I picked up an almost unused FNX45T (FDE) from Cabella’s a couple months ago. For about $900, I had the gun, case, three mags, and a TLR1. What a deal. According to the associate, the guy that traded it in was a previous employee and he had a habit of buying guns, putting a few rounds through them, then trading them in if he didn’t like it. His loss, my gain.
I took it home, cleaned it up, and ran a few mags of mostly Sig 230 FMJ and JHPs through it. No issues whatsoever. I decided to slap my Sig Romeo1 on top, then ran another mag or two through it. Again, no issues.
Yesterday, I took it and a couple other guns to an indoor range. Through about 100 rounds, I had one light primer strike on a Sig 230gr JHP, and half a dozen FT-ejects. This was with some bulk Fiocchi 230gr (860fps) target ammo that I bought in bulk. My Sig P227 ate it like everything else. Needless to say, I was totally pissed.
So, I brought it home, cleaned it up, racked it a couple hundred times, and removed the red dot. I also decided to take off the Talon grips I had, and replaced them with some Hogue Handalls. I took it out in the backyard today and ran a few more mags through it. Completely flawless. This was with a few more rounds of the Sig JHP and the rest was the Fiocchi. The gun is exceptionally accurate and recoils very softly.
First, I don’t know if I’m in the clear yet. I probably won’t trust it until I put another couple hundred worry-free rounds through it. I did spend some time in the forum looking at issues others have had. Aside for the troubleshooting steps mentioned above, I also paid more attention to my grip. I doubt the red dot changed anything functionally, but I suspect it could have affected my grip and stance, even though it probably shouldn’t if I’m co-witnessing.
I did notice that my brass wasn’t going very far- most of it was within two feet of me. I suspect the Fiocchi may be at the very low end of the power this thing needs. I’m guessing a poor grip could easily cause it to malfunction. I also noticed that the gun dries up pretty fast. As a combat gun, I would think it should be able to run off of oil. Grease tends to attract dirt quicker and can quickly gum up a gun- combat conditions tend to be dirty/ dusty. Finally, I noticed that when slapping in a new mag, the slide will automatically slam forward- not sure if this is a feature or me slamming it in too hard.
Anyways, I’m going to look at some higher powered JHP for this when it makes it into my nightstand. I really like this platform, so I’m hoping it’s back on the up and up. I can forgive some issues early-on, so I’m hoping I’m in the clear and can regain my confidence with the gun.
Thats my rant. Any thoughts are welcomed.
