FN 303 Launcher
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Barrel
- 254 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.27 kg
- Introduced
- 2003
About
What it is, and why it matters
The FN 303 is a semi-automatic, compressed-air less-lethal launcher developed by FN Herstal for riot control and crowd management. Introduced in 2003 and derived from the paintball-based XM303 project of the Monterey Bay Corporation, it fires .68-caliber (17.3 mm) fin-stabilized projectiles from a 15-round rotary drum magazine, propelled by a detachable, refillable compressed-air bottle pressurized to roughly 3,000 psi. The projectiles are designed to break on impact, delivering blunt kinetic energy or payloads such as paint, pepper powder (PAVA) or marking dye, with an effective range of about 50 metres.
The FN 303 grew out of a rejected U.S. military project (UTPBS) that was revived with funding from the Monterey Bay Corporation and matured by paintball-design firms including Airgun Designs into the XM303 proof of concept. FN Herstal licensed and industrialised the design. Its reputation was permanently marked by the 2004 death of Victoria Snelgrove, a bystander struck in the eye during celebrations outside Fenway Park in Boston, which prompted multiple agencies to drop the weapon.
Available with interchangeable projectile payloads (blunt impact, indelible paint, washable paint, and PAVA pepper-irritant). The system was withdrawn by several U.S. police agencies after a fatal 2004 incident in Boston, and FN Herstal has since replaced the original launcher with the FN 303 Mk2. A single air bottle provides roughly 110 shots.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- FN Herstal
- Category
- Personal Defense Weapon
- Country
- Belgium
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 2003
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 254 mm
- Overall length
- 737 mm
- Weight, empty
- 2.27 kg
- Weight, loaded
- 3.63 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 15
- Magazine
- Drum
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Polymer
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Polymer
- Finish
- Matte black
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 88 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 33 J
- Effective range
- 50 m
- Maximum range
- 100 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
- Compressed air operation
- Refillable air bottle
- Fin stabilized projectiles
Rotary drum magazine
Accessory rail
Iron sights- Modular projectile payloads
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 54 personal defense weapons | 2.27 kg | 2.23 kg | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 53 personal defense weapons | 737 mm | 582 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 55 personal defense weapons | 254 mm | 168 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 57 personal defense weapons | 15 | 30 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the FN 303 Launcher
How much does the FN 303 Launcher weigh?
The FN 303 Launcher weighs 2.27 kg (5.00 lb) empty and 3.63 kg (8.00 lb) loaded.
What caliber is the FN 303 Launcher?
The FN 303 Launcher is chambered in .68 Caliber (18mm) Less-Lethal.
How many rounds does the FN 303 Launcher hold?
The FN 303 Launcher holds 15 rounds, fed from a drum magazine.
How long is the FN 303 Launcher?
The FN 303 Launcher is 737 mm (29.0 in) long overall, with a 254 mm (10.00 in) barrel.
Who makes the FN 303 Launcher?
The FN 303 Launcher is made by FN Herstal (Belgium). It was designed by Monterey Bay Corporation.
When was the FN 303 Launcher introduced?
The FN 303 Launcher was introduced in 2003.
How does the FN 303 Launcher operate?
The FN 303 Launcher uses a gas operated action.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- United States Marine Corps
- United States
- Boston Police Department
- United States
- French National Police
- France
Provenance
Confidence in this record
82%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/fn-303-launcher' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "fn-303-launcher", "name": "FN 303 Launcher", "manufacturer": { "id": "fn-herstal", "name": "FN Herstal", "countryCode": "BE", "foundedYear": 1889, "website": "https://www.fnherstal.com", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:43:43", "version": "868b12ac455d24b965edddf486bafb1892f606961311b1ab9907556e3a23b075" }, "category": { "id": "personal-defense-weapon", "name": "Personal Defense Weapon", "description": "Compact firearms designed for non-frontline military personnel" }, "country_of_origin": "BE", "year_introduced": 2003, "barrel_length_mm": 254, "weight_empty_g": 2268, "action_type": "gas_operated"}