With the FNX 9, FNH USA has produced a well made and modern semi-auto pistol. However, its drawbacks as a duty pistol include limited backstrap options, lack of night sights, and a short trigger reset.
With the FNX 9, FNH USA has produced a well made and modern semi-auto pistol. That said, I have to criticize the company for not producing a better selection of interchangeable backstraps for the pistols. I ended up using the small interchangeable backstrap that's very easy to change because I found the large backstrap to be uncomfortable to use.
I'm also disappointed the FNX 9 pistol didn't come equipped with a true medium-sized interchangeable backstrap. I liked the polymer frame on this well-made pistol, but the pebble finish on the grip section was too aggressive for me, especially when I tried shooting this pistol with the large interchangeable backstrap.
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FN also shot itself in the foot from a marketing standpoint by manufacturing the FNX pistol without offering night sights. I would not buy this pistol only to be forced to install night sights at a later date at greater expense. If I were a law enforcement agency administrator I wouldn't issue the pistols — the FNX 40 is chambered in .40 caliber — to sworn members of my department unless they were equipped with night sights from the factory.
In its favor, the FNX 9mm pistol has a high-capacity magazine of 17 rounds for a compact-sized pistol that's similar in size to a SIG 228 or Glock 19. As far as comfort under firing conditions, once I installed the smallest back strap the FNX 9 was a comfortable pistol to shoot using 124- and 147-grain ammunition.
The FNX 9 seemed to recoil with more muzzle flip than my 9mm DA/SA SIG 228. When I compared the way the FNX 9 performed with other 9mm pistols, I had no problem hitting a metal plate 10 out of 10 times once I started getting used to the standard sights and the feel of the DA/SA trigger pull. Overall, the FNX 9 seemed like a well-made pistol that might even prove to be more ergonomic if FNH USA took the time to produce a wider variety of interchangeable backstraps. To their credit, FN did invent the easiest system of changing interchangeable grips of any pistol on the market today.
The DA/SA trigger on the FNX pistol also has its pros and cons. The good news about this trigger is that the DA trigger pull for a first shot capability is smooth and short enough to allow the operator to score hits. The bad news about the single action trigger is that the reset is way too short. Why do I consider this a problem? When you have a pistol discharge in your hand under recoil, you let a round go that you had no control over.
I experienced the same situation with a short, single action trigger reset when I field-tested one of the three FNP 45s. This is just a guess, but it's possible that I would not have run into these problems if the FNX fit my hand better. In fact, between the two models I prefer the slightly larger FNP 45.
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Have you field-tested a FNX 9 pistol? If so, give us your opinion. Add your comment below.
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