I had a chance, though brief, to try out my new fnp 45 usg in flat dark earth this past weekend at a friend's place in NH. I didn't get to shoot much, but here are my first impressions:
1. recoil - mild with 230 ball. milder than my P220 st with the same ammo. I have heard this attributed to a wider grip. The slide is also wider, though the overall gun is not as heavy. Regardless, a nice surprise!
2. Trigger - DA/SA. DA pull is heavy, but not a problem. SA has a short reset so follow up shots were very fast. has a plastic trigger with an over-travel 'bump" molded in. seems to work great. With the soft recoil and fast reset trigger, the gun came back to target very quickly.
3. Magazines - 2 15 rnd, 2 10 rnds. The load and will drop free easily. On the 15 rnd, I found it impossible to load the last round. I will need a mag loader, or several weeks at the gym before I can take advantage of the full capacity. Mags are steel with a slight blue tint. Mags can be dropped ambidextrously. I use my trigger finger so i like that.
4. Loaded chamber indicator. Located on the right side of the slide just aft of the ejection port, it looks like it is the external extractor that is supposed to protrude for tactile alert of a loaded chamber. the top of the indicator is also painted red. However, mine did not protrude enough to really notice it by feel, nor enough that the red indicator was visible.
5. Extraction/Ejection. No FTE, however the cases only flew about 1-2 ft to my right, next to my right foot (shooting right handed). Often flew more or less straight up and a few came and hit me in the face. Distracting is not the word. In comparison, my P220 flings them smartly about 8 feet to my right, and slightly behind me, never touched my personally. They always land right where they are supposed to - on the guy next to me
6. Adjustable backstrap. it comes with two - a very rounded one and an almost flat one. I used the rounded one. It is changed by poking a paper clip sized thingy through a hole in the BS that depresses a plastic catch, not unlike those you might see on an electrical connector in your engine. Then the BS slides off the grip via a dovetail groove. It is ok I suppose. the plastic catch thingy seems a little flimsy, like it could take a bend or set over time, and not retain the BS. Probably not an issue if you aren't changing them all the time.
7. Sites - simple 3-dot (not night sights). Very easy for me to line up. I do not like the dot n post arrangement on the sig.
8. Safety decocker - I like it. the sig has a decocker too, but this one is easier to reach with the thumb - either thumb. smartly drops the hammer.
9. Take down - lock the slide back, rotate the take down lever 90 degrees counter clockwise, and release the slide (hold on to it) and it comes right off. remove the recoil spring and rod, and barrel. Very easy. Same as Sig.
10. Slide ass'y. - slide is nicely machined and coated with some flat black finish. Front and rear serrations are well defined and easy to grasp. Barrel is also finished in non-reflective coating. Barrel looks as scad thicker than my P220. Looks "heavy" - I like it. recoil spring is a flat coil and is captive to the rod. it is not as heavy as the Sig factory spring. looks quality though.
11. Grip - it is highly textured and feels 'sharp' when you hold it. when shooting it was a non-issue. felt fine. gave a great hold on the gun.
12. Case - very nice case - lined with a blue plastic material that is form fitted. I got the 'shooter's pack" that came with a holster, paddle attachment, and a double mag holster. Instructions for the holster, but no manual of operating the gun itself ??? Also comes with a cable lock.
13. Accuracy. Had to leave that to last. We were shooting at 10 yards, temp was about 45 degrees, 6 in of snow on the ground. I did not clean the gun first (I know I know... many reasons i could n't get to it). However, it was not overly lubed for shipping, and the barrel had a tiny bit of residue in it from fire testing. if anything it was a little dry.
I shot about 5 mags worth - around 70 rounds from Federal Champion and Remington UMC (because that is what walmart had on their shelves). First 4 mags gave me about 4-5" groups off hand. Not happy about that. But some of it was me (excited) and the gun not being broken in, I think. Last mag I settled down and got a nice 12 rnd group of about 2", with a couple of flyers. Semi rapid fire - the sites and trigger allowed quick follow up.
Overall, my impression is about 4/5 on a scale of 5 being perfect. I have an email into FNHUSA to inquire about the loaded chamber indicator and the ejection.
Oh, and one more thing. Cost. I ordered from CDNN (at the suggestion of FNH). they had a promo going - 549 for the shooters pack, no shipping. and FNH had a $50 rebate (I Voted promo). Picked up an extra 15 rnd mag for 36 bucks. total cost was 589 something. Cost me 58 bucks for NJ for transfer fee and NICS + Tax. So final total cost was about $600. When I bought the Sig I likewise had it shipped. Cost was 689 + shipping + 50 something for handling and NICS.
So for about $150 less i got a very nice 45 auto, large capacity, 4 mags, holsters and a nice case.
And i still have my Sig For now. My wife suggested his and her's 45's ???
somebody catch me!
1. recoil - mild with 230 ball. milder than my P220 st with the same ammo. I have heard this attributed to a wider grip. The slide is also wider, though the overall gun is not as heavy. Regardless, a nice surprise!
2. Trigger - DA/SA. DA pull is heavy, but not a problem. SA has a short reset so follow up shots were very fast. has a plastic trigger with an over-travel 'bump" molded in. seems to work great. With the soft recoil and fast reset trigger, the gun came back to target very quickly.
3. Magazines - 2 15 rnd, 2 10 rnds. The load and will drop free easily. On the 15 rnd, I found it impossible to load the last round. I will need a mag loader, or several weeks at the gym before I can take advantage of the full capacity. Mags are steel with a slight blue tint. Mags can be dropped ambidextrously. I use my trigger finger so i like that.
4. Loaded chamber indicator. Located on the right side of the slide just aft of the ejection port, it looks like it is the external extractor that is supposed to protrude for tactile alert of a loaded chamber. the top of the indicator is also painted red. However, mine did not protrude enough to really notice it by feel, nor enough that the red indicator was visible.
5. Extraction/Ejection. No FTE, however the cases only flew about 1-2 ft to my right, next to my right foot (shooting right handed). Often flew more or less straight up and a few came and hit me in the face. Distracting is not the word. In comparison, my P220 flings them smartly about 8 feet to my right, and slightly behind me, never touched my personally. They always land right where they are supposed to - on the guy next to me
6. Adjustable backstrap. it comes with two - a very rounded one and an almost flat one. I used the rounded one. It is changed by poking a paper clip sized thingy through a hole in the BS that depresses a plastic catch, not unlike those you might see on an electrical connector in your engine. Then the BS slides off the grip via a dovetail groove. It is ok I suppose. the plastic catch thingy seems a little flimsy, like it could take a bend or set over time, and not retain the BS. Probably not an issue if you aren't changing them all the time.
7. Sites - simple 3-dot (not night sights). Very easy for me to line up. I do not like the dot n post arrangement on the sig.
8. Safety decocker - I like it. the sig has a decocker too, but this one is easier to reach with the thumb - either thumb. smartly drops the hammer.
9. Take down - lock the slide back, rotate the take down lever 90 degrees counter clockwise, and release the slide (hold on to it) and it comes right off. remove the recoil spring and rod, and barrel. Very easy. Same as Sig.
10. Slide ass'y. - slide is nicely machined and coated with some flat black finish. Front and rear serrations are well defined and easy to grasp. Barrel is also finished in non-reflective coating. Barrel looks as scad thicker than my P220. Looks "heavy" - I like it. recoil spring is a flat coil and is captive to the rod. it is not as heavy as the Sig factory spring. looks quality though.
11. Grip - it is highly textured and feels 'sharp' when you hold it. when shooting it was a non-issue. felt fine. gave a great hold on the gun.
12. Case - very nice case - lined with a blue plastic material that is form fitted. I got the 'shooter's pack" that came with a holster, paddle attachment, and a double mag holster. Instructions for the holster, but no manual of operating the gun itself ??? Also comes with a cable lock.
13. Accuracy. Had to leave that to last. We were shooting at 10 yards, temp was about 45 degrees, 6 in of snow on the ground. I did not clean the gun first (I know I know... many reasons i could n't get to it). However, it was not overly lubed for shipping, and the barrel had a tiny bit of residue in it from fire testing. if anything it was a little dry.
I shot about 5 mags worth - around 70 rounds from Federal Champion and Remington UMC (because that is what walmart had on their shelves). First 4 mags gave me about 4-5" groups off hand. Not happy about that. But some of it was me (excited) and the gun not being broken in, I think. Last mag I settled down and got a nice 12 rnd group of about 2", with a couple of flyers. Semi rapid fire - the sites and trigger allowed quick follow up.
Overall, my impression is about 4/5 on a scale of 5 being perfect. I have an email into FNHUSA to inquire about the loaded chamber indicator and the ejection.
Oh, and one more thing. Cost. I ordered from CDNN (at the suggestion of FNH). they had a promo going - 549 for the shooters pack, no shipping. and FNH had a $50 rebate (I Voted promo). Picked up an extra 15 rnd mag for 36 bucks. total cost was 589 something. Cost me 58 bucks for NJ for transfer fee and NICS + Tax. So final total cost was about $600. When I bought the Sig I likewise had it shipped. Cost was 689 + shipping + 50 something for handling and NICS.
So for about $150 less i got a very nice 45 auto, large capacity, 4 mags, holsters and a nice case.
And i still have my Sig For now. My wife suggested his and her's 45's ???
somebody catch me!