[Fabius]

My thoughts on how my FNP-40 compares to the M&P 9 and Glock 23. Don't own an XD, PX4 or Sig, although I've shot Sigs. Just my observations.

The Glock is the least fun to shoot and the least accurate for me. Grip angle makes the gun point high, grip is not comfortable and the finger grooves don't fit my hand. Trigger stacks and the break is spongy. However, the Glock has been stone cold reliable and after thousands of rounds still looked like new. No visible signs of wear. Recoil is snappy.

The M&P is the most ergonomic and has the best trigger. Grip feels great and the weight and balance are nice. The internals showed some wear early, but that has not worsened. The feed angle pushes the round into the feed ramp and it won't always feed if you slingshot the slide. Seems like it would be prone to FTF's, but so far it has not been. It seems to pre-cock the striker more than the Glock, which might explain the crisper trigger. Even without a trigger job, it feels like a single action. Nice for range work, but a little sensitive for carry. Mag release is very light, which may explain reports of mag drops. If you touch the mag release, it will drop the mag.

The FNP ergonomics are close to the M&P and the DA trigger is smooth and relatively short. Much better than the PX4 or Sig DA triggers. Easy transition from DA to SA and easy to shoot accurately. Softer shooting and less snappy than the Glock. Feed angle is fairly straight in with little assist from the feed ramp, similar to the Glocks. Feeds slickly and feels like it should be a very reliable feeding gun, which it has been so far. Decocker and slide release are well positioned and easy to operate one handed. Mag release is harder than the M&P and mags seat securely. For me, the ideal combination of features for a SD carry weapon.

Short version - take the Glock to the desert, take the M&P to the range and use the FNP for everything else. If you want one gun that you can take all three places, the FNP would be my choice.

 

[B52U]

Great comparitive review. I'll very likely pick up a .40 soon. I want a good all around range and carry weapon. I was fixated on the .45 for awhile, but that will be one huge weapon and not a carry piece for a skinny dude.

 

[Texas Armadillo]

If you get a chance to compare it to a SIG SP2340, I'd like to hear your comparison.

 

[Fabius]

If I can get my hands on the SIG, I will. So far I've only shot the Sig P220 (.45 cal). DA trigger is longer than the FNP and breaks further back, making it harder to shoot accurately, IMO. I find that the FNP DA trigger breaks fairly early and the pull weight feels like 10 lbs. or less (don't have a scale). The Beretta PX4 trigger is fairly smooth and not too heavy, but it is long and breaks late. I prefer the FNP.

 

[Texas Armadillo]

Well, if ya ever make it near Houston we can compare them.

You gave me an idea for a small project I may have time for this weekend. I can weigh the triggers on my DA/SA guns and post the results.

 

[Fabius]

I'd like to see those results, TA. Hope you have time to do it.

 

[AITG]

I'd like to see the results as well. If you will, let us know how you went about measuring the weights so we can chip in additional info.

 

[Fabius]

TA - did you ever get a chance to test the trigger pull weights?

 

[Texas Armadillo]

No, sorry. I need to get new batteries for the gauge. I try to get to it again Saturday.

 

[lika1]

Well I can compare it to a SigPro; not the SP2340 but the SP2022 as well as the S&W 40GVE.

S&W: It was definitely the lightest of the three; almost felt cheap. I did not like the trigger pull at all(seemed way too long), especially compared to the other two. I was told that it was part of the design sort of like a safety. I just couldn't adjust to it; I kept pulling my shots because of the trigger pull. Recoil on this was the snappiest of the three. Other than that, there were no problems at all with the performance of this pistol. Ergos was ok, grip felt good in my hands, weight and balance were pretty good. Overall it's a nice weapon fun to shoot (all guns are) but just not for me.

Sig SP2022: This one was the heaviest of the three. Trigger pull was real smooth, just a tad bit heavier than the FNP-40 but nice overall. Recoil on this was pretty average for a .40 s&w. We did experience one FTF at ~460 round mark but nothing before or after. Ergos was pretty good, grip felt real good (arched one), aims very well, and weight and balance was good; just a bit heavier and bulkier than the other two. Overall this is a wonderful pistol, my only gripe is that it's a bit on the bulky side compared to the other two when it comes to CCW.

FNP-40: As far as weight goes this was the middleweight. Trigger pull is the best amongst the three, very smooth and light. Recoil was the least of the three (maybe it's just me). I've only got 406 rounds through it so far but not even a hint of a problem yet. Ergos on this is one of the reasons why I bought this pistol; grip (arched) is perfect, weight and balance is perfect, fairly easy to CC, and it aims damn good too. Overall this is one hell of a gun!!!!

All in all the S&W was ok but not for everyone, the SP2022 is a wonderful pistol (Sig fans won't be disappointed) but may be on the bulky side for some, and the FNP-40 is the all around performer.

 

[Texas Armadillo]

Thanx for the review. I get the same impression from my SP2340 that you said about the SP2022. I'm a big SIG fan but the SP2340 is just too bulky for my taste. Otherwise it's a great gun.

Is the FNP9 grip smaller than the FNP40?

 

[Cooter]

Is the FNP9 grip smaller than the FNP40?

The 9 and 40 have the same size grip.