FN 509 TACTICAL 4.5 9MM 24RD GRY/BLK - Stainless/Silver, 4.5" Barrel, 24 Rounds, Polymer Grips, Night Sights

Overall I am very pleased with the pistol, with only a few relatively minor complaints. First, I was very happy to see that the gun shipped with three factory magazines, including one 17 round, and two 24 rounders. I've grown my collection drastically over the last two years, and it is becoming far too common for manufacturers to ship new pistols with only one or two magazines, so three of them was a welcomed benefit! At first I was disappointed that all of them weren't 24 round magazines, but when I saw how far below the grip the large magazines stick out, it was clear that the 17 round magazine is the way to go for anyone who would carry the weapon concealed--which I do. But I always make sure and have 8 total magazines for my carry gun, three dedicated magazines for carry, and five dedicated magazine for range work. So I grabbed a few extra factory magazines and I was all set. At around $55 for factory 24 round magazines, they certainly aren't cheap, but they have all worked flawlessly so far.
The case has its ups and downs. It is a well made nylon case that actually holds everything in a very compact package that is easy to transport and to store all your accessories. But if you fill up all the dedicated spaces for magazines, you can BARELY get the pistol to fit in the case. That aside, it is a far better setup than any other pistol I've purchased in the last year, with the exception of my STI, which has a case of similar--but far superior--design.
Now onto the pistol! I purchased this particular version because of the color combination. The grey/black combo is just cool and the finish was evenly and flawlessly applied. The slide really gets high marks. Because of the combo of finish, serrations, and dimensions of the slide, my big hands could really get a SOLID hold of it for racking, which I thoroughly appreciate. The slide springs are a heck of a lot more rigid than I was expecting for a 9mm, but they will likely ease up after more shooting. In fact, after the first 500 rounds I could even feel a difference, although nothing extreme.
Controls are just as you'd expect in any of today's prime combat tupperware. There is no manual safety, and as a devoted 1911 shooter, it is something I miss, but certainly don't ding the for. Ergonomics were very good overall, with the magazine release and other controls working exactly as expected and without any issues. Magazines clicked home with excellent audible feedback and dropped clear without any fuss each and every time.
The gun is light, and in fact it FELT lighter than I expected. I'd been shooting a Glock G45 lately, and the FN felt significantly lighter. It feels excellent in the hand and pointed shockingly well for me, even without replacing the backstrap. Grips are excellent and REALLY hit the sweet spot of providing a lot of traction without tearing up your hand too much on extended sessions. I am definitely a higher volume shooter, and I did feel a little wear and tear on my hands after I was done, but I put about 500 rounds through it, which is far more than most people will put through a gun in one session.
Recoil impulse was as manageable as you'd expect from a top-tier 9mm from one of the best manufacturers in the business. Follow up shots were quick and easy thanks to the consistent sight placement.
Now for a few areas for improvement. None of these are deal-breakers by any means, but added together they were enough to knock off a star. First, the trigger just could have been and should have been better. I'm definitely not a Glock fanboy, and own only one, and for all the flak they take over their mushy triggers, I have to say that my Glock trigger was definitely better than the FN, in more ways than one. I will add, for the sake of comparison, that my Glock is a Gen5, which I hear have better triggers than previous iterations, so take that for what it is worth. In any case, there was a significant amount of "mush" before the trigger breaks, and the pull was definitely heavier than I would like, by about a pound or so. It wasn't horrible, and I didn't hook it up to a gauge yet, but I'm guessing it was at least 6 pounds, which is definitely a bit much for a striker system. The one area that this trigger really DID impress me was in overtravel and reset. There was ZERO overtravel, and I mean ZERO, and reset was VERY short. So although the trigger has its faults, it certainly has its positive points. I'll put a couple thousand more rounds through it and see how it feels, then I may drop in an aftermarket trigger if I'm not happy with it.
Sights--this is something that left me feeling somewhat let down. The suppressor height sights are excellent in some ways, and not so much in others. They are definitely not quite as tall as most suppressor sights, and the slim front blade really lets you fine tune your aim. And the sight picture provided by this setup is absolutely first rate, much to my surprise. My eyes instantly picked up that front sight each and every time, even during rapid target transitions. This surprised me because I have to say that the "night sights"--suck. I see virtually no illumination from them. So little, in fact, that I may be contacting FN about it.
I put about 500 rounds through it on my first outing, the bulk of which was relatively inexpensive range ammo with a few clips of my high-end self defense ammo just to make sure there were no problems with it. I don't get into a lot of detail with bench-rests, measuring my spread, etc, but I'm highly confident that the barrel certainly did its job well. One other item that may be somewhat nit-picky, and may not bother you at all, is the rounded trigger guard. Trigger guards should always be squared, in my opinion, because it gives shooters some options that you simply don't have with a rounded trigger guard. And when you have very large hands like I do, a squared trigger guard can come in useful for helping to tame recoil.
Overall I really love the gun. It is wonderfully balanced when fully loaded and I've been carrying it concealed while I wait for a custom holster for my STI Staccato P. I've been carrying it OWB in a leather holster, because it was difficult finding anything that would fit it due to the higher sights. The light weight makes this a very comfortable carry companion that most folks wouldn't mind much, unless you are used to carrying a compact. I have large hands and I'm 6'5, so my bigger mitts appreciate the larger frame and my body's rather extensive real estate can hide a full size weapon without much of a hassle.
I do have a Streamlight weapon light that I put on at night when it goes to bed next to me on my night stand, and the rail works perfectly, even though its a bit shorter than a traditional 5 inch barrel.
You'll really enjoy this gun folks; no question about it. I haven't even mounted a suppressor or optics yet, which would yield even greater appreciation for this excellent weapon. I'll be putting a high quality red-dot on it, but I haven't quite made up my mind yet, although I'm narrowing it down quickly. But no matter which way I go, this will provide a superb host for any of those accessories, and will make it a superb home defense weapon with a full compliment of accessories and those 24 round magazines.
VERY happy with this purchase!