For many years Fabrique Nationale (FN) has
produced many fine products. But no one
bats a thousand and every company produces a mediocre or bad product. Today I review one of FN’s least desirable
products. The FNAR.
The FNAR is a semi-automatic rifle based on the
Browning BAR. (The hunting rifle, not
the military rifle) FN took the Browning
design and added a magazine well to accommodate 5, 10 and 20 round magazines
and a PIcatinny rail and a fancy stock.
Otherwise, the action is the same.
It is chambered only in .308 Winchester.
Overall it is a sound design. The fit and finish is excellent. Just what you expect from a FN. The
Competition model is colored blue (the company color) and looks sharp. Has a nice adjustable cheek piece to fit the
shooter. A large Picatinny rail for
mounting any optic. It also includes a
small Picatinny rail on the end of the barrel if you are so inclined to add
iron sights. The short, medium weight,
20 inch barrel is handy. The action is
smooth and functions well.
This is where the good ends. Let me move on to why this is not a good
rifle, especially for a competition rifle.
The Bad:
11. The medium weight barrel unbalances the rifle. All the weight is up front and makes the
rifle clumsy to move quickly and efficiently.
22. The Competition stock has no provisions for a sling or for a
bi-pod. This tells me this rifle was
designed for one and only one type of competition. One that does not require the use of a sling
or bi-pod. Without aftermarket
gunsmithing, this rifle is not useful for multiple uses or competition
types.
33. The front Picatinny rail is pointless. It is intended to put iron sights on. But with iron sights you want a longer sight
radius to minimize aiming errors. The 20
inch barrel is a bit short for iron sights, especially if you want to win at
competition. Just remove the front
Picatinny rail. Most people will be
using some sort of optic in today's world.
Also, the iron sights sit
very high above the bore, which will not allow for a good cheek weld. This is not good for your accuracy.
44. The magazine release is too far forward. Though ambidextrous, it is located too far
forward for easy access, which will slow down your magazine changes. This fact alone will lose you the
competition.
55. Proprietary magazines that are stupid expensive. Running around $50 each. Ouch! Since you added an extended magazine well, How
about using standard off the shelf magazines?
Way to think of your customers needs FN.
66. The bolt release is also in a bad location that will slow you
down.
77. Trigger. It is definitely
not what I would call a competition trigger.
Though light at approximately 3 – 3.5 pounds. It is full of slack, creep, grit and
crunch. It is everything but a
competition trigger. Fine for a hunting
rifle.
88. Complex gas system that is major pain to take apart to clean. Definitely follow the instruction
manual. Lots of small screws, pins and
springs that need to be taken out. Good
news, you do not need to pull it apart very frequently. Bad news is the instruction manual that came
with the rifle is incomplete. It only
explains how to disassemble the gas system.
But does not tell you how remove the bolt from the receiver. Thank Google for the power of YouTube. And a big thanks to FN for doing a half-ass
job on the instruction manual.
Incomplete, small with tiny black and white pictures that are hard to
see.
99. Only chambered in .308 Winchester.
Why not 6.5 Creedmoor? Same horsepower
but much less recoil. Less recoil means
faster return to target. How about
.223? Even less recoil and lower
ammunition costs. The only advantage of
.308 is knockdown power at longer ranges (400+ yards). Assuming you can hit your target.
110. Accuracy: Definitely
mediocre. Even with the medium weight
barrel, the rifle acts very much like a light weight hunting rifle. The accuracy expands and contracts with the
temperature of the barrel. See Photo.
1. First group, cold bore. This
is what you expect from a competition rifle.
The separation is most likely operator error.
2. 2nd group. As the
barrel heats up, the group open ups.
Still not bad. Ignore the flying on the lower left of the group.
3. 3rd group.
WTF? Pushing 3 inches and no clue
where shot #5 went. This is AK
territory. Or Tavor is you prefer. It also limits your maximum effective range
depending on target size. A 3 inch group at 100 yards gives you have a theoretical 15 inch group at 500 yards.
4. 4th group. After
a short barrel cool down, the group closes up a bit. Getting back to normal. Again, separation is probably is operator error.
Not good for a competition
rifle. Fine for a hunting rifle.
Conclusion:
The FNAR evolved from the Browning BAR hunting
rifle. Fabrique Nationale sexed it up
and threw it out into the market place and marketed it as a “competition”
rifle. The FNAR is not a competition
rifle in any way shape or form. It is
outclassed by the AR-15. Hell, it is
outclassed by an AK-47 and even a Tavor.
I know YouTube is full of videos of people
singing the praises of this rifle. Sure,
if a 1-3 inch gun is accurate enough and you limit your range to not more than
500 yards on a target not smaller than 10” in diameter, then yes, the FNAR is a
fine rifle.
I disagree with most people on this rifle. It is outclassed by almost all other
rifles. For the same $1500 I can build a
hell of a great AR-15 that will outshine the FNAR in all respects.
It is the height of mediocrity for a
“competition” rifle. It is something I
would expect out of Taurus, not FN.
Fabrique Nationale needs to discontinue this
rifle and remove it from the catalog.
Shut down the assembly line and put the money into fixing their other
craptactular products.
If you are hell bent on owning one of these, I do recommend the Browning BAR version. It is a nice, sleek design with a flush fit magazine and available in multiple calibers. It is hunting oriented, but that is what this design was meant to be and nothing else.
Browning BAR Rifle
This is my $1.02 worth.
By: Mez
04/17/2016
15 comments:
What kind of competition do they intend the rifle to be used for? I would think distance precision by its appearance, but that grouping - no way.
I need to read that again because all I could think of was..."GAWD, that is a purty gun!" Great review. I love the fact you are very thorough and really examine the important things about a device.
Agree with Mama Fargo - fine looking gun and love, love, love my SCAR 17 - so I was hoping to hear it was what it purports to be - and I am a little disappointed in FN hearing about this one - I have not really known them to extol a product for something it's not but I don't really see any holes in your argument.
My SCAR IS SUB MOA with average off the shelf ammo - almost everything I've run through it I can get sub MOA and half MOA with the good stuff - I really thought I was gonna hear this thing was a tack driver right out of the box since my battle rifle with a Timney 4 lb trigger as the only mod is so accurate for me - I was ready to go buy this thing.
Some of the things you mention I could live with but. Competition rifle - don't care what kind - has to be accurate and have a barrel that doesn't significantly shift POI when it heats up.
Thanks for the warning
Thanks for the rant. However I have a few questions:
22. Is it really so difficult to put sling swivels on a stock?
33. How can the cheek weld be bad, when you have an adjustable cheek piece?
55. Yes this is annoying, but how many mags are needed for competition? Just wondering. The mags are very high quality.
66. That's what gunsmiths are for.
88. Yes it's difficult. A good thing it shoots clean so you don't have to do it often.
110. Funny, every other review raves about accuracy. Interesting that all these groups on your example target have flyers and operator errors. Maybe the test should be done again by a competent shooter.
In 11 you suggest the barrel is too heavy, in 110 you imply it is not heavy enough. Make up your mind...
Yes, few people use .308 in competition any more. So I would say it's more a gun that has a few competition features and a nicer look, than anything serious. I'd trade my base FNAR for this gun in a second, just because I like the looks and dislike separate pistol grips. No, I wouldn't compete with it, except for maybe the odd informal match or a hunting gun competition. I'd just use it as it is, a bolt-gun accurate semi-auto for defense or hunting or whatever a .308 gets used for these days.
22. It is the "competition" model. you are already paying extra. You should not need to add these. Sling swivels are standard on the hunting model why not the "competition" model?
33. First, see that sharp stabby point at the front of the check riser? yep, not that comfortable when it stabs you. Yes, I lean forward on my stocks. Second, it does not go high enough to give a good cheek weld and put your eye directly behind the optic. It needs longer standoffs. Especially if you use a large diameter optic. Again, not "competition: ready.
55. True you only need a few magazines for competition. But, since FN was redesigning the gun anyway with a magwell they could have used an off the shelf magazine, such as MagPul, like everyone else does. Why reinvent the wheel? Why force your customer to buy overpriced magazines when there are less expensive magazines of equal quality?
66. It is the "competition" model. You are paying extra already. The rifle should be squared away right out of the box. Why pay extra, then pay even more to get what you want. Might as well just build a rifle from scratch and get what you want up front instead of modifying an incomplete rifle. And explain to me how you are going to gunsmith the bolt release back 3-4 inches? That I would like to see. And what did it cost you.
88. Ah yes, not cleaning your gun is great for accuracy and reliability. Just want you want in a competition gun.
110. Accuracy is relative. This is hunting accurate, not competition accurate. Funny, I did not see you there at the range when I tested this rifle. Funny, didn't realize we know each other and have seen each other shoot. I'm not as bad as you think I am. Why do you discount flyers? Sounds like you cherry pick your data. Why do you assume operator error? A competition gun should do this especially to the extent you see here. This is what the rifle actually did. The groups opened and closed with the temperature of the barrel just like a hunting rifle does. It wasn't me.
No, you infer that I implied the barrel is not heavy enough. What I actually said was, it ACTS like a lightweight hunting rifle. Never said the barrel wasn't heavy enough. And the rifle actually is unbalanced.
To address your final paragraph, the fact you won't but the FNAR "competition" head to head in a real competition of accuracy tells me I'm not far off the mark. Therefore I stand by my opinion. And yes, it is my opinion. I call them as I see them based on MY experience. MY experience is the FNAR "competition" is nothing more than a sexed up Browning BAR hunting rifle that is not worth the extra cost. It should be squared away out of the box and it is not. It is not what it is advertised as, a COMPETITION rifle.
One of the benefits of being a small independent blog is I can write my 100% truthful opinion about a product. I'm not sponsored. No one pays me for reviews. No one sends me product to review. I can only review products I have purchased with my own money. So if a product sucks I will say so.
How many negative reviews of guns have you seen by the big time publishers? Basically never. Rarely do you see a negative review by the YouTube reviewers as well. They are a bit more honest than the longtime mainstream guys, but not by much.
Hope I satisfied your questions. Glad you are happy with your FNAR. I was not. To me it is still an overpriced, sexed up hunting rifle not ready for competition.
Cheers!
This is a fine, exact review. I have read similar comments elsewhere. Now to the fine points.
Accuracy is subjective and depends on many factors not the least of which is the ammunition used for a specific purpose. I may have missed it but I saw no mention of what ammo was used. Match grade, weight grain, FMJ boat-tail, or even if .308 or 7.62x51mm?? For all anyone knows you used White Box Winchester .308 from Walmart...
Secondly, your description of the rugged quality, fit and finish is correct. I just saw mine in jail at the moment (read California) at my local gun store. It seems to be a competent design and upgrade from the BAR. All the nitpicking about location of this or that or even the ridiculous small picatinny on the front is just subjective and borders on a rant.
Did FNH misname the rifle. Undoubtedly! Is it just a sexed up BAR: I don't agree. Will it do the job with a caliber that has almost instantaneous knock-down power? Certainly! The current rage about the 6.5 Cr is all well and good, but we saw this before with the raves about the Remington 6.8mm and that went nowhere!
Besides, for us in a state that has transformed the AR platform into a silly joke, unsafe, hard to use, and just plain ugly, this is a welcome addition. An AR 15 is always referred to as a POS by those who rely on it for survival in the field and should have been designed as a 6 mm (even a .243)or 6.5 mm from the get go. It's similarity to an AR 10 stops after format: function is assault weapon at close ranges.
Any AR 10 in military service is designed to penetrate concrete, door glass, car metal, sniper work in a bolt gun, etc. The AR 10 is a beast that keeps on giving... The AR 10 requires a firm hold, possibly a muzzle brake for those who are a bit recoil shy (especially with age)and they are stacking up in LGS' out here like old Mosin-Nagants on consignment.
If I wanted a strictly hunting gun I would get the BAR perhaps, but more likely a Browning X-bolt. 10 rounds at the range and go have lunch until the barrel cools...unless you get the Tungsten barreled model and pay the piper. I may never hunt again, or will do so with a .243 and if its a hog, a revolver that can do a coup de grace in an emergency. For overall enjoyment and some near precision work out to 200 yards, note I'm not driving halfway to L.A. to find a desert spot to hit a gong at 450 yards. This is probably not the right gun for that...
Other choice: an M1A at the same price or more, and that ancient rifle is older than I am! Cannot even mount a scope without paying $200 or more for a proper set-up. At least it comes with a muzzle brake for those of us out here that need one (legally). Sometimes you reviewers need to consider the audience you are writing for??
Anyway, my Main beef is that this rifle, which BTW clearly says 7.62x51mm on the barrel, is not machine threaded which you do not mention at all. If I like mine, it will be sent off to remove the silly front sight base and be threaded for a muzzle brake. That will not cost me more than $100 and possibly a shipping charge for the barrel. Not a big deal really, but FNH should know that!
The review is accurate. I own the FNAR Heavy and the shot group is very typical to what i see. The problem with this rifle for accuracy is that it is not a full floating system. Any loading on the front grip will impact the bullet impact. I used to be able to move my bullet impact 18" at 600 yards with loading of the bipod.
The guide rails for the inertia block inside the hand rail slide against the hand guard. As this gets carboned up inside this gets dirty and messy. I made a full floating system for mine and instantly improved the accuracy. I also load my own ammo and with the 1:12 twist this is not on the same level as alot of distance bolt guns. I keep about 1.5 MOA with my mods and handloads at 600 yards.
Too bad they are so stingy in the aftermarket and magazines. Its a great gun to shoot all day and will consistently shoot anything you throw in it.
These guns are tack drivers ..people who can't shoot should not be testing any products I will take this idiot on any day any time .
To Unknown who thinks the FNAR is the greatest rifle ever and that I can't shoot.
Well, several things going on with your statement.
1. I write my reviews based on my experience with each product. Maybe I got a lemon, maybe not. But this is how it performed of me over several range sessions. I write what I experienced.
2. If you actually read the article, you would know there are many other things wrong with this rifle other than just the mediocre accuracy. I specifically tested the "competition" model and it was under whelming in performance. Overall, this is a mediocre rifle. And I stand by my statements.
3. We are not sponsored reviewers. When we review a product it means we took the risk and purchased that item with our own money. When a $1500 rifle that claims to be a "competition" rifle and performs this poorly, YES, I will say so. We write it as we see it.
4. If you define "Tack Driver" as 2-3 MOA then yes, the FNAR is a "Tack Driver". I do not use this definition. To me a tack driver is 1 MOA or better, preferably .5 MOA. So please define you terms before mouthing off. Oh, and when you are "tack driving" what yardage are you shooting at? 25 yards or 50 yards? (a lot of people who mouth off use this trick of not testing at a typical distance) I'm testing at 100 yards, a typical testing distance for rifles.
5. You think I cannot shoot? Did you read my review on the Desert Tech MDR? Did you see the picture of 4 shots into a .5 MOA hole with the 5th shot opening up to .75 MOA? (And I admitted that one off shot was operator error). Yes, I can shoot. I'm not the best but I'm not as bad as you think I am. (and why do people like you never back up their claims with pictures and/or videos of their own?)
6. Where are links to your Blog sight or YouTube channel showing how perfect of a shooter you are? I don't see a link? If you are not willing to put up and display you prowess, do not disparage others who are actually out there doing real work and sharing it for all to see.
7. Name calling is how 7 year olds argue. Sane, rational adults provide value added critique backed up with evidence. Again, I don't see a link to your website showing your shooting prowess or reviews of any products.
8. Why do you care what a two year old review says? You obviously already own the FNAR and love it. So why does my one opinion offend you so much? Perhaps you are searching the internet for reviews to justify your expensive purchase of a mediocre product that deep down you are not truly happy with! And you are desperately trying to defend your poor choice in rifles. I don't know, I don't know you or your reasons. All I know is you came onto my Blog and shit all over my article then ran away.
Finally, if you are going to come and shit all over my article, at least have the decency to have sane, rational counter arguments backed up with pictures and/or video of your own. Doing a hit and run with nothing more than childish name calling is pathetic.
Enjoy your search to justify your confirmation bias.
-Mez
Have had owned several guns and a few fnars I will say that this is a 1 sided bias review. This gun is great, however it's not for everyone. And not sure about your accuracy but even with a hot barrel I can hold a 1 inch group without special ammo.
Having owned and used just about every rifle available over the years I think I have a pretty good insight into what makes a rifle "viable" for both hunting, target, and military/paramilitary use. I was intrigued by the FNH FNAR when they first came out and fell in love with it after holding one for the first time. As of today, I have owned and used one of the short barrel FNH FNAR's for 4 years now. It started off amazingly accurate, topped off with a top shelf Vortex scope, but has slipped into what I would call "less than average" accuracy now for some reason after around 800 rounds. I have shot and killed at least 200 wild hogs with this rifle (50 - 70 per year average) on my Georgia farm since I have owned it, with most shots being 100 - 200+ yards out. They are a MAJOR pest here! It's the short little rifle I keep with me in my truck, and use it for deer hunting during deer season as well. It literally gobbles up any 308/7.62x51 ammo I have fed it without a single hiccup. Some loadings are more accurate than others. It gets VERY dusty here when it dries out in the summer months and all that dust gets into every crack and crevice on this rifle. Therefore I have to clean it as often as possible.
Disassembly - GOD HELP ME! I sat down to do it one day. Had the rifle all set up on my cleaning stand. Opened up the manual and read what info they had listed. Took the front hand guard off, then tried to drop the trigger group.... and decided against it. To me this is one of the biggest problems with this rifle. I'm a clean gun nut and know a dirty rifle isn't as accurate. Ive punched the bore, used all sorts of copper fouling solvents and brushes etc, but the accuracy I once had just isn't there anymore. Its not the scope and ive checked every scope mounting screw etc. Ive just decided to use the gun as I have been until it stops working or is so inaccurate that it becomes useless, then take it to a gunsmith and have it "professionally" disassembled and cleaned....if I can find one that'll do it.
My thoughts and ratings scale of 1 - 10:
Comfort/ergonomics 10
Dependability 10
Initial cost 7
Accessory(extra magazines) cost 1 (outrageous)
Accuracy 10... then it dropped to a 4
Ease of cleaning -5 (YES thats a minus 5)
Final thoughts: FNH - There MUST be a better way to design the disassembly of this firearm for cleaning.....WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!!! If it weren't for that, id give this rifle a solid 8 as a strictly hunting rifle. As a military/paramilitary firearm id only rate it as a 3 simply because it CANNOT be field stripped and cleaned.
This seems like a really fair review. As one of the very few semis that is not on the ban list here in Canada I am looking at it and the R1. It seems every hunting style semi has a out the same accuracy and may just be an issue with the breed. AR10s are definitely on the ban list.
There's a few hacks on cleaning and if you use them its about as complicated and time consuming as any Stoner platform
Same boat. I dont want to buy a semi 308 to have it banned next year.
Love my FNAR. Unbelievably accurate. Live on a ranch with my livestock and there are plenty of bears and the occational hungry mountain lion. Great defender defense rifle to take out aggressive wildlife. 223 just passes them off!
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