FN Acquires Accuracy International
Accuracy International, renowned UK-based precision rifle manufacturer, is set to become part of the FN Browning Group. Responsible for iconic designs such as the Arctic Warfare, AWM, and AXMC, the company was founded in 1978. The acquisition will see Accuracy International continue to operate under its own brand within FN Browning Group and it comes at an interesting time, as the British military seeks to overhaul its small arms inventory with procurements of new service rifles, machine guns and precision rifles planned into the 2030s.
Accuracy International @ TFB:
- New Rifles From Accuracy International
- Accuracy International AX-SR Rifle for Australia's Snipers
- Accuracy International's Latest Rifles Displayed at DSEI 2021
The deal gives FN a strong foothold in a market segment it has not engaged with since the FN Ballista project. “Accuracy International brings a unique and highly specialised expertise in precision rifle systems that perfectly complements our defence and security solutions, said Julien Compere, CEO of FN Browning Group, he added: “this transaction also directly contributes to the UK’s strategic autonomy in defence and reflects our long-term commitment to the United Kingdom and our role as a trusted industrial partner to the UK Ministry of Defence.”
The famous story goes that Accuracy International were just ‘three men in a shed’ when their Arctic Warfare was adopted by the British Army as the L96A1 in 1984. This success ensured the future of the company and today Accuracy International employs around 100 staff and has provided rifles to military and law enforcement customers across the globe.
Tom Irwin, Director of Accuracy International described joining the FN Browning Group as a “strong strategic opportunity for Accuracy International. We share the same culture of engineering excellence, performance and dependability. This agreement enables us to preserve what defines Accuracy International while benefiting from the scale, global footprint and long-standing institutional relationships of FN Browning Group.”
Intriguingly, FN’s announcement of the acquisition included official comment from Colonel Will Waugh, head of the British Army’s close combat procurement team, saying: “The MoD has a long history of working with both FN and Accuracy International with some of our most important small arms capabilities being procured from both companies. The joining of these companies is great news for the MoD and gives us continued access to cutting edge capabilities”
No value was announced for the acquisition and the agreement remains subject to regulatory approval.
This strategic move provides investment for Accuracy International and a key missing component to FN and helps to expand FN’s portfolio as more and more small arms companies shift to offer a ‘complete package’ of design and manufacturing capabilities to customers. FN now have two manufacturing facilities in the UK, with major UK small arms procurements imminent, it will be interesting to see if this new strategic acquisition influences the UK’s upcoming decisions.
Managing Editor: TheFirearmBlog.com & Overt Defense.com. Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. Matt is also runs The Armourer's Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms. Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news. Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
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Interesting development. L96A1 retro reissue, please :)
RIP Ballista
"gives FN a strong foothold in a market segment it has not previously engaged with - long-range precision rifles"
Way to just ignore the SPR and Ballista smh my head.
It seems a lot of things that are known for being British is no longer in British hands or no longer exists. AI, their entire motor industry just to name a couple. Hopefully FN doesn't screw things up.
I saw at least 6 people, including my friend I was there with, have their AI AXSR rifles break at a recent ELR match in Wyoming. For some reason, every single one of these people brought a backup rifle for the match. It's almost like they all knew how problematic and finicky these rifles are and knew they needed a plan B. My friend has 2 AI AXSR rifles and the one he was planning to use for the match had the action screws break and the fore end screws broke. It was down for the count. The second rifle had to have the fore end screws tightened every 2 stages because despite having blue loctite and being torqued with fixit sticks to the correct value, they kept backing out.
I have spent a lot of time behind these rifles and am completely unimpressed. They jam when feeding rounds, screws back out and require constant retorquing, the return to zero from barrel swaps leaves a lot to be desired, the bolt lift and close is heavy and clunky, there is nowhere to rest your thumb, they have a proprietary and expensive slot system, the ARCA rail is not continuous and is at two different heights, the barrels have to be 1.350" at the action but even if you taper them down to 1.200" they still touch the handguard because the internal diameter is stupidly small, the magazines are obscenely expensive, the trigger is poop, the top rail is not continuous and is split at the handguard, and the magazines have an idiotic bolt hold open feature. For a rifle that costs $12,000 base price, I expect a well thought out, robust, and dead nuts reliable rifle. There are better rifles available for substantially less money.