FN

FN Herstal is one of the oldest gun manufacturers in the world. Established in 1889, the company started as one of the Belgian government’s firearms manufacturer. During that time, the company is known as Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre. Shedding the d’Armes de Guerre (guns for war), the company adopted the FN Herstal in dedication of the location of their headquarters. The company’s future was sealed when they partnered with John Moses Browning in 1897. Most gun enthusiasts could say that Browning single-handedly changed the industry because of his innovations particularly his machine guns. The current Browning brand is under FN Herstal which is dedicated to military and civilian firearms as well as accessories. Although FN Herstal is a Belgian company, its headquarters is based in US. It is composed of two companies – the FN Manufacturing and FNH USA. The former is based in South Carolina and focused on production while the latter is based on Virginia which is focused on marketing.

Semi-Automatic Firearms

The company is well known for their semi-automatics as these are available for both military and civilian use. These semi-automatics of FN Herstal are known to be ambidextrous which increases usability of the firearm. The recoil is also addressed by the form of the firearm especially through its angled muzzle while other semi-automatics of FN have a muzzle break to control the recoil. It also features a single stage trigger – common to semi-automatics for better firing.

A popular semi-automatic of FN Herstal is the PS90 Rifle. The distinct feature of this semi-automatic is the downward ejection of the firing case. This improves the usability of the PS90 as the cases could be easily replaced. Another popular semi-automatic of FN Herstal is the FS2000. This gas-operated semi-automatic is known for its M1913 rail which is perfect for any type sighting system.

Pistols

FN Herstal also manufactures pistols for military and civilian use. They are usually smaller than most competitors as the company focuses on being lightweight. The two popular pistols of FN Herstal are the FNP40 and the Five-seveN tactical pistol. The former is one of the most lightweight handguns in the industry as it uses polymer frames. The latter is known for its near zero-recoil.

Machine Guns

Because of the company’s association with Browning even before the 20th century, machine guns will always be a part of FN Herstal. The GMPG (General Purpose Machine Gun) of FN Herstal is a light-powered machine gun with a range of 1.5 kms with the firing ability of 1,000 rounds per minute. These are often mounted in vehicles for air, water and land.

The distinct machine gun of FN Herstal is their Minimi series of machine guns. Coming in 5.56mm or 7.62mm models, the Minimi offers the best of both worlds. The machine gun is light enough to be carried by a single person but powerful enough for heavy combat. This “miniature” version of machine guns has all the familiar features of a machine gun. It virtually requires no training before they could be used in combat.