FABRIQUE NATIONALE DE HERSTAL

'Fabrique Nationale de Herstal', more often abbreviated as 'Fabrique Nationale' or simply 'FN', is a Belgian manufacturer of firearms. The official company name is 'FN Herstal'. FN is a subsidiary of the Herstal Group. Herstal also owns the 'U.S. Repeating Arms Company' (Winchester) and 'Browning Arms Company' (an American gun company founded by John Moses Browning's family). Together these divisions form the Herstal Group.^[1]

Contents

History

Weapons made by FN

Sidearms

Submachine Guns

Rifles

Automatic and semi-automatic rifles

Bolt-action rifles

Machine Guns

Other weapons

See also

References

External links

History

FN originated in the small city of Herstal, near Liège. The ''Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre'' (French for ''National Factory of Weapons of War'') was established in 1889 to manufacture 150,000 Mauser Model 89 rifles ordered by the Belgian Government.
In 1898 the company entered into a long lasting relationship with John Moses Browning, a well-known firearms designer.

FN became an important manufacturer of motor vehicles in Belgium, cars were produced in Herstal in the early 20th century, production of FN motorcycles continued until 1965, trucks until 1970.
One of Fabrique Nationale's weapons, a Model 1910 semi-automatic pistol in 7.65 × 17 mm (.32 ACP) (serial number 19074) was used to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the event that triggered World War I.
The British .303 Browning aircraft machine gun introduced in the late 1930s and used in World War II was actually a license-built 'FN' Browning design, not a "Colt-Browning" as often referred-to.
John Moses Browning began development of the Browning GP35 'High Power' (sometimes written as ''Hi-Power'') pistol, the ''GP'' standing for ''Grande Puissance'' or "high power" in French. However, the weapon was finalized by Dieudionne Saive and did not appear until nearly a decade after Browning's death.
'FN Manufacturing LLC' in Columbia, South Carolina is part of the military division of FN. It is primarily responsible for the development of U.S. government contracted military and law-enforcement weapons, including M16 rifles, M249 SAW light machine guns, M240 medium machine guns, FNP series pistols and M2 machine guns.

Weapons made by FN

Sidearms

★ 'FN Barracuda:' double action revolver chambered for 9 x 19 mm Luger, .38 Special and .357 Magnum

★ 'FN Five-seveN:' modern lightweight 5.7 x 28 mm semi-automatic pistol

★ 'FN FNP-40:' .40 S&W pistol

★ 'FN FNP-45:' .45 ACP pistol

★ 'FN FNP-9:' 9 x 19 mm Luger pistol

★ 'FN FNP-9m:' compact 9 x 19 mm Luger pistol

★ 'FN Forty-Nine:' semi-automatic pistol chambered for 9 x 19 mm Luger and .40 S&W

★ 'FN Browning Hi-Power:' single action 9 x 19 mm Luger and .40 S&W pistol

★ 'FN HP-DA:' 9 x 19 mm Luger pistol, double action variant of the Browning Hi-Power

★ 'FN M1900:' .32 ACP blowback semi-automatic pistol

★ 'FN M1903:' 9 x 20 mm blowback semi-automatic pistol

★ 'FN M1905:' vest pocket blowback semi-automatic pistol .25 ACP

★ 'FN M1910:' semi-automatic pistol chambered for .32 ACP and .380 ACP

Submachine Guns

★ 'FN P90:' advanced high-capacity personal defense weapon that uses 5.7 x 28 mm rounds

★
★ 'FN PS90:' civilian semi-automatic sporting version of the P90 with a 16-inch barrel

Rifles

Automatic and semi-automatic rifles

★ 'FN CAL:' ''Carabine Automatique Legere'', early 5.56 x 45 mm NATO caliber assault rifle

★ 'FN F2000:' modern 5.56 x 45 mm NATO compact bullpup assault rifle, part of system with computerized sight and 40 mm grenade launcher or 12 gauge shotgun

★
★ 'FN FS2000:' civilian semi-automatic version of the F2000

★ 'FN FAL:' ''Fusil Automatique Leger '', 7.62 x 51 mm NATO battle rifle/squad automatic weapon

★ 'FN FNC:' ''Fabrique Nationale Carabine'', 5.56 x 45 mm NATO caliber carbine

★ 'FN Model 1930 BAR:' license-built version of the M1918 BAR, re-chambered for 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser

★ 'FN Model 1949:' a semi-automatic rifle chambered for 7 x 57 mm Mauser (''7mm Mauser''), 7.62 x 51 mm NATO, 7.65 x 57 mm Mauser, .30-06 Springfield and 7.92 x 57 mm Mauser (''8 mm Mauser'')

★ 'FN SCAR:' ''SOF Combat Assault Rifle'', modular assault/battle rifle system with dedicated versions in 5.56 x 45 mm NATO, 7.62 x 39 mm and 7.62 x 51 mm NATO

Bolt-action rifles

★ 'FN 30-11: ' 7.62 x 51 mm NATO bolt-action sniper rifle developed from FN-built Mauser Kar 98K rifles

★ 'FN PBR:' 7.62 x 51 mm NATO bolt-action rifle intended for police patrol cars

★ 'FN SPR:' bolt-action sniper rifle chambered for 7.62 x 51 mm NATO and .300 Winchester Magnum, used by the FBI and SWAT teams

Machine Guns

★ 'FN BRG-15:' experimental heavy machine gun chambered for 15.5 x 115 mm

★ 'FN MAG:' ''Mitrailleuse d'Appui General '', 7.62 x 51 mm NATO general purpose machine gun, also known as the L7 machine gun and M240 machine gun

★ 'FN Minimi:' ''Mini-mitrailleuse'', 5.56 x 45 mm NATO light machine gun in use with several nations and known in U.S. use as the M249 SAW and Mk 46 Mod 0

★ 'FN Mk 48 Mod 0:' 7.62 x 51 mm NATO variant of the M249 machine gun

Other weapons

★ 'FN 303:' less-lethal 17 mm multi-shot projectile launcher

★ 'FN Self-Loading Police Shotgun:' 12-gauge self-loading shotgun with 7 or 9 round capacity

★ 'FN Tactical Police Shotgun:' 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with 5 or 8 round capacity

See also

★ Arms industry

★ List of modern armament manufacturers

References

1. FNHerstal.com "The Herstal Group includes Herstal, parent company and two main subsidiaries , FN HERSTAL, active in the Defense and Law Enforcement fields, and Browning / U.S. Repeating Arms Co., specializing in hunting /shooting marksmanship and outdoor sporting goods."

External links

★ FNH USA Website

★ FN Herstal Website

★ FN Manufacturing Website

★ Browning International Website

★ FN Firearms Discussion Forum