Want to see what came close—but was not selected as the U.S. Army's new sidearm in its Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition? FN America's entry was the FN 509 9 mm striker-fired pistol—and has now been refined and made available commercially to civilians and law enforcement. The pistol is the subject of an upcoming American Rifleman feature story.
"When the requirements for MHS were released, our team of engineers immediately went to work, taking the successful elements of the FNS Compact and further developing those to meet the needs of the U.S. Army's solicitation for a new, full-size pistol," said Mark Cherpes, president and CEO of FN America. "Between the submission of MHS and the commercial release of the FN 509, we have worked with law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S. and captured on-site feedback that we used to further optimize the pistol to far exceed the expectations of our valued customers."
Built on the bones of the FNS Compact, FN made changes internally and externally to meet the rigorous performance standards of the MHS requirements and further developed the platform into the FN 509 with help from industry experts. Over the course of development, the platform has been put through the rigors of 1 million rounds of testing for reliability, ammunition compatibility and durability.
Aesthetic changes to the platform include more aggressive cocking serrations, enhanced grip textures, guarded controls and recessed target crown on the barrel. Critical internal components were completely redesigned to ensure maximum performance to meet FN's demanding standards. The FN 509 is currently shipping to FN distributors in two commercial SKUs, available at retail in early May, and two law enforcement SKUs, available in early June. Other options like manual safety models will be made available at a future date.
The new pistol can be seen in person as early as April 28, 2017, at the FN Booth at the 2017 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Atlanta, Ga. To read more on the design and development of the FN 509 or to find a dealer near you, please visit fnamerica.com.
Specifications
Model: FN 509
Caliber: 9 mm
Safety: Non-manual; internal, passive safeties
Sights: Fixed 3-dot luminescent sights; fixed 3-dot night sights (LE only)
Operation: Striker; DAO
Trigger Pull: 5.5 – 7.5 lbs.
Capacity: 10 or 17 rounds
Weight: 26.9 ozs.
Barrel Length: 4"
Twist Rate: 1:10" RH
Overall Length: 7.4"
MSRP: $649
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