FNH USA announced a new rifle in the FN 15 line up: the 1776. According to the company, the new AR-style rifle “is designed to be high performance, value-priced, and optics-ready, perfect for shooters looking for a base rifle to customize to their liking.” The MSRP is $899.

The new guns are chambered in 5.56 NATO and use a direct impingement design. FN uses a 16″ barrel with a 1:7″ twist and A2-type muzzle device. The guns come with an M4-type stock and a single Gen 3 PMAG.

The upper has a Picatinny rail for adding a scope or red dot. The low profile gas block does not appear to have any rail or mounting option on it, suggesting that iron sights are not easily added by the shooter.