Joe Garibaldi
06-18-2008, 18:09
Last week, I picked myself up an FNP-9. I’ve read pretty much every review, and have no disagreements with them. Below I’ve added a few aspects I thought worth mentioning that have not been included in the reviews I’ve read.
Standard Version vs. newer “USG” version
I chose the standard version. The only differences in the USG versions are front-slide serrations and a safety added to the extant de-cocker (in the .45 version, the USG’s come with mags that hold one extra round - 14 instead of 13 - but both versions will accept either magazine).
I don’t really need the front serrations; and I don’t want the safety, given the de-cock feature (more parts means more things to go wrong). The USG version (in 9mm) also cost more, and for things I didn’t want.
Furthermore, for the standard versions, FN has a mail-in offer for a “Shooter’s Pack” from Blade-Tech. This includes a holster, 2-mag holder, and a training barrel (allows you to use your actual weapon in certain training exercises rather than a “blue gun”). I mailed my receipts in on Monday and the package arrived the very next Monday (even though the offer said it would take 3-4 weeks).
Fit and Finish . . .
. . . is excellent. Mine is matte stainless, and all the exterior and contact points are as smooth as silk. On the non-contact surfaces on the interior, there are slight milling marks, but they’re slight enough that I couldn’t get my camera to show them.
Out of the box . . .
. . . it was very clean with one exception. When I drew back the slide, I noticed a couple of rust (!!!) colored marks on the guide rod. I quickly realized this was colorant from the reddish-colored spring (each caliber has a different color spring), and my bare finger wiped it off. After my initial cleaning, there was no more colorant-running (same after my post-firing cleaning), but I used M-Pro-7/Hoppe's Elite. Other cleaners might have this same colorant running. In any event, I don't see it as a functional issue.
It comes with a lockable plastic case, a lock, three magazines, and a spent case in an envelope signed by the person who fired it.
Disassembly . . .
. . . is extremely simple. Lock the slide back, turn the disassembly lever, and move slide forward. Extremely smooth.
The rear of the guide rod has a black plastic cap on it, and I haven’t tried to remove it yet. The manual says you need not, but I like to clean extensively and may try to do so in the future. Because the spring is more like a slinky than a regular wire spring, I may not need to, but time will tell.
Magazine Release and Grip
The magazines drop free when empty, but also when fully loaded. I mention this because with some semi-auto’s, they’re designed to drop free when empty but not when full.
While the de-cocker is truly ambidextrous, the magazine release is “reversible.” The manual says you should have an FN armorer reverse it, but I quickly found a web site with a pictorial demonstration of how to do so. I did so pretty easily -- took about 5 minutes -- but more experienced tinkerers could probably do it more quickly.
It comes with a standard right-handed-thumb-side push point, and I’m right handed. Nevertheless, I reversed it because of the grip. It’s wide, and while my thumb could reach the mag-release button on that side, it couldn’t effectively press it without changing my grip significantly.
I found that on the left side I could press it with either my index or middle finger without changing my grip. YMMV, but FWIW I’m very standard size -- 5’10” with (I presume) the standard size hands for that height. Given FN’s desire to market this (with the interchangeable backstraps) to police departments, this may be an issue for them given police departments’ desire to allow all their officers (especially the female ones) to be able to easily manipulate the controls. They could have made the button protrude more, but then they’d risk accidental releases.
I like the way I have it set up now, and since I plan to get the larger .45 model, I’ll still have identical controls on each.
The Trigger
In DA, it’s not overly long, but not so short that there should be any worry of it going off even if, in my wife’s purse, a pen got inside the well and she shook that purse for all it’s worth. I know that’s not exactly a standard worry, but it’s one of hers. She wants to be comfortable carrying anything we have and (I know, this isn’t the ideal method, but) she usually carries in her purse. This for her ruled out Glocks, even though she loved firing them.
In SA, there’s a very short pull, and then it breaks very crisply. No over-travel that I can detect.
Firing
As light as the thing is, recoil is utterly negligible, probably because of the aforementioned wide grip. I re-acquired the target after each shot easily, but couldn’t prove my effectiveness since the range where I was firing does not allow rapid fire.
So far, accuracy is great. I started a 7 yards, and all my three-round groups touched. Same at 15 yards (except for a couple where I got wobbly . . . I'm out of practice). Had to leave before I had time for greater distances. When I rested the pistol on the bench, all groups touched.
Only aberration is that, of my 15-yard groups, some were an inch high, and later, a couple were 1½-to2-inches high. This is probably due to user error, since I haven’t had much range time lately. My first groups were dead-center, but afterwards I think I started eyeing the sights a bit differently. They are not very high above the slide, compared to an XD (which consistently sights in naturally for me).
My hundred-round session, using S&B 115 gr. FMJ, had no malfunctions of any kind.
As I said above, out of the box, all contact surfaces were (in “matte” stainless) flawless. After the hundred rounds, I noticed some of the contact surfaces were now a bit shiny (as opposed to matte): namely, the top of the chamber portion of the barrel and the horizontal corner edges of the rails (although very slight). I’m going to apply grease to these (had only used RemOil before firing) and see if it changes, but doubt it’s more than normal break-in.
One Gripe
Overall, I’m very pleased. A semi-gripe is the ineffectiveness of the mag release button for a right-hander (mitigated by the near certainty I’d need to reverse it for a .45, and it is easily reversed). The only real gripe I have is about the magazines.
In 9mm, they hold 16 rounds. Filled to capacity, the bottom round rattles. Not a lot, and not when held vertically in a holster, but when handled or holstered horizontally, it rattles nonetheless. With only 15 rounds or fewer, no rattles. A little wear may sort this out, or if not I may tinker with the mags.
Standard Version vs. newer “USG” version
I chose the standard version. The only differences in the USG versions are front-slide serrations and a safety added to the extant de-cocker (in the .45 version, the USG’s come with mags that hold one extra round - 14 instead of 13 - but both versions will accept either magazine).
I don’t really need the front serrations; and I don’t want the safety, given the de-cock feature (more parts means more things to go wrong). The USG version (in 9mm) also cost more, and for things I didn’t want.
Furthermore, for the standard versions, FN has a mail-in offer for a “Shooter’s Pack” from Blade-Tech. This includes a holster, 2-mag holder, and a training barrel (allows you to use your actual weapon in certain training exercises rather than a “blue gun”). I mailed my receipts in on Monday and the package arrived the very next Monday (even though the offer said it would take 3-4 weeks).
Fit and Finish . . .
. . . is excellent. Mine is matte stainless, and all the exterior and contact points are as smooth as silk. On the non-contact surfaces on the interior, there are slight milling marks, but they’re slight enough that I couldn’t get my camera to show them.
Out of the box . . .
. . . it was very clean with one exception. When I drew back the slide, I noticed a couple of rust (!!!) colored marks on the guide rod. I quickly realized this was colorant from the reddish-colored spring (each caliber has a different color spring), and my bare finger wiped it off. After my initial cleaning, there was no more colorant-running (same after my post-firing cleaning), but I used M-Pro-7/Hoppe's Elite. Other cleaners might have this same colorant running. In any event, I don't see it as a functional issue.
It comes with a lockable plastic case, a lock, three magazines, and a spent case in an envelope signed by the person who fired it.
Disassembly . . .
. . . is extremely simple. Lock the slide back, turn the disassembly lever, and move slide forward. Extremely smooth.
The rear of the guide rod has a black plastic cap on it, and I haven’t tried to remove it yet. The manual says you need not, but I like to clean extensively and may try to do so in the future. Because the spring is more like a slinky than a regular wire spring, I may not need to, but time will tell.
Magazine Release and Grip
The magazines drop free when empty, but also when fully loaded. I mention this because with some semi-auto’s, they’re designed to drop free when empty but not when full.
While the de-cocker is truly ambidextrous, the magazine release is “reversible.” The manual says you should have an FN armorer reverse it, but I quickly found a web site with a pictorial demonstration of how to do so. I did so pretty easily -- took about 5 minutes -- but more experienced tinkerers could probably do it more quickly.
It comes with a standard right-handed-thumb-side push point, and I’m right handed. Nevertheless, I reversed it because of the grip. It’s wide, and while my thumb could reach the mag-release button on that side, it couldn’t effectively press it without changing my grip significantly.
I found that on the left side I could press it with either my index or middle finger without changing my grip. YMMV, but FWIW I’m very standard size -- 5’10” with (I presume) the standard size hands for that height. Given FN’s desire to market this (with the interchangeable backstraps) to police departments, this may be an issue for them given police departments’ desire to allow all their officers (especially the female ones) to be able to easily manipulate the controls. They could have made the button protrude more, but then they’d risk accidental releases.
I like the way I have it set up now, and since I plan to get the larger .45 model, I’ll still have identical controls on each.
The Trigger
In DA, it’s not overly long, but not so short that there should be any worry of it going off even if, in my wife’s purse, a pen got inside the well and she shook that purse for all it’s worth. I know that’s not exactly a standard worry, but it’s one of hers. She wants to be comfortable carrying anything we have and (I know, this isn’t the ideal method, but) she usually carries in her purse. This for her ruled out Glocks, even though she loved firing them.
In SA, there’s a very short pull, and then it breaks very crisply. No over-travel that I can detect.
Firing
As light as the thing is, recoil is utterly negligible, probably because of the aforementioned wide grip. I re-acquired the target after each shot easily, but couldn’t prove my effectiveness since the range where I was firing does not allow rapid fire.
So far, accuracy is great. I started a 7 yards, and all my three-round groups touched. Same at 15 yards (except for a couple where I got wobbly . . . I'm out of practice). Had to leave before I had time for greater distances. When I rested the pistol on the bench, all groups touched.
Only aberration is that, of my 15-yard groups, some were an inch high, and later, a couple were 1½-to2-inches high. This is probably due to user error, since I haven’t had much range time lately. My first groups were dead-center, but afterwards I think I started eyeing the sights a bit differently. They are not very high above the slide, compared to an XD (which consistently sights in naturally for me).
My hundred-round session, using S&B 115 gr. FMJ, had no malfunctions of any kind.
As I said above, out of the box, all contact surfaces were (in “matte” stainless) flawless. After the hundred rounds, I noticed some of the contact surfaces were now a bit shiny (as opposed to matte): namely, the top of the chamber portion of the barrel and the horizontal corner edges of the rails (although very slight). I’m going to apply grease to these (had only used RemOil before firing) and see if it changes, but doubt it’s more than normal break-in.
One Gripe
Overall, I’m very pleased. A semi-gripe is the ineffectiveness of the mag release button for a right-hander (mitigated by the near certainty I’d need to reverse it for a .45, and it is easily reversed). The only real gripe I have is about the magazines.
In 9mm, they hold 16 rounds. Filled to capacity, the bottom round rattles. Not a lot, and not when held vertically in a holster, but when handled or holstered horizontally, it rattles nonetheless. With only 15 rounds or fewer, no rattles. A little wear may sort this out, or if not I may tinker with the mags.