FNP question

[jnevis]

I have been poking around and haven't found an solid answer.  I was at the LGS and they had pair of FNPs, a 9 and 40.  They feel pretty good and teh price is good, but I haven't really seen anything on them, good, bad, or indifferent.  Also the sights are dovetailed and replaceable but I haven't seen any aftermarket sights listed for it specifically.  Would it use the Sig sights (looks similar) or something else?

[clayflingythingy]

The owner of one of the LGS is a buddy of mine and he tried selling the FN's also at very attractive prices and he told me they were very hard to move.

I have no experience with the guns but my examination of the ones at the LGS seemed to be well made as polymer guns go. There really wasn't enuff difference in the price to get me to buy one in place of a Glock. If you can afford $425 for a not Glock then you can certainly afford $500 for a Glock IMO.

[jnevis]

That's why I have two (17/23) but I'm looking for something different and the Sigs were $700+ but the FN was closer to $450 and the Glocks over $600 (got to love MD stupidity and price gauging)

[Michael Bane]

You know, I think the FNP may be the best "sleeper" handgun in America...I have shot them a bunch in all three flavors, 9mm, .40 and .45, and I think they shoot superbly. They're light, ergonomic. have a reasonable trigger reset and are accurate as all get-out with those hammer-forged barrels. The first time I ever shot one of the 9mms a few years ago I just stood on the line and banged out 12-yard head shots with boring regularity, one after another.

Secondly, FN is as proven a quantity in the arms business as exists. They make the U.S. military SAWS, sniper rifles for the FBI, the subguns (P90s) that the Secret Service allegedly uses to protect the President, etc. When the military handgun contract was still percolating, I got a call from a Special Ops friend of mine who evaluated weapons for Whomever...he went on for 30 minutes about how good he thought the FNP .45 was, even when stacked up against its world-class competition like the Sig 220 and the .45 H-K...it was his opinin (and mine, to tell the truth) that the FNP .45 would have been the likely choice had the Trials gone forward.

I have an FNP 9mm coming for a long-term test, but I wouldn't hesitate to unconditionally recommend the FNPs.

Michael B

PS: FNH is not now nor has it ever been an advertiser on SHOOTING GALLERY or on DRTV!

[Rastus]

This thread could not have come at a better time for me.  Monday afternoon one of the guards at work mentioned wanting to sell his FNP9 to get an SR9 (I'd been bragging on mine and gave him a copy of January's G&A).  I didn't know anything about the FNP and was going to post....but jenvis beat me too it! 

Looks like I'm going to score one FNP9 in great condition and at a good price!!!

[Sponsor]

[clayflingythingy]

The FN's are most likely good guns. I think they may have at least two things going against them:

1) Most potential shooters are probably only vaguely aware of FN, if at all.

2) The exposed hammer DA/SA gun seems to be a dying breed.

The '08 Smith catalog has only M&P and Sigma's. Beretta has slashed sku's on the 92 platform and are trying to push the PX4. Ruger has slashed sku's on the P series and is obviously banking on the SR series.

To succeed in the auto pistol market it seems the gun has to be striker fired or a 1911.

[sfmittel]

I just picked up an FNP-45 at my local dealer on Monday. It's the two-tone variety with stainless slide. Link to this model on the FNH website is below. The grip fits surprisingly well in my medium-sized hands for a 14+1-rounder. I like the ergos and the grip angle better than my Glock 21SF. The ambidextrous "safety" is really just a decocker, which doesn't bother me a bit as I'm a big SIG fan and don't believe in the need for an external safety so long as the first shot has a traditional DA trigger pull. The machining inside the slide is primo. The inside of the frame looks very much like a Glock.

The DA pull is very smooth and compares favorably with my SIG P226 Navy, although the FN pull stacks more than the SIG in the second half of the pull. The SA pull is very crisp and is similar also to the SIG, but the take-up is noticeably heavier, as if FN took a SIG trigger mechanism and put a heavier trigger return spring on it. The trigger reset is about the same as a standard P226 but of course is longer than the SRT on a SIG Elite. Field stripping is identical to a SIG. The magazines (3 included standard) are steel with a straight weld up the back of the mag. The box it all comes in is HUGE; much bigger than a SIG blue box. You could hollow it out and use it for carry-on. With the "FN" logo boldly embossed on the box, wouldn't that drive the TSA crazy?

I put the FNP-45 next to my Glock 21SF to make some comparative measurements. The FNP-45 comes with two backstraps, one flat, one arched. I use the flat one as it fits my hand better. I kept my calipers parallel to the bore and measured both guns midway up the grip from front to back. Since the Glock has finger grooves on the frontstrap, I measured it at the shortest distance (between the bumps). The Glock 21SF measures 2.35". The FNP-45 measures 2.12". The width (thickness) on both is the same: 1.30".

The distance to the trigger on the Glock is constant, whereas the FNP-45 is DA/SA and therefore has two distances. Again holding the calipers parallel to the bore, measuring from the center of the trigger face to the indentation on the backstrap, the Glock 21SF is 2.87". The FNP-45 is 3.00" (DA) and 2.63" (SA). Both triggers fit my medium-size hand just fine. The DA trigger on the FNP-45 is exactly on the pad of my trigger finger with the edge of the trigger exactly in the crease at the first finger joint.

I can't comment on controllability as I haven't yet fired the FNP-45. The 21SF has the finger grooves, which fit my hand and help controllability. The FNP-45 has no finger grooves, but the polymer has a large checkering pattern molded on all four sides of grip that literally holds onto your hand.

I'm anxious to get it to the range. So far, I'm extremely impressed. I would sum it up by saying it's like FN took a Glock receiver, fixed the goofy grip angle and added interchangeable backstraps, exchanged the Glock's "safe-action" trigger for a DA/SA setup with ambidextrous decocker and slide release, then put a SIG slide on top. The barrel looks like a barrel; the proof will be in the shooting.

http://www.fnhusa.com/le/products/firearms/model.asp?fid=FNF020&gid=FNG001&mid=FNM0062

[MikeO]

Excellent gun IMO. I have tried the FNP in 9/40/45.

The 45 grip is too long for me; have the same prob w the HK45. I prefer the HK45C to the full size gun, would probably prefer a compact FNP45 too (hope one is on the way). The 45 bbl has the extreme throating the Glock 45s do; don't like it there, do not like it here.

Very easy to work on if it needs work. Takes the modular concept to the max. Everything on the pistol can be easily and quickly replaced, including the "extended modular frame rails". They pop in/out and cost $4-8 each. Even Glock can't do that.

I've heard FN is working on a better hammer fired DAO, and a striker fired DAO system better than the system they had in the old Forty-Nine.

[Rastus]

I like the FNP 9 I picked up.  The guy who owns the gun shop where I picked it up says they have a problem...something in the frame cracks/breaks...basically the gun stays serviceable but the trigger hangs a bit or pulls harder.  All of them he had brought in FN made good on really quick. 

No problem with mine....over 300 rounds and no failures.  I like the SA/DA and decocker...trigger is, therefore, better than my SR9.  But...I shoot better with my SR9...some of the difference should be longer sight radius on the SR9 but I really think it's the feel of a single stack grip in a double stack gun that helps the most...I just seem to keep the SR9 more stable than the new FNP 9.

Also...I like the way Ruger made the SR9 issue public.  Shows corporate acceptance of responsibility in my book...lot's of guns have had problems...it's usually kept somewhat quiet...kudos to Ruger!

[Dougdubya]

George Hill over at madogre-dot-com loves the FNP series.

He's really enjoying the FNP-45.  That's a good, glowing endorsement in my book.