Simple Upgrades that will make any SCAR more functional
As any SCAR owner knows, the rifle is absolutely amazing out of the box. Designed primarily for the military, it is a fantastic weapon with great form and function providing built in ambidextrous controls. So why tinker with it? Because, there is always room for improvement.
That is where Jarod Legsdin: Owner, operator, designer, machinist and all around cool dude of Parker Mountain Machine (PMM) comes in. Jarod and company have been turning out FNH SCAR upgrades since founding PMM in late 2012.
They were kind enough to send me some of their popular SCAR upgrades that I put to use on my personal 16 and 17.
If you’re like me, breaking your grip to activate the magazine release is no bueno. PMM makes a very robust, lightweight extended magazine button that is machined to replace the factory button with a simple roll pin change.
The magazine button comes in FDE or Black and with the provided instructions, was effortless to install. No gunsmith required! With the new button in place, I was able to easily access it without breaking my grip whatsoever. This is by far one of the least expensive and best upgrades you can do to any SCAR. At $35, it is a no brainer. Thank you PMM!
While I had already upgraded my Ambi safety levers with ones offered from Magpul, I had not considered really needed anything else until Jarod sent me one of his to try… WOW! What a difference in feel and function. The PMM safety lever installs the same way as the Magpul, but is a tad longer and provides more leverage to engage it with ease. PMM also makes their lever in a few different sizes and configurations in both FDE and Black. Retail is $22.50 per lever and again, a no brainer in my opinion.
Although the SCAR comes standard with Ambi magazine buttons and safeties, it is not engineered with an Ambi bolt release. PMM makes just that, which is intended to bolt on to the left side bolt release button, similar to other AR15 bolt releases on the market.
I installed the PMM Battery Control Device (BCD) on my SCAR 17, which sports a billet SCAR25 lower from Handl Defense. Installation was effortless and took all of 2 minutes. I found that the factory magazine release has a lot of play and movement in the lower channel, which results in a lot of play with the BCD in place. While the BCD mounts up very nicely to the factory button, the amount of play seems extreme. I am not sure if this is a Handl Defense issue or would be the same on a factory lower, either way, it is annoying and something you may experience.
With the BCD in place, I could effortlessly drop the bolt or lock it back in place with my trigger finger and without breaking my grip. I will also note that the BCD bar does ride along the left side mag release, so if you are a lefty, it may impede your mag changes. It is something to think about when utilizing this tool. Retail on the BCD is $70.
Last but not least is the PMM QD mounts for right and left-handed shooters. PMM has engineered QD mounts that work with existing SCAR geometry without any modifications. The right-handed shooter rear mount uses the factory hinge and again, installs in minutes. Another highly recommended upgrades priced at only $36.
PMM CNC’s their parts in house using 6061 aluminum and includes all necessary hardware and instructions for installation. Nothing I have installed requires anything more than a screwdriver and punch.
One thing I found with all of the PMM parts I received was the attention to quality in the machining. As someone who sees a lot of aftermarket parts, I commend PMM on producing exceptional parts that are some of the finest on the market and provide a high value-to-price ratio. In my opinion, they are one of the best-kept secrets you cannot afford to pass up.
If you get a chance to check PMM out, you will see they also make an assortment of accessories for bolt guns, PS90’s and more.
Parker Mountain Machine website
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Parker Mountain Machine Facebook
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