Fabrique Nationale Herstal (FNH) is one of the most famous and successful firearm manufacturers in the world. FNH rifles and machine guns have been used by dozens of countries on nearly every continent. Always having a very close relationship to the militaries of those countries, FNH has also been making bigger strides to gain an audience with the police forces as well. In the United States FN USA has produced the SPR (Special Police Rifle) series of rifles as an outstanding selection of rifles with serious features to compete in a market that cannot accept error.
Police work by its very nature is both mysterious and awe-inspiring. Most civilians have a huge misperception of what police work is and how it really plays out, because of T.V. shows and movies that highlight the most dangerous and exciting parts of the job. Inside of the police station there even more mysteries. The SWAT team is one of those areas with the most mystique inside the department. And on the SWAT team, snipers are literally ghosts; vital parts of the job that are rarely heard and almost never seen.
FN SPR A3G – FBI Approved
The FN SPR A3G has been selected by the FBI as one of their approved tactical precision rifles; the other rifle coming from famed custom rifle maker GA Precision. Based upon the Winchester Model 70-type rifles, the SPR A3G has a two lever trigger and three-position safety. The SPR A3G is chambered in .308 Winchester, the most popular police sniper rifle caliber, and features a cold hammer-forged MIL-SPEC fluted barrel with hard-chromed bore. The bore is manufactured to +/- .001″ head space to produce and maintain a sub 1/2 MOA accuracy.
The SPR A3G action comes with controlled round feed, and blade ejection. The forged steel action is hand-bedded with Marine-Tex epoxy into a fully adjustable McMillan A3 fiberglass tactical stock equipped with multiple steel sling studs.
FN SPR A3G Specifications:
- Caliber: 308 Winchester
- Barrel Length: 24″
- Overall Length: 44″
- Twist Rate: 1 in 12″ RH
- Length-of-Pull: Adjustable via interchangeable spacers
- Weight: 11.5 lbs. empty
- Magazine Capacity: 5 rounds with hinged floor plate (FLP)
- Made in the USA
FNH SPR A3G Features:
RECEIVER
- Forged steel construction with flat bottom profile
- Short magnum action length
- External claw extractor with controlled round feeding
- Blade ejection
- Integral recoil lug
- One-piece titanium MIL-STD 1913 optics rail with an additional 20 MOA elevation built in.
BARREL
- Cold hammer-forged free-floating barrel
- Chrome-lined bore
- Target crown
STOCK
- McMillan™ fiberglass tactical stock
- Textured gripping surfaces
- Multiple steel sling swivel studs or sling mounting points.
OPERATING CONTROLS
- Model 70-type two-lever adjustable trigger
- Three-position safety
- Knurled bolt handle.
The A3G is NOT the Best FN Police Sniper Rifle!
Despite the FBI’s endorsement, the A3G is NOT the FN rifle that I would select as a police sniper rifle. I know, who am I to challenge the mighty F-B-I? As a police sniper, and team leader for over 8 years, I have had the opportunity to handle and shoot several different types of rifles. Some have better adjustments, some have better triggers, some have better bolts, but in the end most precision rifles will get the job done as long as the shooter follows the fundamentals. However, there are a few features that make a police sniper rifle incredibly more advantageous than another.
As technology advances so do the equipment of professional organizations. Police departments should be the same. Using a hinged floor plate is using technology from 50 years ago. A modern police sniper should be able to reload, or change ammunition types for the rifle in seconds. Though a hinged floor plate allows for a quick unloading, it does not allow for quick loading.
Modern technology has provided the serious and professional shooter a detachable box magazine. The detachable magazine not only provides incredibly fast reloads, it allows the sniper to stage different magazines with different ammunition for specific missions. If the suspect is behind an intermediate barrier, a barrier-penetration round can be used. If a stationary vehicle needs to be disabled, then a FMJ or armor-piercing round can be used against a wheel or radiator. A detachable box magazine is the only viable rifle design for the modern sniper, providing the extra firepower and ease of reloading.
Fluted barrels not only reduce the overall weight of the rifle, particularly ones with heavy barrels typically found on police sniper rifles, but can provide improvements to the energy disbursement and overall harmonics of the barrel during firing. Though not an absolute must, a fluted barrel should be high on list of desired features.
For that reason alone, I would choose the FN Ballista or the FN SPR A5M XP as my FN police sniper rifle choice.
FN Ballista
My first choice for a police sniper rifle from the FN collection would be the Ballista. The Ballista is a modern modular design, with multi-caliber options. The Ballista can be configured in less than two minutes to any of three available chamberings (.338 Lapua Mag., .300 Win. Mag., and .308 Win.). The Ballista™ features repeatable accuracy with all chamberings, with the assistance of a high strength, vibration-isolated aluminum alloy receiver with a top mounted [easyazon_link identifier=”B003GSPPW6″ locale=”US” tag=”bluesheecom-20″]MIL-STD 1913 rail[/easyazon_link].
The Ballista is fitted with multiple rail segments to allow accessory customization for the individual shooter’s preference. The fluted barrel measures 26-inches, and comes with polygonal rifling with a right-hand, constant twist rate. Polygonal rifling has been found to be far more efficient than traditional rifling providing the best energy and ballistics on the bullet.
The Ballista also has a fully adjustable trigger (for single or two-stage release between 3-5 pounds). With an adaptable, ambidextrous, folding stock the sniper is able to maneuver through tight spaces. (NOTE: Had the Ballista not had a folding stock I would have marked the 26-inch barrel down as a negative for being way too long). A fixed stock rifle should only have a 20-22″ barrel. The Ballista’s 26″ is really too long, but the folding stock may make it feasible. One other note of concern is the bolt-action, which appears to have a slightly higher release distance than the traditional stocks.
FN Ballista Specifications
- Caliber: .338 Lapua Mag. (conversion kits available in .300 Win. Mag. and .308 Win.)
- Barrel: 26.0″
- Operation: Bolt-action
- Overall Length: 50.75″ (extended); 49.5″ (collapsed); 39″ (folded)
- Height: 7.8″ (without scope)
- Weight: 15.1 lbs. (empty)
- Magazine: 5 or 8 rds. (.338 Lapua Mag.); 6 or 10 rds. (.300 Win. Mag.); 8 or 15 rds. (.308 Win.).
RECEIVER
- High-strength aluminum alloy with top mounted MIL-STD 1913 rail
- Vibration-isolated from the aluminum and polymer stock via elastomeric cushions
- Accepts magazine for multiple calibers without further modification
BARREL
- Hammer-forged precision stainless steel
- Changeable in less than two minutes
- Headspace is preset within the barrel extension
- Retains centerline alignment with receiver
- Retains zero with same caliber
- Utilize right hand, polygonal, constant twist rate
- Accessory conversion kits available in: .300 Win. Mag. and .308 Win.
STOCK
- Ambidextrous, folding
- Fully adjustable for length-of-pull, buttplate height, comb height, cast-on and cast-off
- Single lever side folding stock to minimize overall length
OPERATING CONTROLS
- Ambidextrous magazine release forward of trigger guard
- Trigger system is fully adjustable for single or two-stage release between 3 and 5 lbs.
- Multiple safety systems include manual thumb safety, grip safety and drop safety system
MAGAZINE
- Advanced polymer construction
- Stainless steel spring
- Designed to protect projectile during recoil
FN SPR A5M XP
The second best FN Special Police Rifle (SPR), in my opinion, would be the FN SPR A5M XP. The A5M XP features a forged receiver and integral recoil lug for rigid stability and enhanced accuracy. In addition, the A5M XP features a distinctly accurate and threaded barrel that is cold hammer-forged and chrome-lined for durability. A Tactical Box Magazine of 5 or 10 rounds give shooters options for the specific mission they are confronted with.
FN SPR™ A5M XP Specifications:
- Operation: Bolt-action
- (1) MOA accuracy standard
- Caliber: .338 Lapua Mag. (conversion kits available in .300 Win. Mag. and .308 Win.)
- Overall Length: 50.75″ (extended); 49.5″ (collapsed); 39″ (folded)
- Barrel: 26″
- Height: 7.8″
- Weight: 15.1 lbs. (empty)
- Magazine: 5 or 8 rds. (.338 Lapua Mag.); 6 or 10 rds. (.300 Win. Mag.); 8 or 15 rds. (.308 Win.)
RECEIVER
- Forged-steel construction with flat bottom profile
- Controlled Round Feed (CRF) with external claw extractor
- Oversized 8-40 mounting screws
- Blade ejector
- Integral recoil lug
- One-piece steel MIL-STD 1913 optics rail with 20 MOA elevation built-in
BARREL
- Cold hammer-forged, chrome-lined, free-floating, heavy fluted
- Recessed target crown
- Matte black finish on all metal parts
- Threaded barrel (5/8 x 24 tpi) and thread protector
STOCK
- McMillan fiberglass stock with adjustable length of pull and cheekpiece
- Textured gripping surfaces
- Multiple sling/bipod mounting studs
- (6) integral quick detach sling mounts
- Premium recoil pad
- Hex head action screws
- Operating Controls
- Classic two-lever Model 70 style adjustable trigger
- Three-position safety
- Oversized bolt handle
- Ambidextrous magazine release
- Magazine
- Tactical Box Magazine (TBM)
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that FN is a master at firearm manufacturing. With well over 100 years of experience, and some of the world’s most famous firearms to its credit, the new line of SPR rifles are very impressive. Although I do not agree with the FBI’s selection of the A3G with its hinged plate magazine, FN has two very nice alternatives in the Ballista and the A5M XP.
I have shot rifles with FN barrels, and FN pistols. I have not had the opportunity to shoot one of these FN selections. However, FN’s credibility is very high, and if they are advertising 1/2 MOA or less than MOA accuracy, I am one that will accept their claim on face value.