kozak6 said:
The impression I get is that FN is much like Steyr in that it is all about the military contracts and any civilian sales are incidental.
That clearly has been their key focus in the past, but they may be turning the corner. With the new FN-509 (and the FNS line, which shares a number of components), FNH has been working with a couple of after-market vendors to create and make available trigger components and kits for the FN-509 and FNS lines. If trigger kits and trigger systems are the starting point, it's hard to predict what ELSE might be coming down the pike.
kozak6 said:
As for the FNX, DA/SA pistols are badly out of fashion, plastic or not.
Fashion can be a fickle mistress, as a lot of guns that are "badly out of fashion" continue to be popular, and have a very substantial following. The 1911 is one such example. You seldom seen a striker-fired or polymer-framed gun coming out of a custom gunsmithing shop. Then, too, I've always been a big CZ fan, and it's only now -- almost 20 years since they first hit U.S. shores that CZs have begun to have a noticeably following.
What's that saying? "There's no accounting for taste."
kozak6 said:
It's all about the SA-style trigger and modular grips these days.
While U.S. Army and Air Force went for a modular style weapon, the Navy and Marines haven't bought in, yet. And the "modular" part has more to do with the major system components (like the fire control assembly) than grips.
"Modular" designs have yet to find much of a following among civilian gun buyers here in the U.S. They're purchased but it more because that's what's available than because its what the buyer seeks.
That design approach more makes sense for on-going military applications, than for civilian use -- as it allows quick component replacement when time is important. It probably makes sense for a gun-maker, too, who can build share key components across gun sizes and calibers.
And while SA
is a way of describing the actions of most of the newer striker-fired guns are called
double-action by their makers
and by the
BATF (or is that
BATFE?)
Some suggest that "modified double action" might be a better term as the striker or hammer spring isn't released in true single-action style. With nearly all of these guns, the trigger also complete the spring-charging process and THEN releases the striker or hammer. It's not quite DA, either. Even some of the hammer fired guns work this way.
kazak6 said:
Even FN is almost there with their 509.
And FN's pistol magazines are curiously expensive. They are usually $45-50. There's been some deals I've passed on since I wasn't sure I could stomach such pricey mags.
Glock is a pleasant and admirable exception -- as most factory mags are ridiculously expensive, especially if Mec-Gar or some of the other after-market vendors don't offer mags for the gun in question.
If you've ever had a high-end SIG, like one of the X-Fives or a P-210, you'd really understand what
costly means. (I once waited almost a year for a P-210 mag from the factory -- the only source -- which was going to cost me $100, but finally gave up; I eventually sold the gun [during a time of financial hardship]; it went with the two original factory mags.)
Price isn't generally the only issue -- as just getting the darned things can be an issue. (The very popular M&P Pro mags were made of
Unobtainium for quite a while.) Finding some double-stack .45 mags for CZ-pattern guns is often difficult, too. Extra mags for any NEW model gun can be hard to find and expensive.
So those stories you heard probably aren't true or at the very least exaggerated.
Has anybody else had this problem, and if so what did you do to solve it?