LAPD gets 1st delivery of new FN 509s

[GJM]

Thanks for this comparison. The FN 509 sounds like a hard pass for me, and I won't be recommending it to anyone.

Aaron Cowan, who is on the FN pro staff thinks highly of it, and says it is one of the few pistols you can take out of the box and that has excellent BUIS and optics mounting included. I bought one as a sub caliber trainer for the 510, in 10mm, which is an excellent pistol.

[GlockenSpiel]

Aaron Cowan, who is on the FN pro staff thinks highly of it, and says it is one of the few pistols you can take out of the box and that has excellent BUIS and optics mounting included. I bought one as a sub caliber trainer for the 510, in 10mm, which is an excellent pistol.

I like his drop tests, but regarding the FN guns, the fact they're endorsed by an FN employee doesn't mean anything to me.

[Clusterfrack]

Aaron Cowan, who is on the FN pro staff thinks highly of it, and says it is one of the few pistols you can take out of the box and that has excellent BUIS and optics mounting included. I bought one as a sub caliber trainer for the 510, in 10mm, which is an excellent pistol.

A lot about it sounds good, except for the complex and hard to service part.

[GJM]

A lot about it sounds good, except for the complex and hard to service part.

I think that is correct as compared to a Glock, but not sure compared to other pistols. Perhaps reflecting my lack of mechanical ability, I have my Glock pistols completely apart regularly, but not much with my other pistols and revolvers. That extra complexity compared to a Glock needs to be balanced with a pistol that has appropriate BUIS and an excellent optics mounting system.

I feel like the vast majority of users would be better off not doing detailed disassembly beyond slide, barrel and RSA. Even with Glocks!

[Navin Johnson]

I was curious as well. Still very surprised that LAPD picked this pistol as their new duty pistol.

Total package cost(guns magazines, holsters, ammunition) and 20,000 Rounds without service and future employment on the FN Board of Directors and strippers (whoops wrong plastic pistol)

In today’s world, anybody can make a quality striker pistol and if you can’t, you should be in a different business. The problem is is getting penetration in a very crowded market so getting a prestigious, law-enforcement agency to use your guns is worth it at any cost.

Still, not sure I’ve seen one in a store. May be a Cabela’s.

[Clusterfrack]

I think that is correct as compared to a Glock, but not sure compared to other pistols. Perhaps reflecting my lack of mechanical ability, I have my Glock pistols completely apart regularly, but not much with my other pistols and revolvers. That extra complexity compared to a Glock needs to be balanced with a pistol that has appropriate BUIS and an excellent optics mounting system.

I feel like the vast majority of users would be better off not doing detailed disassembly beyond slide, barrel and RSA. Even with Glocks!

Guns that are designed for simplicity and field maintenance are also easy to diagnose when something goes wrong. It’s a core design principle that I value over most other features, and why I prefer ARs and Glocks to most other designs.

[KevH]

Aaron Cowan, who is on the FN pro staff thinks highly of it

Well, there you go.

I'm not trying to slam the 509. It's a nice shooting striker fired polymer pistol, especially the flat trigger version LAPD bought.

That being said, FN hasn't exactly had a lot of success in the polymer striker-fired trigger realm (see FNS).

What was disappointing was how complex/fragile the components were. I mentioned the press FN is supplying LAPD. There is also this available from Apex:
https://www.apextactical.com/fn509-f...mbly-block-kit

In my opinion, a 2020's service pistol shouldn't require all this.

I've had officers end up in swimming pools working graveyard, end up in ponds and lakes, and early in my career I myself ended up in a canal rescuing someone that fell in. Every time that happens the gun should be detail stripped, cleaned, dried out, and re-lubed prior to going back in service, whether it's a Glock, 1911, 3rd Gen S&W, P320 or whatever. With the aforementioned guns and our current M&P's it's probably a 15 minute to 25 minute endeavor. Glocks especially are super easy to detail strip as most of you know. The FN? Not so much.

[Polecat]

Well and that other huge striker success of theirs the “Hiper” I wonder whenthey dump that one on the public?

[HCM]

Total package cost(guns magazines, holsters, ammunition) and 20,000 Rounds without service and future employment on the FN Board of Directors and strippers (whoops wrong plastic pistol)

In today’s world, anybody can make a quality striker pistol and if you can’t, you should be in a different business. The problem is is getting penetration in a very crowded market so getting a prestigious, law-enforcement agency to use your guns is worth it at any cost.

Still, not sure I’ve seen one in a store. May be a Cabela’s.

* In today’s world anyone can make a generally functional striker fired pistol.

Consistent quality and durability are another matter.

There’s a reason actual Glocks still sell as fast as Glock can make them and most organizations stick with the big 3 (Glock, SIG, S&W) despite a plethora of foreign and domestic disposable plastic people poppers.

[KentuckyWindage]

I think that is correct as compared to a Glock, but not sure compared to other pistols. Perhaps reflecting my lack of mechanical ability, I have my Glock pistols completely apart regularly, but not much with my other pistols and revolvers. That extra complexity compared to a Glock needs to be balanced with a pistol that has appropriate BUIS and an excellent optics mounting system.

I feel like the vast majority of users would be better off not doing detailed disassembly beyond slide, barrel and RSA. Even with Glocks!

I have to agree with this.