NEW FNAR owner

[swine]

So, i own several handguns, and knew i wanted a rifle. I knew i wanted this rifle to hunt with, go to the range with, and lastly a just in case home defense weapon.

I first chose what caliber would best suit my needs. Settled on .308, plenty of power to hunt anything i would be interested in hunting, relatively affordable ammo, and manageable recoil especially in an autoloader.

My next step was to decide on the gun. Max realistic shooting distances were 300 yards, and since i also want this weapon to be relatively light/not to large and cumberson for home defense, and since a shorter barrel wouldnt maka huge difference at that range, i decided on a 16" barrel. The three front runners were the M1A socom II, FNAR, and DPMS lr308(from most expensive to cheapest).

So the socom 2 got ruled out, it was the most expensive, arguably not the best performer, heavier, and i would have want to change out to a pistol grip stock which i hear is really expensive. It was down to the FNAR and DPMS, one was better quality and the other was better value. I had little or no high regard for the ability to buy hundreds of accessories, and looks played no role in helping the decision making, i also wanted to "set-it and forget-it" and have a rifle that shoots just as well now as it does in a few decades.

I ended up deciding on the fnar, the dpms had to many areas i would be spending more money on to change(mainly the trigger, stock, and pistol grip) and all of those areas were already good/great from the factory on the fnar. I also ended up finding a light barrel 20" fnar on closeout for $1250 factory new. The 20" didnt bother me, as i was already planning on threading the 16" for a muzzle brake, and the upcharge to add a cut and recrown was minimal.

So, the initial specs of my FNAR.
20" FN FNAR
2-8x Nikon Monarch(ability to engage up close and plenty of magnification to shoot 300yds)
Warne Tactical Medium Steel Rings
Grip Pod military model with steel inserts(not shown)
-2 20rnd, 1 10rnd, and 1 5rnd mag




Took it to the range, got it scoped in and really enjoy the FNAR experience. Never tried any sort of precision rifle shooting, but broke out my splash target and put it at 100 yards to see what this "1moa or lower" thing was all about. Loaded up 3 Federal HPBT(hollow point boat tails) and shot this group.
If im not mistaken, thats not to freakin shabby for a first time rifle owner, on the first trip to the range? FNAR FTW. What is that .75 MOA?

Tried out 4 different ammo's, 2 cheap, 2 "expensive". The cheap consisted of PMC Bronze, no issues, and Tula steel case .308, 50% failed to fire. It appears that the Tula ammo uses a military primer and my fnar didnt have enough pin punch to light some of them off.



The 2 other Federal rounds i tried, like the PMC fired with 0 issues.


Overall extremely stoked and pleased rifle owner. Ill update this thread when i get it cut, threaded, with the brake and grip pod installed. I may try and mount a mini red dot somewhere on the rifle, but other then that it would then be done.

[Bennybone]

Hello and Welcome -

I too was trying to choose between the DPMS and FNAR at one point.

I don't know if you bought from a dealer or what but you might call them and ask if they will credit you the difference on the price you paid and what the FNAR is selling for now.

It might just pay for your muzzle brake and gunsmithing....

Also once you add the brake you lose the FNH warranty.

Enjoy the gun and post back what you end up finding out after a few months of ownership!

BB

[emptybrass]

Very nice group!!!!!!!! Especially for your first rifle.

Wouldn't recommend shooting any steel cased ammo through that gun.

[moreair]

Welcome. Glad to see a new FNAR owner. That's a good group. There is a shop in Ohio that does work on the FNAR. I found this shop on this forum. It is called Short Action Customs. I have not used them yet, but I plan on havng the trigger worked over by them. They advertise muzzle brakes and all that good stuff for the FNAR. here is the link. http://shortactioncustoms.com/ Go to Services and then scroll down to the bottom and you will see the FNAR services.

[StuO]

....
Wouldn't recommend shooting any steel cased ammo through that gun.

Just wondering.....why?

[swine]

Thanks for the warm welcome, tips, and advice.

[Sin City Shooter]

Tula primers are fine to shoot in this gun. I reload and that is just about the only primers I use. Just looking at the round that didn't fire, from those pics it kind of looks like the primer is set too deep, but I could be wrong.

Nice shooting btw.

[Bill_Rights]

Hey, welcome, Swine. Good shooting. By now you've probably figured it out elsewhere, but you asked

What is that .75 MOA?

0.75 MoA would be a group measuring 3/4" center-of-hole-to-center-of-hole shot from 100 yds. Or measuring 1-1/2" shot from 200 yds. Etc.

About the failure to fires, I would telephone or E-mail FNH-USA (Rob? Bob? ....His number is somewhere on this forum) and ask. It is slightly possible that the firing pin or housing it rides in is slightly out of spec or mis-installed in your particular rifle. This rifle has "7.62 x 51 mm NATO" stamped on the side of the receiver. It should handle all military cartridges, and I have never had such a problem. I shoot lot's of decades old military surplus ammo, never one FTF. This ammo has a heavier case, for use in fully-auto machine guns, so the action doesn't have to wait as long for the case to shrink back to size before extraction. I think the primers are maybe a little tougher too. Another (very remote) possiblility is that the firing chamber rim depth is mis-machined out of spec too deep. Really REALLY doubt it, but possible. If it's anything like that, FNH-USA will make it right, for free.

[swine]

This is how the gun currently sits.



I picked up a rapid recticle 4x red dot from woot for cheap, mounted it on the side rail just for fun/experimenting. You obviously see the addition of the grip pod.

Also picked up some 110gr Hornay TAP ammo. The FNAR is my only rifle, so the low flash powder, lower recoil round, with the addition of a safety "lower" penetration round are all welcomed features as my rifle stays loaded for home defense when im not at the range or hunting.

Still plan on cutting to ~16-17", adding a break, and looking into getting my stamp to can it.

[djv38]

You know FN makes a 16" FNAR correct? I feel that that would be a better option if you want a shorter barrel to get threaded for flash suppressor and can.