My FFL guy called yesterday morning bright and early, to tell me the FN FNP9M Compact that I had ordered off of Gunbroker.com last week had arrived. I had picked it up NIB, off of one of Ray Tanner's auctions for the buy it now price of $375.00. Tanner's answered my E-mail and Ray Jr, whom I spoke to on the phone was very helpful and professional in arranging payment and shipping. The transaction was fast and flawless.
I was almost sure I was going to get a background check delay after the recent Virgina Tech shooting, but was pleasantly surprised when the transfer went off without a hitch, on the initial background check call. (Guess it pays to hit them early in the morning.)
Having not owned a 9mm since 2001. The first thing I had to do was run over to Wal-mart and pick up some cheap fodder. I bought 300 hundred rounds of Remington UMC 115 GR. JHP for $60.00. Not enough for extensive "will it feed everything" testing, but hey it's what I could afford after just buying a new pistol.
Now on to what you really want to know about...The FNP9M.
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You guys will have to forgive my crappy digicam. What I wanted to show you, was the actual size of the grip in relation to an average sized hand. Something you just can't get from most of the pics of the gun, on the internet.
The Picture was taken with the magazine out, and the mag does add just a bit to the length of the grip. Because I realize that the bottom line for most of us is "How the FNP9M feels, handles, presents and points.
I also took the pic with the Flat backstrap on. Which is another thing you don't see to much in the promo pics.
First impressions.
When you first pick the FNP9M up, it for all the world reminds me of the Sig 229 or 226 series, with a slightly shorter grip. For all of you wondering how FNH put 15 rounds in a grip that short. the answer is of course....the grip is thick. (At least for a guy whose used to dealing with Hi-power's and S&W 99's.) (Think glock 30 with the finger rest magazine plate, THICK.)
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The checkering molded into the front and back straps is very aggressive. Much more aggressive than pictures do justice to. The good news is your never going to loose your grip on this pistol, if your hands are wet with mud, sweat, blood or 10W40. The bad news is its about like holding and pointing a cheese grater. Especially with your pinky finger riding the lip of the magazine. It's manageable, but not comfortable and about what one would expect from a compact CCW pistol with a 15 shot mag, in that short of a grip.
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I've tried the pistol with both grip panels and have finally decided, that I like the flat panel better than the curved one, that comes on the gun out of the box. The flat panel is REALLY, REALLY FLAT guys. As in no swell at all...Its just flat and gives the grip a very slab like feel, with no swell into the bottom of the palm, just below the firing hand at all. That being said. The flat panel makes the thick grip much more manageable and makes a slight difference as to the print of the piece when carrying concealed. Which is one place this pistol shines. Despite the thickness of the grip. The length is just about right to disappear when worn in an inside the waist band holster, either strong side or SOB. It's what the compact grip was designed to do and it does it very well.
Comfort is a relative term when dealing with CCW pistols and I'm willing to give up a little comfort in the grip, for being able to carry the full 15 rounds of 9mm in a highly reliable package.
The full 15 rounds brings me to one of the high points of the FNP9M...The Magazines
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The magazines are Polished Stainless. Very thick and heavy construction. They just feel solid. The second you pick one up.
the visual loading holes on the back of the magazine are large and numbered at the 5, 10, 13 and 15 and are very easy to visualize. My mags are marked "Restricted Law Enforcement / Government Use Only FN Manufacturing Inc. Columbia SC with the part # 9141994 with 9mm printed on the front of the mag.
The magazine spring is coated with a red protective paint. The base plate is solid and well constructed (though on this, the compact model, FN would do well to offer a pinky groove base plate, like the one on the H&K USP Compact, as an optional magazine base plate. This pistol screams for one.) With the thick stainless construction. These mag bodies should last longer than nuclear waste and I would not bet against my stepson, who is now four, using them when he's an adult.
The mags fall freely from the pistol with a push of the mag release.
The FN also comes with three of these excellent magazines from the factory. Something almost unheard of in the pistol world. (I think I'll be buying four more 15 round magazines for for this pistol while I still can.)
The mag release is reversible, but there are no instructions on how to do so in the FN users manual, that comes with the pistol. Anybody with the factory instructions, on how to reverse the mag catch please post them, as the Fivesevenforums are possibly down for the count and thats the last place I saw them. Should have copied them right then, but who knew they were going to go tits up as a forum the day I bought an FNP?
I had read lots of horror stories about the FNP's decock lever and am happy to note, that I had no problems with it what-so-ever. Many shootes have complained that during the recoil cycle their thumb rides the decock and inadvertently decocks the weapon. I've always used a low hand grip, with my thumb tucked under the thumb of the offhand anyway. So it was a total non issue. The decocker drops the hammer solidly and handily into half cock. I had no issues with it being bare metal, but then again I'm used to older model Hi-powers and 1911's. So YMMV.
The accessory rail is solid and the overall feel of the entire polymer frame is much more solid than many of the other polymer pistols in this class, with little flex. All the molding looks great, except for a tiny bit of flash on the interior of the slide, where the serial number plate has been secured to the inside of the frame. easily shaved off with an Exacto knife.
The trigger is very smooth, A little creep and click as it goes though the half cock stage in D/A then a very smooth, if somewhat heavy pull till it breaks. The S/A is totally smooth ride till it breaks. No take up before the S/A breaks...it just goes. I didn't shoot from a bench for accuracy yesterday, but had no problems putting three to five shot strings into center mass before the first casing hit the ground.
Now to the slide...
I can't tell you how clean the machine work is on the slide. It is CNC perfection. Easily as clean as anything you'd see come out of H&K or Sig.
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The ejector claw is massive on the inside. far larger internally than you would think looking at the outside of the slide. FN apparently wanted to make darned sure they got a good grip on the case rim surface.
The Machine work on the barrel is also flawless, though the gun had obviously been packaged right after the test round was fired, and as with all my semi-auto pistols. The feed ramps going to get a polishing with the Jewelers Rouge and Dremel tool.
The recoil rod and spring are a captured affair, with a metal rod. I have not done the freezer magnet test to determine whether or not I have the Aluminum rod or the steel one. I've heard that FN went to a steel rod, because the aluminum ones were showing some wear and a couple of people had complained about them. but I'm not certain of that. Regardless of that, mine showed no marks or scratches after devouring 200 rounds of 115 Gr. The spring comes from the factory covered in orange protective paint and the only wear I could see, after 200 rounds, was little annoying flecks of orange paint from the spring in the bottom of the frame.
Take down is simple and Sig like. Pull the slide back, Turn the lever, pull the slide off. Disassemble as necessary. to reassemble reverse the process.
The main slide rails, just atop the take down lever, are not molded into the frame, but rather a stainless steel tub held firmly in place by the massive cross frame bar of the take down lever.. The rails are very securly in place and the gun feels very solid when you shake it from side to side with little movement or "rattle".
The sights are a pretty standard three dot set up, that while serviceable, will soon be replaced with the Ameriglo standard equipment tritium night sights. I'd like to find a set of the yellow rear/green front ones, that Ameriglo is out of, but I understand these are hard to find and I may have to settle for just green front/green rear.
Now...How did it shoot?
I know that 200 rounds of one brand and weight of ammunition, is hardly a break in, much less a test, but it's what I had to work with.
The FNP9M fired every round without any malfunction at all. I didn't measure the groups, but they seemed entirely adequate for a self defense compact and overall better than I expected.
Head shots at around 15 and 25 feet were no problem. In rapid fire the FNP9M was very controllable and a joy to shoot. As I had stated earlier, putting strings of three and five shots into center mass with no problems.
Overall Impression...
I like this pistol for it's intended purpose.
Don't let the things I have said about it's flaws fool you. I don't work for a gun rag, So I tend to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly.
The bottom line is...It's a $650.00 self defense compact with a $375.00 price tag, that eats Glock 19's and springfield XD's for breakfast and is easily in the same quality of workmanship range as the H&K USP or Sig 229.
I'm fixing to do a lot of traveling and moving in the next couple of months and I wanted a good pistol to carry CCW,in a pack, or computer case.
I'm definitely going to keep this pistol to perform that role and expect to have and carry it for many years.
I like it well enough, that I'm very seriously considering picking up one of the full sized .40's
I was almost sure I was going to get a background check delay after the recent Virgina Tech shooting, but was pleasantly surprised when the transfer went off without a hitch, on the initial background check call. (Guess it pays to hit them early in the morning.)
Having not owned a 9mm since 2001. The first thing I had to do was run over to Wal-mart and pick up some cheap fodder. I bought 300 hundred rounds of Remington UMC 115 GR. JHP for $60.00. Not enough for extensive "will it feed everything" testing, but hey it's what I could afford after just buying a new pistol.
Now on to what you really want to know about...The FNP9M.
You guys will have to forgive my crappy digicam. What I wanted to show you, was the actual size of the grip in relation to an average sized hand. Something you just can't get from most of the pics of the gun, on the internet.
The Picture was taken with the magazine out, and the mag does add just a bit to the length of the grip. Because I realize that the bottom line for most of us is "How the FNP9M feels, handles, presents and points.
I also took the pic with the Flat backstrap on. Which is another thing you don't see to much in the promo pics.
First impressions.
When you first pick the FNP9M up, it for all the world reminds me of the Sig 229 or 226 series, with a slightly shorter grip. For all of you wondering how FNH put 15 rounds in a grip that short. the answer is of course....the grip is thick. (At least for a guy whose used to dealing with Hi-power's and S&W 99's.) (Think glock 30 with the finger rest magazine plate, THICK.)
The checkering molded into the front and back straps is very aggressive. Much more aggressive than pictures do justice to. The good news is your never going to loose your grip on this pistol, if your hands are wet with mud, sweat, blood or 10W40. The bad news is its about like holding and pointing a cheese grater. Especially with your pinky finger riding the lip of the magazine. It's manageable, but not comfortable and about what one would expect from a compact CCW pistol with a 15 shot mag, in that short of a grip.
I've tried the pistol with both grip panels and have finally decided, that I like the flat panel better than the curved one, that comes on the gun out of the box. The flat panel is REALLY, REALLY FLAT guys. As in no swell at all...Its just flat and gives the grip a very slab like feel, with no swell into the bottom of the palm, just below the firing hand at all. That being said. The flat panel makes the thick grip much more manageable and makes a slight difference as to the print of the piece when carrying concealed. Which is one place this pistol shines. Despite the thickness of the grip. The length is just about right to disappear when worn in an inside the waist band holster, either strong side or SOB. It's what the compact grip was designed to do and it does it very well.
Comfort is a relative term when dealing with CCW pistols and I'm willing to give up a little comfort in the grip, for being able to carry the full 15 rounds of 9mm in a highly reliable package.
The full 15 rounds brings me to one of the high points of the FNP9M...The Magazines
The magazines are Polished Stainless. Very thick and heavy construction. They just feel solid. The second you pick one up.
the visual loading holes on the back of the magazine are large and numbered at the 5, 10, 13 and 15 and are very easy to visualize. My mags are marked "Restricted Law Enforcement / Government Use Only FN Manufacturing Inc. Columbia SC with the part # 9141994 with 9mm printed on the front of the mag.
The magazine spring is coated with a red protective paint. The base plate is solid and well constructed (though on this, the compact model, FN would do well to offer a pinky groove base plate, like the one on the H&K USP Compact, as an optional magazine base plate. This pistol screams for one.) With the thick stainless construction. These mag bodies should last longer than nuclear waste and I would not bet against my stepson, who is now four, using them when he's an adult.
The mags fall freely from the pistol with a push of the mag release.
The FN also comes with three of these excellent magazines from the factory. Something almost unheard of in the pistol world. (I think I'll be buying four more 15 round magazines for for this pistol while I still can.)
The mag release is reversible, but there are no instructions on how to do so in the FN users manual, that comes with the pistol. Anybody with the factory instructions, on how to reverse the mag catch please post them, as the Fivesevenforums are possibly down for the count and thats the last place I saw them. Should have copied them right then, but who knew they were going to go tits up as a forum the day I bought an FNP?
I had read lots of horror stories about the FNP's decock lever and am happy to note, that I had no problems with it what-so-ever. Many shootes have complained that during the recoil cycle their thumb rides the decock and inadvertently decocks the weapon. I've always used a low hand grip, with my thumb tucked under the thumb of the offhand anyway. So it was a total non issue. The decocker drops the hammer solidly and handily into half cock. I had no issues with it being bare metal, but then again I'm used to older model Hi-powers and 1911's. So YMMV.
The accessory rail is solid and the overall feel of the entire polymer frame is much more solid than many of the other polymer pistols in this class, with little flex. All the molding looks great, except for a tiny bit of flash on the interior of the slide, where the serial number plate has been secured to the inside of the frame. easily shaved off with an Exacto knife.
The trigger is very smooth, A little creep and click as it goes though the half cock stage in D/A then a very smooth, if somewhat heavy pull till it breaks. The S/A is totally smooth ride till it breaks. No take up before the S/A breaks...it just goes. I didn't shoot from a bench for accuracy yesterday, but had no problems putting three to five shot strings into center mass before the first casing hit the ground.
Now to the slide...
I can't tell you how clean the machine work is on the slide. It is CNC perfection. Easily as clean as anything you'd see come out of H&K or Sig.
The ejector claw is massive on the inside. far larger internally than you would think looking at the outside of the slide. FN apparently wanted to make darned sure they got a good grip on the case rim surface.
The Machine work on the barrel is also flawless, though the gun had obviously been packaged right after the test round was fired, and as with all my semi-auto pistols. The feed ramps going to get a polishing with the Jewelers Rouge and Dremel tool.
The recoil rod and spring are a captured affair, with a metal rod. I have not done the freezer magnet test to determine whether or not I have the Aluminum rod or the steel one. I've heard that FN went to a steel rod, because the aluminum ones were showing some wear and a couple of people had complained about them. but I'm not certain of that. Regardless of that, mine showed no marks or scratches after devouring 200 rounds of 115 Gr. The spring comes from the factory covered in orange protective paint and the only wear I could see, after 200 rounds, was little annoying flecks of orange paint from the spring in the bottom of the frame.
Take down is simple and Sig like. Pull the slide back, Turn the lever, pull the slide off. Disassemble as necessary. to reassemble reverse the process.
The main slide rails, just atop the take down lever, are not molded into the frame, but rather a stainless steel tub held firmly in place by the massive cross frame bar of the take down lever.. The rails are very securly in place and the gun feels very solid when you shake it from side to side with little movement or "rattle".
The sights are a pretty standard three dot set up, that while serviceable, will soon be replaced with the Ameriglo standard equipment tritium night sights. I'd like to find a set of the yellow rear/green front ones, that Ameriglo is out of, but I understand these are hard to find and I may have to settle for just green front/green rear.
Now...How did it shoot?
I know that 200 rounds of one brand and weight of ammunition, is hardly a break in, much less a test, but it's what I had to work with.
The FNP9M fired every round without any malfunction at all. I didn't measure the groups, but they seemed entirely adequate for a self defense compact and overall better than I expected.
Head shots at around 15 and 25 feet were no problem. In rapid fire the FNP9M was very controllable and a joy to shoot. As I had stated earlier, putting strings of three and five shots into center mass with no problems.
Overall Impression...
I like this pistol for it's intended purpose.
Don't let the things I have said about it's flaws fool you. I don't work for a gun rag, So I tend to tell you the good, the bad and the ugly.
The bottom line is...It's a $650.00 self defense compact with a $375.00 price tag, that eats Glock 19's and springfield XD's for breakfast and is easily in the same quality of workmanship range as the H&K USP or Sig 229.
I'm fixing to do a lot of traveling and moving in the next couple of months and I wanted a good pistol to carry CCW,in a pack, or computer case.
I'm definitely going to keep this pistol to perform that role and expect to have and carry it for many years.
I like it well enough, that I'm very seriously considering picking up one of the full sized .40's
