I've only had the chance to hold an FN FNC and I really liked it.

Anyone have any experience with them? How do they stack up next to other .223 rifles? Are they worth the money?

STEYR know more about it them me but here goes.


a belgium rifle in 5.56 cal. uses a ak47 style gas piston(reliable+) and ar16/m16 mags(cheap+).they are a bit pricey & i believe parts are on the rare side. was one of the first rifles to be banned from import because of it folding stock / muzzle break / bayo lug.

am i right on this anybody?

Very comfortable to shoot and very accurate.  I like it.    the only thing I don't like is that it doesnt have a bolt hold open.   Otherwise it is very cool.  One of the most impressive weapons I have.  It just looks cool.

They can use AR-15 mags, but have the FN-FAL reliability and ergonomics.  They're few and far between, so if you see one for sale, they'll be be tremendously expensive !!!!!

I had a fixed stock one once.  They're a great gun.  They do use a gas piston, so they shoot cleaner than an AR.  The gas is adjustable for two settings, normal and full-blast.  It takes standard M-16 mags.  The lower is a cast unit, and the upper is stamped.  It's the standard rifle of many countries, and has earned a reputation for being a strong rifle.  There's really nothing wrong with the gun.  The one I had was very accurate.  It was a tad heavy compared to an SP-1, but not when compared to an HBAR.  Parts are not as easy to get as AR parts, but more common than most people think.  I see them for sale all the time.  Most of the parts come from Indonesia, which produces the gun under license, but they're just as good as the FN ones.  

The high price doesn't have much to do with rarity.  Really, they aren't that rare either.  The high price was caused by a SAR article that mentioned that registered drop-in auto sears were available for the FNC and you'd have a legal MG for under $2000 total.  Once that hit the newsstands the price jumped from $1400 to $3500 really fast.  It's gotten more realistic now, but they aren't the great deal they once were.  Nothing to do about rarity, just to do about what the market will support.  If the article hadn't come out, the gun would have stayed in the mid-high thousand range.  

There's nothing really special about the gun, it's just a good gun.  It's still a good way to go if you want a full-auto as well, just not the screaming deal it once was.

Ross

Gents,

Just for your info, used (semi-auto) FNC's are normally priced between $600-$800 (depending on the condition) over here in Holland. The last time I shot one was several years back , so I can't really comment on them. In comparison to the SIG's, AR15's and AUG's they are not big sellers here.

Cheers,
RG.nl