FN Herstal Firearms banner

First Gun FNX 45

8K views 31 replies 15 participants last post by  Vulcan71 
#1 ·
Hello All, I purchased the FNX 45, one week ago. It was my first gun ever. I feel in love with it. I know currently a lot of threads have been discussed but i have a few questions. I appreciate anyone taking the time to respond. A little bit of a background, my family does not like guns, it was how they raised me. I live downtown, some crime here and there. Im on the road a lot and need one.

I have only fired a gun twice, this one twice maybe 15 rounds. I was wondering if you all have any tips about sights for the gun? Also whether the laser is a good purchase/ as for accuracy?

i appreciate any response

Joe
 
#10 ·
Agreed...unless your flush with cash I would spend every dollar on practice Ammo and range time before getting accessories. You don't want to get in the habit of trusting accessories that can fail...e.g. Lasers.. If ammo is hard to find see if you can find a BB gun that has similar function. I have an H&K usp BB gun for this purpose. It was 40 bucks and has a similar long DA trigger pull like the FNX. JUst my $.02
 
#7 · (Edited)
Wow, I agree with Lenk, that is one heck of a purchase for your first gun, Thats like purchasing a vette for your first car. I agree take a class if this is your first shoot. What specifically is your question on sights? Are you asking about type? or a question on usage? The FNX comes with great sights, either the high mounted ones for supressor use or the low for non-supressor. Both are great. You must have not got the Tactical model as that comes with night sights. I dont own the fnx 45 tac. yet but working on a purchase. I have to keep some of my gun purchases on the low so as to keep harmonius vibes with the wife! ha ha. I am courious to compare the FNX 45 tactical to my Sig 220-45 Tactical. Currently, my Sig is the most accurate of all my handguns. Want to see if that will change...
 
#21 ·
Wow, I agree with Lenk, that is one heck of a purchase for your first gun, Thats like purchasing a vette for your first car.
Nice analogy but I'm thinking more like buying a Monster Truck for your first vehicle! Large and tons of power!

I mean no disrespect but I feel you might be going about this the wrong way. The FNX 45 is an awesome pistol but I also feel it's an "experienced pistol shooters" pistol. I personally would suggest buying a smaller 9mm or .22 pistol to practice the fundamentals and your basic shooting skills. I've watched guys come out and basically wreck themselves because they genuinely bought too big of a gun and/or don't have the right form and skills learned and when they try to learn the right way it's hard to break the habit of their "wrong" way. Which is why the Navy Seals prefer you to have NO knowledge of guns or shooting so when you come in they can train you how they want you to shoot/perform.

Kinda like in archery, You don't wanna go out and buy a 80lb, 6" brace height bow as your first bow, you'll suck and hate it!

Best of luck anyhow buddy!
 
#11 ·
No No never, the soon to be fiance. Is ok with the FNX, she has no idea about the gun safe I ordered (which is responsible) and the P90 I'm ordering. Any good 1911's you guys know about?

Walkaf1, thats an excellent idea. thank you for the advice. I enjoy this forum, everyone is very friendly. Much respect for you all!! :shock:
 
#30 · (Edited)
Any good 1911's you guys know about?

Haha where to begin. Although if you do want a fantastic 1911 full size right out of the box if you can find one get a Springfield Armory TRP, great gun very accurate andfits my hand like a glove.
For the big $$$ the way to go is Ed Brown, Les Baer, Wilson Combat and Dan Wesson.
I have a Dan Wesson Valor in SS and like it a lot.

Also going out on a limb here and bucking the staus quo, but you should always buy the gun that fits you best and that you like to shoot regardless of caliber.
a 45acp isn't all that much more in recoil over a 9mm. I dislike the snappier 40S&W but that is just me.
My wife is a relatively new shooter and she really likes my FNX45T.
For me the car analogy doesn't fly with guns. You can always have too much power in a car but a firearm unless you are starting with a 500 magnum
isn't the same. Many farm boys who'd never even been to the big city were given 1911's in WW2.

I'm a firm believer that you should buy the quality gun that you like.
Consider this, let's say you had started out with a Wilson Supergrade 1911, ok sure over $5k but you'd be spoiled for any other 1911's.
Doesn't make it a bad choice for a first gun if you have the scratch.
 
  • Like
Reactions: joeFL
#13 · (Edited)
First off... Welcome. Congrats on your purchase!
Please do not think i am being rude or hard on you.... However, after seeing some of your other posts on the subject I would say SLOW down friend! You just got your first gun last week, and now your ordering a PS90 and a 1911? Take your time! learn how to shoot with your first purchase. learn the gun, how to clean it, how to shoot it, and how to be responsible with it. It is a DEADLY weapon. Learn propper sight picture, propper grip, stance, ect, ect. Once you learn the basics you will be a more informed buyer for your next purchase.

If you are a new shooter, its important to learn the fundamentals. A basic safety course with experienced teachers is a good place to start. you may find (as cool looking as it is) that the PS90 is not for you. Not likely, because it is really cool, but its better to take your time and grow into these things IMO. You may even find down the road that you like other pistols better than the FNX. If you are new to the game, learn the basics first, everything else will take care of itself.

I will start you off with the 4 golden rules of firearms.

1. TREAT EVERY FIREARM AS IF IT WERE LOADED. Allways, Allways, Allways everytime you touch a firearm, even if you just unloaded it yourself, treat it as if it were loaded! this will become a habbit over time.

2. ALLWAYS KEEP THE MUZZEL PONTED IN A SAFE DIRECTION. My grandfather used to call the muzzel the "buisness end". Keep it pointed away from anything you don't want destroyed!

3.KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER. Always keep your finger off of the trigger untill you are aiming at your target and ready to shoot.

4.BE SURE OF YOUR TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND IT. Very important to pay close attention to what your shooting at and what is beyond. your bullets can richochet off of rocks, water and other obstacles, and can be potentialy dangerous to you and other in the area.

Again, not trying to put you down or deflate your confidence. We just don't want any extra holes where there should'nt be.
Have fun, and be safe!
 
#15 ·
Donnie, great advice. I will follow this closely. The price for the PS90 is hard to pass. I could always put a deposit down and take my time. I called my LGS to set up lessons for my GF and I. It could also be something for her to do instead of shop all the time ! :-D
 
#18 ·
Probably depends on what your use is. I would clean it when i first got it, run 50 rounds or so through it , clean it and repeat for the first couple hundred rounds. after that with mine i usually only wipe it down between use untill I get to 250-300 rounds ish, then brake it down and clean it good.

However if I were going to use this gun for self defense. I would probably clean it every time i use it for maximum reliability and probably accuracy. but that's just my :th_002:
 
#17 ·
A couple of other points i would like to make. Since you say you are a new shooter, and you are obviously eager to learn. You might want to consider getting a good solid bolt action rifle. I know its not as sexy as the PS90, however they are much cheaper, and they force you to slow down and concentrate more on the basics rather than blasting rounds downrange as fast as you can.I am not saying your making a bad choice. only you can descide whether you are or not, its just that when you are learning to drive , its usually best to stick with the Toyota corrola before you jump into a Ferrari. Somethng like a nice Mosin Negant will cost you less than 150 bucks and is a nice rifle with lots of history, and collectability. Bolt actions are fun to shoot, and ammunition for the Negant is somewhat cheap and available. If nothing else it gives you something to play with until you do get a PS90 from layaway or whatever. All the same skill sets you learn for a bolt action will directly apply to a semi-auto....(except maybe mag changes.) There are loads of choices... the Mosin is just one of the best bangs for the buck so to speak.

Don't believe or buy into everything you read/hear online and at gunshops. There are lots of people out there that will think you are an idiot for the choices you make. They think they know best what you need, even if its not what you want. They think if you don't do things their way, or buy the gun that they have, or the accessories they have you are stupid. The only person who knows what is best for you is YOU! Beware of the pitfalls of getting into silly arguments over type of weapon, brand, caliber, or related gear. It happens too often, and most of the time its semantics they are arguing over. Guys tend to be passionate about cars, guns, and girls, and some get a little overly so. my point is whenever someone tells you something or you read something... especially online, do your own research and form you own oppinion. Don't just parrott what someone else says, because sometimes they are wrong.

Lastly there are loads of knowledgable people on this forum. and most all are allways willing to give pointers and good facts... especially about FN Weapons. If you ever have a problem or question i can assure you the guys here can help. And if for some reason they can't they will probably help you find someone who can.

NOW!.... enjoy that pistol... may you allways find the ammo you need, and be safe!
 
#20 ·
Couple of things:

Cleaning; I clean the slide, barrel and all of the upper end parts after every trip to the range. If I've been shooting some real dirty ammo I'll clean the mags too. I'll do a full out cleaning when every season changes.

Gun Purchases; this is my 2 cents. Try the caliber out you want 1st and do some research on the brands available and if you can fire one before purchasing it do it. If you like the FNX platform then stick with what makes you comfortable. I was hung up on Glock because "everyone has one". I tried one out and it's a freaking awesome gun. I don't like it as mush as I like the FNX because I prefer hammer fired guns over striker fired and the FNX has a crispness in their trigger that I prefer. Another brand may suit your fancy and that's great also.

Get your chica involved; my wife was never around guns until she met me (she thought as I was crazy when she find out I slept with a .410 loaded under my side of the bed). Get her something too. My old lady thinks a 9 kicks too much so I introduced her to a 38 special and a 380. I hope I never sneak up on her now because I'm a dead man!

Shoot; that's the best way to know your weapon. Also shoot from the platform you'll carry from. I carry IWB so I practice shooting from there when I can. I don't do it all the time, but if I'm not comfortable with shooting out of my holster then I'm setting myself up for failure. As mentioned earlier as well, enroll in some tactical classes.

Ammo; I like to keep close to 1000 rounds of handgun ammo for each gun I have. I don't know why I came up with that number but that's what I try to do. I love to shoot so I buy the stuff in bulk (it's cheaper) so that I'm not getting ripped off at a gun range.

Have fun; I've let people shoot my FNX 40 and 45 at the gun ranges and I've been told every time how awesome the guns are. Also play with a stance that works best for you. I began shooting like Hikock45 on YouTube but changed to more of a competition stance because that works for me and it's a whole lot more fun blowing the center out of targets than splattering the whole page.
 
#23 ·
That's the other thing, "too big" of a gun is relative. I felt like the FNX-40 I had was "too big of a gun." Not in size. But it was too big as far as the time, ammo and investment I'd need to feel entirely comfortable with it. Compared to the FNX-45 I picked up, it felt comfortable, more controllable. So instead of training myself to enjoy snappy recoil, I could focus on becoming proficient with the .45.

I agree with the "vette for a first car" analogy. But the .45, for me, was tame compared to the .40.
 
#28 ·
Hey Joe,

Congratulations on your FNX. Donnie and others have offered you some very good advice. I understand your drive to purchase additional firearms, but would second the advice for you and your lady to get some basic and safety training as a first step.

your tag line sayes you're in South Florida, (big area), so you may be close to several big name trainers or schools. But you may also be close to some less than stellar folks in the training business, those that talk a good talk, but are not at all well taught of. Lots of folks in South Florida claiming to be Tier 1 trainers. My point? RESEARCH the trainer, course, school before spending big bucks. An established NRA Instructor is a good place for basic and safety training. Once you have the basics down and some time on trigger under your belts then check out trainers that can instruct you in more that just shooting, that can add tactics and other solid training to your skill sets.

Dont be afraid to ask questions and be receptive to folks answers and suggestions. Now is a time to be a sponge and a filter, soak it up, but not blindly. There are contradictions and different schools of though in shooting. Not everything works for everybody.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top