Many of you will appreciate seeing a modern day Canadian soldier firing an FN C1 A1 at a military range.
The FN C1 is now a rare firearm. Only a few have survived the mass destruction of these rifles. Many are in private Canadian ownership (for those with Prohibited licences) and are museum pieces.
I have met the person who ordered the destruction of Canada’s FN C1 and C2s. Not sure if I like his reasons for recommending their destruction.
IMHO, Canada should have kept the rifles and maintained them as a stopgap in case of war.
For example, when Ukraine was invaded and desperate for weapons, Canada could have provided C1s and C2s to Ukraine as a stopgap… but we didn’t have them.
Canada could have also sold the weapons to foreign countries. Or given them.
Canada could have sold the rifles to interested companies in the US. I had buyers some years ago who were interested in purchasing the C1 to sell on the retail market. That’s when it was confirmed to me that all the C1 (and the C2s) were destroyed.
But alas, Canada’s stock of C1s and C2s have been crushed, and are all gone.
While the Canadian Rangers in the Arctic are being issued bolt-action rifles in defence of Canada, why were they not issued the old FN C1s? (The fact that the Rangers are issued bolt-action rifles suggests they are a token and symbolic military presence in the Arctic, by not being issued C7 or C8s, or a military rifle that is semi-automatic at least.) Ironically, I bet that many of these Rangers privately their own semi-automatic rifles.
–RdM
Josh Bortolotti – Weapon Familiarization – Range Day in Ottawa 2025
Colleagues on the Army Technical Staff Officer Program spent the day at Connaught Range in Ottawa to shoot a few foreign, captured, allied, and historic weapons of the Canadian Forces. The goal was to become acquainted with the handling, function and general performance of the weapons as they relate to our Military Weapons Design class.
ATSOP is a postgraduate education and training program at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC). It prepares graduates for employment in staff roles in the Canadian Army that require advanced technical and analytical skills, particularly within the Directorate of Land Requirements (DLR) and related organizations. The program combines graduate-level academic coursework—typically in engineering, defence studies, or project management—with military-specific training focused on capability development, equipment procurement, and lifecycle management. Graduates are expected to provide expert advice on the technical aspects of land equipment systems and support the Army’s modernization efforts.
Connaught Range and Primary Training Centre (CRPTC) is a CAF military training facility located in Ottawa, Ontario, near Shirley’s Bay. It is one of Canada’s most important ranges for small arms training, competitions, and qualifications.
Addendum: More FN C1 Retail History
As mentioned in a comment on LinkedIn (re M Smith) the only FN C1 you will find in Canada today are in private ownership, museums and the odd armoury.
There were several C1 and C2 that were sold directly to a rifle association from the factory back when they were still in production in Canada. They have non-military serial numbers are in private ownership today.
The other C1s in private hands come mostly from ex-Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) service rifles. The OPP sold them off. What’s interesting is that the bid had to go to a non-Canadian dealer to be exported from Canada. A Canadian dealer and a Sergeant in the Toronto Police used a British dealer. The British dealer won the bid and subsequently exported the C1S to England, where it was then imported back into Canada. This is why almost all the C1s in Canada had the OPP stamps on them but have had the stamps removed.
Apparently, there is an FN C1 at auction on Switzerlend at the moment– but I can’t find it. It is an early gun and not ex-OPP rifle.
–RdM