FN A3G fbi surplus

[Lostin89]

All,

New to bolt guns, and new to the long range shooting genre.

A few years back I had the opportunity to pick up a surplus FBI a3g from the FN Pro Shop prior to it's closure (serial number 21).

The build sheet shows it punching at .27 moa with 168gr Sierra Match Kings.


I know it may be a silly question, but what kind of optic (magnification wise) will truly do this weapon justice? What range should I zero? What distance should I start practicing at before I move out to 1k on a local club range?


I want to make sure I don't bite off more than I chew and so far this group has been amazing for info gathering.

EDIT **Sub $1K for an optic at the moment, preferably 30mm as I have the mark 4 rings that came with the rifle** (if I need to hold off to increase budget I will)


Thanks in advance.

 

[stello1001]

How about we start with a budget for the optic?

I could suggest second gen Viper PST or TT315 which will both work well with the rifle.


I'd suggest ATACR 4-16 or ATACR 5-25 tho

 

[Lostin89]

How about we start with a budget for the optic?

I could suggest second gen Viper PST or TT315 which will both work well with the rifle.


I'd suggest ATACR 4-16 or ATACR 5-25 tho

Understood, I'll update my post with a target budget.

Probably sub 1k at the moment, I just blew most of my budget on a sepctredr for my scar 17.

 

[stello1001]

There is currently an Athlon Cronus for sale here for $1050 if you can make that stretch. It should be a great piece of glass. Some Tango6 second gen scopes sometimes sell here for sub $1000. If you can score one, it is a hell of a scope for the money and very comparable to second gen Razor. I own a Tango 6 and really like it.

If you can't spend time waiting for a good deal and need something quick, I'd buy a second gen Viper PST.


Some other kickass options can be found with @gr8fuldoug @ his store.

Bushnell Store | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

Pick any of the elite line scopes from the link above and call it good.

 

[Lostin89]

There is currently an Athlon Cronus for sale here for $1050 if you can make that stretch. It should be a great piece of glass. Some Tango6 second gen scopes sometimes sell here for sub $1000. If you can score one, it is a hell of a scope for the money and very comparable to second gen Razor. I own a Tango 6 and really like it.

If you can't spend time waiting for a good deal and need something quick, I'd buy a second gen Viper PST

I'll take a look at what you've mentioned. Patience isn't an issue for me, I would rather do it right the first time.

I looked at the sig optics heavily but something about dropping it on top of my FN rifle really hurt my soul. Though that's something I can eventually get over lol

 

[M8541Reaper]

T1 Micro is where it’s at dude. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Or if you’re a follower and don’t want to stand out, save up a bit more and toss a NF on it.

There really isn't a magnification that does/doesn’t do something justice. It’s the optical clarity and tracking that matters. I’ve run this rifle to 1000yds with a fixed 10x MK4, 1100m with a 3-15x NXS F1, and now it has a 5-25 ATACR F1 until it goes to the wife and gets her 4-16 ATACR F1. Target range/magnification wasfactor in any of those pairings. I’d resort the priorities and place magnification a little further down.

Personally I’m a fan of NF and would save up an extra 300-500 and snag a used NXS F1. I haven’t tried the NX8s, but they are a few bucks cheaper than the ATACRs.

—————ADVICE—————

-Read the Try DOPE thread and print out the chart.

-Go to the range with a plan. Don’t just show up

-Zero at 100

-Once you know your system and can group 1MOA or better at 100, move to 200 & 300 and record your data.

-Find your numbers on the Try DOPE chart and keep going until you hit diminishing returns/get burned out. Pick up where you left off next time.

-Record everything you see and what you did right and wrong. Read your notes when you get home. This will usually trigger other things you forgot about. Write those down as well.

-Note your round count for the day, check all of your torque settings with calibrated torque wrenches, clean your glass, put it away, repack your range bag, have a drink, repeat next time.

Shooting at 1k is almost no different than shooting at 100, so don’t let it intimidate you. There’s only one way to learn to shoot in wind and that is to shoot in wind. That’s the main reason why people miss. Get that down and you’ll be ahead of most. As for the other factors, I recommend taking a quality class with it, joining the online training here, or at least reading up until you can get to a class.

My A3G loves FGMM 175s and M118LR. It didn’t really like Black Hills 175 but absolutely hated every 168 I put through it, especially Hornady. If you get it threaded, it’s super smooth with an Area 419 Hellfire on it. I replaced the bottom metal with a CDI DBM so I can run AICS mags.

I also recommend that you pull your scope base off, wipe it down, clean the screws, loc-tite it in place, and put witness marks. This will save you down the road lol. #AskMeHowIKnow
?

 

[Lostin89]

@M8541Reaper

I appreciate the input and direction. I find it hard not to get overwhelmed but this definitely puts it into perspective and gives me a starting point.

I'll skip the T1 and put an exps on for sure to start though.

Currently it's got a harris bipod, FN pro leather sling, and those mk4 rings attached.

I'll start by taking the mount off tonight, I can't sleep and I'm bored so why not!!!

 

[M8541Reaper]

@M8541Reaper

I appreciate the input and direction. I find it hard not to get overwhelmed but this definitely puts it into perspective and gives me a starting point.

I'll skip the T1 and put an exps on for sure to start though.

Currently it's got a harris bipod, FN pro leather sling, and those mk4 rings attached.

I'll start by taking the mount off tonight, I can't sleep and I'm bored so why not!!!

Used to run a leather sling, NXS F1, HBRMS, and an AAC 762SDN6... which is a horrible can for repeatability. Over the years I started upgrading each piece. Great system but horrible if you want to tinker with upgrades lol.

 

[powdahound76]

Good suggestions for glass.

Take a look the Bushnell offerings. Many have had good success with them.

 

[skatz11]

I have two Cronus BTRs. One is on my FN SPR. It’s a great scope for the money. I think it’s the best value for combined glass, tracking, size/weight and reticle. They’re a great deal used for $1050-$1200

Other solid choices are the Bushnell DMR2 and used Vortex Razor Gen2’s.

I’ve had good luck buying used but good condition scope at a great discount on this forum.

Since everyone also is posting their FN SPR’s.

 

[fdkay]

This:

Product Description

Product Description | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

 

[6brshooter]

Big fan of bushnell dmr2, xrs2, and dmr2pro...

 

[stello1001]

Man, I envy all those with FN rifles. I really like them but have yet to acquire one. Closest thing I have is a win 70.

Op, the scope I've got on that rifle is a Bushnell LRTS which would also work great. You can find a great deal on those in the link I posted on post #4.

 

[clcustom1911]

You got yourself an absolutely beautiful rifle. I'm jealous.

As far as optics go you can:

Follow the crowd, get a NF.

Be different: Leupold Mk4 with mil reticle and MOA turrets ? kidding, kind of.

The Bushnell DMR2 or HDMR2 are excellent, used NXS F1 would be fantastic. I had an original run HDMR with the H59 reticle. Excellent optic and the second gen are definitely upgrades as far as glass and other features (10 mil per turn turrets, etc)

Also, if you end up wanting to use the 30mm rings, a Vortex Viper PST Gen II 3-15x44 will definitely fit the bill. That's what I currently have in my Tikks T3x Tac A1 and I definitely dont regret that purchase.

@M8541Reaper provides solid info in his post.

 

[M8541Reaper]

Be different: Leupold Mk4 with mil reticle and MOA turrets ? kidding, kind of.
@M8541Reaper provides solid info in his post.


View attachment 7254606

?
You laugh but it used to have a MK4 Mil/MOA TMR on it lol.

 

[clcustom1911]

?
You laugh but it used to have a MK4 Mil/MOA TMR on it lol.

I know my first "long range" optic was a SWFA fixed 10x with mildot reticle and 1/4 moa turrets. Ohhh the humanity of it all!

 

[Steel head]

I know my first "long range" optic was a SWFA fixed 10x with mildot reticle and 1/4 moa turrets. Ohhh the humanity of it all!

That’s a legit start!

 

[mochiles]

I know my first "long range" optic was a SWFA fixed 10x with mildot reticle and 1/4 moa turrets. Ohhh the humanity of it all!

That's how I got my start as well!

 

[308pirate]

What range should I zero?

100 yards

What distance should I start practicing at before I move out to 1k on a local club range?

All of them. You have a long way to go. Correcting for distance is so easy a caveman can do it. Correcting for wind is a little bit of math and a lot of KIM in the brain housing group. Those who think a Kestrel tells all miss a lot past 500 yards.

 

[308pirate]

Man, I envy all those with FN rifles. I really like them but have yet to acquire one. Closest thing I have is a win 70.

View attachment 7254596

Op, the scope I've got on that rifle is a Bushnell LRTS which would also work great. You can find a great deal on those in the link I posted on post #4.

Sick rig. Classic.

 

[308pirate]

Man, I envy all those with FN rifles. I really like them but have yet to acquire one. Closest thing I have is a win 70.

View attachment 7254596

Op, the scope I've got on that rifle is a Bushnell LRTS which would also work great. You can find a great deal on those in the link I posted on post #4.

That paint job is absolutely stunning. Did you do it?

 

[clcustom1911]

That paint job is absolutely stunning. Did you do it?

Totally agree, awesome job.


Looks like tan and black are the base coat, he applied the stencil, then did the green on that, peel stencil off.

 

[stello1001]

That paint job is absolutely stunning. Did you do it?

Thanks, and yeah I did the paint on it. It's all rattlecan but my other rifle has been rattlecan painted and it's held up pretty good regardless of how rough I was on it during the 2018-2019 hunting season.

Totally agree, awesome job.


Looks like tan and black are the base coat, he applied the stencil, then did the green on that, peel stencil off.

Thanks, and you are Correct!
I did the nutmeg first, stenciled up what I wanted, then did same thing with black. Lastly, I put on a mesh and sprayed some green on it. The nutmeg paint didn't hold up good enough though and peeled off a lot, I have no idea why.

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

I’d suggest using the optic the FBI had on them, especially since it’s a capable optic.

Leupold Mk4 4.5x14x50

Either way, loads of great suggestions here if you choose a more recent optic!

 

[Sierra770]

I’d suggest using the optic the FBI had on them, especially since it’s a capable optic.

Leupold Mk4 4.5x14x50

Either way, loads of great suggestions here if you choose a more recent optic!

3.5-10 x 40

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

That would be the issued optic on the HS HTR FBI Rifle.

 

[Sierra770]

I guess I need to brush up on my FBI weapons system knowledge.

 

[M8541Reaper]

That would be the issued optic on the HS HTR FBI Rifle.

LE, even at that level, are definitely not the leaders of what’s most efficient/practical. The MK4 series is not a modern day first choice and shouldn’t be the guide to go off of. My A3G definitely spent some time with a MK4 on it, but it just happened to be the optic I pulled off of my M1A. It was later replaced with the NXS F1...and later 5-25 ATACR F1.

It is 2020. If you’re paying more than $400 for a MOA/MIL optic for your rifle, you’re wrong.

All that being said, as long as the MK4 tracks, you’re golden. Just make sure it tracks and is repeatable or you’re just burning cash better served for a higher quality optic.

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

100% agree with the above statement

 

[M8541Reaper]

100% agree with the above statement

 

[rustyinbend]

There is currently an Athlon Cronus for sale here for $1050 if you can make that stretch. It should be a great piece of glass. Some Tango6 second gen scopes sometimes sell here for sub $1000. If you can score one, it is a hell of a scope for the money and very comparable to second gen Razor. I own a Tango 6 and really like it.

If you can't spend time waiting for a good deal and need something quick, I'd buy a second gen Viper PST.


Some other kickass options can be found with @gr8fuldoug @ his store.

Bushnell Store | Camera Land NY

cameralandny.com

Pick any of the elite line scopes from the link above and call it good.

Another vote here for an Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x for right around $1K new on BigDaddyUnlimited (less if used). I've got two, and they are both impressive from a feature and price-point perspective. Used one of them last season for my bucket-list 1-mile shot.

 

[One1Bravo]

Another vote here for an Athlon Cronus 4.5-29x for right around $1K new on BigDaddyUnlimited (less if used). I've got two, and they are both impressive from a feature and price-point perspective. Used one of them last season for my bucket-list 1-mile shot.

BDU prices vary but I've never seen the Cronus priced that low. It's at $1605 right now. Usually used prices hover around $1100-$1200. So @spife7980 has a pretty great deal on his.

 

[rustyinbend]

BDU prices vary but I've never seen the Cronus priced that low. It's at $1605 right now. Usually used prices hover around $1100-$1200. So @spife7980 has a pretty great deal on his.

Wow ... I got some "deals". Got mine at BDU (both) for around $1,100. Wasn't aware they'd moved up in price. Thanks for the fact-check. At that price, I'd probably opt for the Leupold Mark-5 HD 5-25X for $1,800-ish. Got two of them and they're awesome too.

 

[rustyinbend]

Wow ... I got some "deals". Got mine at BDU (both) for around $1,100. Wasn't aware they'd moved up in price. Thanks for the fact-check. At that price, I'd probably opt for the Leupold Mark-5 HD 5-25X for $1,800-ish. Got two of them and they're awesome too.

You made me curious enough to check my past BDU orders. Got one of my Athlon's (Cronus BTR 4.5-29) on sale in May of 2019 for $1,195 ... and the other in June (not on sale) for $1,324. Definitely better than current pricing. I guess "Success Promotes Greed".

 

[M8541Reaper]

I guess "Success Promotes Greed".

::cough cough welcome to a capitalist way of life cough cough AKA the only way to life cough cough it’s immorally wrong to allow suckers to keep their money cough cough::

 

[deersniper]

I have a Moa Nightforce 3.5-15-56 I would sell ya for $1000

 

[Skunk]

OP,

Put whatever optic you want on there. The FBI only has a small handful of these rifles, i.e. the ones that were submitted as test/eval rifles prior to awarding of the contract. That contract was awarded to both HS Precision and FN however, no FN rifles were ever purchased or fielded, only the HS.

I don't know if the FN rifles were delivered for testing with scopes or not. The only one I've seen had a 3.5-10x40 Mk4 with MOA knobs. Even so, with only 4-6 of these rifles in FBI inventory, it's anybody's guess as to which scope would be "correct."

 

[Lostin89]

I appreciate everyone's input...there are so many optics out there it's almost painful to navigate!

Right now I'm thinking I'm gonna pinch the pennies and increase what I'm winning to spend. I've got a bushnell smrs that if I sold used, even with the sales going on from cameraland it would increase my budget to $1500....if its not 30mm I can always get new rings!

I realized i never attached the rifle, so here you are!

 

[nn8734]

...would increase my budget to $1500....if its not 30mm I can always get new rings!

Nice rifle, always liked the A3 stock. For $1500 I’d consider snagging an ATACR 4-16x42 in the PX. Put it in a set of 34mm NF ultralights at whatever height works for you...Would be a good match, I think.

 

[Lostin89]

Nice rifle, always liked the A3 stock. For $1500 I’d consider snagging an ATACR 4-16x42 in the PX. Put it in a set of 34mm NF ultralights at whatever height works for you...Would be a good match, I think.

I know I'll have to be patient, but realistically it seems the difference in that $500 for my budget puts me in a totally different bracket for optics.

 

[nn8734]

Yea the options open up a bit at $1500 vs 1k. It’s worth a little bit of wait to get something you will really enjoy and will do the rifle justice.

 

[Sierra770]

T1 Micro is where it’s at dude. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
View attachment 7254389

Or if you’re a follower and don’t want to stand out, save up a bit more and toss a NF on it.


View attachment 7254391

There really isn't a magnification that does/doesn’t do something justice. It’s the optical clarity and tracking that matters. I’ve run this rifle to 1000yds with a fixed 10x MK4, 1100m with a 3-15x NXS F1, and now it has a 5-25 ATACR F1 until it goes to the wife and gets her 4-16 ATACR F1. Target range/magnification wasfactor in any of those pairings. I’d resort the priorities and place magnification a little further down.

Personally I’m a fan of NF and would save up an extra 300-500 and snag a used NXS F1. I haven’t tried the NX8s, but they are a few bucks cheaper than the ATACRs.

—————ADVICE—————

-Read the Try DOPE thread and print out the chart.

-Go to the range with a plan. Don’t just show up

-Zero at 100

-Once you know your system and can group 1MOA or better at 100, move to 200 & 300 and record your data.

-Find your numbers on the Try DOPE chart and keep going until you hit diminishing returns/get burned out. Pick up where you left off next time.

-Record everything you see and what you did right and wrong. Read your notes when you get home. This will usually trigger other things you forgot about. Write those down as well.

-Note your round count for the day, check all of your torque settings with calibrated torque wrenches, clean your glass, put it away, repack your range bag, have a drink, repeat next time.

Shooting at 1k is almost no different than shooting at 100, so don’t let it intimidate you. There’s only one way to learn to shoot in wind and that is to shoot in wind. That’s the main reason why people miss. Get that down and you’ll be ahead of most. As for the other factors, I recommend taking a quality class with it, joining the online training here, or at least reading up until you can get to a class.

My A3G loves FGMM 175s and M118LR. It didn’t really like Black Hills 175 but absolutely hated every 168 I put through it, especially Hornady. If you get it threaded, it’s super smooth with an Area 419 Hellfire on it. I replaced the bottom metal with a CDI DBM so I can run AICS mags.

I also recommend that you pull your scope base off, wipe it down, clean the screws, loc-tite it in place, and put witness marks. This will save you down the road lol. #AskMeHowIKnow
?

Which tripod is that in the photo?

 

[Sierra770]

OP,

Put whatever optic you want on there. The FBI only has a small handful of these rifles, i.e. the ones that were submitted as test/eval rifles prior to awarding of the contract. That contract was awarded to both HS Precision and FN however, no FN rifles were ever purchased or fielded, only the HS.

I don't know if the FN rifles were delivered for testing with scopes or not. The only one I've seen had a 3.5-10x40 Mk4 with MOA knobs. Even so, with only 4-6 of these rifles in FBI inventory, it's anybody's guess as to which scope would be "correct."

Good to know. I’ve never seen one of these rifles in the wild nor have I seen an FBI rifle with a Leupold 4.5-14x50....that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

 

[deersniper]

You can find eotech 5-25s for 11-1300

 

[Skunk]

Good to know. I’ve never seen one of these rifles in the wild nor have I seen an FBI rifle with a Leupold 4.5-14x50....that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Agreed. I've seen old Leopold 3-9X40 VXIII's with either Mil-dot or Duplex reticles, the Mk4 M1 and M3 3.5-10X40 with Mil-Dot, Leopold Mk6 3-18's with H59, Schmidt 3-12, 3-20, and 5-25 PMII's, and NightForce 4-16 ATACR's with T3's. Never seen the 4.5-14 Leupold, but with the strong Leopold ties over the years, anything is possible.

 

[Wheres-Waldo]

Every one I’ve seen, worked on and/or shot in the WMF and BRF in Quantico was outfitted with the 4.5-14x50.

That amounts to about 3 in total.

 

[M8541Reaper]

Which tripod is that in the photo?

That’s the P.R.S.T from Mission Critical Designs. Great tripod. I did tinker a bit and cut out the center column and secured the plate and ball head directly to the frame.

Nice rifle, always liked the A3 stock. For $1500 I’d consider snagging an ATACR 4-16x42 in the PX. Put it in a set of 34mm NF ultralights at whatever height works for you...Would be a good match, I think.

That 4-16 ATACR would be the best way to go, would pair perfectly, and you’d never feel the need to upgrade (or feel you made a mistake).