Posted: 5/9/2009 7:26:59 PM EDT
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I have been looking at the FNP-45 for a while now. 15+1 of .45 made by the people who made my M249 and M240 in the Army...sounds like a winner. So I did the customary reading of reviews and such before I even decided to waste the gas to go look at one. Every review had the same thing to say; "This is a BIG gun", "This is a MAN's gun", "Thing is huge", etc etc. Hard to find an FNP-45 review without that phrase being mentioned at some point. I'm not a big guy, I wear size M gloves, so I found this a little daunting. None the less I decided to go look at one.
Went and handled a few and found that it actually fit my hands well for being a big gun. Huh, maybe my hands are bigger than I thought? Took a couple weeks to find the one I wanted, the FNP-45 USP w/Shooters Pack. This one has a scalloped slide (to reduce weight and give it a sleeker appearance), forward cocking serrations, the 15rnd mag included, safety (not just decocker), trigger overtravel stop, holster, mag carrier, and a practice barrel. Put the cash down and brought it home to clean...and while I was cleaning it I kept thinking that the thing sure was small. So I went and grabbed my H&K P30, which has been widly accepted as being a medium framed/sized gun. I would be lying if I didn't say I was shocked...they are almost the exact same size. FNP is about .5" longer, about .2" taller and the same width. Even the FNP's grip circumfrence is only 2.5mm more!! I whipped out the mags and put them side by side...EXACT same height mags! I have 42 pictures comparing the two pistols that I'm uploading. The funny thing is that OBVIOUSLY the major difference is the grip being much more erganomical on the P30 and the slide being much more scalloped and contored to reduce size/weight...but in reality the pistols are pretty damn close. Now my big questions: If the FNP's mag is the same size as the P30's....why the hell can't H&K make me some 20rnd P30 mags...cause FN can fit me 15rnds of .45 in them. The HK45 is slightly bigger than the P30, seems to be the same size as the FNP-45. So why the hell can't H&K fit me 15rnds in it's mag? Really, the main reason I purchased the weapon was the round count available in .45 along with the stellar reviews it has been getting and the trouble free history I have had with FN's products in the military. |
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I've been wondering about the overly dramatic reports of the FNP-45's size since I first handled one.
I don't understand why it's getting the rap of being a huge weapon. The Glock 21 SF is actually bigger in the grip and I feel bulkier overall. With the flat back strap installed the FNP-45's trigger reach is very similar to a CZ 75B, a weapon widely regarded for it's good ergonomics. (I own both). When I purchased mine there was no USG model. I compared it directly to a Glock 21SF and an HK 45. The FN weapon was the winner for me. And at it's price it's a hell of a bargain. I have 700+ trouble free, accurately placed rounds through mine. I hope you enjoy yours and look forward to your impressions of it at the range. |
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Dude why are the rounds in the mag on the left backwards?
Great comparison pics though. Methinks I should stop by and handle one of these, see what the fuss is about.................very nice lookin' pistol. 
ETA: I was gonna ask, what's this "practice barrel" you speak of that came with the pistol? Plastic barrel blank for safe training maybe, like the one Blade-Tech makes? |
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Quoted:
Dude why are the rounds in the mag on the left backwards? Great comparison pics though. Methinks I should stop by and handle one of these, see what the fuss is about.................very nice lookin' pistol. I would guess because the mag on the left is the HK mag. According to one of their ads, that is how you load them 
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Dude why are the rounds in the mag on the left backwards? Great comparison pics though. Methinks I should stop by and handle one of these, see what the fuss is about.................very nice lookin' pistol. I would guess because the mag on the left is the HK mag. According to one of their ads, that is how you load them
Bingo!! I knew someone would get my joke there.
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Quoted:
Dude why are the rounds in the mag on the left backwards? Great comparison pics though. Methinks I should stop by and handle one of these, see what the fuss is about.................very nice lookin' pistol.
ETA: I was gonna ask, what's this "practice barrel" you speak of that came with the pistol? Plastic barrel blank for safe training maybe, like the one Blade-Tech makes? Practice barrel is in this pic, this shows everything the pistol came with (yea, it's the yellow Blade Tech thing for safe training): 
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I see they kindly included a holster for it; probably a good move.
The grip on the FNP isn't what's huge. The slide feels wide enough to use as a bookshelf. I haven't fired one, though. Is your safety lever a decocker too, or just a safety? I've about given up trying to keep up with all the FNP variations and versions. |
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Ok, I'll put the teasers up front and if you want the details keep reading the whole post:
MORE Pics to follow, battery is dead and charger is at work GOOD - 1. Very accurate - 45ft/15y off hand 5rnd group was 1.5" 2. Very controlable - 45ft/15y double tap had 2" seperation 3. Shoots soft - I seriously thought I was shooting my H&K P30...it's a very tame shooter. 4. Easy to use all controls, except the slide release 5. Love the High Capacity 6. Auto-Slide Release when loading a new loaded mag BAD - 1. Mags - I believe all FTF's associated with the FNP-45 are caused by the mags. I have pics to explain and go into detail below. 2. Slide Release Full Day's Work: 
I'll start off by saying "WOW"!! I'm super impressed and quite spellbound by this weapon's accuracy, controlability and ease of use. The first round I shot I stopped and looked at the gun...had to make sure I didn't pick up my 9mm...it shot that soft. I started the day off with 700 flawless rounds of .22 through my Walther P22 to warm up, followed up by 300 flawless rounds through my H&K P30, then jumped into my (sadly only) 200 rounds through the FNP-45. If anyone has some .45 to sell, or knows of where to buy some in DFW or the Net let me know and I'll throw more down the pipe ASAP. When I started with the FNP I just wanted to put a couple mags through it to get a feel for the trigger, recoil, function and how the shot placement landed with the sight picture. A few slow methodical shots placed initially to see where the shots landed, they hit dead on point of aim. This is one accurate AND precise handgun. I followed with a few slow methodical shots to see how the trigger behaved and reset was. I shot in SA only, this was the reason I searched out a USG, so it could be carried condition 1 (cocked and locked) and could be fired SA only. Trigger breaks very light, and although I don't have a scale to measure it with I would tend to agree with FN's claim of a 4.5lb trigger. Reset is short, about .25". It's also very crisp letting you know when it has been reset for a quick follow up shot. I then went for a 5 shot off hand group at 45ft/15yd. Turned in a 1.5" group, this is pretty darn good. Remember, this is off hand, not from a rest. Those 5 shots were about 4sec appart, each aimed as best I could just for accuracy. I then tried a 2 shot double tap, first round hit slightly low to the left of aim and the second was about .5" higher and 1.5" to the right (total of 2" seperation). Off Hand 1.5" 5 shot group 45ft/15yd: 
2" Double Tap: 
I then varried the distance to my target from 15ft/5y to 75ft/25y. Even at 75ft/25y I was able to place a full mag on an 8" circle. These were not carefully aimed shots for accuracy. They were quick fire, about a second appart, waiting only for the front sight to settle down on target then engaging again. I then placed up a silouette target and put 43 rounds through it's chest, all in a fist sized group (except a few flyers) from 45ft/15y. Bad Guy was dead :shock: . Dead Bad Guy: 
Now, I did have 6 FTF's out of 200 rounds. Each time I had one I stopped and inspected the failure. Every one was the same and was failed to feed due to the magazine (all three mags, the 14rnd ones and the 15rnd one exibited this issue). The problem has been reported by others too with WWB, Blazer, and other FMJ ammo (I haven't heard of any issues with JHP, only FMJ). I believe these mags WILL have problems with FMJ ammo until they wear in, let me explain: In this photo you can see how the mag is failing to feed: 
Uppon further inspection I noticed that the mag is very short from front to rear. With a round loaded in the mag you can see the FMJ round barely fits, and the only reason it fits is because it's not in the mag flat, it's at an angle (just like every other mag out there to provide easy feeding). However unlike most mags with extra room in them; these have no extra room. If a round shifts from it's angled arrangement to a flat arrangement the round will get caught. The follower does not have a good anti tilt leg on it, so the follower *DOES* tilt, allowing for the rounds to tilt to flat, and then jamming up. You can see how the rounds have been tilting, and grinding their nose on the front of the mag: 
This is why I believe that you don't see this problem with JHP (hollow point) rounds, only the FMJ (Full Metal Jacket ball) rounds are full length and will encounter this issue. Also, poly tipped rounds like the "PowerBalls" shouldn't have this issue as the poly would slide smooth. The true fix however would be for FN to fix the Mag follower. Anti-Tilt legs need to be added to prevent rounds from tilting to begin with, then any round would feed without issue. Magpul PMAG, and H&K P30 mag showing their anti-tilt measures compared to the FNP-45 mag: 
In the above picture you can see how both H&K and Magpul have incorperated generous anti-tilt legs on their followers, and the FNP's follower has some puny midget legs. Now, to finish the day off I pulled out a bench rest, put up a target at 45ft/15y and went for gold!. The result? 4 rounds within .5" with 1 flyer opening the group up to 1". 45ft/15y 1" 5 shot group (4 shots within .5"): 
Some other random groups: 
Final result of the initial range session? Great weapon, supurb accuracy, and soft shooting .45 with a funky slide release and poor mag followers. |