Fightlite SCR Review and Build Tips
This SCR used for this review was delivered as a lower receiver only. The rifle’s upper receiver assembly was not sourced from Fightlite Industries in any way, so the reliability and accuracy of the reviewed rifle has only a limited relationship to the complete SCR rifles sold by Fightlite.
What is the SCR?
In a nutshell, the Fightlite SCR (formerly Ares Defense SCR) is a mostly-standard AR upper receiver mounted to a unique lower that uses a semi-grip buttstock (sometimes called a “hunting” or “traditional” stock) rather than the standard AR lower receiver.
In a nutshell, the Fightlite SCR (formerly Ares Defense SCR) is a mostly-standard AR upper receiver mounted to a unique lower that uses a semi-grip buttstock (sometimes called a “hunting” or “traditional” stock) rather than the standard AR lower receiver.
Top: SCR Lower Receiver Bottom: AR-15 Lower Receiver
This is nice for states with restrictive gun laws, but it’s also a big win for shooters who just prefer semi-grip stocks. M14 clones like the Springfield M1A have long reigned supreme in this territory for shooters looking to sling some .308 downrange, but the field has been limited for shooters who want to shoot .223/5.56. The Kel-Tec SU-16 and Ruger Mini 14 have been the only mainstays in this category, but both have their drawbacks: the SU-16’s durability and accuracy are eternally in question due to its plastic receiver, and the Mini 14’s cost has long exceeded its offered accuracy and modularity.
The SCR is comparably priced to an up-trim Mini 14, but it beats out the Mini with easy swapping of barrels and calibers, incredible modularity, and a close-topped action (an important but often overlooked safety feature). Whether you want your rifle to be light and handy, heavy and accurate, or anything in between, the SCR can do it: just pull the pins and swap the upper like any other AR.
The SCR is comparably priced to an up-trim Mini 14, but it beats out the Mini with easy swapping of barrels and calibers, incredible modularity, and a close-topped action (an important but often overlooked safety feature). Whether you want your rifle to be light and handy, heavy and accurate, or anything in between, the SCR can do it: just pull the pins and swap the upper like any other AR.
You can buy the SCR as a complete rifle, but at $800+ out the door its feature set is pretty sparse; no sights, no threaded barrel, no free-floating handguard, and even the bolt catch is a $40 extra. The barrel is unthreaded to make the SCR 50-state compliant, but the rest feels a little stingy.
|
Unless you spring for the bolt catch, plan on racking the plain-jane mil-spec charging handle every time.
|
You can also buy the SCR as a lower receiver only for around $500, and then use the $300 you saved to build or buy an upper from somewhere besides Fightlite. As of this writing (Q1 2018), $300 and some patience can land you a very competent upper receiver, especially since you don’t need the upper to be complete with a bolt carrier group (the SCR lower arrives packaged with the SCR’s unique bolt carrier, which is the only upper part that isn’t compatible with a standard AR-15). You’ll still need a bolt, but that’s about half the cost of a compete bolt carrier group.
In our view, building or buying the SCR upper yourself is definitely the way to make your dollar go the furthest, but there are a few quirks to the process. That said, we already made all the mistakes so you don’t have to: check out the “Building and Planning” section near the bottom of the article for helpful notes we gathered as we built our SCR upper.
In our view, building or buying the SCR upper yourself is definitely the way to make your dollar go the furthest, but there are a few quirks to the process. That said, we already made all the mistakes so you don’t have to: check out the “Building and Planning” section near the bottom of the article for helpful notes we gathered as we built our SCR upper.
How does it work?
Fightlite re-engineered the AR-15’s recoil system to accommodate the angled semi-grip, using a system very similar to a Remington 1100 shotgun where the action spring angles down and runs through the grip. A few parts are even interchangeable between the 1100 and SCR, like the safety. Although the SCR’s shoulder stock does appear to be a custom part (i.e. not simply a re-purposed Remington 1100 stock), aftermarket Remington 1100 stocks can fit the SCR after some attention with hand tools. Fightlite doesn’t seem to like admitting any of this, though, and any of these changes will likely void your warranty.
Modularity is nearly as good as a normal AR-15, as the SCR uses most of the same parts. Re-assembling the upper and lower isn't quite as intuitive, though. You can't pivot the upper back into place on the front takedown pin - the bolt carrier's tail hangs up on the lower receiver. You have to sort of slide the two halves together, instead. It's not hard, just not as intuitive as a normal AR-15.
Fightlite re-engineered the AR-15’s recoil system to accommodate the angled semi-grip, using a system very similar to a Remington 1100 shotgun where the action spring angles down and runs through the grip. A few parts are even interchangeable between the 1100 and SCR, like the safety. Although the SCR’s shoulder stock does appear to be a custom part (i.e. not simply a re-purposed Remington 1100 stock), aftermarket Remington 1100 stocks can fit the SCR after some attention with hand tools. Fightlite doesn’t seem to like admitting any of this, though, and any of these changes will likely void your warranty.
Modularity is nearly as good as a normal AR-15, as the SCR uses most of the same parts. Re-assembling the upper and lower isn't quite as intuitive, though. You can't pivot the upper back into place on the front takedown pin - the bolt carrier's tail hangs up on the lower receiver. You have to sort of slide the two halves together, instead. It's not hard, just not as intuitive as a normal AR-15.
Left: AR-15 Bolt Carrier Right: SCR Bolt Carrier
Standard AR bolts slot into the SCR’s bolt carrier just fine, so you can still swap between most calibers.
Standard AR bolts slot into the SCR’s bolt carrier just fine, so you can still swap between most calibers.
The re-engineered recoil system makes the SCR a very soft-shooting gun. The SCR’s bolt carrier is ~30% lighter than a normal AR-15 bolt carrier, and the SCR doesn’t have a buffer. That’s a lot less mass bouncing back and forth with every shot, and additionally, the recoil spring tracks downward in the stock through the pistol grip, sapping away a little bit of muzzle rise as the spring bottoms out well below the bore axis. It’s not exactly the Kriss Super V system, as the bulk of the bolt group’s mass still moves straight back and forth in the receiver, but it’s not nuthin’, either.
The lightweight internals make the SCR lean towards overgassing, and ours does indeed eject brass a little excitedly from a mid-length 16” barrel, but reliability has still been boringly flawless over more than four hundred rounds of mixed steel- and brass-cased ammunition.
The lightweight internals make the SCR lean towards overgassing, and ours does indeed eject brass a little excitedly from a mid-length 16” barrel, but reliability has still been boringly flawless over more than four hundred rounds of mixed steel- and brass-cased ammunition.
Brass dings on our SCR’s shell deflector indicate the gun is a bit overgassed.
Limitations
Through the use of an AR-15 upper, you can make the SCR as reliable, accurate, or soft-shooting as you want. However, the SCR is not a true AR-15, so there are some limitations. See below:
Things you CAN do with an SCR:
- Changing barrel length and/or gas system length
3. Swap between most calibers.
- Any caliber that uses a standard AR-15 bolt carrier (.300 BLK, 7.62x39, .458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel, etc.)
Things you CANNOT do with an SCR:
4. Convert it to any side-charging system that requires a different bolt carrier.
Through the use of an AR-15 upper, you can make the SCR as reliable, accurate, or soft-shooting as you want. However, the SCR is not a true AR-15, so there are some limitations. See below:
Things you CAN do with an SCR:
- Swap between barrel lengths, handguard styles, muzzle devices, and all the other customizable baloney associated with AR-15 uppers.
- Adjust gas system via:
- Changing barrel length and/or gas system length
3. Swap between most calibers.
- Any caliber that uses a standard AR-15 bolt carrier (.300 BLK, 7.62x39, .458 SOCOM, 6.5 Grendel, etc.)
Things you CANNOT do with an SCR:
- Use stocks, grips, triggers, or really any AR-15 lower receiver component.
- Adjust the gas system by swapping buffers.
- Swap between calibers that require a unique bolt carrier.
4. Convert it to any side-charging system that requires a different bolt carrier.
The Good and the Bad
The good:
Weight
The SCR lower is impressively light. One of our staff has a lightweight AR lower built out of a standard forged lower, an Ace ARUL (ultralight) stock, and Hogue pistol grip with no grip filler. That lower (plus bolt carrier) weighs in at 43 oz (2.69 lb), whereas the SCR lower weighs in at 46.2 ounces (2.89 lbs), including the SCR’s unique bolt carrier. So, the SCR lower is on-par with the very lightest aluminum AR lowers, which equals a very light rifle - our complete SCR was not a particularly lightweight build (see “Reviewed Rifle Build Details” section for the full specs), but weighs in around 7.5 lbs with a 1-4x scope.
Trigger
The original SCR came with a relatively heavy trigger, a carryover from the SCR’s shotgun ancestry. More recent units, including every model shipped after Ares Defense became Fightlite Industries, instead come with a much lighter trigger; ours breaks at 4.2 lbs. The trigger has a bit of a plasticky, flexible feel, but it breaks crisply and predictably, and resets positively, and a trigger that does that with a 4.2 lb pull weight is a nice trigger no matter how you shake it.
Semi-grip Stock
Pistol grips are all the rage, but the good ol’ semi-grip has been around for centuries for a reason. Semi-grip stocks put both hands into alignment for offhand shooting that many shooters find more natural and pointable. They encourage a strong “chicken wing” shooting posture, which is arguably the most stable offhand shooting stance (if not ideal for minimizing your silhouette). They have lean profiles with no jutting bits to snag on brush or the seats in a squadcar, and they fit very nicely into rifle scabbards. They can be grabbed quickly from any angle: top, bottom, back, or side (pistol grips can only be grabbed from the bottom of the gun). Plus, semi-grip stocks are strong as oak trees and don’t look scary to the gun-uninformed. They’re not better than pistol grips, they’re just different, but they make a lot of sense for the semi-auto-only civilian.
Modularity:
Basically, if you can do it with an AR upper, you can probably do it with the SCR. See the “Limitations” section above for an in-depth breakdown.
The bad:
Reloading:
The control layout of the SCR is pointable and intuitive in all ways except one: reloading on an empty chamber is a slow, clunky spectacle of hand swapping and gun flopping. In this respect, the design wasn’t changed enough from its AR-15 roots; the SCR desperately wants to be a side-charging upper, but it’s not. We assume that Fightlite didn’t go down the side-charging road in order to maintain maximum interoperability with existing AR uppers, but the result is a rifle that balances and points very well, yet reloads like a stick in the mud.
Assuming you are right-handed, imagine shouldering an AR, but now bring your trigger hand back to rest near the buffer tube instead of on the pistol grip. You can no longer reach the magazine release without moving your hand, and just like that, the AR-15’s entire control layout collapses like so many wobbling dominoes.
Your rifle goes click and you go to swap magazines, but your trigger finger doesn’t reach the mag release anymore, so you hold the rifle with your left hand and bring your right hand off the grip completely to reach forward and tap the mag release. Since your right hand is already free, you grab a fresh mag and slide it in, but now you have to swap hands because you need your left hand to hit the bolt catch (again, a $40 add-on) or charging handle on the left side of the gun. Instead, you might think to do the entire reload with your left hand, which is in a good position to easily tap the bolt release or blade the charging handle, but since the magazine release is on the right side of the gun, you’ve still got an odd bit of juggling to do to get the whole process started.
To avoid this mess, you either commit to all left-handed reloads with an ambidextrous magazine release, or commit to all right-handed reloads with an ambidextrous charging handle. Both of these approaches cost money and have their own problems:
Left-hand Reload Problems:
Right-hand reload problems:
*Update: astute readers have pointed out that perhaps the most durable solution (outside of a true side-charging upper) is a "faux" side-charging system, such as those available from Gibbz Arms, Devil Dog Concepts, GFGear, etc. However, these systems are generally very costly, around $200+, and given that the SCR is already not an inexpensive rifle, these added costs can be a lot to stomach.
Weight
The SCR lower is impressively light. One of our staff has a lightweight AR lower built out of a standard forged lower, an Ace ARUL (ultralight) stock, and Hogue pistol grip with no grip filler. That lower (plus bolt carrier) weighs in at 43 oz (2.69 lb), whereas the SCR lower weighs in at 46.2 ounces (2.89 lbs), including the SCR’s unique bolt carrier. So, the SCR lower is on-par with the very lightest aluminum AR lowers, which equals a very light rifle - our complete SCR was not a particularly lightweight build (see “Reviewed Rifle Build Details” section for the full specs), but weighs in around 7.5 lbs with a 1-4x scope.
Trigger
The original SCR came with a relatively heavy trigger, a carryover from the SCR’s shotgun ancestry. More recent units, including every model shipped after Ares Defense became Fightlite Industries, instead come with a much lighter trigger; ours breaks at 4.2 lbs. The trigger has a bit of a plasticky, flexible feel, but it breaks crisply and predictably, and resets positively, and a trigger that does that with a 4.2 lb pull weight is a nice trigger no matter how you shake it.
Semi-grip Stock
Pistol grips are all the rage, but the good ol’ semi-grip has been around for centuries for a reason. Semi-grip stocks put both hands into alignment for offhand shooting that many shooters find more natural and pointable. They encourage a strong “chicken wing” shooting posture, which is arguably the most stable offhand shooting stance (if not ideal for minimizing your silhouette). They have lean profiles with no jutting bits to snag on brush or the seats in a squadcar, and they fit very nicely into rifle scabbards. They can be grabbed quickly from any angle: top, bottom, back, or side (pistol grips can only be grabbed from the bottom of the gun). Plus, semi-grip stocks are strong as oak trees and don’t look scary to the gun-uninformed. They’re not better than pistol grips, they’re just different, but they make a lot of sense for the semi-auto-only civilian.
Modularity:
Basically, if you can do it with an AR upper, you can probably do it with the SCR. See the “Limitations” section above for an in-depth breakdown.
The bad:
Reloading:
The control layout of the SCR is pointable and intuitive in all ways except one: reloading on an empty chamber is a slow, clunky spectacle of hand swapping and gun flopping. In this respect, the design wasn’t changed enough from its AR-15 roots; the SCR desperately wants to be a side-charging upper, but it’s not. We assume that Fightlite didn’t go down the side-charging road in order to maintain maximum interoperability with existing AR uppers, but the result is a rifle that balances and points very well, yet reloads like a stick in the mud.
Assuming you are right-handed, imagine shouldering an AR, but now bring your trigger hand back to rest near the buffer tube instead of on the pistol grip. You can no longer reach the magazine release without moving your hand, and just like that, the AR-15’s entire control layout collapses like so many wobbling dominoes.
Your rifle goes click and you go to swap magazines, but your trigger finger doesn’t reach the mag release anymore, so you hold the rifle with your left hand and bring your right hand off the grip completely to reach forward and tap the mag release. Since your right hand is already free, you grab a fresh mag and slide it in, but now you have to swap hands because you need your left hand to hit the bolt catch (again, a $40 add-on) or charging handle on the left side of the gun. Instead, you might think to do the entire reload with your left hand, which is in a good position to easily tap the bolt release or blade the charging handle, but since the magazine release is on the right side of the gun, you’ve still got an odd bit of juggling to do to get the whole process started.
To avoid this mess, you either commit to all left-handed reloads with an ambidextrous magazine release, or commit to all right-handed reloads with an ambidextrous charging handle. Both of these approaches cost money and have their own problems:
Left-hand Reload Problems:
- Even the best left-hand mag releases aren’t as big and user-friendly as the original.
- If you include the bolt release, it will crowd close to a left-hand magazine release, so you run the risk of hitting the wrong one under stress.
- With your right hand in position on the semi-grip stock, the charging handle will scrape the skin off your knuckles if you aren’t careful.
Right-hand reload problems:
- Charging handle durability is suspect; even the best AR ambi charging handles are dainty in comparison to the charging handle of an AK, SKS, M1A, etc. which are intended for constant use.
- Ejection port door practically touches the magazine release, easy to mishandle under stress.
*Update: astute readers have pointed out that perhaps the most durable solution (outside of a true side-charging upper) is a "faux" side-charging system, such as those available from Gibbz Arms, Devil Dog Concepts, GFGear, etc. However, these systems are generally very costly, around $200+, and given that the SCR is already not an inexpensive rifle, these added costs can be a lot to stomach.
Accuracy, Handling, and General “Shootability”
It’s a good gun. It’s very lightweight and the 4.2 lb trigger is tremendously competent. It has yet to hiccup over more than four hundred rounds of mixed brass- and steel-cased ammunition with only one cleaning. We set the SCR up on bags with a 14x scope and fed it a box of Federal Lake City 77-grain Open Tip Match (OTM): even with a dirty and warm barrel, it printed consistent 1.5 MOA groups, and what’s more, these groups were consistently composed of four sub-1 MOA shots and then one ~1.5 MOA flier (see image below).
The shoot was at 100 meters and under less than ideal conditions: sun glare was intense, the target was shaded, and the scope rings were poor quality (they were the only ones close at hand that let the high-magnification scope clear the SCR’s free-float rail). We suspect that the SCR would be capable of consistent 1 MOA performance if given better conditions, and could even flirt with sub-MOA patterning with a few more dollars spent in the right places.
It’s a good gun. It’s very lightweight and the 4.2 lb trigger is tremendously competent. It has yet to hiccup over more than four hundred rounds of mixed brass- and steel-cased ammunition with only one cleaning. We set the SCR up on bags with a 14x scope and fed it a box of Federal Lake City 77-grain Open Tip Match (OTM): even with a dirty and warm barrel, it printed consistent 1.5 MOA groups, and what’s more, these groups were consistently composed of four sub-1 MOA shots and then one ~1.5 MOA flier (see image below).
The shoot was at 100 meters and under less than ideal conditions: sun glare was intense, the target was shaded, and the scope rings were poor quality (they were the only ones close at hand that let the high-magnification scope clear the SCR’s free-float rail). We suspect that the SCR would be capable of consistent 1 MOA performance if given better conditions, and could even flirt with sub-MOA patterning with a few more dollars spent in the right places.
1 box of Federal 77gr OTM - groups averaged 1.5 MOA with flyers
The takeaway:
The Fightlite SCR does the important things right: it’s lightweight, accurate, reliable, and modular. If you want a practical, durable semi-automatic rifle with a semi-grip stock, the SCR is pricey, but nearly perfect. Nearly. Magazine changes are clunky and slow at worst, a little fiddly at best, and between the up-charging for the bolt catch and the sparse feature set on the factory SCR, the price is mildly scandalous - $500 for a lower receiver only, or $800 for a complete rifle. In today’s market (Q1 2018), you can get an entire Ruger AR-556 for under $500 - that’s a turnkey weapon from a big-name brand for the cost of the SCR’s stripped lower receiver.
That said, we the shooting public are spoiled beyond rotten by the rock-bottom pricing on ARs over the past few years, and the SCR is a unique product that warrants a premium price tag. Furthermore, it isn’t that much more than a Mini-14 and $800 is still a bargain compared to the premier brands like Noveske, Daniel Defense, etc. If you want it, you pay for it. In the SCR’s case, we think it’s probably money well spent.
The Fightlite SCR does the important things right: it’s lightweight, accurate, reliable, and modular. If you want a practical, durable semi-automatic rifle with a semi-grip stock, the SCR is pricey, but nearly perfect. Nearly. Magazine changes are clunky and slow at worst, a little fiddly at best, and between the up-charging for the bolt catch and the sparse feature set on the factory SCR, the price is mildly scandalous - $500 for a lower receiver only, or $800 for a complete rifle. In today’s market (Q1 2018), you can get an entire Ruger AR-556 for under $500 - that’s a turnkey weapon from a big-name brand for the cost of the SCR’s stripped lower receiver.
That said, we the shooting public are spoiled beyond rotten by the rock-bottom pricing on ARs over the past few years, and the SCR is a unique product that warrants a premium price tag. Furthermore, it isn’t that much more than a Mini-14 and $800 is still a bargain compared to the premier brands like Noveske, Daniel Defense, etc. If you want it, you pay for it. In the SCR’s case, we think it’s probably money well spent.
Building and Planning Notes
We made the mistakes so you don’t have to - here are the things you need to know when choosing/building an upper for a SCR lower:
Overgassing:
The lightweight internals make the SCR lean towards overgassing. If possible, steer away from overgassed builds like 16” barrels with carbine gas systems, and consider adding an adjustable gas block to drain excess recoil and really make the most of the SCR’s lightweight internals.
Sight axis:
The SCR’s sight axis is very low, similar to a bolt-action hunting rifle. Though tempting, avoid scope rings and iron sights intended for use on an AR-15, as they will sit very high and give an extremely poor cheek weld.
For iron sights, pickings are slim. Fightlite sells their own iron sights for the SCR, but the front sight is meant to fit over their gas block, so it probably won’t fit an upper sourced from outside Fightlite. Instead, the iron sights for the CZ Scorpion Evo, H&K G36C/SL8, and H&K UMP sit low, clamp onto any Picatinny rail, and can be found for between $40 and $90 (note that some of these use plastic components and will melt if mounted to a gas block rail). Troy Industries Micro flip-up sights are also the correct height, and work fantastically, but start around $150.
For scope rings, opt for as low as you can go while still having your scope clear the rail and any iron sights you may have installed. Our SCR’s scope is a Burris MTAC 1-4x, a straight-tube 30mm sitting in low height rings - these particular rings put 10mm between the top of the rail and the bottom of the scope body. Even these low rings sit the scope a little high for the cheek weld on the our SCR’s Monte Carlo stock, so we added a stock pouch and the cheek weld is now just about perfect. Also, low height scope mounts force the handguard to intrude into the field of view much more prominently than an AR-height scope mount would. Above 2x magnification, however, this problem is negligible. See image below (target shown is the GunTweaks CHCOF Stage 1 target).
We made the mistakes so you don’t have to - here are the things you need to know when choosing/building an upper for a SCR lower:
Overgassing:
The lightweight internals make the SCR lean towards overgassing. If possible, steer away from overgassed builds like 16” barrels with carbine gas systems, and consider adding an adjustable gas block to drain excess recoil and really make the most of the SCR’s lightweight internals.
Sight axis:
The SCR’s sight axis is very low, similar to a bolt-action hunting rifle. Though tempting, avoid scope rings and iron sights intended for use on an AR-15, as they will sit very high and give an extremely poor cheek weld.
For iron sights, pickings are slim. Fightlite sells their own iron sights for the SCR, but the front sight is meant to fit over their gas block, so it probably won’t fit an upper sourced from outside Fightlite. Instead, the iron sights for the CZ Scorpion Evo, H&K G36C/SL8, and H&K UMP sit low, clamp onto any Picatinny rail, and can be found for between $40 and $90 (note that some of these use plastic components and will melt if mounted to a gas block rail). Troy Industries Micro flip-up sights are also the correct height, and work fantastically, but start around $150.
For scope rings, opt for as low as you can go while still having your scope clear the rail and any iron sights you may have installed. Our SCR’s scope is a Burris MTAC 1-4x, a straight-tube 30mm sitting in low height rings - these particular rings put 10mm between the top of the rail and the bottom of the scope body. Even these low rings sit the scope a little high for the cheek weld on the our SCR’s Monte Carlo stock, so we added a stock pouch and the cheek weld is now just about perfect. Also, low height scope mounts force the handguard to intrude into the field of view much more prominently than an AR-height scope mount would. Above 2x magnification, however, this problem is negligible. See image below (target shown is the GunTweaks CHCOF Stage 1 target).
Burris MTAC 1-4x, “low” rings (10mm between top of rail and bottom of scope), mid-length handguard
Bolt parts:
The SCR lower receiver comes with its own bolt carrier, so you’re likely ignore the “Complete BCG” package deals and just opt to buy an AR-15 bolt by itself. This is fine, but most AR-15 bolts on the market are just that; the bolt. You will still need a cam pin and firing pin, but you can do without cotter pin (the SCR bolt carrier uses its own pin, which is supplied with the bolt).
Length of Pull:
The length of pull on the factory SCR is very Tier 1, about 13.0 inches. If you want a longer length-of-pull, you’re a little stuck: Fightlite does not offer any length-of-pull spacer kits, and the spacer kits for the Remington 1100 shotgun don’t fit, either.
To extend the length-of-pull, you can add a slip-on recoil pad, or make/have someone make custom-fitted spacers to fit between the stock and the buttplate. This is what we did and it’s a very approachable project, requiring only basic woodworking skills to craft some lightweight, sturdy wooden spacers. The thread pitch of the SCR buttplate is 10-24 and you can find longer bolts in this thread at any hardware store (you will need longer buttplate bolts to accommodate the spacers).
Forward Assist:
The SCR’s unique bolt carrier is too short to be engaged by the Forward Assist (FA) that comes on AR-15 upper receivers. It won’t hurt the SCR to have a FA, it just won’t do anything. Many companies make inexpensive “slickside” upper receivers with no FA or ejection port door, so that’s the simplest route. A less commonly available but more elegant solution is an upper receiver that deletes the FA, but retains the ejection port door.
Monte Carlo vs Straight Comb
When ordering your SCR, you usually have the choice of Monte Carlo and straight combs on the stock; basically optics-height (Monte Carlo) or iron sights-height (straight). However, even the Monte Carlo comb is low enough for iron sights, so we’d skip the straight comb no matter what you intend to run.
Sling mounting:
There is a standard 10-32 threaded plug sunk into the stock, ready for a swivel stud from the nearest outdoors store.
Left-hand or Right-hand reload:
It would be wise to purchase parts to support either one or the other – see the “Reloading” section above.
The SCR lower receiver comes with its own bolt carrier, so you’re likely ignore the “Complete BCG” package deals and just opt to buy an AR-15 bolt by itself. This is fine, but most AR-15 bolts on the market are just that; the bolt. You will still need a cam pin and firing pin, but you can do without cotter pin (the SCR bolt carrier uses its own pin, which is supplied with the bolt).
Length of Pull:
The length of pull on the factory SCR is very Tier 1, about 13.0 inches. If you want a longer length-of-pull, you’re a little stuck: Fightlite does not offer any length-of-pull spacer kits, and the spacer kits for the Remington 1100 shotgun don’t fit, either.
To extend the length-of-pull, you can add a slip-on recoil pad, or make/have someone make custom-fitted spacers to fit between the stock and the buttplate. This is what we did and it’s a very approachable project, requiring only basic woodworking skills to craft some lightweight, sturdy wooden spacers. The thread pitch of the SCR buttplate is 10-24 and you can find longer bolts in this thread at any hardware store (you will need longer buttplate bolts to accommodate the spacers).
Forward Assist:
The SCR’s unique bolt carrier is too short to be engaged by the Forward Assist (FA) that comes on AR-15 upper receivers. It won’t hurt the SCR to have a FA, it just won’t do anything. Many companies make inexpensive “slickside” upper receivers with no FA or ejection port door, so that’s the simplest route. A less commonly available but more elegant solution is an upper receiver that deletes the FA, but retains the ejection port door.
Monte Carlo vs Straight Comb
When ordering your SCR, you usually have the choice of Monte Carlo and straight combs on the stock; basically optics-height (Monte Carlo) or iron sights-height (straight). However, even the Monte Carlo comb is low enough for iron sights, so we’d skip the straight comb no matter what you intend to run.
Sling mounting:
There is a standard 10-32 threaded plug sunk into the stock, ready for a swivel stud from the nearest outdoors store.
Left-hand or Right-hand reload:
It would be wise to purchase parts to support either one or the other – see the “Reloading” section above.
Reviewed Rifle Build Details
Lower Receiver: Fightlite SCR Lower Receiver Assembly, Monte Carlo stock
Upper Receiver: Aero Precision Upper Receiver, no FA
Barrel: Ballistic Advantage Modern Series stripped barrel, mid-length, 16”
Muzzle Device: JP Enterprises Flash Hider
Charging Handle: Aero Precision Ambidextrous Charging Handle
Bolt: SRC Relia-Bolt
Handguard: UTG Pro M-LOK Super Slim Free Float 15” handguard (chopped down to length)
Gas Block: Generic, F-marked (chopped and shaved, drilled/tapped to add set screws)
Gas Tube: Generic, mid-length
Cam Pin: Generic
Firing Pin: Generic
Lower Receiver: Fightlite SCR Lower Receiver Assembly, Monte Carlo stock
Upper Receiver: Aero Precision Upper Receiver, no FA
Barrel: Ballistic Advantage Modern Series stripped barrel, mid-length, 16”
Muzzle Device: JP Enterprises Flash Hider
Charging Handle: Aero Precision Ambidextrous Charging Handle
Bolt: SRC Relia-Bolt
Handguard: UTG Pro M-LOK Super Slim Free Float 15” handguard (chopped down to length)
Gas Block: Generic, F-marked (chopped and shaved, drilled/tapped to add set screws)
Gas Tube: Generic, mid-length
Cam Pin: Generic
Firing Pin: Generic
|
|