VFC SCAR-L MK16

[THE FNG]

Having owned my VFC Scar-L for nearly a year now and having upgraded the internals recently, I decided to make a review of what has been my favourite gun that I have owned to date.

After buying my Scar from AF-UK member Qlimax at the start of the year, I have used the Scar at many sites over the midlands:

First and Only - Anzio Camp

First and Only - Blackburn CQB

Squad Assault - Burslem CQB

Ace Airsoft - Wolverhampton

Tac House Spartan - Chesterfield

Frontier - Penkridge

 

Quite a wide variety of gameplay experiences at these sites; Tight cqb to spacial woodland. The Scar has remained as my weapon of choice throughout the year......and it spent a lot of this time underperforming due to a hop up issue that I have rectified over the last few days! More of that later though!

 

This review will be split up into the following parts:

 

Aesthetics and Features

Ergonomics

Customisation

Out-of-the-box Internals

Performance

Manouverability and Dexterity

Myths of this gun

Issues I have experienced

Overall Rating and Personal rating

 

 

 

AESTHETICS and FEATURES

Firstly....this gun looks incredible. Whether it is straight out of the box or is covered in attatchments, this gun looks great. Scars are somewhat 'love them or hate them' but the VFC Scar has one of the best finishes and feels to it out of all of the guns I've handled. The Marui version is the only one that is one par with VFC but I can't comment on that as I've never handled one.

VFC's Scar has a full metal upper and polymer lower, like the real-steel. The metal upper feels great and the top rail is so sharp that it can actually cut your fingers on the corners! The VFC Scar somes with real-steel trades on the upper (Mine didn't as it was an American Import where VFC lost the rights to put the trades on...or something like that...).These look great and add that authentic feel to the rifle.

The gun has a working bolt catch system. Pulling the bolt back gives access to the hop adjustment which is in the form of an m4 style wheel. Releasing the bolt catch slams the bolt forward with a satisfying metal clack. I have literally pulled the bolt back mid-game just to amuse myself! The hop can be a bit fiddly if you have gloves on....but in the gas block is a hop adjustment tool that you can pull out mid game and adjust with ease.

One of the pioneering parts of the VFC version of the scar that sets it apart from its competition is the stock. The wiring is hidden withing the stock and so it doesn't have the issue of trapped wires when folding and unfolding the stock away.

Needless to say, the VFC Scar is one of the nicest guns that I've seen in terms of finish and material. I may be somewhat biased towards them but you can't ignore the build quality and impressive details and finish given to this gun.

Without trying to be biased, I give it a solid 10/10!

 

 

ERGONOMICS

The Scar is a highly versatile gun and easily fits the user. It has a telescopic, 6 point stock that slides in and out to meet the reach and comfort of its user. It also features a rising cheek rest to help levelling your head for the use of optics and irons sights. I am 5'9, not the tallest of people and it fts me perfectly. I have lent it to a fellow team member who is 6'3 and of a large build, who has also used it comfortably. Another team member, 6'2 and very slim, has used it and commented on its comort factor and manouverability.

The gun is also completely ambidexterous; it has a fire selector on both sides and the bolt can be moved onto either side. Mag release is on both sides too.

For sheer ease of use and operability, I give this gun a 10/10; again, trying not to be biased, but it is very comfortable and easy to manipulate.

 

 

CUSTOMISATION

A big factor to some and one that doesn't neccessarily affect performance; customisation.

The Scar is incredibly customisable. Externally, there are so many options! There is more rail space that you need! I have a c-more reflex sight, strobe torch, laser and EGLM Grenade Launcher on my setup....and there is still room for more! There is more rail space on some M4's but it isn't exactly something to take away from the Scar.

Externally, it has to be another 10/10.....starting to sound really biased....BUT WAIT!

 

Internally isn't the same.

Internally, there is one flaw in the Scar's design....a flaw that has seen me use my gun for 10 months without is reaching its highest potential....the Hop Unit. The last game that I was at saw my Scar start to put out poor ranges of 40m MAX with a huge drop in the bb. When adding more hop, there was no difference until the wheel was on full, at which point the hop unit would jam and nothing would fire out. Te hop unit had a small crack in it since it was bought and over the months the crack had gotten worse to the point of which, at my last game day, the unit lost the part that holds onto the barrel. The internal structure of the gun was still holding it into place, but the air seal was ruined. My idiot self had decided to put my montly budget to other parts and other airsoft related projects rather than fixing what is possibly one of the most important parts to an airsoft gun...

 

The hop unit is proprietary in the VFC Scar with no aftermarket parts availble other than a replacement VFC hop chamber. I fitted one in today and I was astonished at how good the range was. For 10 months, my effective range was about 50 metres. With the new chamber, I have seen it hit out at 90m...competing with my upgraded sniper rifle! This is with the VFC stock rubber. Unfortunately, most hop rubbers wont fit in the VFC chamber as it is so tight. I've tried g&g green, madbull shark blue, marui black and lonex clear and none have fit. The VFC rubber is slightly thinner than the others and is the only one that have succesfully added to date.

 

The rest of the internals are like any other rifle. Custom barrels, gearbox parts, motors etc are all available.

The gearbox is easy top open...despite being a faf when taking the fire selectors off with the smallest allen key ever required....had to spend £12 to get one out of a set from B&Q! Gearbox parts are easy to install and as it is a standard v2 gearbox; parts are more than plentiful.

I grade the Internal customisation as 8/10. Marks lost for lack of hop unit and hop rubber parts available.

 

 

OUT-OF-THE-BOX INTERNALS

Despite the hop unit being broke for 10 months, it has still kept up with aegs at the sites I have been to. Have to confess that I can't wait to use it with a new hop unit fitted.

The gearbox internals are great but not the best. They aren't made of cheese like some gearbox parts, but they have been disriputed by some members of various forums for being a little sub-par.

Upon opening the gearbox for the first time, I was amazed at how clean and pristine it looked. I've taken apart a load of gearboxes now and the VFC is the easiest and cleanest I have worked on by far. Only other one that has come close is the Classic Army UMP...but that one has a ridiculously fiddly AR latch...don't get me started!

The spring change is the same as every other gearbox. Because mine was imported originally, it was firing hot at nearly 380 fps. A madbull m100 put out 348 fps so to play safe, I run an SHS m90 at 335 fps. Guarder m85 springs put out 280 fps.

The gears themselves are self shimming. No personal preference on these but I know some don't like them as much.

The stock motor is the weakest part of the internals. It just about does the job. I fitted a Lonex A2 over the last few days and the difference is quite astounding. R.O.F has increased as has trigger response and the whole feel of the firing expereince is just crisper.

 

The barrel is a standard 285mm barrel (CQC model). It does the job but a madbull black python has made some difference in accuracy. Easy to fit. Not a lot to say really about the barrel.

 

Overall, Internals get a 7/10. Stock motor being the main weakpoint.

 

 

PERFORMANCE

Right. For 10 months, my damaged hop has meant that the Scar has been my primary CQB weapon. When playing woodland, I have been among the players that have to get a bit closer before engaging. The range has been less than average with the damaged hop unit but it has still been usable. CQB performance hasn't really been affected. R.O.F with a 9.6v nimh and a m90 spring is a bit poor with the stock motor. I tend to use semi-auto only, but when full auto has been needed, it is a little bit disappointing when the guy next you has a fully upgraded Marui High cycle aug!

I give this gun a 6/10...seems harsh but this is with a duff hop unit and no upgrades at all other than the barrel.

Based on the upgrades that I have put in over the next few days, I am really excited to go to my next event as I am anticipating the rating to go up to 8/10 at least.

 

 

MANOUVERABILITY AND DEXTERITY

This is basically how easy the gun is to use. Without the EGLM, the Scar-l is very easy to move around. Even though I don't use it very often, the folding stock make taking corners a blast. With the stock out, corners are still easy. The gun sits well into the shoulder and is very easy to make quick movements with. It's not to heavy and can be thrown around between hands for weak handed shooting easily.

With regards to dexterity, the gun is excellent at cqb and can hold its own in woodland. With the new hop unit fitted, I have already squashed any doubts that I had about woodland; especially its range.

I give the VFC Scar a 7/10 pre-upgraded and a 9/10 with its upgrades as, even though I haven't skirmished it yet, it has already made me able to change my game style, allowing me to engage longer ranges.

 

 

MYTHS: Internet rumours of the VFC Scar-L

Internals made of cheese - Some pages, particlarly in 'Murica, state that VFC gears are rally bad. I wouldn't go as far as to say they are that bad. Sure, they aren't the best but they have been used for 10 months without any issue. Only reason I have changed them is because I lost one of the gear axles when popping the gearbox a week or two ago.

 

Poor Motor - This is true. The stock motor, although functional and can be used by a casual player, is poor. Having put in a Lonex A2, the difference is incredible. It may not be fair to compare any stock gearbox to a Lonex A2 but the difference is staggering.

 

 

 

ISSUES I HAVE EXPERIENCED

I have detailed the hop unit issues previously. The other issue that I have had with this gun finding a stable fps. By this, I mean that, due to the tight hop up, the fps difference between springs varies. For example, a m100 spring, 100m/s should be around 328 fps. However, a madbull m100 in the Scar hit 351 fps in one instance. It averaged at 347 fps. An m90 spring, 90 m/s should be around 300. In the Scar, I hit 335fps consistently with a max of 338. It could be down to incorrect packaging, spring variances or the hop unit giving a ridiculous air seal. It's not a huge issue, but it could catch out some users who don't own a chronograph.

 

 

OVERALL RATING AND PERSONAL RATING

Based on all of the things above, I will give the gun 2 ratings for overall ratings. These will be a rating for the gun out of the box (considering a dammaged hop unit) and a rating for the gun with upgrades. Finally, a personal rating that is very much biased!

 

Firstly, Overall without upgrades.

I grade the gun 7/10 before upgrades. This is due to its great look, feel and customisability. As a cqb gun, it is excellent and can just about run in woodland.

With upgrades, I rate this gun as a 9/10. With upgraded gears, motor, hop unit (stock, but new) and barrel, this gun is a behemoth. Great range, nice r.o.f, quick trigger and with an EGLM attacthed, this thing can really tear up the enemy team.

 

Finally, personal rating....yea you guessed it - 10/10. This is simply because of the memories it has given me. It has turned a lot of heads, sparked a lot of conversations and been a really reliable rifle...and that stands quite a testament considering it has been used with a poor hop unit for 10 months and was ran without upgrades until now!

Scars are marmite guns; love them or hate them. Even so, I would highly recommend thie VFC scar if you want a scar and have the time and money to add some upgrades. The pricetag didnt affect me as much as it was 2nd hand, however it is steep at £400 on some retailers pages. But, if you have the cash or can get one 2nd hand, this gun is great for the experienced player. Not recommended for beginners as it will need a few upgrades to turn it from an average performing but excellent looking gun into the complete package.

 

 

 

Aesthetics and Features 10

Ergonomics 10

Customisation 10 and 8

Out-of-the-box Internals 7

Performance 6 and 9

Manouverability and Dexterity 7 and 9

Overall Rating 7 and 9

92/110

 

 

[Drewster211]

Nice review mate! I found it most helpful!