The name FN can spark either controversy or praise depending on who you ask about them, and more importantly, what exact product you’re talking about. A little while back I had the rare opportunity to run an FN SCAR 17 absolutely ragged for about three days in the desert – something that I think not a lot of civilian rifles ever get to experience. While the SCAR 17 nearly killed the Trijicon VCOG that was attached to it, the rifle itself managed to keep running, without any malfunctions for the entire week in which about 500+ rounds of .308 ball ammo were shot through it. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has had extensive experience with FN’s vast product line as they carry a reputation for having some of the best “combat-proven” equipment in the industry. However, the big downside to all that is that most of their highly sought-after AR-15 rifles and barrels are somewhat overpriced according to some. One prime example of this is FN’s 15 DRM3 and TAC 3 rifles which both cost nearly $2000 but are known for being some of the best “duty grade” off-the-shelf AR-15s available. This is simply not the case with the new FN Guardian, which comes in at an MSRP of $999 and can now be found for a street price of around $875. But does the FN Guardian still maintain the legendary reliability and accuracy that FN’s AR-15s are known for? We’ll find out in today’s review!

FN America @ TFB:

• New FN 502 MRD Optics Ready .22LR Pistol
• True Velocity Partners with FN America to Develop M240 Conversion Kit
• FN America Announces $18 Million Expansion Project at Columbia, South Carolina Production Facility

TFB Review: The FN Guardian – FN America’s Most Affordable AR-15

Before we get into a field review, let’s check out and see what’s on paper and how that compares to the next level up from the FN Guardian, the FN 15 Patrol Carbine. The FN 15 Guardian sits at an asking price of $999 while the FN 15 Patrol Carbine which features a flat top receiver paired with a polymer handguard, and a front sight gas block, is priced at $1,359. While this is the next rifle up in terms of affordability, in terms of style, and features, the next level up from the FN Guardian would be the FN 15 TAC3 Duty which costs $1,700. For a more realistic comparison, we’ll put these two rifles side by side and see what that extra $700 gets you from FN.

FN Guardian

• CALIBER: 5.56x45mm
• OPERATION: Direct impingement
• MAG CAPACITY: 30 Rd.
• WEIGHT: 6.6 lb.
• BARREL LENGTH: 16″
• OVERALL LENGTH: 32.1″ – 35.5″
• TWIST RATE: 1:7 RH
• 15-inch free-float handguard with continuous 12 O’clock Picatinny rail, 24 M-LOK® slots at 3, 6 and 9 O’clock
• Precision-tuned 16-inch barrel, mid-length
• Mid-length gas system, low-profile gas block
• Slick-side upper receiver reduces snag points and cleaning time
• 9310 Steel bolt, M16-style bolt carrier group, MPI/HP tested
• Gas key MIL-SPEC sealed, torqued and staked
• Forged 7075 lower receiver; hard coat anodized
• A2-style flash hider, 1/2”x28 TPI
• Custom FN 6-position, snag-free buttstock with multiple sling attachment points
• Ergonomic FN pistol grip at 19.5° angle and aggressive texturing for complete control
• MIL-SPEC trigger
• Price: $999.00

FN 15 TAC3 Duty

• CALIBER: 5.56x45mm
• OPERATION: Direct impingement
• MAG CAPACITY: 30 Rd.
• WEIGHT: 6.5 lb.
• BARREL LENGTH: 16″
• OVERALL LENGTH: 33″ – 36.2″
• TWIST RATE: 1:7 RH
• Lightweight handguard with continuous 12 o’clock Picatinny rail space, 5 integrated QD attachment points and multiple M-LOK slots at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock
• 16-inch government profile, chrome-lined, cold hammer-forged barrel made from FN’s proprietary steel
• M16-style MIL-SPEC bolt carrier group and HPT/MPI-tested bolt made from Carpenter 158
• Mid-length gas system with H buffer and pinned gas block
• MIL-SPEC forged aluminum receiver in black anodize
• M16-style bolt carrier group made from 8620 steel
• HPT/MPI-tested and certified bolt made from Carpenter 158
• Gas keys properly sealed, torqued and staked according to MIL-SPEC
• Fully ambidextrous Radian Raptor-LT charging handle
• Fully ambidextrous Radian Talon long and short modular safety selector that are reversible with precision machined dovetail interface with spring-loaded retention stud to lock lever in place.
• MIL-SPEC-style magazine and bolt release
• Price: $1,699.00

Just staring at these two rifles side by side in a physical space, it can be hard to determine the difference between the two. The same could be said for looking at the spec sheets for both of them but probably the most important differences between the two are going to be the bolt, barrel, and handguard. The TAC3 Duty does include a standard forward assist as well as an ambidextrous charging handle, but those are things that are really necessary omissions or inclusions in most cases as you’re not meant to use the charging handle so frequently, and the lack of a forward assist has probably hurt no one outside of the training or competition space. Both rifles also have a standard mil-spec trigger which breaks right around the 5-6lb mark, nothing to write home about there unless you’re a trigger snob.

C158 or 9310? Does it Matter?

There is probably still an active thread somewhere online that has people constantly arguing about the minor differences, merits, and pitfalls of both of these bolt materials for AR-15 rifles. Personally, I think they are virtually the same from a technical standpoint – they feature virtually identical strength and many high-quality rifle producers use or have used both materials for their bolts with resounding success. I’m personally indifferent, but the truth is that 9310 steel is found to be slightly more resilient when properly heat-treated. C158 on the other hand features a much simpler heat treatment method which could theoretically yield more consistent results.

Basically what I’m saying is that you shouldn’t really be too worried about the bolt material if you trust the company that the bolt is coming from. When it comes to these two bolt materials, what it comes down to as a consumer is trust and FN definitely has a proven, trustworthy, and reliable reputation in both the civilian and military worlds.

Range Experiences – Reliability, Durability and Accuracy

Now as affordable as this new FN rifle is, it’s not worth much to anyone if it isn’t acceptably accurate as well as reliable. I’m happy to report that in both instances, the FN Guardian passes, at least at this point in the review which is about 500-600 rounds in (I threw in a couple of bump-firing mags to test for reliability). All testing was done with a wide variety of brands, and grain weights of both .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO ammunition. I experienced zero malfunctions with the rifle, and have found it to be quite accurate.

Even with a mid-length gas system and an H2 buffer, I found the FN Guardin’s recoil to be a bit too wild for my liking but this is something that could be easily fixed with a muzzle brake or compensator if you’re trying to go for fast splits and turn your Guardian into a competition rifle – it’s certainly already geared up for it with the slick sided upper. Adding to that, I found that the ejection was fairly overgassed when shooting it with 62-grain M855 ammo, inconsistent with Winchester 55-grain White Box, and almost perfectly optimized with AAC 77-grain OTM. Regardless of subjective performance, all of the ammo used, including a few “mystery meat” magazines, cycled the Guardian flawlessly.

Towards the end of my review period with the rifle (about 400-500 rounds in), I started to notice that a bit of the anodizing on the upper receiver had started to physically wear away near the brass deflector. While it’s normal for brass deflectors to get some surface blemishes on the anodizing, the FN Guardian’s brass deflector (which is fairly small) has been physically dented and had its anodizing start wearing away. I’m not sure what the long-term consequences might be but I thought it was at least worth noting.

Accuracy

I shot a couple of groups with the FN Guardian and both were about 1″ in size if not a bit smaller from 50 yards (due to range limitations, this is the maximum distance we could shoot at during the review period).  I’m certain a better marksman, shooting from a better position, with better optics, and better ammunition could accomplish a lot more than I could but I also don’t think a 2MOA group is anything to scoff at for a $1000 rifle.

Curiously enough, the best group of the day was shot with the 62-grain M855 ammunition, although the 77-grain OTM group was looking pretty good until I hooked a round a bit off to the right of my initial grouping. Over time, I’m certain this accuracy would start to suffer but given that the FN Guardian uses a fairly durable 4150 Chrome-Moly-Vanadium steel MIL-B-11595 barrel, I don’t have the cash to bring it to that point in its life. That being said, all of the groups I shot were done at the end of my testing after I had shot several hundred rounds through the rifle.

Final Thoughts

The FN 15 Guardian makes a compelling case for those who want the FN brand name, but don’t want to spend the FN brand name money for the FN 15 TAC3 Duty or any of the higher grades of rifles that may or may not include features that you want in them. I for one would much rather have the TAC3 simply because it has a better-equipped rail, and includes ambidextrous controls which I’ve become accustomed to.

For an off-the-shelf rifle, I think the FN Guardian is a solid choice amongst a wide variety of other solid choices for a budget AR-15. I chose to keep this rifle more or less unmolested for the review aside from optics because I wanted to see how much I would like the stock, controls, grip, and charging handle and I found them to be acceptable enough for range use, but there are definitely other components I’d want to have on my rifle if I were building it myself. Obviously, your mileage will vary depending on your own needs and preferences but none of what FN gives you on this rifle is glaringly bad outside of maybe the stock which is both oddly shaped and doesn’t include a QD socket which is a must for me.

Simply put, the FN Guardian is reliable, accurate, and features no frills – it’s a pretty basic rifle and comes in at a pretty basic price. However, we’d always like to hear your thoughts so let us know what you think of the FN Guardian in the comments!

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