View Full Version : FNS-9
Guys , seems to me that not everyone here loves the FNS . Yes , the have screwed up marketing and have very little backup on the gun , and very few aftermarket parts .
I picked one up several years ago on a whim since it was on sale at well under $300 NIB . Pulled it down when I got home and it appears to be built like a tank with longer rails than a lot of guns I`ve seen . Trigger is decent , not great and the sights are just ok , but it shoots well and is very concealable for me . Also like the 17 round magazine .
So far , its taken every round I `ve put through it .... FMJ to hollow points ( Gold Dot ) .
What I don`t know about is longevity as I have less the 700 rounds through it .
Just curious what experiences others have had with this pistol .
They were anti civilian for a while and only wanted to sell to government. When it was convenient for them to finally somewhat prioritize us peons, their handguns were way overpriced at first.. You already mentioned their other shortcomings, but I'd like to add that they routinely discontinue product lines.
They may have longer rails and be "built like a tank" in your opinion, but other semiautos on the market such as Glock, S&W, etc, are well vetted and have a track record of longevity despite any perceived or assumed durability advantages you think FNs have. I perfer the Beretta APX, M&Ps, VP9, and Glocks over any FNs. If you want built like a tank, the Beretta APX is the way to go.
Like I said , I was just curious what experiences others have had with that gun . I`m familiar with and also have Glocks , M&P , PPQ`s etc . My PPQ`s have close to 4000 rounds on each of two of them with zero failures of any kind .... don`t have that kind of track record on the FNS . Not a gun I would use as an EDC , but in my limited experience with a sample of one , it seems to be ok so far.
So , I was just trying to find out if anyone had "extensive" experience with one .
Somebody bought one and did a test with it and it passed with functioning well if its the same gun. But haven't they upgraded that gun to make it more up to date?
I'm a pretty decent FN fan, like their military AR's and my FN SPR bolt gun, had a FNP 45 that ran like a top. never had a wonder 9 from them. Good luck.
PB
You're making me want to go shoot mine a bunch. I have an FNS-9c but even though it's been mine for years, I only have 905 rounds through it and have carried it a couple times just-because. I also have an FNS40 I got super cheap years back when .40 guns and FNS (because of coming 509) were on huge firesale. Limited round counts on both, but my impression of them is that they are seriously under rated/under represented. The trigger is...no worse than Glock IMO. Different. Heavier. Has a bit of a false break at the wall then the break. But fairly clean with a good travel and breaking point at least for me in terms of reach. I like them enough I got into the 509 as well.
My only legit complaint is the mag release. It kind of sucks. It protrudes too much, I won't carry my 509 because after just a few weeks I had the mag eject from the gun twice while just regularly daily carrying (JMCK Holster), and I have to adjust my grip to release the mag because if I maintain grip, my trigger hand blocks the mag release from protruding on the other side and the mag wont' drop. Poor design.
I suppose there is also the breaking striker tips reported from the strikers, I put Apex striker into the 509. Shouldn't have to do that even if it's not "necessary" and just peace of mind.
Buy an M&P 2.0 with a factory flat trigger instead.
Over on pistol forum someone reported that longevity was to the tune of, just buy a new gun, even after going back to FN, due to being worn out and expecting it to develop problems sooner than later due to round count, which user found unacceptable. But that reported to be 17k rounds through one pistol. For what the guns cost and what ammo costs and what I would put through a single pistol, that wouldn't concern me. Maybe some here it might
Warp,PB ... Thanks , that`s the feedback I was looking for . I guess I`ll just have to put more time on it and see what happens . Probably start using it more in my dry fire practice to get more familiar with it .
BTW , is the striker issue only with the 509 or also with other models , i.e. the FNS 9 ?
Never had issues with any 3 of my 509s. The striker is old news. If you have concerns c
APEX has one.
BrigandTwoFour
06-29-22, 11:15
I have an FNS-9. It's an old one purchased circa 2012 shortly after they came out. While I don't shoot it all that much anymore, it's been nothing but reliable for me over thousands of rounds. It' snow in my bedside safe. I only carried it for a short time when I first got my CCW license, but the long grip gave me issues with printing. I switched to a CZ P07 several years ago, and now more often carry a CZ PCR. I just prefer DA/SA guns, especially when AIWB.
My biggest issue with the FNS was that FNH didn't even really try to make it successful. They released it, hoped they could score some .gov contracts (particularly with LE) and then dropped it in favor of a revised design (the 509) when they got bad press about some obscure safety concerns (which they did a recall for).
They actually did market the 509 well, and it shows. By all accounts, the 509 is a lighter-constructed version of the FNS with a few other dimensional changes. My understanding is that the FNS was built around .40 S&W, so it's internals appear beefier for a 9mm pistol than the 509 does.
The aftermarket issues is what really killed it for me. FN has a nasty habit of launching a pistol and then replacing it after a relatively short time with something that doesn't always work with accessories. I first saw it with the FNP series, which they dropped in favor of the FNX. Then it was the FNS to the 509. If the aftermarket doesn't think you're going to keep supporting something, then they aren't likely to do so, either.
I have an FNS-9. It's an old one purchased circa 2012 shortly after they came out. While I don't shoot it all that much anymore, it's been nothing but reliable for me over thousands of rounds. It' snow in my bedside safe. I only carried it for a short time when I first got my CCW license, but the long grip gave me issues with printing. I switched to a CZ P07 several years ago, and now more often carry a CZ PCR. I just prefer DA/SA guns, especially when AIWB.
My biggest issue with the FNS was that FNH didn't even really try to make it successful. They released it, hoped they could score some .gov contracts (particularly with LE) and then dropped it in favor of a revised design (the 509) when they got bad press about some obscure safety concerns (which they did a recall for).
They actually did market the 509 well, and it shows. By all accounts, the 509 is a lighter-constructed version of the FNS with a few other dimensional changes. My understanding is that the FNS was built around .40 S&W, so it's internals appear beefier for a 9mm pistol than the 509 does.
The aftermarket issues is what really killed it for me. FN has a nasty habit of launching a pistol and then replacing it after a relatively short time with something that doesn't always work with accessories. I first saw it with the FNP series, which they dropped in favor of the FNX. Then it was the FNS to the 509. If the aftermarket doesn't think you're going to keep supporting something, then they aren't likely to do so, either.
I had an FNP9 and felt the same about FN until I got a 509. I’m hoping they support this one for a long time and don’t see a reason they won’t with the traction it’s getting. To be fair, others have done it. Walther and Beretta have been doing it. S&W and HK are a few that have done right by their pistol lines.
Back on topic, I’d rock the FNS and not look back.
I have a FNP9 and it's been a solid house gun. Easy to shoot and no hiccups. Mags are a bit funky looking. The frustrating switching of models by FN killed my appetite to dig deeper into their newer handguns.
FN discontinued the FNS series a couple years ago at least. So apparently it wasn't that great of a success for them.
I loved my FNP 45 when it came out & put my money where my mouth was and bought one. I bought it along with 9 or 10 mags and a shit pot full of ammo, I was all in! It worked very well for a period of time then dead trigger issues and some other reliability problems occurred. Back to FN USA so they could check it out. Came back with a clean bill of health, ready to rock. 6 mags of Federal 230gr FMJ later and same issues came back. I sold it with full disclosure to a friend who uses as a range toy when he couldn’t get it to work reliably either. A guy at our range posted up an FNS9 and FNS40 along with mags and holsters. The price was right so I picked them both up in a package deal. Early on I had some magazine issues with both guns and after a lot of searching I found replacement mags and also picked up some extras for them. They were ho hum guns they didn’t really strike a chord with me in terms of better ergonomics or reliability/accuracy nor was there a lot of aftermarket or even factory support for them. A few months before the “big panic gun run” a buddy got his CCW but was really hurting in the gun department with only a five shot Rossi revolver. He was by no means un armed with that he did want something else but really just couldn’t afford anything at the time so I offered to sell him the FNS9.He still has it but now has a Gen 5 17 & 19 MOS. The FNS40 was given to my cousin as he had received his CCW and had a house fire that same week, talk about bad luck! Everyone was ok thank god but his Ruger American was not. So he got the FNS40. Nowadays he has his Sig 365 but wants to give me back the FNS40.Maybe I’ll get the slide milled for a red dot or just keep it as is in case someone I know needs something to get them by.
My former agency carried the FNS-9 for several years. We were one of four departments that adopted the FNS. The others were Hillsborough County SO, Baltimore County PD, and Arizona DPS. All these agencies now issue Glocks.
The pistols proved unreliable with weapon-mounted lights. Double feeds were common. To their credit, FN America took the issue seriously, eventually replacing barrels and magazines. This corrected the issue,
The magazine release was problematic. It could easily release a magazine if the officer was tight against a wall or chair. The release could be replaced with a low profile release as used on the compact FNS, but this wasn't the easiest to manipulate. While some investigators liked the FNS Compact, I found I had to place it on a table to get purchase on the magazine release.
I had the one post of my night sights die on me, though that really wasn't FN's fault.
The "uncommanded discharge" of a holstered FNS in Baltimore County did not inspire confidence. This was on security video and the officer did not touch his pistol. I believe this was later attributed to a cord having entered the holster. Again, not FN's fault.
After retirement, I learned that the agency experienced broken frames and one "uncommanded discharge" which may have been a press check gone awry. I don't believe the officer was disciplined (in an agency where the chief enjoys disciplining people) so I suspect this was attributed to the weapon rather than user error.
We probably had range scores improve among many shooters when we went to the FNS-9. Our previous pistols were .40 DA/SA SIG 226's and 239's so that may have occurred with many other striker-fired systems. The pistols were lighter and more compact than the 226's and everyone liked an eighteen round capacity over that of the .40 226 and 239. They were also more ambidextrous than the SIG.
I did not consider purchasing an FNS after retiring from that agency.
The FNS had at least one "service bulletin":
https://fnamerica.com/customer-support/fns-service-bulletin/
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