If you're looking for a precision rifle that's just as high speed/low drag as the designated marksman guns used by US Special Operations Command's warfighters, Belgian weapons manufacturer Fabrique Nationale has a treat for you in store.
The company's American division , FN America, has just announced the release of the FN SCAR 20S precision rifle, built off the SCAR platform which has been in service with various militaries and dark ops units across the world for over a decade.
Short for “Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle,” the SCAR began development in the early 2000s as an alternative to the M4 carbine widely used by USSOCOM at the time.
Ergonomic, ruggedized and reliable, the SCAR’s most significant feature is its incredible modularity.
Users can reconfigure their weapon in a matter of minutes, swapping barrels to up-gun from 5.56x45mm NATO to the heavier 7.62x51mm NATO round.
This effectively takes the SCAR from its "L" assault rifle variant to an "H" battle rifle.
The SCAR-L and SCAR-H, known as the Mk16 and Mk17 respectively in USSOCOM parlance, have been in use with American special ops units since early 2009.
The following year, the H was adapted into the Mk 20 Sniper Support Rifle.
While you can't find the Mk 20 SSR on the civilian market -- as sales are restricted only to military customers -- the 20S is just about as close as you can get.
Able to accurately engage targets up to 800 yards away, out of the the box, the 20S is built upon years of battlefield experience from snipers hailing from USSOCOM's top notch units.
Semi-automatic and built to fire the 7.62 NATO or .308 Winchester round, the 20S is equipped with the SCAR's standard short-stroke gas piston system, and comes with a 20" cold hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel plus a muzzle device.
Along with the extended monolithic receiver — longer than those used on the Mk 16 and Mk 17 — it comes with a special “Super SCAR” two-stage match-grade trigger designed and produced by Geissele.
A modifiable fixed buttstock and tons of upper rail space for a wide range of optics round off the rest of the 20S’s features list.
FN America has listed the price for the 20S at $4,500.
The 20S announcement comes a month after FN America unveiled an offering of 200 limited edition 20S kits that came with a number of goodies and accessories on top of the rifle itself ... just in time for Black Friday.
Ian D’Costa is a correspondent with Gear Scout whose work has been featured with We Are The Mighty, The Aviationist, and Business Insider. An avid outdoorsman, Ian is also a guns and gear enthusiast.
