G&G SCAR-L, VFC SCAR-L: Differences

[Zack The Ripper]

I did a search and can't turn up in the way of direct info.

I have a G&G SCAR-L which is now in possession of my younger brother as his pew-pew machine. I put the thing through the wringer, and I was not the first owner either. Built like a brick poop house it has held up well, only upgrade being an extended tight bore barrel. In using 11.1 lipos the only thing to go in over a year in my game time was the trigger reset spring; contacts still look great, everything else seems good, and the range-accuracy is amazing, especially in the cold with that green G&G rubber. Gets a solid 200 feet of effective range on that setup alone. All in all, the G&G internal and external quality is fantastic.

All of this aside, G&G is not compatible with certain external upgrades such as the Madbull PWS SRX. With the build I would like to do this is a problem.

Now, I have never seen a direct comparison of the VFC and G&G models. I know my personal experience with the G&G, but have no experience with the VFC.

Now I know VFC all round are good quality guns with great bodies and decent internals to work with.

I have also heard some negative things about their SCAR-L models such as their hop-up units being pretty dicey and not the best design, which concerns me as I don't want to sacrifice performance for look and feel.

What I am looking for here is feedback from owners of both VFC and G&G SCARs. Not just the normal rhetoric of "Oh mine shoots great man, its a good gun". I'm looking for technical specifics pertaining to hop up, stock and upgraded. I'm also looking for info pertaining to gear strength/quality, wiring and circuitry quality (as the G&G seems pretty much 11.1 LiPo ready out of the box), and any other technical remarks internally or externally.

Appreciate the feedback; it will help steer my build in the right direction.

[pestobanana]

I can only speak for VFC, I've handled the G&G but haven't worked on one yet.

The hop up unit is plastic, and you cannot shim it to the mechbox using O-rings due to the way it disassembles. In theory this can lead to problems at high power or high rate of fire. I've used one up to 430 FPS and another at 37 RPS, and no issues. Seems to work well to me. You will however break the hop up unit if you accidentally release the bolt forward while the adjustment tool is still attached to the hop up wheel. My other complaint is that VFC hop ups in general tend to be very tight. I've torn some rubbers trying to get them in, but at least once you have it installed it will not leak. Every time I've had to cut the rubber shorter because it stretches, and I find tying the rubber down to the barrel helps.

VFC SCARs are not compatible with standard pistol grips. They take a bit of modding, but if you do it correctly it can work very well.

As for wiring, VFC uses 18 gauge wiring. People say you need 16, but I haven't had any problems with the 18. If you are trying to install a MOSFET, it will be a pain in the ass due to the limited amount of space from the internal stock wiring. You will have to modify a small plate behind the mechbox that hides the wires, and you will have to use a moderately small MOSFET.

[Rabbit]

A close friend of mine has a VFC Scar-L i've worked on. Straight up - fuck that hop up unit. Its that standard clear plastic shit. If you over tighten the screw on the winding wheel you're done for - and you know how easy that is with cheap plastic. Its a shame that you can't buy a metal one.

Im kind of wondering now if the G&G utilizes a similar unit.

Also - watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gerHLs_Z-6o

He also didn't like how the grip couldn't be changed out either - its very slim.

[pestobanana]

Originally Posted by Rabbit

A close friend of mine has a VFC Scar-L i've worked on. Straight up - fuck that hop up unit. Its that standard clear plastic shit. If you over tighten the screw on the winding wheel you're done for - and you know how easy that is with cheap plastic. Its a shame that you can't buy a metal one.

Im kind of wondering now if the G&G utilizes a similar unit.

Also - watch this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gerHLs_Z-6o

He also didn't like how the grip couldn't be changed out either - its very slim.

Breaking a hop up unit from over tightening has nothing to do with the material of the hop up unit itself, it has to do with the material of the gears. All of the metal hop up units I've seen also use plastic gears.

That video is of a hop up assembled incorrectly. I've never experienced this with the 3 I've worked on.

The grip can be changed out. You just need to modify it.

[Rabbit]

Originally Posted by pestobanana

Breaking a hop up unit from over tightening has nothing to do with the material of the hop up unit itself, it has to do with the material of the gears. All of the metal hop up units I've seen also use plastic gears.

No no, you've misunderstood - the gears aren't the issue - it was over tightening the small screw that holds the adjustment wheel on - over tighten that and you've stripped the internal threads for the small screw.

Its cheap plastic. Theres no denying that. Its not the same type of material/plastic in lets say an MP5 that are usually black.

[pestobanana]

Originally Posted by Rabbit

No no, you've misunderstood - the gears aren't the issue - it was over tightening the small screw that holds the adjustment wheel on - over tighten that and you've stripped the internal threads for the small screw.

Its cheap plastic. Theres no denying that. Its not the same type of material/plastic in lets say an MP5 that are usually black.

Oh okay, I've never seen it happen, but I guess it could happen if you're not careful.

[Zack The Ripper]

The G&G uses pretty much a standard M4 hop up unit that screws right into the gun so there is no movement of the unit or barrel whatsoever. It's really how all M4s should do it to be honest.

I guess that's a no to VFC, unless; can you use your generic M4 Hop unit in the VFC SCAR-L? If not, what modding would be required?

[Short Round]

ZTR I'm not sure when is the next game you are going to, but regardless whenever that is come find me and I will let you fondle my VFC Scar.

Now I bought mine from a friend which basically needed to be gutted out after 4 years of usage (I think he was the second owner). Surprisingly after simply replacing piston, bucking, and soon to be motor, the thing runs like a charm. Even despite using the stock auto-shimming gears that everyone hates, it still handles a 11.1v just fine and I only use semi more or less when I use this gun. I also have the stock barrel and hop unit still in it, with the perfect airseal I am hitting guys fine with ample of accuracy.


Some of the downsides to the gun which ironically make this gun unique are as followed.

Firstly the hidden wiring that goes through the stock of the gun is cool, however at least on mine, after opening and closing the folding stock one of the connectors broke, which was fine since I opted to install a mosfet at the time anyways which brings me to my next huge grip.

MOSFETs, getting one into the gun can be a HUGE pain in the ass/possibly the most nerve racking thing I have made my Gun Doc do (accident). I've seem a bunch of different configurations people have done to get one installed, my gun doc and I opted for the "simple" approach, cut a hole in the stock (I never fold the stock) and rewire the gun through a hole. Sounds simple, however fucking aluminum is not gun with a dremel, nore is realizing the bolt/gearbox rely on that back plate to be there to keep everything in place. This is a major reason why I suggest the G&G to anyone, at least if you plan on installing a mosfet.

Lastly taking the gearbox out of the gun itself and putting it back in is such a bitch to do. I'm not sure if all Scar models are like this but hell, I have never attempted it because it is like trying to open Pandora's box basically. Also not to mention the fact that half if not all the parts in the gearbox are more or less proprietary. Now you can order all the parts from VFC (I have a rep there who can help anyone if they need parts) all at cheaper prices than most retailers (shipping is very decent and timely too).

Now there are still some positives like the hop up adjustment tool that hides in the gas regulator, makes it very easy to adjust your hop up on the fly. There is also the fack that the bolt locks back and the bolt release functions properly (it has a pretty satisfying snap to it). And since it is VFC, the body is very well made, I have submerged this in pillows of snow and water at games for hours on end and minus some rust it is still in one piece somehow.


Yeah I have a lot of issues with it I guess but if you are willing to put more time and effort into it I'd say definitely get a VFC. I should note that the VFC is the closest size wise to the RS version (not sure if the WE is too). If you are plain lazy or don't want to attempt fixing it up so much though (basically play with it out of the box) then I'd suggest keeping your G&G.

However at the end of the day, which ever one you do choose, both are equally top notch and Swanson approved.

[ccyg8774]

For MOSFET, I put a Pico SSR 2 under this black cover (pic from internet) of my VFC SCAR-L. Kind of a pain doing that, but it looks clean and tidy after its done. There are other methods as well.
The ambidextrous fire selector of VFC SCAR is also a huge pain to reassemble, even after you have been good at it. You will need a very small hex key (uncommon) to work with it.
The hop-up chamber is very tight and many rubbers do not fit.
Other than those, it is great. The externals are great, the internals are OK. With some modification I fit a Magpul pistol grip on which is really good.