- [Voiceover] Hey guys it is Alex C with TFBTV.
And today I thought it might be fun
to make a list of five firearms I wish were more popular.
The criteria here is that the guns must be listed
as in production by the manufacturer.
In a world where quality factory made ARs
can be bought for under $1000
and built for often half this much
by thrifty enthusiasts,
it just makes it plain hard
for any big company to produce competing design
at a similar price point
that offers enough to justify the difference.
Mind you this list isn't necessarily
about underrated firearms
because most of these are very well
regarded by the community
but numerous factors prevent any kind of proliferation.
First up is a gun that is coveted by many.
Peerless in the marketplace
and tactical as you know.
This is FN SCAR® 17S.
The 762 x 51 version of the SCAR platform.
The SCAR 17 is a self-loading rifle
that uses a short-stroke piston
and a Stoner Johnson style rotating bolt.
Pretty straightforward in this regard
but the controls and ergonomics are simply wonderful
compared to other battle rifles like the HNKG3
or FAL rifles.
In my opinion the SCAR 17 is again peerless
in the marketplace when it comes to self-loading 30 cals
and in my experience, the accuracy
is rivaled only by the SIG STG57 and its variants.
The SCARs handle like an AR 15.
They are fairly light,
user friendly, accurate, recoil is manageable
and they are very, very reliable.
The after market is also decent for a new comer
to the marketplace
and you can accessorize them to your heart's content
and your wallet's disdain
which brings to me why they aren't common.
They are very, very expensive.
With a factor MSRP of $3349,
it is no wonder that you don't
see these on the range too often.
While I will be the first to sing the praises of this gun,
I think it is frankly insane to expect
a rifle to sell for this much
when the alternatives that fill the same role or niche
are one third of the price like the PTR 91,
which isn't as good but the SCAR
is certainly not three times better.
Really for the SCAR 17 to get more popular,
it needs to come down in price.
I think most consumers in the market
for a self-loading 308
would pay $1500 for one
especially when M1As move quickly at that price.
But value isn't there at three grand.
So for the SCAR to get more popular,
it needs to come down in price substantially.
I wish that would happen so it could proliferate.
Next up is another offering from FN.
The FS200.
FN seems wishy-washy on whether or not
they want to continue to make this rifle
for commercial sale or not.
But as of this video,
it is listed as available on FN USA's website
under carbines.
I'm a huge fan of the FS2000.
They are so damn strange looking
that you can't help but gravitate towards them
and want to see how the heck
something so bizarre works and performs.
Also within an MSRP right there
with the AUG or TAVOR it was priced to compete
with its peers, but for some reason
it just never garnered any traction.
It never got much attention
and advertising was also almost non-existent.
We here at TFBTV have a lot of hands-on experience
shooting the FS2000.
We've even made a video of us
shooting it from a moving vehicle
at targets in a field,
which was fun and showed that the gun
itself works and handles very well.
Well the manual of arms takes some getting used to.
The FS2000 is a solid, sturdy platform.
While I personally think the AUG is a better option
for most situations,
the FS2000 is a much more fun and interesting gun to shoot.
It garnered little interest from consumers
due to either poor marketing or perhaps
its unconditional appearance
and that's a shame because I feel that FN
has a great gun to compete with in the bullpup arena,
sad really because it is always great to have
as many options available to consumers as possible.
Third we have a gun that is enigmatic
in that in some places it is very well regarded and popular
but in other countries it is existence
is almost overlooked entirely.
This is a civilian variant
of the Czech VZ. 58 rifle
and they are fantastic.
The reason this one isn't popular is pretty obvious.
Cheap AKs exist
and they have a following and aftermarket in the USA.
However, interestingly in Canada where AKs
are not available to civilians
with the exception of a handful of walnuts,
the VZ.58 is a great option for shooters
who want a non-restricted military style
semi-automatic rifle chambered in the
venerable 7.62 x 39 cartridge.
The VZ.58s are terrific
and have a milled receiver
while also weighing a pound less than most damned AKs.
They lock like a giant P38
which is mechanically interesting for a rifle,
have a short-stroke piston system,
folding stocks are available
and the aftermarket is terrific.
While clones like these can be bought for around $600,
you can get factory made guns
from the Czech Republic with all new parts
for around $1100.
However, they always seem to be out of stock
everywhere, and imports are spotty at best.
I've been trying to track down one
of these high quality guns for a while to test for you all,
and it is pretty darn difficult.
However, I have reviewed a clone
and fired 700 rounds through it
in one setting with no malfunctions
and grouping about three inches at a 100 yards
with iron sights and steel cased plinking ammo.
I know the rifles are capable of more
and I look forward to when I can test one for TFBTV.
They are affordable, reliable,
accurate, parts are cheap.
The aftermarket is big
and yet they still remain underground.
I suspect that this will remain so
unless AK productions suddenly halts.
Fourth we have a gun that many,
many people were filled with optimism about
and hoped back in 2007 or so
that it would be released to great critical success.
However, when it hit the market,
there was nothing but grumbling and disappointment.
I'm talking of course about the Bushmaster ACR.
The ACR's history is quite strange.
It is outgrowth of the Magpul Masada rifle
that promised great things to consumers
at a price point around $1500.
People wanted a viable competitor
to the AR15 that offered more
and the Masada seemed to be the ticket,
but when it hit the market with a 1:9 twist barrel
and selling for a much higher price
than originally quoted,
the community was so angry
that they overlooked the gun entirely.
Bushmaster promised all sorts of conversion kits
and parts to that never materialized as well.
This also further upset people
and rightfully so.
I've felt there was some minor improvements
and changes the ACR could be a great rifle,
but even the company that manufactures it
seems to have forgotten about it.
While listed on the website,
there are almost isn't any information
at all about the rifle.
The parts and accessory list is pretty barren.
You don't hear much about it at all these days.
I've shot this rifle quite a lot.
It's always run reliably including with a suppressor
and I like it.
It is ergonomic.
User friendly, fun to shoot
but that wasn't enough to move the ACR.
While I have seen them price new at about $1750
which is expensive,
guns like the TAVOR, AUG, and even the much more expensive
SCAR 16 sell better.
I believe this is an example of a company
rushing a product to market
without listening to the demands of the consumer
such as the desire for a 1:7 twist barrel.
And then further ignoring the marketplace
when backlash is present.
However, there does seem to be
a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Polish took notice of the design
and their MSBS rifle while different has
many of the positive features of the ACR.
Now that is a rifle I can't wait to review.
Lastly we have a rifle that is overlooked now
but seems to be getting some traction.
This makes me happy
and I thought it might be good to end
this video on a high note.
This is pistol version of the CZ 805 BREN
and I have submitted paperwork
to transform it into an SBR
which I will run through the ringer
in a review with ammo provided by Ventura Munitions
if the stamp ever comes back.
The CZ 805 is replacing the previously mentioned
VZ. 58 in Czech military service.
And CZ USA is importing them in pistol form
as a carbine for civilian shooters.
Reviews are all favorable too and the guns
have been very well received.
This gives me hope.
It shows that the industry isn't as
stagnant as you might think.
There are companies that dare to bring something to market
that is new, unique, and an interesting design.
Sure it does cost around $1500
but that is competitive with most
non-AR 15 or AK 5.56 self loaders.
The 805 is a piston design with a rotating bolt,
is nice and user friendly,
neat looking for what that's worth,
accurate and with a folding stock
very compact.
It isn't popular now because it is still a newcomer.
Whether or not it storms the marketplace
like CZ Scorpion EVO remain to be seen,
but I really hope it does.
As previously stated,
the more crowded the marketplace is
the better it is for consumers.
Competition brings innovation
and lower prices.
I hope that if anything the 805 gains a following
to show the industry that we like new
and new can be lucrative and profitable.
So these are five firearms I wish
were more popular.
Stagnation is the last thing the industry needs
because improved designs and products
are a large part of what makes things interesting,
but in a world full of $600 ARs
I understand why companies are hesitant to tool up
and try and compete
with a new and expensive R&D project.
Still though there are a few new rifles and pistols
out there with close release dates
that I'm very excited about and I can't wait to review.
Thank you for watching us on TFBTV.
We recently hit 200,000 subscribers
and we only have you all to thank.
Your continued support is what motivates us
to keep moving forward
and we hope to see you all next time.
(gun firing)