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Thread: FN503 Single Stack

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by LockedBreech View Post
    The FNP or FNS line had a drop or firing pin safety issue, I believe, which is mostly what I was referring to. The FNP I played with also had a pretty chintzy feeling magazine. The other Sig-like quality is putting out a new product constantly rather than backing the old product.

    I still buy FN long rifle stuff. My latest AR build used an FN barrel and it's great. I just have yet to be persuaded about the quality/longevity of their handguns. I'm open to change that opinion if they keep the 509 around and support it as a staple.
    The FNS has drop safety issues and there is at least one that went off in a duty holster when a Maryland Officer bumped a steel door frame entering a police facility. Security video confirmed the officer had a box in both hands at the time of the (actual) AD. But that was not a QC issue it was a design flaw. FN produced it exactly as their engineers specified.

    As opposed to SIG which has "Forest Gump Box of Chocolates" levels of random QC, FN is very good about making exactly what is specified, whether that is a diamond or a lump of dog shit.

    With the 509, FN brought in a new engineering team and finally got serious about a service handgun. Whether that will continue now that they didn't get the MHS or any big federal LE contracts remains to be seen but the agency testing I've seen indicates it is a real step up from FN's prior service pistols.

    Re FN AR barrels, FN makes AR barrels to exactly the spec the customer is willing to pay for. So a $200 FN barrel from company A and not the same things as a $400 barrel from Company B. see above analogy about making exactly what is specified.

  2. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    The FNS has drop safety issues and there is at least one that went off in a duty holster when a Maryland Officer bumped a steel door frame entering a police facility. Security video confirmed the officer had a box in both hands at the time of the (actual) AD. But that was not a QC issue it was a design flaw. FN produced it exactly as their engineers specified.

    As opposed to SIG which has "Forest Gump Box of Chocolates" levels of random QC, FN is very good about making exactly what is specified, whether that is a diamond or a lump of dog shit.
    I mean...I don't disagree, necessarily, but as a consumer I don't really care if the gun that goes off in my holster is the fault of the factory guy or the blueprint guy, I'm mostly just pissed at the logo on the slide. Your point is well-taken, though.
    State Government Attorney | Beretta, Glock, CZ & S&W Fan

  3. #33
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    Man, this thing seems to be worse than the forthcoming p10m. Name:  1BC19AB3-0F01-4461-8E92-13971230ABBA.jpg
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  4. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by HCM View Post
    Re FN AR barrels, FN makes AR barrels to exactly the spec the customer is willing to pay for. So a $200 FN barrel from company A and not the same things as a $400 barrel from Company B. see above analogy about making exactly what is specified.
    This myth has been debunked by both PSA and FN, companies just buy what FN makes, they don't spec it out then have FN make it to some lower QC level. That wouldn't even make sense when you think about it- how are they going to intentionally make a slightly worse barrel using the same machine setups? It would likely take MORE effort just to deviate from what they already do.

  5. #35
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    They copied the shitty Sig P290! Good job FN, simply amazing.

  6. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by pastaslinger View Post
    This myth has been debunked by both PSA and FN, companies just buy what FN makes, they don't spec it out then have FN make it to some lower QC level. That wouldn't even make sense when you think about it- how are they going to intentionally make a slightly worse barrel using the same machine setups? It would likely take MORE effort just to deviate from what they already do.
    No.

    Like many items, Barrels are made in batches.

    FN OEMs barrels for many companies and has a price sheet with multiple options depending on what the customer is willing to pay for.

    Materials and finishes are one variable. Another is machine time. The faster you run the machine, the more barrels you get for the cost of a particular period of machine time, let’s say and hour. The catch is the faster the machine runs the more chatter and variance you get. This leads to the QC / reject rate. Tighter QC = more rejects, the cost of the rejects is built into the cost of the finished barrels.

    I have received the above information from two separate industry sources and @TomV (an FN engineer) and others in industry have discussed this on the P&S podcast.

    If you have actual PSA or FN sources for the “debunking” you referenced I would be interested to see /hear them.

    That said, that doesn’t mean a $200 PSA FN barrel is bad, it may even be better than some other $200 barrels, but there is no free lunch.

  7. #37
    Site Supporter farscott's Avatar
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    I got to handle one of these at the LGS. The kicker was it shipped with a Lasermax flash light that is supposed to be selectable for ON and strobe. I was able to get it to strobe but never found the switch for ON as I did not have the manual in front of me. The light also appeared to be molded into the grip frame. My last experience with Lasermax was a guide rod with a laser on a SIG P220; it did not impress me. I wonder about the light quality. The pistol with light was marked at $549, so I am not expecting Surefire levels of performance from the light. That being said, FN pistols are pretty popular in this area, and I expect these to sell.

    It is an interesting pistol that is probably doomed due to the lack of a standard rail and FN's seeming inability to stand behind their pistols. Like the SIG P250 and P320, it is a chassis pistol. I could not find any information about the variant with the light on the web site until I downloaded the user manual (page 59 addresses the light and explains the toggle from strobe to continuous ON). It appears the battery is swapped via the inside of the dust cover based on the manual, further suggesting the light is a molded into the grip frame. To get rid of the light or to use a different light, a different grip frame appears to be needed. Battery is a lithium CR2. All in all, an interesting approach.

    Dry fire was surprisingly pleasant, and it seems FN added a bit of travel but kept a very light pull weight. Reset was farther out than I expected. One six-round magazine and one eight-round magazine. I could get all of my fingers on the six-round magazine and grip, but I have small hands. Larger hands will need the eight-round magazine to avoid a hanging or pinched pinkie.

    I will be surprised if it survives, but I hope it does. Having a grip frame with a standard rail would help.

  8. #38
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    Feb 2013
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    Hope the FN rep that frequents the site chimes in. I am going to try one. I can’ t believe they didnt add more capacity. I ha read somewhere the frame would allow a doublestack at some point as option, cant find that review/ post, but remain hopeful. Compared it side by side APX carry and was little thinner!

  9. #39
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    AND...it's discontinued. Who had "3 years" as their guess?

  10. #40
    Am I the only one to think that FN is their own worst enemy? Geez


    They have all the potential/resources and continue to fumble over and over again.

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