This FN SPR A1 was buried in mud at the bottom of a lake for an undetermined period of time after being stolen. The time between when it was stolen and when it was recovered was almost a year, but no one (except the thief, perhaps) knows when it went in to the lake. It was returned by police to the owner, who decided to send it to FN rather than shoot it in its obviously deteriorated condition.

FN inspected the chrome-lined bore and found it to be serviceable. After a complete disassembly and microscopic inspection of the trigger assembly, which was found to be in near-perfect condition, the rifle was reassembled and proof tested several times.

The rifle was then test-fired with Federal Gold Match 168gr BTHP ammunition, and it still shot well enough to qualify as a “new” rifle as far as accuracy was concerned.

While it’s unlikely that FN will start offering “used and abused” rifles from the factory, it’s good to see that their rifles perform spectacularly well after being subjected to such horrible conditions.