Tag Archives: Fn-15

Greyburn: FN Debuts New ARKA Rifle Line

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On the eve of a large international tactical expo, FN Herstal raised the curtain on a new rifle for its 2026 catalog, the ARKA.

Blending elements of the famed FN SCAR series with familiar AR ergonomics in a short-stroke piston system with some very AR-18ish internals, the new ARKA was unveiled just before the Eurotatory show in Paris last week.

Chambered initially in 5.56 NATO, the ARKA “prioritizes the ergonomics of high-speed movement,” and includes a fully ambi magazine release, bolt catch, and safety selector along with a T-shaped charging handle and forward assist. Using STANAG pattern mags and able to accept any standard AR pattern pistol grip or stock, the ARKA is also suppressor-ready with both an adjustable gas block and a QD muzzle device.

FN ARKA
The internals include a take on the SCAR’s short-stroke piston operating system with some very AR-18 vibes. Cue the “it’s been the AR-18 all along” memes. (All photos unless noted: FN)

FN at launch is advertising the ARKA with either a 14.5-inch standard barrel with options for a short or long M-LOK handguard, or an 11.25-inch CQC barrel and short M-LOK handguard. All configurations are available in FDE or black, and with selective fire or semi-auto only trigger packs. All feature a top Pic rail.

FN ARKA
You get lots of options. 

Roll those models:

FN ARKA
The 11.5 in black. 
FN ARKA
The FDE 14.5 with full length handguard
FN ARKA
The black 14.5 with a full-length handguard
FN ARKA
The short-handguard 14.5 in FDE
FN ARKA
And the above in black. 

FN says the platform is basically an AR on the outside, and a tough-to-kill SCAR on the inside. A SCAR dressed up in an AR suit, if you will.

“FN is pleased to complement its rifle portfolio with this new AR-15-type platform that is built upon the proven performance of the FN SCAR, currently in service with over 20 armed forces worldwide,” said FN Herstal’s VP for Small Arms, Christophe Soleil. “The FN ARKA provides equivalent levels of reliability, durability, and performance, allowing customers to select the ergonomics and architecture that best suit their preferences.”

While not stated, it is obvious that the gun is intended for European military tenders, with Britain’s Project Greyburn looking for a new 5.56 platform to replace the troubled L85/SA-80 Enfield bullpup. If so, it will go against such guns as Beretta’s NARP and others.

Further, it should be pointed out that FN is currently the only military-grade small arms maker in the UK, with its South London facility making 7.62 and .50 caliber machine guns in England since 2014. It should also be noted that FN recently acquired UK rifle maker Accuracy International.

Ian McCollumn on the rifle, because he happened to be at FN’s range in Belgium.

When is the ARKA coming to America?

Now here’s the bad news.

As these are being shopped at a European Mil/LE show by the Belgian-based arm of FN, the odds are that these won’t be in the U.S. any time super soon. Of course, we could be wrong about that, especially if imported in a large format pistol variant with a semi-auto trigger.

Anything is possible.

Until then, or perhaps in lieu of, keep in mind FN America’s domestic-built SCAR in its current generation accepts lots of AR furniture instead of locking the user into the “Ugg Boot” stock.

The newest SCAR model
The newest SCAR model rifles accept AR furniture, so there is that. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

FN 15 Guardian, after 2,000 rounds…

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FN’s motto for the past several years is “The World’s Most Battle-Proven Firearms,” and it has the lineage to prove it. Founded back in 1889 to make Mauser pattern rifles for the Belgian government, FN promptly out-Mausered Mauser and remained in that bolt-gun business with its in-house upgraded Model 24 and Model 30 as late as the 1960s. By that time, FN had the FAL in production and later superseded it with the FNC and today’s SCAR – all of which have seen combat around the world. Much like the way it took over where Mauser left off in the 1920s, FN jumped into the M16 biz in the early 1980s and out-Colted Colt, winning a $112 million contract to produce 266,961 M16s for the U.S. Army in 1988.

Now, with over 40 years in the AR game, FN has the game figured out and tends to market a lot of more top-shelf options such as the FN15 DMR3, which costs almost SCAR kinda money. That’s where the FN-15 Guardian comes in, as a more mid-shelf offering with an MSRP of $999 and a cost at retailers usually a bit lower than that.

I’ve been kicking one around for the past several months, passing 2,000 rounds drawn from 20 different brass and steel-cased loads through it, including shooting it suppressed, with assorted optics, a dozen different types of mags, the works.

It may be “budget” but it holds up.

See my column at Guns.com for the full review.

FN 15 Guardian, after 500 rounds…

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Light, affordable, and ready for the range or field, the new FN 15 Guardian offers one of the iconic company’s most obtainable 5.56 caliber rifles.

Billed as a light, fast-handling carbine, the Guardian complements the rest of FN’s AR (FN 15) line of rifles in the respect that it is priced at a more entry-level (MSRP $999, more like $899 at retailers) rung on the ladder than some of the company’s other offerings, which have an ask of $1,350 (FN 15 Patrol Carbine) to $2,350 (FN 15 DMR3). Thus, according to the marketing materials, the new addition is “making FN quality accessible to all home defenders and sport shooters.”

The FN 15 Guardian has a retail price of $999, which is typically lower at the point of sale.

In a nutshell, the FN 15 Guardian is a carbine-sized (16-inch, 1:7 twist barrel) direct gas impingement action AR with a mid-length gas system that has a flattop, smooth-sided (no forward assist) upper, a 15-inch aluminum handguard with a couple dozen M-LOK slots, and a lot of mil-spec parts. This keeps it light, at just 6.6 pounds, and with a streamlined aesthetic.

The all-up weight of the Guardian as shown below, well outfitted with a Magpul PMAG loaded with 30 rounds of M855, an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic red dot reflex sight on a QRP2 mount, a full-length direct-thread SilencerCo Omega 36M can, and a field expedient Israeli-style sling, is just a hair over 9 pounds.

You could shave off a bit of weight by going with a set of irons or a smaller red dot, or reducing the baffle stack on the suppressor, and still have a lot of capability.

So far, I have put it through a bit over 500 rounds, a quarter of that while suppressed, from across at least 15 different brass-cased loads I had around the house, including German, Malaysian, and South Korean military surplus, Federal XM855 Green Tip, Winchester NATO-marked overruns, Winchester black box BTHP Match, and bulk pack Wolf M193 NATO, all running the gamut from 55-grain to 77-grain in weight.

And have few complaints other than the funky furniture.

Full review over after the jump to Guns.com.

A Closer look at the FN 15 Guardian

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For the past couple of months, I’ve been working with FN’s most entry-level AR-15, the Guardian.

It shares a lot of FN’s M4 DNA and has a great barrel– I’m talking a 16-inch nitride-coated specimen made of 4150 chrome-moly-vanadium (CMV) steel. FN tells us it is MIL-B-11595 high-pressure tested and subjected to magnetic particle inspection after proof firing. It runs a 1:7 twist rate, which is one of the most common twists on AR-15s today and great for stabilizing heavier bullets, which have become more popular.

Now, it uses a slick-sided NBS-made billet upper, which does away with the jam enhancer (forward assist), on a forged lower, and carries the same general furniture as seen on the company’s TAC3 series which costs twice as much. Everything else (trigger, charging handle, etc) is mil-spec.

At a $999 asking price – typically much lower with retailers – the FN 15 Guardian delivers a lot of performance for half the price of the company’s $1,889 TAC 3 and likewise comes in at a fraction of the cost of the $2,439 DMR3. In fact, the Guardian is the most affordable FN 15 in the company’s catalog, coming in at a price point lower than the $1,359 Patrol Carbine, its former “budget” offering.

I’ve only got a few hundred rounds through it thus far, but it is holding up well and I haven’t had a single jam even with mixing 14 wildly different loads across four different style mags.

FNally, a FDE FN 15…

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In a move that adds a new series of modern sporting rifles to their consumer and LE offerings, FN USA has announced the new TAC3 line.

The FN 15 series rifles include three standard TAC3 models– in black, flat dark earth, or tungsten gray– and a more basic black TAC3 Duty variant. All are chambered in 5.56 NATO and include FN’s famed hammer-forged chrome-lined 16-inch government-profile barrel with a 1:7 twist.

Mil-spec– keep in mind that FN makes thousands of M4s every year for Uncle Sam– they have a mid-length gas system and M16-style bolt carrier groups with an HPT/MPI-tested bolt made from Carpenter 158 steel. Other standard features are a 6-position stock with QD attachment points, a fully ambi Radian Raptor-LT charging handle, and an ergonomic FN pistol grip set at a 19.5-degree angle.

The standard FN 15 TAC3 includes a Hodge Defense rail and the option for FDE, among others (Photo: FN)

On the downside, it costs as much as a SCAR!

More in my column at Guns.com.

Cracking the Army’s Budget Book on SmallArms

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The Army’s recently announced budget request for the fiscal year 2022 includes at least $114 million for new rifles, handguns, and the next generation of small arms. 

While the overall FY2022 Defense Department Budget is $112 billion, most of the non-operational dollars are for high-level R&D and big-ticket items like the F-35 fighter. The Army’s budget book for weapons and tracked combat vehicles meanwhile has a low nine-figure ask when it comes to individual small arms. 

The bulk ($97 million) is to go to the Next Generation Squad Weapons, with much of the balance to acquire new Barrett-made Precision Sniper Rifles, and a few crumbs for M4s, M17s, and the like.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Sig: Next-Gen Weapons Delivered to the Army

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Sig Sauer this week announced it has completed the delivery of the company’s Next Generation Squad Weapons system to the U.S. Army.

The company is one of three contractors who in 2019 got the nod from the Pentagon to continue with the NGSW program. The sweeping initiative aims to replace the Army’s 5.56mm NATO small arms – the M4 Carbine and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. Sig’s program consists of an in-house-designed lightweight high-performance 6.8x51mm (.277-caliber) hybrid ammunition, NGSW-AR lightweight machine guns, NGSW-R rifles (based on the MCX carbine), and next-gen suppressors.

They certainly look the part and, if selected, would give Sig the small arms hattrick as their P320s have been adopted as the DOD’s standard handgun to replace everything from the USAF’s lingering K-frame 38s to the Marine’s M45 CQB railguns and everything in between. At that point, the only man-portable system used by the Army not made by Sig would be the M240 and M2, which FN still has a lock on.

More in my column at Guns.com.

NGSW? Don’t Hold Your Breath

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The current NGSW field 

The U.S. Army is full-speed ahead on an initiative to select a new series of innovative 6.8mm-caliber Next Generation Squad Weapons to phase out its 5.56mm platforms for combat troops. However, it would seem the Department of the Army is hedging their bets with traditional systems just in case things don’t work out like planned such as in past ambitious programs for futuristic small arms.

In April, FN won a 5-year $119 million contract for new M4/M4A1 Carbines from the company’s South Carolina factory– where 500 of the shorty 5.56s roll out every, single, day.

And this week, Big Army likewise issued a $78 million award to FN for more M249s, the squad-level U.S-made variant of the FN Minimi light machine gun that has been standard since 1982.

Just google the Individual Carbine (IC), Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW), or the Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) programs to see why keeping the legacy infantry arms in production until things work out is a good idea.

The army advanced combat rifle ACR prototypes.

Answering those AR selection questions

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As I have gotten a lot of questions on how to select an AR-15 in recent months, I put together some 2,000~ of basic information as to what features to look for, what they mean (e.g. the differences between 8620 steel and S7 steel on bolts), and what to avoid on black rifles.

If you are curious, check it out in my regular column at Guns.com. 

Le Glock Mle 2020

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French trench raiders during the First World War, winter 1917 Bezange Forest, Lorraine, note the Ruby pistol.

The French military has flirted with modern semi-auto pistols for longer than most. During the Great War, thousands of Spanish-made Ruby and Star pistols augmented the country’s rather lackluster Modèle 1892 revolvers.

This cleared the way for the later FN 1922-inspired MAB Model D pistol and Charles Petter’s famous Mle. 1935, the latter design one that went on to morph into the Swiss SIG P210, arguably one of the best handguns of the 20th Century.

After WWII, the MAC Mle 1950, itself very P210-ish, was adopted and, coupled with the PAMAS G1, a domestically-made clone of the Beretta 92F, is still in service today.

The French MAC 50 PA modèle 1950 pistol

Now, 115 years after the Ruby was first ordered, the French defense ministry has placed an order for 75,000~ new Glocks.

The Glocks, reportedly a two-tone Gen 5 G17 MOS with a threaded barrel, suppressor-height night sight, and optics plate, will be delivered through 2022.

Besides the Austrian polymer pistols, the French are also going FN when it comes to a rifle to replace their venerable FR F2 (itself a souped-up MAS1936).

Sniper overwatch by a 3e RPIMa marksman with a French FR-F2, Rwanda, 1993. These rifles will be upgraded to SCAR H PRs in the coming years. 

More in my column at Guns.com.

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