FN FNAR Reliability?

Gun Tests really liked the one they tried out sometime last year, dunno if that helps or not. I don't recall them having any reliability problems with it.

The gun wasn't designed or intended for use in the wilds, it was built to be a precision LE semi-auto with spillover into the "civilian" market for those interested.

That said, the one I tried had no malfunctions.
They haven't been widely available long enough to determine longevity, but they're well-built & based on the Browning BAR hunting guns, so I wouldn't think it'd be much of an issue.

Thorough breakdown for cleaning is something of a hassle & not advised "in the field", it's no battle rifle.
Denis

Haven't had any problems with mine, but I have't used it in the field, either. I can say it is very solidly built and I don't expect any problems out of it. I love the ergos on it - the stock is fixed, but is still adjustable three ways through shims, recoil pads, and cheek pieces, all of which are included.

The magazines are pricey and only FN makes them AFAIK, but they are the most robust magazines I have used. Loading them is easier than loading AR style mags. The only thing I thought was odd is that they include a hard plastic case, but the case is too small to fit the rifle with optics mounted on it. Since the rifle has no iron sights, I thought that was odd. It would only need about an inch or two for a 40mm objective with medium rings to fit.

I'm not a huge fan of the AR-15/10 platform either, which is why I went with the FN AR when I wanted a semiauto .308.

My spouse and I have had our two FNARs since early '09, put a few hundred rounds through them, together, and never had anything like a FTFeed, FTEject or jam of any kind. Several different kinds of ammo, including lots of W German Mil Surp NATO 7.62mm mfr'd in 1969(!). Had them in the woods a bit, banged them around some, no concerns/issues. I just don't think you're going to have any problems. The piston-driven action is plenty "energetic", and there is a gas-feed adjustment valve into the action-drive cylinder accessable in the field with one flat-blade screwdriver (probably a dime would work). Kinda the consensus over at http://www.fnforum.net/, FNAR area, is that the FNAR comes from the factory with this feed screw set pretty "open" (energetic cycling), and I think the rifle is heavy and smooth enough that this works fine. Others think you should get better POI repeatability shot-to-shot (do you need better than 1 MoA?) if you close the action valve down to the minumum needed for the load you're firing to cycle the action - then and only then AFAIK you get some FTEs.

Given reliability, the main things are: It works exactly like you'd expect and it is a joy to shoot. Some complain that the trigger is a little too heavy (rumor is 7 pounds - just got a Lyman gauge so I'll measure and post) for a bench/target rifle. BUT, it is NOT a bench rifle. It is a DMR meant to be used by police/LE scrambling around in emergencies, so, like an MBR or an assault rifle (but less so), you don't want light trigger pull, for safety reasons. But, if you do want that, it is known how to fix that too.

I've had mine for close to 8 months now, and it's performed like a champ. No issues to speak of. What did surprise me was the accuracy. I did something rather out of the ordinary and mounted a simple Swarovski variable 3-9 on mine. The combination (to my pleasant surprise) is a match made in heaven. With Gold Medal Match, I've got 'er consistently at 2-3 MOA at 300 meters.

Is that 2-3 MOA at three hundred meters like, 6-9 inch groups at 300 meters or is it two to three inch groups at three hundred meters?

My bad. I meant to express the accuracy as projected. I intended to say that I typically get 2-3 inch groupings at 300 meters. Math is hard.

Upon further reflection, I may have given myself too much credit. I'm hoping to get out to the range this weekend or early next week. I'll take the FNAR, hope for the best and post a target.

FNAR trigger pull weight

Quoting myself: Some complain that the trigger is a little too heavy (rumor is 7 pounds - just got a Lyman gauge so I'll measure and post)

Click to expand...

As promised, I did measure the trigger pull weight on our family's two FNARs, using a Lyman Electronic Gauge Part # 7832248.

Average of 8 pulls per gun:

Light Barrel: 5 pounds, 13.0 ounces (High ~6 lbs, 1 oz.; Low ~5 lbs, 10 oz.)

Heavy Barrel: 5 pounds, 3.5 ounces (High ~5 lbs, 10 oz.; Low ~5 lbs, 1 oz.)

I did notice a little trigger "creep", maybe < 1/16" (eyeballed it) after about 4 pounds. Some folks don't like trigger creep. While shooting, I hadn't even noticed it before.

So the actual trigger pull weight is a bit lighter than I had said earlier (7 lbs). Not sure what to say about it. These guns are fairly well broken in (HB has about twice as many rounds than the LB), clean and lubed with Hoppe's No. 9 Lubricating Oil.