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FN manufactured M16A4 rifles, c Nick Leghorn

Last week, I was given exclusive access to FN’s manufacturing facility in South Carolina. This is the facility where FNH makes the M240 line of machine guns along with the M249, the Mk. 19, the M16A4 and the future home of the M4 series as well. In the same place, FNH USA produces the FNS handgun line as well as parts for the SCAR rifles and performs final assembly of all their guns. Take a look, and enjoy!

Best conference room ever, c Nick Leghorn

Name that gun!, c Nick Leghorn

FN Mauser, c Nick Leghorn

FN Mauser, c Nick Leghorn

FNS barrels, c Nick Leghorn

FNS slides, c Nick Leghorn

FNS Slides, c Nick Leghorn

FNS Handguns, c Nick Leghorn

Winchester Model 70 bolts, c Nick Leghorn

Winchester Model 70 rifles, c Nick Leghorn

FN Barrels, c Nick Leghorn

FNP Tactical barrels, c Nick Leghorn

FN Barrel Shop, c Nick Leghorn

M240 barrels, c Nick Leghorn

BCGs, c Nick Leghorn

M240L Receivers, c Nick Leghorn

M249 Receivers, c Nick Leghorn

M249 Receivers, c Nick Leghorn

M249 Receivers, c Nick Leghorn

SCAR Bolt carriers, c Nick Leghorn

M16A4 rifles, c Nick Leghorn

FNS Slides, c Nick Leghorn

FN M16 Lower, c Nick Leghorn

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73 COMMENTS

  1. Ok!! Great pics!! Sweet piles of parts!!
    Now I have a boner and just want to go rub gun parts all over me!!!
    Damnit man!!!

  2. I would feel sorry for all those nimrods that maxed out their credit cards buying ebr’s during the panic. But I’m having too much fun watching the market get flooded and devalue their “investments”.

    • Tom, I live in Oregon as well and looking for some help. I am President of a company called Marine Lumber and we manufacture wire bound ammunition crates in our China factory. Our potential customers are manufacturers of 7.62, 5.56 and 50 caliber. I would love to converse with you if you have the time?

  3. I just saw an Armalite AR-10 go for 2x MSRP (and twice what I paid a year ago) at an LGS. The panic isn’t over, not completely. Or maybe not with specific breeds, anyway…

    • I was at a Walmart in central MI Saturday that had 9 AR15 two were colts, and lots of food for them, I’d say panic almost done for now. Still waiting for bulk .22lr

  4. I dont give a crap about FN’s SCAR and FNX they are crappy compared to a good AR-15 or Glock, Beretta. But those M-16A4s and the M-240s YUM YUM YUM me want one!!!!

    • Why do I get the idea that you have no idea what you’re talking about? Is it the fact that you called the SCAR and FNX “crappy” compared to a GLOCK-brand GLOCK? I’m not even saying they’re better, I’m just saying that nobody with any sense would call them crappy. But by all means, get all stiff over fully automatic things you can’t own. They’re more fun in cawadoody, after all.

      • Lance seems to have a pathological hatred of the SCAR. Whenever it’s mentioned on any number of sites, he starts foaming at the mouth. It’s downright Pavlovian.

        • No just grew to hate them, because of SCAR lovers like you always saying ARs are doomed and they suck because of your love of this plastic gun. I just saying FN isn’t the worlds best brand for pistols . I do like there M-16s and LMG though good quality.

        • Funny, I don’t recall either of us being SCAR lovers. In fact, I’ve never shot one. I also don’t recall seeing anyone on this site saying SCARs will be the end of the AR. But keep the petty reactionary hatred, if it makes you happy.

        • Wasn’t calling you that, Matt in FL. No I say for a Spec Ops only weapons you can like the SCAR other here and other places have been so fanatical on this they drive many nuts on this.

  5. I see that evil black thingy in the last picture with “burst” on it. That is what you wingnuts use to shoot children, isn’t it? No one needs a “burst.” 90% of Americans agree.

      • Mosin-Nagants came from the factory with a “burst” setting. Basically you line up six thousand Russki infantry and the commissar yells, “Strilet!” and then “Apyet!” (“Shoot!” and “Again!”)

        It was not that effective, especially in urban warfare, which is why they eventually went to full auto sub machine guns wherever possible.
        (/sarc)

    • traye, i am still waiting for you to post a comment saying sarcasm off.

      and if there was a burst setting then you can be assured that it will just be sitting in a rich boys collection of class 3 firearms for the duration of its life.

    • 90% of Americans? You really should learn to lie better.
      The public wants what the public gets. Truth: Have some.

    • Ran an M16 in the Army with a full auto setting. Lots of fun, burned up lots of tax dollars in ammo, but damn! It was near impossible to hit anything. Spray and pray has limited tactical advantage, IMO, unless you are in a very enclosed, very target-rich environment.

      • In my day we were specifically instructed to use “semi” for everything except suppressive fire (M16A1). That’s the only time we were supposed to use “auto.” Even then we were taught to fire three round bursts, and we were strongly encouraged to.use a bipod or otherwise brace the rifle against something solid.

        • With A2s and the semi version work with that’s not a option we even wanted. Full auto makes alot of problems wastes ammo and in panic fire can wreak your weapon like in Wannut.

  6. It’s amazing to me that the anti’s don’t get it!

    They’re the ones driving firearms sales, not the NRA or the gun industry.

  7. MORE – MORE – MORE!!!

    Some great photos there – stories like this are GREAT! I love to see the manufacturing end of fire-arms as much as shooting them!

        • You’re right, in my glazed fanboy state I forgot to realize there are no “words” to this story. However, the photos are extremely nice.

          But yes, captions would be nice(r).

          Hey Nick, have you guys thought about putting the site photos onto something like lightbox so when you click the photos, it just pops-over? Its a nice feature and (I believe) easy enough to do on the code side.

        • From time to time I’ve seen photos pop-over on this site, but not for a few months, and it didn’t work on every article. I presume that was a back-end admin thing where different people were doing things differently.

  8. Nice, this is where palmetto state armory gets their cold hammer forged barrels, supposedly. PSA is also very close in SC.

    • Put together a PSA lower last Sunday, using a PSA stripped lower and their lower kit. Excellent quality. Holes the right size and right locations. Trigger and sear nicely polished. I don’t have a trigger pull gauge, but it felt like 3.5 – 4 lbs with a nice crisp letoff and no creep. A little overtravel, though.

    • Not supposedly, that’s where they come from. PSA’s original location and current mailorder warehouse is less than five miles away from FN Manufacturing. The new corporate headquarters and shop moved to the other side of town, but still in Columbia..

    • I think that’s part of their wall of fame, as in, no longer
      being made, or a prototype that was never made.
      Read: Cool stuff we can’t have.

      To sum up the FN factory tour:
      “Look, but don’t touch,..touch, but don’t taste,..taste,
      but don’t swallow.” ~ John Milton
      Hey, isn’t one of the many names of the Devil, Old Nick?

      Next time, Nick takes us on a tour of the Dillon Aero,
      Minigun factory.

  9. Awesome photos Nick, from one photographer to another. I can only imagine how you felt taking these photos and touring this plant. Thanks for sharing!!

  10. Very cool. Have driven by there a couple times. My best bud has an ex-military acquaintance that works there. I keep hammering him to get us a tour. Palmetto State Armory has a couple of store fronts and a range down that way too. Would make a nice long weekend trip.

  11. I carried the M16A4 my first tour to Iraq. I have to say I miss my rifle seeing these pics brings up alot of memories.

  12. I worked in the FN plant for an electrical contactor a few years back. We were running lines for the new Winchester facilities. It is a great place with really decent people. I would have loved to work there, but health problems and age have taken me out of the game. I love my FNP .45 ACP and I build my own ARs with a lot of PSA parts. I was over there this morning buying AR food and Pmags.They are about 5 miles from me.

  13. I would agree with Luke, the handguards for the SC1 Shotguns are breaking at an alarming rate, FN acknowledges the problem but aren’t doing that much to fix the gun. Minus the hand grip issue it’s and excellent competition gun but you cannot shot a handgun without forearm.

  14. I just stopped by the FN America manufacturing factory today as I was in that part of the state. They do not give tours to the public. There is a visitors office but it’s only if you are there to see someone (if invited) or dropping off a firearm for repair. There is a Pro Shop outside the factory which you can visit. It’s sort of like a gun shop but only sells FN firearms and apparel. Factory looked nice and is pretty big. The shop was nice but it was small. I kind of wish there was more to see or some sort of museum on the grounds.

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