SCAR-H

The FN SCAR-H (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle - Heavy) is a primary weapon in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2''. '

It can be used in all three game modes: Singleplayer, Special Ops, and Multiplayer. It is based on the real-life FN SCAR-H, a modern battle rifle firing the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge, and made for the U.S. military. It is one of the earlier rifles unlocked in the game, and is one of the more powerful rifles featured, offsetting its lower rate-of-fire. Despite being a battle rifle, it is classified as an Assault Rifle in-game.

History
The FN SCAR-H is a modular, modern battle rifle made by FN Herstal or FN for short. The L-variant of this weapon, which fires 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, was first issued to US forces in April of 2009, with a battalion of the US 75th Ranger Regiment being the first large unit deployed with the FN SCAR. It was designed at the request of SOCOM for a multi-caliber special-forces rifle capable of marksman and CQB conversions. The SCAR-H is the battle rifle version, firing the more powerful 7.62x51mm round, making it one of the first original battle rifles since the 1950s. It has competed with the XM8 and the HK416 for general adoption by the US Army, though none of the rifles were selected to replace the M4. Currently U.S. Special Operations Forces such as the Army Rangers, Delta Force, and Navy SEALs are field testing the weapon in Iraq and Afghanistan. All Rangers are supposed to be equipped with a SCAR-H or SCAR-L by late 2010. The key idea of SCAR rifle system was to provide special forces operators with a wide variety of options, from a short-barreled 5.56x45mm CQC variation tailored for urban close combat, to a long range 7.62x51mm SCAR-H Sniper variant, as well as a 7.62x39mm SCAR-H, which could accept "battlefield pickup" AK47 magazines with 7.62x39mm M43 ammunition, available during operations behind enemy lines.

Multiplayer
Unlocked at Level 8 in multiplayer, the high damage and moderate recoil of the SCAR-H makes it popular among players, despite its small magazine capacity and relatively low rate of fire. It has the least amount of ammo of all automatic assault rifles due to its small magazine size (making this weapon a good choice for unlocking the "Surgical" title), and it also has a fairly long reload time. Stopping Power is useful with this weapon in core - though the rifle doesn't depend on it to be effective due to its relatively high damage, but can be useful to rack up more kills without reloading as many times, or if Scavenger is not unlocked. It is also moderately useful for close range fighting, however the TAR-21 is more useful due to the same damage stats but a higher rate of fire. The rifle only comes with 60 total rounds. This means that the SCAR-H will run out of ammo very quickly, making Scavenger incredibly useful. The SCAR-H is arguably one of the most effective assault rifles at long range as it has good accuracy, precise iron sights, high damage, and only vertical recoil which is easy to control.

In hardcore, the SCAR-H is a one shot kill at any range, unless shooting through cover - somewhat negating the need for extra ammunition, making Sleight of Hand a useful alternative due to the relatively long reload time. Because of its ability to kill targets in one shot, the SCAR-H is surprisingly effective in Hardcore when equipped with a Thermal Scope, either Blinged with a Silencer or with a different Tier 1 Perk. This is because it can be used effectively in close quarters, even hipfiring as it has low recoil and a low rate of fire. It is also effective even firing full-auto at long range as it has lower recoil than the other one hit kill assault rifles. Using the ACOG sight in Hardcore is also a useful alternative to a sniper rifle, due to the already-mentioned power, and the fact that the ACOG has no sway on assault rifles.

Additional Tips

 * The iron sights on the SCAR-H are extremely clear and give an unobstructed view of the target in all directions, making a Red Dot Sight or Holographic Sight unneeded by those who can use its iron sights well, freeing the slot for other attachments, such as a Silencer or Extended Mags.
 * Scavenger and Extended Magazines are both very popular with the SCAR-H due to its small starting ammo reserve and small magazine. The Extended Mags attachment gives the SCAR-H 30 rounds in a magazine instead of 20.
 * Reload Canceling does work to a degree with the SCAR-H, however it is only somewhat effective and should only be used when reloading a partially empty magazine, as it is difficult to reload cancel with a fully emptied magazine effectively.
 * A Grenade Launcher is also a good attachment for this weapon: Scavenger is useful because of the weapon's low ammo, and gives the player infinite M203 grenades. The iron sights of the SCAR-H are extremely clear, so it is easier to use a Grenade Launcher. And the high damage of the SCAR-H makes Stopping Power unnecessary, allowing the player to use Danger Close, to make the M203 more powerful.
 * Keep in mind, however, that Stopping Power reduces the bullets necessary to kill in non-hardcore gametypes (before region-of-the-body damage multipliers) at close to mid-long range from 3 to 2 and at extreme long range from 4 to 3. This can help the player be somewhat more ammo-efficient, which can be a great help, especially for the SCAR-H, with its low starting ammo count, and even more so if the player does not have Scavenger as a Tier 1 perk. There is also the simple benefit of it killing faster: because of the SCAR-H's low rate of fire, the reduction of a bullet actually shaves a considerable portion of time (still only fractions of seconds, but very valuable in a firefight) off of how long it takes to kill a target while firing accurately with this weapon.
 * The ACOG is a great sight to have as it increases the SCAR-H's already impressive range. However, the drawback is that it significantly obscures the player's view when ADS.

More info

 * The most common tier 1 perks are Scavenger or Bling. Although Scavenger may be needed, Bling is fairly useless unless players are mounting a Grenade Launcher and Silencer or Extended mags with a Silencer.
 * Mounting an optic on the SCAR-H (e.g. Holographic Sight, Red Dot, etc.) is a waste of an attachment, as the SCAR-H has one of the most open, clearer, easy-to-use set of iron sights in the game. Extended magazines, the silencer or the grenade launcher are useful attachments.
 * The most common Tier 3 perk is Steady Aim or Commando. The SCAR-H is incredibly effective with Steady Aim, as its kills in 2 bullets at close range providing the player is using Stopping Power. As such, the time saved from not having to aim down the sights often means the difference between winning and losing in a close confrontation.

Weapon Attachments

 * Grenade Launcher
 * Shotgun
 * Red Dot Sight
 * Holographic Sight
 * Silencer
 * Heartbeat Sensor
 * ACOG Scope
 * Thermal scope
 * FMJ
 * Extended Magazines
 * Foregrip (Only found in the pit of S.S.D.D.)

Inaccuracies

 * The SCAR-H's bolt is designed to lock back when the weapon is empty. In game, it doesn't, so when the weapon is reloaded, the bolt release is hit but the bolt is already forward.
 * The SCAR-H is depicted using the M203 grenade launcher, but like some other rifles (G36, F2000 and other), it has its own proprietary launcher, the FN40GL.
 * The rear sight of the SCAR-H is backwards.

Trivia

 * Directly under the iron sights the text reads "INFINITY WARD, USA. ENCINO, CA. www.infinityward.com and IW BROCK," followed by some indistinguishable characters.


 * Sometimes in the 3rd person multiplayer modes a SCAR-H with camouflage will lose its camouflage when the player changes to a secondary weapon.


 * In S.S.D.D., a SCAR-H with foregrip can be found in 'The Pit'. However this configuration can not be found anywhere else in the game.


 * The SCAR-H has a different reload animation with the Heartbeat Sensor attached because the charging handle is obstructed.


 * The first military unit to be equipped with the SCAR-H is the U.S. Army Rangers, which the American main characters are a part of in Modern Warfare 2.


 * The SCAR-H is the main weapon of the Rangers in Modern Warfare 2. In real life, all Rangers are supposed to be equipped with the SCAR-H and SCAR-L by 2011.


 * When the weapon is picked up off the ground for the first time, the player character cycles the action before using it.


 * The SCAR-H's pickup and kill icon shows a foregrip, even though it is only seen in S.S.D.D..


 * In singleplayer, the SCAR-H's M203 makes the sound of a GP-25, but in multiplayer, it makes the regular sound of a M203.


 * The SCAR-H that can be taken from Dunn in the museum has a thermal scope which cannot be steadied, and has the recoil of a SCAR-H with a red dot/holographic sight.


 * There is fingerprint on the front iron sight that is visible under the correct lighting.


 * The SCAR-H is never found with a holographic sight in the campaign.
 * On the side of the SCAR-H, "Infinity Ward, USA MK 17 Mod 0 0048762" is written.