FNAR?
- Thread starter Wyosmith
- Start date
Palmetto-Pride
New member
As far as I know FN has never made a civilian AR-15 sold directly to the public. If I am wrong on this I am sure someone will come along and correct me.
I worked with one.
Very accurate, reliable through the test session.
Upside is the reliability and accuracy & adjustable stock options to fit the user.
Downside is it's not simple to break down for cleaning, and it's heavy.
Not a battle rifle, if that's what you're looking for.
Denis
Very accurate, reliable through the test session.
Upside is the reliability and accuracy & adjustable stock options to fit the user.
Downside is it's not simple to break down for cleaning, and it's heavy.
Not a battle rifle, if that's what you're looking for.
Denis
I have heard good things about their accuracy, and that was my limited experience too.
I am more interested in its reliability. As I said, I have only fired one 40 rounds, and that's not a good "test' for reliability. I'd love to talk with someone that has 1000-2000 rounds through one.
I am more interested in its reliability. As I said, I have only fired one 40 rounds, and that's not a good "test' for reliability. I'd love to talk with someone that has 1000-2000 rounds through one.
Here you go. This guy claims 2000 rounds - just ignore the caps lock that's stuck.
Palmetto-Pride
New member
Yea I realized that right after I sent it that he was not talking about the AR-15, thought I deleted it.........
arizona98tj
New member
I have one but I haven't put 1000~2000 rounds through it....more like 200. I had a problem with the barrel on mine (wouldn't group). FNH replaced the barrel, no questions asked. Problem seems to be gone....hand load workup will resume when it cools back down. 
If your interested, here is my FNAR review.
If your interested, here is my FNAR review.
I have one of these, too!
I've put 300-500 rounds through mine over the last year and a half (who the hell can afford 2000+ rounds of .308 these days?!)
The review listed above is a good read, but I didn't have the scope rail bedding issue describe.
I've had no jams, misfires, misfeeds, or other problems so far. None. I have shot exclusively factory hunting, and self-made match loads. I have taken it apart for cleaning exactly once so far (after 100 of my rounds, since I bought the gun nearly unfired). Very little deposit anywhere except the face of the piston, and it was a thin layer too. Other than that, I just swab the bore like on a bolt action. I would NOT fire corrosive ammo through this thing (if corrosive .308 exists) because it is not practical(or ordinarily necessary) to clean the entire action after every session as would be required.
Disassembly is not as bad as it seems, don't be terrified by the Youtube video. Its parts aren't combined into modules like modern military platforms, but all the same stuff is there, it's just not meant to be serviced in the wild. Just wait until you get back from the "field mission" and you won't have need to "field strip" the rifle. It's easy if you have a table to lay all the parts out clearly on. Unlike most mil-guns, the BAR short-stroke action can go many hundreds of rounds (if not several thousand) before needing the full-breakdown detail cleaning. Anyway, the most quickly fouled area, the gas block/piston, is the first area accesible for service when the foregrip is removed.
I can usually do 1MOA (which is pretty much my limit on any gun, given how little I practice) without trying too hard to get perfect form. The trigger, I think, could be a little nicer; the takeup/break seems okay, I just think the shape/texture of the trigger is odd. I have a (relatively) cheap KonusPro M30 (I think) scope up top, which has served me well enough, and compares favorably to the Nikon Prostaffs on my other rifles. The rifle I have shoots really good for the first twenty rounds, then the rifle heats up (or I start flinching) and the groups open slightly. The first 20 I can pretty much pull the trigger as fast as I can recover and they're all in a 1.5-2" radius.
The most annoying thing about the rifle is how damn long a 20rnd .308 box mag is (in any gun). Have to have a really tall bipod for bench shooting. I have a ten-shot too, but if I wanted to shoot this thing unsupported prone I'd need to shell out for a five-rounder. Also mildly annoying is the recoil spring ringing like a bell in your ear; BAMsproing...BAMsproing... I need to see if there's a trick out there to dampen those vibrations, stuffing cotton balls in the spring or something. The stock's a bit cheap feeling, and unnecessarily "mall ninja", but it's well built, and can be replaced with the BAR Shorttrack sporter stock (direct drop in, I believe). The high comb on the pistol-grip stock is nice if you have a tall scope like me. It's a shame FNH never brought the McMillan precision stock version to market, it was really sweet. The pistol grip stock will not fit in the supplied case with a scope attached but the case carries my two K31's like it was made for them!
The gun is heavy, but what .308 semi isn't, I doubt anybody would want to hump through the woods all day carrying any .308 autoloader. The reciever is aluminum, the barrel is fluted, and the stock is plastic, so it's not like there's much fat on the gun anyway. The balance is way out there due to the barrel and hollow stock, so you won't want to shoot it standing. There is much debate on this, but I personally believe the role this rifle was born for was hog-huntin'. High precision, high volume fire from a stationary platform, in a powerful caliber. Not many applications out there that require all three of those, unless you are trying to pop a couple pigs in a sounder from a stand (okay, maybe prarie dog hunting at great distance, too)
I'll be happy to answer any other questions about the gun you good folks might have,
TCB
BTW, I think FNAR doesn't stand for "FN's Assault Rifle" (nor ARmalite), but rather "FN's BAR" with "B" for "Browning" removed . FNH on the whole seems to cater to folks with a more "modern" sense of aesthetics, so they made this version of the BAR to reflect that, and to differentiate it from the Brownings.
I've put 300-500 rounds through mine over the last year and a half (who the hell can afford 2000+ rounds of .308 these days?!)
The review listed above is a good read, but I didn't have the scope rail bedding issue describe.
I've had no jams, misfires, misfeeds, or other problems so far. None. I have shot exclusively factory hunting, and self-made match loads. I have taken it apart for cleaning exactly once so far (after 100 of my rounds, since I bought the gun nearly unfired). Very little deposit anywhere except the face of the piston, and it was a thin layer too. Other than that, I just swab the bore like on a bolt action. I would NOT fire corrosive ammo through this thing (if corrosive .308 exists) because it is not practical(or ordinarily necessary) to clean the entire action after every session as would be required.
Disassembly is not as bad as it seems, don't be terrified by the Youtube video. Its parts aren't combined into modules like modern military platforms, but all the same stuff is there, it's just not meant to be serviced in the wild. Just wait until you get back from the "field mission" and you won't have need to "field strip" the rifle. It's easy if you have a table to lay all the parts out clearly on. Unlike most mil-guns, the BAR short-stroke action can go many hundreds of rounds (if not several thousand) before needing the full-breakdown detail cleaning. Anyway, the most quickly fouled area, the gas block/piston, is the first area accesible for service when the foregrip is removed.
I can usually do 1MOA (which is pretty much my limit on any gun, given how little I practice) without trying too hard to get perfect form. The trigger, I think, could be a little nicer; the takeup/break seems okay, I just think the shape/texture of the trigger is odd. I have a (relatively) cheap KonusPro M30 (I think) scope up top, which has served me well enough, and compares favorably to the Nikon Prostaffs on my other rifles. The rifle I have shoots really good for the first twenty rounds, then the rifle heats up (or I start flinching
) and the groups open slightly. The first 20 I can pretty much pull the trigger as fast as I can recover and they're all in a 1.5-2" radius.The most annoying thing about the rifle is how damn long a 20rnd .308 box mag is (in any gun). Have to have a really tall bipod for bench shooting. I have a ten-shot too, but if I wanted to shoot this thing unsupported prone I'd need to shell out for a five-rounder. Also mildly annoying is the recoil spring ringing like a bell in your ear; BAMsproing...BAMsproing... I need to see if there's a trick out there to dampen those vibrations, stuffing cotton balls in the spring or something
. The stock's a bit cheap feeling, and unnecessarily "mall ninja", but it's well built, and can be replaced with the BAR Shorttrack sporter stock (direct drop in, I believe). The high comb on the pistol-grip stock is nice if you have a tall scope like me. It's a shame FNH never brought the McMillan precision stock version to market, it was really sweet. The pistol grip stock will not fit in the supplied case with a scope attached but the case carries my two K31's like it was made for them!The gun is heavy, but what .308 semi isn't, I doubt anybody would want to hump through the woods all day carrying any .308 autoloader. The reciever is aluminum, the barrel is fluted, and the stock is plastic, so it's not like there's much fat on the gun anyway. The balance is way out there due to the barrel and hollow stock, so you won't want to shoot it standing. There is much debate on this, but I personally believe the role this rifle was born for was hog-huntin'. High precision, high volume fire from a stationary platform, in a powerful caliber. Not many applications out there that require all three of those, unless you are trying to pop a couple pigs in a sounder from a stand (okay, maybe prarie dog hunting at great distance, too)
I'll be happy to answer any other questions about the gun you good folks might have,
TCB
BTW, I think FNAR doesn't stand for "FN's Assault Rifle" (nor ARmalite
), but rather "FN's BAR" with "B" for "Browning" removed . FNH on the whole seems to cater to folks with a more "modern" sense of aesthetics, so they made this version of the BAR to reflect that, and to differentiate it from the Brownings.FN said the gun was developed primarily for the LE market, secondarily for the regular civilian market.
Basically for those who want a precision semi-auto .308 shooter. Not intended for any type of military role.
Too heavy for most to carry for on-ground hunting, could do well from a stand, but stand hunting typically involves closer distances than you'd need a long-range precision shooter for. Not the best (weightwise) for moving targets.
It obviously can be used for various types of hunting, but anything inside a hundred yards is pretty much wasting its capabilities.
Barn's right about the BAR's ability to run for quite a while between cleaning. My buddy has one (an older model he's had since the 1970s) he used for hunting for several years (no regular practice in between hunts, so in actuality not really a high-mileage gun) without ever doing more than the bore. He didn't even know how to open it up till I copied a breakdown diagram & gave it to him.
He was grateful, said he'd noticed the action was getting sluggish but was reluctant to get into it.
After cleaning it ran much better.
I liked working with the FNAR I had here, and even though I dislike plastic stocks in general if I'd kept it the ability to use the spacers to adjust it to fit me would have been a bonus to the accuracy & reliability.
Denis
Basically for those who want a precision semi-auto .308 shooter. Not intended for any type of military role.
Too heavy for most to carry for on-ground hunting, could do well from a stand, but stand hunting typically involves closer distances than you'd need a long-range precision shooter for. Not the best (weightwise) for moving targets.
It obviously can be used for various types of hunting, but anything inside a hundred yards is pretty much wasting its capabilities.
Barn's right about the BAR's ability to run for quite a while between cleaning. My buddy has one (an older model he's had since the 1970s) he used for hunting for several years (no regular practice in between hunts, so in actuality not really a high-mileage gun) without ever doing more than the bore. He didn't even know how to open it up till I copied a breakdown diagram & gave it to him.
He was grateful, said he'd noticed the action was getting sluggish but was reluctant to get into it.
After cleaning it ran much better.
I liked working with the FNAR I had here, and even though I dislike plastic stocks in general if I'd kept it the ability to use the spacers to adjust it to fit me would have been a bonus to the accuracy & reliability.
Denis
Well I shot one today.
WOW!
I have to say --- I am impressed.
I had some ammo loaded in mismatched brass from several makers. WW, Federal, LC 72, Remington and some from S&B.
The load was consistent in bullets and powder, but not brass or primers.
Even so, after I got the rifle zeroed it shot a 10 shot group for me at 100 yards with 6 through a ragged hole and landing 4 very close by.
The entire group was 1 3/32" outside to outside.
I can't wait to get some matched brass, all uniformed, and see what it will do.
I would have to say that so far it seems to be the rifle FN claims it to be.
WOW!
I have to say --- I am impressed.
I had some ammo loaded in mismatched brass from several makers. WW, Federal, LC 72, Remington and some from S&B.
The load was consistent in bullets and powder, but not brass or primers.
Even so, after I got the rifle zeroed it shot a 10 shot group for me at 100 yards with 6 through a ragged hole and landing 4 very close by.
The entire group was 1 3/32" outside to outside.
I can't wait to get some matched brass, all uniformed, and see what it will do.
I would have to say that so far it seems to be the rifle FN claims it to be.
DeerSlayer86
New member
Ive put several thousand rounds through one and it did everyting I needed it to. I think theyre great. Get it
I have read good reviews about this rifle. Actual owners seem mostly happy with it. The only complaints I've seen are it's not easy to clean and not a rugged battle rifle. It is based on the the BAR hunting rifle which has a good reputation overall. I think the attraction is more about the accuracy than other things. IIRC FN claims 1/2 MOA out of the box which is pretty good on a stock semiauto. I considered buying one several months ago when looking to obtain a rifle in .308 but opted for a M1A Scout Squad instead because I wanted a more rugged design and had no other (American) military semi-auto rifles.
The only downside to having a "non-mainstream" rifle will be limited aftermarket add-ons and expensive magazines. Proprietary parts can cost more than generic ones but that's just part of owning something different.
The only downside to having a "non-mainstream" rifle will be limited aftermarket add-ons and expensive magazines. Proprietary parts can cost more than generic ones but that's just part of owning something different.
As far as add-ons, I've heard certain BAR stocks can be swapped with the factory pistol grip (Shorttrac, specifically). Macmillan even made a sweet sporter stock, but I don't think that concept left R&D. The rifle has weaver rails on top, bottom, and both sides, so anything you desire can be mounted, just not many "Magpul" type options as far as furniture. FNH guarantees 1 MOA out of the box, same as Remington's 700's, IIRC.
The factory stock is pretty nice, though, seeing as its very adjustable. Other than the like it/hate it pistol grip stock, there isn't much I would change on the platform, that's just me, though.
TCB
The factory stock is pretty nice, though, seeing as its very adjustable. Other than the like it/hate it pistol grip stock, there isn't much I would change on the platform, that's just me, though.
TCB