Anyone else enjoy the FN line of pistols?

A910

Member
Ive been using the FNP 9 for years now. To me it seems the FN pistols are terribly underappreciated. I understand a lot of people use what they are used to/issued but that doesn't mean you can't venture outside the box to look for something that may better suit your needs.

I'm not trying to convert anyone to worship FN or completely change their stance on their own preference in carry or duty weapon. Just shining a light on a company I feel shoud get a bit more attention and thought.

What are your opinions?

My FNP 9 after a fresh coat of krylon
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I picked up the FNS9C this morning. I've always been a fan of FN pistols, glad they finally have a compact line. I'll be putting it to work over the next few months.
 

jnc36rcpd

Regular Member
It looks like my department will be transitioning to the FNS-9 as a duty weapon. I believe we are the first department to adopt this particular weapon.
While it probably wouldn't pass scientific scrutiny, our T&E of various handguns (Glock 22,23; S&W M&P40, S&P40c; SIG 229,229DAK, 250; FNX-40, FNS-40) rated the FNS-40 the preferred pistol. Since then, we decided to transition to 9mm. We've had several instructors carrying the FNS-9 for several months, but I doubt the weapon has been shot that much.
I'm hopeful that the FNS-9 will work out for us, but would have preferred going to a more proven system and one that offers a greater variety of option for various duty/off-duty needs.

Barry, how is the FNS9C size-wise. I've yet to see one in the wild. It looks huge in the advertisements.
 
Length is about 1/2inch shorter than a Glock 19, and it's slightly slimmer. Grip length is about the same, but variable based on which magazine you run. It's nice that the retail packaging includes 2 twelve round magazines and a 17 rounder. Without getting out the scale, I'm also going to guess that it's a few ounces lighter than the G19, but I could be wrong.
 

JekPokins

Amateur
I had one of the first FNS-9's to hit out area. I found that I liked it in every way over a Glock. The trigger was nice but the reset was a little weak. I've heard they have remedied that though. I don't foresee us swapping from Glocks anytime soon though, and I grew tired of keeping up with two sets of gear / mags/ etc.
 
The FN triggers are much improved over earlier models, that's for sure. Reset is short and crisp, and the break is pretty darn impressive.

I'm considering trying out the FNS9 long slide for some competition shooting. That 5" barrel is awfully tempting.
 
It looks like my department will be transitioning to the FNS-9 as a duty weapon. I believe we are the first department to adopt this particular weapon.
While it probably wouldn't pass scientific scrutiny, our T&E of various handguns (Glock 22,23; S&W M&P40, S&P40c; SIG 229,229DAK, 250; FNX-40, FNS-40) rated the FNS-40 the preferred pistol. Since then, we decided to transition to 9mm. We've had several instructors carrying the FNS-9 for several months, but I doubt the weapon has been shot that much.
I'm hopeful that the FNS-9 will work out for us, but would have preferred going to a more proven system and one that offers a greater variety of option for various duty/off-duty needs.

Barry, how is the FNS9C size-wise. I've yet to see one in the wild. It looks huge in the advertisements.
Here are a couple quick pictures to give you an idea of the FNS9C size. That's my full size XD for scale.
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420226173e9d29dd41826a67db406b11.jpg
 

jnc36rcpd

Regular Member
Thanks, Barry. While I'd much prefer that we went with Glock or S&W, I want to commit to whatever pistol we select. For years (good grief, actually decades), I've recommended that officers stay with the same manual of arms, if practical, for off-duty/back-up guns. For years, new officers have listened attentively, thanked me for my time, and gone out and purchased Glocks for half the price of a compact SigSauer. It would be nice to recommend something that would be affordable to new police. While I usually carry my duty weapon off duty, I will probably purchase a FNS-9C for off-duty. It does look a little big for a back-up gun.
Thanks again and be safe.
 

A910

Member
It looks like my department will be transitioning to the FNS-9 as a duty weapon. I believe we are the first department to adopt this particular weapon.
I'm hopeful that the FNS-9 will work out for us, but would have preferred going to a more proven system and one that offers a greater variety of option for various duty/off-duty needs.

Can't argue with that. Totally understand the aftermarket and accessory issue. Took me a couple months to find a good IWB holster the the P9. Completely forget about aftermarket triggers or Barbie accessories. But the thing about all this is, as long as the user base for the FN lines is relatively low, there won't be a market for accessories. Just like any other system unfortunately. Need to get some foaming out the mouth fanboys and a couple movie appearances before that happens.

Love my pistol, hate that it's a black sheep.
 

Rlb0311

Newbie
It looks like my department will be transitioning to the FNS-9 as a duty weapon. I believe we are the first department to adopt this particular weapon.
While it probably wouldn't pass scientific scrutiny, our T&E of various handguns (Glock 22,23; S&W M&P40, S&P40c; SIG 229,229DAK, 250; FNX-40, FNS-40) rated the FNS-40 the preferred pistol. Since then, we decided to transition to 9mm. We've had several instructors carrying the FNS-9 for several months, but I doubt the weapon has been shot that much.
I'm hopeful that the FNS-9 will work out for us, but would have preferred going to a more proven system and one that offers a greater variety of option for various duty/off-duty needs.

my department transitioned from a Sig pro to the 5" long slide FNS-40 last year. I have about 1k rounds through mine and have had no issues with it. I, like you was hesitant about moving to a basically unproven platform for law enforcement purposes but have nothing bad to say, no matter how hard I try. One issue some guys have had (not myself) was with the ambidextrous mag release being bumped on the support side when in a 2 hand combat hold. I beleive FN has remedied this with a drop in reversible mag release. I've seen guys Drexel and blue there's just to avoid the what if in it. One down side is not a lot of aftermarket support for the platform yet.
 
On of my concerns with the FNX line was always the close proximity of the slide release to the decocker. With gloves on I had a tendency to grab the slide release, run it down and snag the decocker along the way. Slide closed, hammer down. Of course the gun would still function fine in DA, but it sure made that first shot a long pull. The FNS seemed to fix that.
 

jnc36rcpd

Regular Member
That's good to know, Rlb0311. One of our instructors talked to your range staff who, of course, thought the world of the weapon. We also contacted the FOP Lodge (figuring they were not invested in the weapon) and received good reports. We did get some negative reviews from a now-retired sergeant, but most seem to find the FNS acceptable.
 

.308holes

Victory First
They are a good gun, and like any other (GEN 4 Glocks for instance) there will be bumps int he road, even from a company with a very successful history in the Firearms Industry. I have had one of the "remedied
FNS9's for about 18 months and it is a reliable, very accurate gun. I have had FNP45T and FNP45's for years as well.
Baltimore City (I believe City, might have been Baltimore County) went to FNS40LS last year, and a couple other mid-sized departments have also rolled over. It takes a bit for a new system to grab ahold because of the holster and ancillary equipment that needs to catch up. GENERALLY Safariland is the first to roll in, but they really want to hear of a large order (Baltimore City) before they commit tens of thousands to development and molds.
 

Rlb0311

Newbie
That's good to know, Rlb0311. One of our instructors talked to your range staff who, of course, thought the world of the weapon. We also contacted the FOP Lodge (figuring they were not invested in the weapon) and received good reports. We did get some negative reviews from a now-retired sergeant, but most seem to find the FNS acceptable.
My understanding is that specific retired sergeant worked for Sig Arms or now currently works for Sig. Most of the rumors that I've heard in the trenches is just rumors of a guy that knows a guy that had qualification with a guy whose gun had a catastrophic failure of some kind. We've had 3 Officer involved shootings this past month in my precinct where the FN did its job. there was a gunfight yesterday involving one of our specialized units on the east side, I'm not sure what they were carrying however. I try and shoot the the thing at least once a month, if anything haneous should happen I'll let you know
 

jnc36rcpd

Regular Member
I'd appreciate it, Rlb0311. I believe we will be the first agency to carry the FNS-9. It seems like a good weapon so far, but many are nervous about being the first to walk this particular path.
 

Bowers

Newbie
I really enjoy the Five Seven. I know I’m in the extreme minority, but I believe it is FN’s most underrated pistol by far... probably mostly because of extremely watered down commercial ammo. I roll my own with virgin primed brass and never attempt actual reloads.

I’ve run gel and armor tests with results that far exceeded my expectations.

With careful selection of commercially available components one can easily load a defensive round that outperforms ss190 or ss198 with a good balance of soft armor (3a) penetration and terminal effect at common self defense ranges all while staying well inside the safe pressure limits of the five seven and p90/ps90 designs.
 

jnc36rcpd

Regular Member
Times have changed since I last contributed to this thread. I'm now medically retired and the agency has gone from the FNS-9 to Glock (17 or 19 unless you're the chief who needed a 26 due to the weight of not wearing required gear).
We had multiple double-feeds with pistol-mounted lights. To FN America's credit, they acknowledged the problem and replaced barrels and magazines. We had instances of magazines ejecting when the high profile mag release came in contact with a vehicle interior or furniture. This could be remedied by going to a low-profile magazine release. Then we experienced large cracks developing in the frames of a couple of the pistols. We also had at least one night sight go bad.
I'm told the department is going to FN rifles which will hopefully work out somewhat better.
 

DavidMS

Amateur
I've had a FNS-9 for years. I have found it to be more accurate than myself (not saying much) and at least to me, reliable (one failure to feed caused by some sand getting into the action). I've had one problem that I needed to send it back to the factory to fix, the white insert in the front sight fell out but FN quickly fixed it. There was a recall and FN fixed the issue promptly. I always advise people to check out FN when choosing a handgun. Note: This is a sample size of one and I've probably put 800-1000 rounds through it.
 
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