Forged steel construction with flat bottom profile, External claw extractor with controlled round feeding, One-piece titanium MIL-STD-1913 optics rail with an additional 20 MOA elevation built in, Cold hammer-forged, chrome-lined, free-floating, Multiple steel sling swivel studs or sling mounting points, Model 70-type two-lever adjustable trigger, PO Box 9424 Beeferier means stiffer, which I can’t help but believe increases accuracy. The FN SPR A3G has been selected by the FBI as one of their tactical precision rifles. For our long range tests we decided to focus only on the Federal GMM ammo and thought that some 600 yard shooting on a silhouette target would be a good test. The action is solidly embedded into the stock by a synthetic compound applied at all crucial points. Report. The chrome-lined barrel, the McMillan A3 stock, the Phosphate finish, the claw extractor, are all design elements that are there for durability and reliability. The trigger is a standard Winchester model 70 trigger that FN has tweaked to meet their demands. The rifle did not perform as well with the various HSM loads and was not nearly as consistent as it was with the GMM. At the end of the grueling competition, two rifles were selected by the FBI, this new version of the FN SPR A3G as well as the excellent, and more custom built rifle from GA Precision. The spacer system is slower than some other adjustable LOP stocks on the market today and it takes a few minutes to add or remove those spacers, but the reward is a rifle that is adjusted to fit the shooter but yet still has the solid feel of a fixed stock and the operator does not have to worry about it slipping or moving during prolonged use. The McMillan A3 stock is inletted larger than necessary which gives the barrel plenty of room to insure it is free floating and it also makes the barrel channel easier to keep clean and free of potential obstructions. We used a set of Nightforce Ultralite titanium alloy rings to match the titanium 20 MOA base that came on the rifle. We do suspect that there is more accuracy in the A3G that will come out with some further break in. All Rights Reserved. These are some solutions, but it really should be resolved at the McMillan factory and not in the field by the shooter. There is some texturing on it to help with grip and there is just a slight palm swell to nicely fill the hand as well as properly place the hand and trigger finger. The finish is uniform over the entire rifle and combined with the OD green color of the stock makes a nice looking tactical rifle. We also realize that it has been 10 years since the testing and adoption of the SPR by the FBI and we thought it would be a fitting tribute to test the rifle at its 10 year anniversary and to see if it is still a capable rifle and a viable option today. The others carry a MOA … The FN SPR A3G rifle as it was adopted by the FBI is still a capable and relevant rifle today. The two rifles are priced considerably different; the FN on the cheaper side and the GA Precision rifle that is significantly more expensive, as it should be with all the additional custom work that goes into them. With our sample rifle we reviewed, the first inch and a half of the barrel was also glass bedded, which is a common practice for heavy barreled rifles as it helps relieve some of the stress being placed on the front of the action when hanging heavy barrel off the front of it. Once Belgium was liberated from the Germans after WWII that close relationship with the US Military was once again renewed and it continues today. We carry the full range of FN Herstal Rifles and other firearms, as well as ammo and gun accessories. The barrel is a heavy profile barrel that, according to our caliper, measures 1.135″ diameter at the action and tapers down to .925″ diameter at the muzzle. During the FBI trials FN conducted its own torture tests separate from the FBI and shoot more than 15,000 rounds through a single A3G rifle and not a single part failed and they claim the accuracy was still .5 MOA. The FN SPR line all feature a massive external claw extractor for Controlled Round Feed (CRF), and blade ejection. Because of the history of rifle and the significant role the FBI plays in the Law Enforcement community, we wanted to bring in one of the SPR rifles for a full evaluation here at Sniper Central. One interesting feature that is not found on most other precision rifles is that the bore is chrome-lined. All of the rifles in the SPR line feature the same action, hammer forged, chrome lined barrels, and built in 20 MOA Picatinny rails screwed down with oversized 8-40 screws. Pistols; Rifles; shotguns; Ammunition; law enforcement; military; Pistols. Search. April 7th, 2010 Click links below for video! It is similar to what you would find in the back of most sniper log books. The A3G is a great rifle! It is not a wide forearm like what is found on the McMillan A5 stock, but it is flat with a forward taper to it which allows the shooter to raise and lower the aiming point of the rifle by simply sliding the rifle forward or back on the sandbags, if bags are being used. FN does some additional work to the actions such as true the action face and bolt lugs to help improve accuracy. Oh the mysteries of firearms accuracy, who can explain it? The overall effect is a bit of a personal touch that you typically do not see on a factory built rifle. Currently the SPR is offered with either the McMillan A3 or the A5 stock. Based upon the Winchester Model 70-type rifles, the SPR A3G has a two lever trigger and three-position safety. There are other more capable, and expensive, rifles out there, but for an off the shelf rifle the A3G has many excellent features and performs well and it is a good candidate for not only Law Enforcement work, but for long range military sniping as well. The FN SPR A3G and A5M models come with a fully adjustable cheek piece for height and length of pull. The cheekpiece is rubber coated aluminum and is quite solid, though the rubber can wear, crack, and be damaged over time. I have an SPR A1, and its stupid accurate. The results of the 100 yard accuracy tests with various loads spanning the several shooting sessions can be seen below: As the results above show, the rifle did like the Federal Gold Medal Match (GMM) ammo the best and it was extremely consistent with the largest group over all the sessions only measuring .770″, though we were not able to match the .17″ size of the test target that shipped with the rifle. SHOP ESTORE; Find a Dealer; Cart. All accuracy tests were conducted over multiple days to try and get a better overall impression of the performance of the rifle, we also left the trigger at the factory setting. The pre-64 Winchester model 70 action shares some traits with the Mauser 98 and it operates in a similar fashion. With the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo still the most commonly used round for law enforcement sniping, we decided to focus our attention on that load, but did bring along a few other HSM loads to test as well. What this allows is for the various field offices with regional SWAT teams to allocate their funds to the rifle that better suits their budget; but to be honest, based off of what we hear, most of the teams are opting to spend the extra on the GA Precision rifles, with only a few SPR’s in service. Only factory test fired. Yes, there are a few things that can be improved on the rifle, such as the adjustable cheekpiece that will not stay in place, but as an overall package, it is a solid offering. Your email address will not be published. Chambered in 308 Win., the A3G features a cold hammer-forged MIL-SPEC fluted barrel with hard-chromed bore and is held to +/- .001" headspace to produce and maintain a sub-half minute … FN SPR rifles use a controlled round feed action with a cold hammer forged chrome lined barrel. We did not know what to make of it, especially since it is a non-chrome lined barrel and not fully glass bedded. With the stock adjusted and the rifle poked and prodded as much as we wanted, it was time to see how the she performed. Adjusting the trigger to a good 3 or 3.5 lbs trigger pull would probably help with the accuracy, but even as it is, the rifle was consistent. Chambered in 308 Win., the A3G features a cold hammer-forged MIL-SPEC fluted barrel with hard-chromed bore and is held to +/- .001” headspace to produce and maintain a sub-half minute-of-angle (sub-½ MOA) accuracy standard at 100 yards, making it ideal for long-range target shooting and competition. The barrel is 24″ long giving it enough length to maximize velocity yet saving some length and weight by not going with a full 26″. One of the requirements by the FBI was that the action be fully glass bedded into the stock, which was something new to FN as their standard SPR rifles do not have a full glass bedding job. FN A5M Shooting System: FN A5M with scope and bipod. Minuteman. While this is a bit heavier than we like, it did break clean with just a tiny bit of take-up, but overall it is a decent trigger that could be cleaned up and adjusted by a smith, but is serviceable as it is. Another option is to take some poly type of pad and trim it to the correct height to slip under the cheekpiece, between it and the stock, so that when the knobs loosen, the cheekpiece is held up in place with the poly pad. The A3G is a very nice rifle also. 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. Over time the claw extractor bolts do break in and become very smooth, as this rifle has begun to do, but the bolt will never slide as effortlessly as a push round feed design. FN then introduced the Patrol Bolt Rifle (PBR), which was geared more for the lower end of the price range and designed to be carried in a patrol cruiser. The A3G offers Controlled Round Feed, blade ejection, the original Model 70-type two lever trigger and a three-position safety. There were, and still are, several versions of the FN SPR rifle which mainly differed only by which McMillan stock was used. Joined Oct 2008; Posts 2041; EE 100% (101) OK, USA. A second shot was fired at the head and it hit nearly right on top of the first, just about an inch higher. The original sport-minded bolt-action Winchester Model 70 was introduced in 1936 and earned a reputation for accuracy, reliability and quality (even being fielded by the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War). Obviously this contract had the potential to be very lucrative both monetarily, as well as for the reputation of FN. It should also be mentioned that a part of the FBI trials was a rigorous drop test in which the A3G passed without any problems. Phone: 703-288-3500 Don't forget a ~$200 bedding job is the accuracy guarantee difference between them. The “Special Police Rifle” as we know them today, are all equipped with the excellent McMillan fiberglass stocks and over the years various different versions of the SPR used different McMillan tactical stocks. The FN SPR A3G is the flagship of the FN SPR line. I think you get (a bunch) more for the $$ with the A5M though. View All . As mentioned, the safety is located on the rear bolt shroud where the rear of the firing pin is also visible to give an indication whether it is cocked or not. The second shot was right on top of the first. It has a nice wide trigger shoe with vertical ribs that we like. Pulling the safety back into its final notch locks both the firing pin and the bolt, preventing it from being cycled. FN then introduced the Special Police Rifle (SPR) which aimed at the higher end rifle market, targeted directly at agencies looking for full time sniper rifles. Discontinued Products > Discontinued Rifles > FN SPR™ A3G. It is neat to see the information filled out by hand from the factory which indicated that 15 rounds were fired during testing before the rifle shipped out. The FN SPR™ A3G has been selected by the FBI as one of their tactical precision rifles. We did take a few minutes to remove some of the spacers on the rear of the rifle to adjust the length of pull to fit us better. We headed out to the longer distant range on a bit colder day that was again overcast. The forearm area also has some texturing on it to help with grip and there are two sling swivel studs up front to allow the use of a bipod as well as a sling. We also wanted to know if it would it be suitable for not only law enforcement sniping, but how would it work for the military sniper as well. It is generally accepted that chrome-lining a barrel, unless done correctly, can negatively affect the accuracy of the barrel. What we did with another SPR rifle we have here with the same type of adjustable cheekpiece was remove the knobs from the cheekpiece and then left the cheekpiece where it was for added height, and then put the TacOps cheekpad over the top of it and strapped it down.