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FN SCAR-L

The FN SCAR-L is the 5.56 mm member of the SCAR rifle family. The standard-barrel configuration balances a conventional rifle envelope with folding and adjustable furniture.

Origin: Belgium/United States
Manufacturer: FN Herstal

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Image credit

FN SCAR

Defense Technical Information Center · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified

Mass: 3.29 kg (7.3 lb) (SCAR-L) 3.58 kg (7.9 lb) (SCAR-H)
In service: 2009–present
Designed: 2004
Produced: 2004–present (Military) 2004–2025 (Civilian)
Barrel length: 355 mm (14.0 in) (SCAR-L) 400 mm (16 in) (SCAR-H)
Rate of fire: SCAR-H: 550 rounds/min SCAR-L: 650 rounds/min

Technical data

Specifications

15 fields · 1 source · retrieved 28 Sept 2026

Dimensions & mass

Mass: 3.29 kg (7.3 lb) (SCAR-L) 3.58 kg (7.9 lb) (SCAR-H)¹
Length: 889 mm (35.0 in) stock extended, 635 mm (25.0 in) stock folded (SCAR-L) 965 mm (38.0 in) stock extended, 711 mm (28.0 in) stock folded (SCAR-H)¹
Barrel length

355 mm (14.0 in) (SCAR-L) 400 mm (16 in) (SCAR-H)¹

Performance

Rate of fire: SCAR-H: 550 rounds/min SCAR-L: 650 rounds/min¹
Muzzle velocity: SCAR-L: 870 m/s (2,900 ft/s) SCAR-H: 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s)¹
Effective firing range: SCAR-L: 500 m (550 yd) SCAR-H: 600 m (660 yd)¹

Systems & armament

Cartridge: 5.56×45mm NATO (SCAR-L, SCAR PDW, SCAR-HAMR) 7.62×51mm NATO (SCAR-H, Mk 20 SSR) 6.5mm Creedmoor (Mk 20 SSR) .300 Blackout (SCAR-SC)¹
Action: Gas-operated short-stroke piston , rotating bolt¹
Feed system: SCAR-L: 30-round STANAG box magazine SCAR-H: 20-round box magazine SCAR-20S: 10-round box magazine¹
Sights: Iron sights and Picatinny rail for various optical sights¹

Programme

Wars: War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War Mexican drug war Yemeni Civil War Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir Russo-Ukrainian War M23 offensive Internal Conflict in Peru¹
Designer: FN Herstal¹
Designed: 2004¹
Produced: 2004–present (Military) 2004–2025 (Civilian)¹
Variants: See Variants¹

Sources & original excerpts1 reference

FN SCAR · Wikipedia revision 1374151984 ↗
Type
Infobox · Type
Assault rifle (SCAR-L) Battle rifle (SCAR-H) Squad automatic weapon (HAMR) Designated marksman rifle (Mk 20 SSR)
Place of origin
Infobox · Place of origin
Belgium/United States
In service
Infobox · In service
2009–present
Used by
Infobox · Used by
See Users
Wars
Infobox · Wars
War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Iraq War Mexican drug war Yemeni Civil War Conflict in Najran, Jizan and Asir Russo-Ukrainian War M23 offensive Internal Conflict in Peru
Designer
Infobox · Designer
FN Herstal
Designed
Infobox · Designed
2004
Manufacturer
Infobox · Manufacturer
FN Manufacturing, LLC
Produced
Infobox · Produced
2004–present (Military) 2004–2025 (Civilian)
Variants
Infobox · Variants
See Variants
Mass
Infobox · Mass
3.29 kg (7.3 lb) (SCAR-L) 3.58 kg (7.9 lb) (SCAR-H)
Length
Infobox · Length
889 mm (35.0 in) stock extended, 635 mm (25.0 in) stock folded (SCAR-L) 965 mm (38.0 in) stock extended, 711 mm (28.0 in) stock folded (SCAR-H)
Barrel length
Infobox · Barrel length
355 mm (14.0 in) (SCAR-L) 400 mm (16 in) (SCAR-H)
Cartridge
Infobox · Cartridge
5.56×45mm NATO (SCAR-L, SCAR PDW, SCAR-HAMR) 7.62×51mm NATO (SCAR-H, Mk 20 SSR) 6.5mm Creedmoor (Mk 20 SSR) .300 Blackout (SCAR-SC)
Action
Infobox · Action
Gas-operated short-stroke piston , rotating bolt
Rate of fire
Infobox · Rate of fire
SCAR-H: 550 rounds/min SCAR-L: 650 rounds/min
Muzzle velocity
Infobox · Muzzle velocity
SCAR-L: 870 m/s (2,900 ft/s) SCAR-H: 710 m/s (2,300 ft/s)
Effective firing range
Infobox · Effective firing range
SCAR-L: 500 m (550 yd) SCAR-H: 600 m (660 yd)
Feed system
Infobox · Feed system
SCAR-L: 30-round STANAG box magazine SCAR-H: 20-round box magazine SCAR-20S: 10-round box magazine
Sights
Infobox · Sights
Iron sights and Picatinny rail for various optical sights

Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The system in detail

Design & operating context

Design and configuration

The upper receiver carries sight and accessory mounting, while the stock folds alongside the weapon. Barrel configurations change overall length and handling.¹

Systems and equipment

A short-stroke piston system distinguishes the design from direct-gas AR-pattern rifles. The profile remains an external reference without mechanical build or modification detail.¹

Variant and operating context

This page covers SCAR-L standard configuration. SCAR-H and compact or specialised barrels need their own calibre and dimension records.¹

Reading a comparison

Compare equivalent barrel lengths and unloaded accessory states. A folded-stock transport length should not be used against another rifle’s extended firing configuration.¹

Operator countries

23 countries documented

FN SCAR-L equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.

Belgium
Bhutan
Botswana
Brunei
Chile
Cyprus
Finland
300–500Reported holdingsFN SCAR-L · reported variants · Finnish ArmyEstimate · Period Source snapshot 2026-09-30 · inventory date unstated · Wikipedia list · original not yet checked
Count scope
Range count for 5.56 RK SCAR. Service scope: Finnish Army; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): quantity: 300–500. Origin: Belgium. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
France
Indonesia
Japan
Kenya
Lithuania
Morocco
Pakistan
Portugal
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Slovenia
South Korea
Thailand
Ukraine
United States