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SCAR Deja Vu

June 17, 2009 on 5:44 pm | In Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Deja Vu. SCAR muzzle brake. Looks like a good way to snag on jungles to me.

[caption id="attachment_145" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Late M16 muzzle brake design. It was introduced to fix the problems associated with the open pronged model."][/caption]

Early 3 pronged M16 muzzle brake. Proved to be vulnerable to breaking and snagged on jungle vines etc.

For some time now the Special Ops types have been waiting for the SCAR (Speical Combat Assault Rifle). It comes in several configurations, and two calibers, 5.56 MM (like the M-16 AKA poodle shooter variety) and the 7.63 or 308 Winchester version.

I hear it is a really good weapons system. There are several major advantages to this thingie not the least of which is a gas piston which replaced the M16’s just dump the gas onto the bolt system. The piston greatly reduces heat transfer to the receiver area close to the shooter’s face.

I hope it finially reaches the field. That said, there is a story about it in the July 2009 issue of American Rifleman. Included is a photo of the muzzle of the weapon. I know it may be nit picky but … The following photos show a shot of an early M16 muzzle. It is open prongs like the SCAR. Another photo shows the improved M16 muzzle. You can see that it is not open prongs. Then the SCAR.

There are many reasons they changed the design. I know the Army is engaged in desert ops mainly. The open prong design of the early M16 went to war in the jungle. Those open prongs got snagged on vines and tangles as a matter of routine. The military improved the design by closing the prongs with design number two.

Also troops used the open prong muzzle to break the wires (in essence open) C-rat cartons, resulting in a whole lot of broken muzzle breaks.

Because the Army and Marines are currently in the desert, and not getting tangled up in the jungles, it looks to me like we are about to relearn that lesson concerning the benefit of a closed muzzle break.

6 Comments »

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1. i guess if it’s worth learning it’s worth learning twice… history does often repeat itself. of course by the time they correct it we won’t need it for one reason or another lol

   Comment by Gr@yM@n — June 17, 2009 #

2. Good point. If and when you ever see one… and if and when you are operating in jungle/woods with the tanglefoot and the eyeball eating trees and vines … you will probably do what we did …. wrap one piece of electrical tape across the muzzle and a second around the brake itself.

   That lasts pretty good till the first shot.

   Comment by Administrator — June 18, 2009 #

3. Engineers….sheesh! Maybe we can convert them into Harley parts or better yet looks like they would make good sinkers for snagging catfish with!

   Comment by Brian the Welder — June 18, 2009 #

4. Hey Brian! You are still alive … even during the summer. You got a point, it’s kinda like planned obsolescence…. they will later get a bonus for fixing this problem.

   In the mean time I took the grandkids fishing today. We had a hoot. And now that you mention it, yes they would make good sinkers.

   Comment by Administrator — June 19, 2009 #

5. well it’s probably money and new generation… new guys sayin “those old guys don’t know what they’re talkin bout it’s not a jungle war that was OLD war” and old guys are sayin “what’s it matter it’s going to break we been there done that” but then the boss is thinkin “cha ching!!!, suckers sold them on the bad idea we’ll make it huge when they gotta upgrade” lol

   F’ing cherries. lol. (like i don’t hear that alot)

   Comment by Gr@yM@n — June 19, 2009 #

6. I am glad that it won’t mean anything to people operating in open terrain. That is if these things ever actually appear.

   Comment by Administrator — June 23, 2009 #

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