By: Friedrich Seiltgen
Copyright © 2022
Fabrique National
Founded In 1889, Fabrique Nationale (FN) was started by a group of Belgian investors to manufacture Mauser rifles for the Belgian army. In 1898, John Browning fell out with the Winchester company over his new autoloading shotgun design, the A5. Winchester wanted to give Browning a one-time single fee payment for the rights to the A5, while Browning wanted royalties based on unit sales.
Browning then signed a deal with FN to produce the new A5 design and moved to Belgium to work with the investors. Browning went on to design several firearms for FN. He passed away at his bench while working on the FN Hi-Power design.
FN later produced the Fusil Automatique Léger, the FAL (French for Light Automatic Rifle). Produced by Fabrique Nationale in Herstal, Belgium, the FAL has been in service since 1953 in over 90 countries. The original design of the FAL started in 1946 as the brainchild of Belgian weapons designer Dieudonne Joseph Saive. Saive was quite talented: He designed the FN model 49, modified some of John Browning’s designs, and completed the design of the Hi-Power.
Recently, FN America has introduced its long-awaited FN SCAR 15P rifle-caliber pistol. The 15P was specifically developed with flexibility and mobility in mind. The compact SCAR 15P pistol is equipped with FN’s short-stroke gas piston system for reliability.
The 5.56 NATO-chambered pistol has an extremely lightweight and compact design, weighing in at 5.65 pounds unloaded and just under 20 inches in length with its 7.5-inch cold hammer-forged barrel.
“The release of the FN SCAR-SC in 2018 created excitement amongst SCAR enthusiasts who hoped that we would, one day, offer this configuration as a semi-automatic pistol to the U.S. firearms market,” said Chris Cole, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for FN America, LLC. “With the FN SCAR 15P release, I am pleased to be able to deliver exactly what our consumers asked for – a pistol variant of the FN SCAR-SC – backed by the legendary reliability, durability and adaptability of the FN SCAR series.”
The Receiver
FN starts with a hard-anodized monolithic aluminum receiver and adds MIL-STD-1913 accessory rails at 4 positions for lights and lasers. Also adds a Vertical Picatinny Rail (VPR) with sling QD cup for mounting single point slings on the rear of the receiver.
Dual, ambidextrous charging handles remain static under fire, user swappable left/right. FN equipped the 15P with low-profile charging handles as well as ones available with a 30-degree offset, and an ambidextrous safety lever and magazine release.
The Barrel & Bolt
The FN 15P is equipped with a 7.5” hammer-forged, chrome-lined barrel that’s free-floating with an attached 3-prong flash hider. The non-reciprocating bolt carrier assembly enables all shooting positions, and the charging handles double as hand stops.
Specifications
Type: Short-Stroke Gas Piston
Caliber: 5.56x45mm
Magazine capacity: 10 or 30 rounds
Sights: MIL-STD-1913 rail
Barrel Length: 7.5 Inches
Overall Length: 19.75 Inches
Weight: 5.65 Pounds
MSRP: $3,699
URL: www.fnamerica.com
THE VERDICT
In creating the rifle-caliber pistol based on the FN SCAR, FN combined lightweight, compact size with the reliability of the SCAR platform.
It’s a great choice for home defense duty, or take it to the range in the included, discreet, soft-sided carry case color-matched to the pistol.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, FloridaJolt.com, Soldier of Fortune, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].