!!! I dont even know if i want/need to reply. As far as what? Looks, ergonomics, recoil, reliability accuracy. (Wow, i just went from least to most important without realizing:laugh:) Or are you suggesting, they just STRAIGHT stole the whole product/weapon. Just curious
what, on that pistol, does not resemble the S&W…even down to that POS trigger…from “another” S&W…
…yeah, NO ONE copies designs from each other.
:big_boss:
Velcro
Not sure if u are trying to be sarcastic. Didnt understand your reply, not sure of what you are trying to say. Im not saying you are wrong as MOST weapon designs are just that; a copy of another platform with remakes on the companies part. I was just asking what u meant as u said they slapped their logo on another companies weapon, which implies the WHOLE weapon is the exact same thing without bothering to make it their own. I was asking if thats what you meant
If anything, the FNS aesthetics is a derivative of the FN Forty-Nine which was in production in 2000; five years before the M&P. So if anything the M&P copied FN. 
FN Forty Nine
FNS-9
Wow. Good point. I lined up the 49 and the M&P… since they overlayed so well, (and since the 49 was already transparent) I change the 49 to a greenish color.
Ditch the manual safety and we’ll talk.
i believe they said it was optional. 
i believe they said it was optional.
bitchen’ 
We spoke to FN at length about these pistols this week. They are attempting to market it as a world-wide pistol. With a number of military and LE customers requiring a manual safety, it is completely understandable from a marketing standpoint.
The safety was large enough to use easily, and seemed small enough to stay out of the way for people like myself who do not prefer a manual safety on a striker fired pistol.
The bore axis is actually quite low - very Glock like.
Grip size is about the same as a G17, possibly a bit longer. It is right in the running as far as grip length compared to a G17 and M&P9 full size.
The trigger feels more like a Glock than an M&P, with a reset that is right in-between. It’s more tactile than the M&P, but a bit less than a Glock. The reset on the particular pistol I held was a bit sluggish, almost like there was some parts-drag inside the mechanism. That’s only a sample of one, and may just need a bit of break in. Could just be a fluke, too.
It felt good in the hand and kept many features/feel of the FNP and FNX, each of which are reliable pistols.
I should have a chance to shoot one next week and may have more thoughts then.
From what I’ve seen/heard, is it a Glock killer? No, but then again, nothing else has been either. It’s another striker fired pistol that, if reliable, will be another viable option in the marketplace.
I’m a Glock fan through and through. Availability of guns, parts, and mags will probably always be better from Glock. The phrase “Just as good, usually isn’t” might apply here. I won’t be selling my Glocks to switch to this FN pistol, but FNH has been very aggressive in producing good firearms across all markets (fighting rifles, bolt rifles, shotguns, and pistols), and they appear to be listening to what the market(MIL, LE, and CIV) wants. Given their track record, this should be a good pistol.
S&W tried their hand (a couple times) at a Glock-killer, looks like FN’s giving a crack at it.
Who can reinvent the wheel better than the wheel…I hate when companies do that because there’s no innovation. :sad:
As someone in this industry who has seen our designs…‘borrowed’…often, I can relate.
That said, there are modifications with both the M&P and the FNH pistols. Smith created the best interchangeable back-strap system for its time and set the industry back on its heels to catch up to compete. This feature alone is a major factor in how successful the M&P has been. The M&P trigger also operates quite differently than a Glock, which can be good or bad depending on your preference.
The FNS is somewhat the same. Their safety is different than the M&P’s 1911-like safety, and is well done IMO. The trigger is right in between the two, which again could be good or bad depending on your preference. The safety will open them up to certain customers that will not buy Glocks.
They may be minor changes, but they were both changes Glock has refused to make for years. We can’t blame Glock, any company that is selling every item they make as fast as they can make them is doing something right.
Glock is my preference, but if the FNH has a feature available that Glock doesn’t, it may be a good choice.
I’ve been through them all, and settled on being a Glock person.
It just seems like companies are going for two things:
- The most attractive “pocket pistol”
- The Glock for people who refuse to buy Glocks because they like to be different.
I think FN could focus on making a decent SA/DA auto before attempting to cop the striker(Glock) market. The FNP-9 I had was all kinds of bad, and didn’t have functional problems either.
There’s a market for them…I mean, why else would Sig be in business?
You are dead on about the M&P, though. I wasn’t being fair. Their ergonomics are truly something else.
I think they’ve done it pretty well with the FNX. The FNX safety hits my strong side thumb in a funny way (HK’s do it too), but other than that I really like that pistol. I could shift my grip around to get used to it, but with so much time on a Glock and no desire to change, it’s not something I’ll pursue.
The FNX covers both the SA/DA and cocked and locked market, and IMO is just as good if not better than the P30S, if for nothing else it has a traditional magazine release. Personal preferences, again. Both of those are good pistols.
We’ll see how the market reacts and how well FNH does with this new gun. I’m looking forward to shooting it.
I haven’t checked out the FNX. I will if I get the chance.
I guess we’ll see how the FNS does, hope I get a chance to shoot it.
Tom, I hope that FN puts some hard work into getting the trigger right on the first pass. The M&P’s biggest flaw is the gritty, heavy, and long trigger that lacks a tactical reset. Even Glock took a small but noticable step backward with its heavier Gen 4 trigger. Granted, the APEX DCAEK and RAM fix the M&P issues, but the next generation of striker fired pistols should have a crisp 5lb trigger with little uptake when it leaves the factory. Five pounds is reasonable if the pistol will have a thumb safety (and many of us feel safe without the safety). Manufacturers finally solved the ergonomics puzzle, now it’s time to improve the trigger.
Exactly my sentiments on the FNX. The safety does push my strong side thumb down just a TAD lower than I would naturally grip it (although nothing that I can’t live with and be just as good with), but I feel like the safety on the FNS would completely solve this problem.
After being fully broken in, the FNX’s trigger in both DA/SA is very good IMO. With over 1500 rounds through it so far, I have nothing but positive things to say about it. Very ergonomic w/ great texturing, 100% reliable so far, very accurate, nice big sights with rear sight serrations, 3 17rd mags with good lubricity, fully ambidextrous, etc…you get a lot of features.
I think FN needs to be a little more aggressive in their marketing to really get their products noticed among the average firearm enthusiast.
Disagree completely about trigger pull weight. Trigger pull feel is important[/i] though. This is not a 1911 forum where people go on and on about the “perfect” trigger.
I put 10 rounds through a prototype FNS-9 back in March. The trigger was very good. Nice break with an excellent reset which was short and had the tactile feel similar to a glock. I did not like the ergos of the grip and the texture was weird too. It was very accurate at 20 yards. It looks very similar to a cross between and M&P and Sig. I was told this will likely be manuf. in the US to compete with Govt./State contracts and Buy American clause.
Nobody expects “perfect” but there is a popular trend on this forum toward aftermarket modifications (APEX for the M&P and OEM - connectors in Glock) to improve the trigger in the striker fired platforms. Trigger weight is only about 1/3 of the issue. The long(ish)/gritty uptake and lack of a tactical reset are equally important. Another issue is the lack of consistancy in the M&P factory trigger between pistols, although things do normalize after about 1000 rounds. There is a market for a striker fired pistol with a 1911 trigger since many of us used this platform before polymer became so popular. I just hope that FN can get it done in the factory.
I can’t comment on the M&P series triggers (I have tried a few out, was casually unimpressed but can’t say more than that) but the Glock triggers do not really require any modification out of the box IMO. I have tried all manner of combinations - “-” connector with the NY1 spring (it was interesting but not an improvement), the “-” connector by itself (too light, made the break very mushy), aftermarket trigger modifications (Ghost Rocket was interesting, lack of overtravel a bonus but otherwise unimpressive).
Frankly what the Glock trigger has going for it is the rather mild take-up and very tactile, short reset. The “improvements” that people make with the “-” connector and what not do not significantly change the key component to the success of its trigger. I think they set the bar high for out of the box triggers.