F&N 509

B

bluewater

New member
I stopped at my favorite gun shop today in Clearwater, Florida and saw that the F&N 509 was on sale for $479. I just had to get one and haven’t shot it yet but will tomorrow.
 
Nice!

I cannot get over the recalcitrant magazine release. Once that's been addressed I'll try one. It feels good in the hand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's probably for the better that I haven't walked in to a shop and seen one on sale, because my fiancee would probably kill me for bringing it home.

I love my FNX, I've heard great things about the 509 too. Good find.
 
I have two FNS-40s, one a long slide. The Long Slide had trigger work done to it before I traded into it. It's pretty good. The other FNS-40 is less good, but I prefer it to most of the other striker-fired guns I own, and tuning the trigger can be done pretty easily -- if you're not happy -- following YOUTUBE videos.

The FN 509 is a evolution of the FNS line, and both will soon be supported by a trigger system upgrade from ATI, and I'll probable get THAT when it's available. (One of the principals of ATI has talked with FN Forum members about that ATI project.) I've bought an ATI trigger system for a Glock I picked up cheaply, and it a marvelous trigger -- and changed the Glock experience for me. (I don't like Glock triggers, but I don't view them as a problem...)

All of these guns, however, seem to improve (trigger and, for the FN 509, the mag release) with use. They are all well-built and very well-designed weapons. They don't shoot or feel like polymer guns when you use them.

FNH or FN-America just hasn't learned how to sell handguns to the U.S. market, but they're learning. CZ had the same sort of problems about 15-20 years ago, and they're rapidly gaining a following. Sphinx (Kriss) is having similar problems. I expect the same with the FN guns, and FN has lowered prices for many of their handguns -- which I think was a smart move. Get eoough of them out int he market place, and they'll start to get more after-market support, too.
 
Last edited:
FNH or FN-America just hasn't learned how to sell handguns to the U.S. market, but they're learning.
Click to expand...

That has always been a shame since they make really good weapons.

I think I have a marketing strategy for them:

1. Bring down your prices.
2. Give all the top Youtube gun channels free FN's to review.
3. Hire Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as your spokesperson, and make a FN 509 "The Rock" edition.

Results = millions sold
 
wizzamen said:
I think I have a marketing strategy for them:

1. Bring down your prices.
Click to expand...
Their prices seem pretty competitive already.

I think their main problem is that the marketplace is very crowded and their marketing department hasn't done an adequate job of explaining to the buying public why FNH pistols are better than competing models.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizzamen
I think I have a marketing strategy for them:

1. Bring down your prices.
Their prices seem pretty competitive already.
Click to expand...

I think their prices for their recent handguns and shotguns are competitive. I think they'll always be known for being expensive because of the FiveseveN, P90/PS90, and the SCAR which are all very expensive and as an FN fanboy, I want them all :D
 
I received a 509 for Christmas. It is my first 9mm & 1st striker pistol. So far, I like it. I started out shooting it low, but as I run more rounds through it, my accuracy has decidedly improved. I also have an FNX-45 and have really been taken with FN pistols. Is the trigger on that 509 as good as my 1911s? No, but it isn't bad.
 
A minor note about a mis-positioned &. :) The model isn't F&N 509, it's FN 509. And it's not Fabrique and Nationale collaborating, again -- Fabrique Nationale has been a single firm for many years and part of the Herstal Group. It's Fabrique Nationale - Herstal (also called FNH).

Hertal is a municipality in Belgium, and that region's government OWNS the Herstal Group. The Herstal Group, which owns FN, also owns Winchester and Browning and has a corporate relationship with Miroku in Japan. Hiroku builds shotguns for Browning, and builds licensed copy of Winchester rifles. (I've never been able to find out just how the company is run or makes decisions, but it seems to be an interesting mix of government and business.)

J.M. Browning did a lot of work for FN right up until his death (in Liege Belgium) in 1926. JMB started the design work for the FN Hi-Power, but it wasn't really finished until almost 10 years after his death. The BHP's original design was a striker-fired single stack gun, but the overall design was greatly changed over the decade after JMB's death.

Because of the time lapse, FN was able to incorporate some expired Colt patents that Browning had developed for that company. Some of the final design used was Browning's work, but not stuff originally intended for the BHP design. People give him credit for the BHP, but it's arguably more the work of D. Sauve, who worked with JMB at FN in Belgium, and later became FN's chief designer. Because JMB was so highly regarded in Europe FN continued to use JMB's name and designs.

FN-Herstal is an impressive company and offers impressive products. They build some of the most widely-used and highly regarded automatic weapons in NATO; a lot of them are used by the U.S. military, too!
 
Last edited:
FN-Herstal is an impressive company and offers impressive products. They build some of the most widely-used and highly regarded automatic weapons in NATO; a lot of them are used by the U.S. military, too!
Click to expand...

This is important to understanding the company. They have had a strong military market for some time now. Both the m240 and m249 are FNH weapons, encompassing all of the US military light-medium machine gun market. FNH had the contract for USMC M16s back in the day. They have not really needed to care about the private handgun market so much, as supplying all of the M240 and M249 versions and improvements to the military over the years has likely kept them busy. An example. I was in the USMC in the early 00s. There were 9 m249s per line infantry platoon, plus 6 m240s for the company. That's a total of 27 249s for the company and 6 m240s. There are 27 line companies per division. There's 2 full staffed AD divisions, the 3rd mardiv (which is really just a regiment heavy), plus add-ons (the 9th marines). By my math that's about 2k m249s just for infantry units. Infantry is the backbone of the Corps, but there are probably twice that in support units.

And then there is the army. Its about twice the size of the USMC. And then there is the NG, Navy, AF, and CG. And don't forget all of the coax M240s. And that's just american forces, it doesn't account for the rest of NATO. No, FNH has been quite busy with their military contracts over the years. I do believe it is smart for them to expand more into the civilian market. Their military weapons are mature technology. Despite being gold standards, there isn't much room for new variants or room to improve their models... So no new massive military adoptions or contracts for the foreseeable future. Hence the wisdom in expanding.
 
turtlehead said:
I suppose now you're going to tell me M&P doesn't stand for Mike & Pauly. Both great gun designers in their own right.
Click to expand...

I like Mike & Pauly guns bucause of Mikey's input. His guns will eat anything.

(Some here might remember the old TV commercial -- a bunch of small kids worried about how something NEW might taste: words to the effect of "Let Mikey Try It -- Mikey'll eat anything.")

.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top