FN America

FN America is the U.S. arm of Belgium's Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal--the company that's been making military firearms since 1889. They're headquartered in McLean, Virginia with manufacturing down in Columbia, South Carolina.

Here's what sets FN apart from every other gun company: they actually make more U.S. military small arms than anyone else. Not marketing talk--they've got the contracts. FN builds the M4/M16 rifles (took that contract from Colt), the M240 and M249 machine guns, and the M2 .50 cal. When they say "battle-proven," they mean it.

When you buy an FN, you're getting the same company that builds weapons for special operations forces--not a civilian knockoff or "military-style" copy, but the actual manufacturer.

The company traces back to a partnership with John Moses Browning in 1897. That relationship gave us the Auto-5 shotgun, the Hi-Power pistol, and the BAR. Today, FN also owns Browning Arms and Winchester Repeating Arms, making them one of the biggest players in the firearms world.

FN's whole approach is taking military platforms and selling civilian versions.

No consumer-first designs here--everything starts with a military contract.

• •FN's military-first approach vs. typical consumer firearms development

The SCAR (Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle) was built specifically for U.S. Special Operations Command. The civilian versions are semi-auto copies of what special ops guys carry.

All three use a short-stroke gas piston system instead of direct impingement. You get an adjustable gas regulator for running suppressed, a folding stock, and a non-reciprocating charging handle. Well, mostly non-reciprocating--the handle does move when the bolt cycles, and that bugs some people.

• •SCAR short-stroke gas piston system operation

The SCAR's build quality is legitimate. Cold hammer-forged barrels, monolithic upper receiver for solid optics mounting, and they'll run dirty. At $3,500+, they better.

FN created an entire cartridge ecosystem around the 5.7x28mm--high velocity, low recoil, and designed to punch through soft armor in military loads.

The PS90 is the civilian version of the P90 PDW. Bullpup design with a 50-round magazine that loads from the top. Nothing else like it on the market. The Five-seveN pistol pairs with it--20-round magazine, very low felt recoil.

The catch is ammo cost. You're looking at 50-80 cents per round, and availability isn't great outside major cities.

The FN 509 platform came out of FN's bid for the Army's Modular Handgun System contract (they lost to Sig P320). It's actually a solid duty pistol that gets overlooked.

Standard 509 runs about $600--competitive with Glock and Sig pricing. The Tactical version adds optics cuts and a threaded barrel for around $800. There's also a Compact, Midsize, and competition-focused LS Edge variant.

The 509 has a few nice touches--external extractor, PVD-coated stainless barrel, and a trigger that's better than most striker-fired guns out of the box.

The FN 15 is their direct impingement AR-15 line. Solid rifles, but at $1,500+ they're competing with Daniel Defense and BCM without offering much advantage. This is probably the one FN product where the premium feels unjustified.

The FN 502 is a .22 LR training pistol that matches the 509's controls--good for cheap practice if you carry a 509. They recently brought back the FN High Power at around $1,300. It's a modernized Browning Hi-Power from the original manufacturer, which has collectors and purists arguing about authenticity.

FN's reputation varies by what you're buying and who you ask.

Military and law enforcement guys respect FN because they know the military contracts are real. The SCAR platform has genuine users in special operations, and the 509 is starting to show up in agency holsters.

In the precision shooting world, the SCAR 17S and 20S get respect as capable platforms, though they're not quite custom rifle accurate.

The 5.7x28mm stuff has a dedicated following--people who buy into that system really buy into it. But it's definitely a niche.

For general AR-15 buyers, FN is kind of an odd choice. The FN 15 costs more than comparable rifles from other premium makers, and there's nothing special about FN's direct impingement design.

• •SCAR's reciprocating charging handle hits support hand with C-clamp grip
• •Limited aftermarket support compared to AR platform
• •5.7x28mm ammo is expensive and hard to find
• •Premium pricing across most product lines

FN makes genuinely military-grade firearms--not "mil-spec" marketing, but actual military contractors. The SCAR rifles are worth their premium if you want that specific platform. The 509 series is an excellent duty pistol that deserves more attention than it gets.

• •BGC decision tree for FN products

The PS90 and Five-seveN are unique enough that if you want that system, FN is your only real option. Just understand you're committing to expensive ammo.

Where I'd skip FN is their FN 15 AR-15 line. At those prices, Daniel Defense or BCM gives you more value. The military contract cachet doesn't add anything meaningful to a direct impingement AR.

FN's strength is making things nobody else makes, backed by actual military usage. Just be ready to pay for that exclusivity.

But if you want the SCAR platform, there's nothing else that does what it does. Same with the 5.7x28mm system.