new 7.62x51 EBR, for those who does not know yet

[Appaloosa]

I love Browning, but I don't see this making many sales. An accurized Rem 700 is the king of American sniper rifles for a reason. They are just more reliable, accurate, and cheaper than any semi auto wanna be sniper rifle. Why mess with a good thing?

 

[Magnuumpwr]

Holy cheese whiz, who glued those rails and pistol grip on that gun? The guy that decided to do that should be stoned, wait, he probably was stoned!

 

[barry960]

I feel the FN AR is a welcome idea just because I don't think there is enough choice available for .308 auto loading rifles that can accept high cap mags. I know there are various remakes of G3s and FALs/L1A1s in addition to the AR10 and M1A, but look how many companies make AR-15 type rifles or different rifles like the Robarms that are in the same caliber. You don't see such a wide spectrum of choices to keep prices as competitive. Regarding support in the future for if something breaks on the FN AR, I'd bet the popularity of the BAR rifles would ensure that, assuming the only real diference here is the magazine feed and basically cosmetic things. It could become popular enough that it isn't an issue. The price is attractive to me, I saw two today both with the heavy barrel at the local shop and they were over a hundred dollars less new than a used M1a, which I can seldom find. I'm leaning towards getting the AR, especially because of how it balances and feels compared to an M1a. If I could get one of those fancy M1a stocks within a reasonable price range (like around $100) with a folding stock, then that would be different, but it seems those are too ridiculously expensive. Now if there was a Galil, Valmet, or maybe Saiga or Dragunov in .308 that was hundreds of dollars less and had 20 round popularly available magazines, I might lean towards one of those, but are any of those sub MOA?

 

[cat9x]

Sadly, someone is going to buy this thing and then discover later what they have. Then they will realize they have ZERO aftermarket parts or support.

-The rifle just came out, of course there are no aftermarket parts yet.

They will contact FN in a couple years when something breaks only to find out that FN really doesn't want to support this thing

.

-The BAR action in it's original form has been around since 1967, I think FN/Browning is definitely supporting it.

For the price though, i'd rather have something else!

 

[chauncey]

I've got to think this is designed for police use, where it will be shot very little, and therefore require little maintenance. occasional required cleaning will probably be done by an amorer in a nice clean, warm environment with a bench and all the right tools - not on a poncho in the middle of nowhere. I'd think of it as a DMR-style rifle, more accurate than the shotguns or ranch-style rifles that most police may carry, but a far cry from an accurized sniper rifle that a SWAT team might use.

it's by no stretch comparable to a battle rifle, it's too hard to field strip and not durable enough.

 

[Heck]

I'd rather have the pbr

 

[taliv]

-The rifle just came out, of course there are no aftermarket parts yet.

there aren't even any factory parts. heck, try getting magazines for it.


speaking of ridiculous magazines, what were they thinking putting a screw in the top of the follower? that's got to be the worst follower i've ever seen.

 

[Shear_stress]

I'd rather have the pbr

Just one? For that kind of money, I could afford enough PBRs to last until the next Superbowl.

 

[Bill_Rights]

FNAR? I agree with barry960

From his post #53 on this thread of 20 Jan '09, member barry960 says, in part:

I feel the FN AR is a welcome idea just because I don't think there is enough choice available for .308 auto loading rifles that can accept high cap mags. ... The price is attractive to me.... (I like ) how it balances and feels compared to an M1a. ... I might lean towards one of (the other .308 semi-auto AR-types), but are any of those sub MOA?

I agree and am putting my money where my mouth is - I found an FN AR Heavy Barrel in stock and ordered one today.

I also like the shortened rifle format, almost like a carbine. Should be easy to walk with it slung over shoulder and manueverable in the woods. With the 5- or 10-round mag, I will have no "image" problem using it for deer hunting. The only thing I've seen comparable in .308 is the DS Arms SA58 (FAL) Greywolf at $500-600 more than the FNAR. With the large mags, both rifles are formidable for social work also....

Yeh, I saw all the negative comments on the FNAR from a year ago. Some good points. Besides the technical points barry, other reviewers and I make, I guess I am just more open, having never had anything but hand-me-down rifles before and no favorites. Also, FN has this military and police aesthetic going on, and professional excellence with mid-price that stops way short of custom gun excess. I am a woodworker and appreciate fine wood, but somehow the black plastic furniture is just right. I have some other FN guns and have learned to trust the FN engineers and designers. We'll see....

 

[jackdanson]

I have one. It hits what I aim at every time. It's semi auto, it holds 20 rounds. I like it.

I completely fail to see the advantage of this rifle over an M1A, AR-10, FAL, HK91,

m1a - FNAR is cheaper, weighs less and probably more accurate than the m1as at this price point. (can you even find me an m1a for $1300?) Mounting a scope on an m1a can be a hassle.
ar-10 - FNAR is available, unlike ar-10's. It isn't direct impingement. (could be a good or bad thing)
FAL - Accuracy?
HK91-Accuracy?

Parts are going to be harder to come by, that is for sure; BUT if you want a scoped, long range, semi auto, high capacity rifle I see it as a very viable option. I would put my FNAR up against any unmodified m1a,fal, or hk91 in the accuracy department. I also bet that it weighs less than any of those. Reliability will have to be seen, but so far so good. I have yet to see any complaints about it's reliability.

Also, I haven't seen anyone from FN claim that it is an EBR. It is meant to be an accurate, semi auto, sniping rifle, NOT A BATTLE RIFLE!! They never claim it to be a military rifle.. I can see it being very useful for police agencies or security agencies. (think guard towers) I'm not saying it is right for everyone, but it definetly fills a niche.