pin, which will allow you to slide the upper receiver forwards, off of the lower. This will allow you to get to the hop-up and inner barrel. Getting to the gearbox is pretty similar to an M4/M16, with removal of the rear pin, grip, mid-receiver pin and magazine release being the steps to get to the gearbox. Once you do that, you'll notice that the gearbox won't come out of the lower receiver. This is due to the gear operated selector switch system, and the lower receiver needs to be pried slightly apart in order for the gears to clear before you can pull it out.
Inside the gun is, as mentioned before, a V2 gearbox, with no visible reinforcement. The gearbox itself is equipped with metal 7mm bushings and a metal spring guide. The piston appears to be nylon with a matching nylon ported piston head. The cylinder head appears to be made of a similar material. Unfortunately, this gearbox is also equipped with the same odd sized Torx screws as the AGM M4, and I don't have the proper tools necessary to open it up, so I can't offer any information on the gears or other non-visible internal components.
Gearbox
7mm metal bushings
Selector plate
Metal spring guide
Nylon piston
Air nozzle
The motor is a very high torque design, and is quite difficult to rotate by hand. Given that it pulls the M120+ strength spring with ease, it should handle most springs you throw at it.
Unmarked high torque motor
The AGM SCAR features a metal 1-piece hop-up, which is a direct clone of the CA system. It is attached to a 280mm inner barrel, with decent crowning on the muzzle.
Inner barrel
Hop-up
Overall, the internals are very decent for the price, and offer plenty of room to upgrade if you want to trick your gun out. It appears to be a direct clone of the CA SCAR, so any upgrades for the CA should work for this.
Modifications:
SCARs don’t have TOO much in the way of aftermarket support unfortunately, but the fact that there are a ton of rails mean that you can mount more or less any accessory you feel like mounting. I’ve mounted lights, lasers, foregrips, bipods, 40mm launchers, scopes, and pretty much everything else I could find. You can build it into a long barrel version with a simple barrel extension, or add whatever 14mm- extension you desire.
Pros:
Great price
Appropriate metal content
Impressive built quality
Lots of rails
Metal folding sights
Ambidextrous function
Cons:
Finicky selector operation
Battery installation is a pain
Can pinch the battery wires when folding the stock
Cheek weld is a touch high
Rear sight hole is a little small
Overall:
I’m quite pleased with the AGM SCAR overall. It has a great build quality, good performance, and a solid feel. It is a very direct clone of the CA SCAR, and for about half the price. Overall, I like it, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a SCAR-L!
Many thanks again to Airsplat, Deadrag Airsoft Radio and of course, AirsoftRetreat!
