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FNP 45 Tactical 2,000 Round Review

19K views 35 replies 21 participants last post by  Von Hayes 
#1 ·


Well, passed the 2k round mark on the FNP 45 Tactical this weekend and decided I had enough experience with it for a thorough review...

Background: The gun was developed for the US Joint Combat Pistol program that was later scrapped by the military. But, that program gave us a lot of great guns, this being one of the finest. The gun has fully ambidextrous controls and comes with a few goodies from the factory that include: 3 15 round magazines, factory night sights standard (raised for suppressor use), 4 interchangeable backstraps, numerous mounts for aftermarket red dot use, and a 5.3'' hammer forged threaded barrel. Shown here as it comes from the factory (minus the red dot):


Overall impressions: This gun is big and bad; no doubt about it. It certainly wasn't developed to be a concealed carry piece. It weighs 33oz empty, add to that 16 rounds of 45ACP and it feels extremely solid in the hand and like all FNP/X/S pistols points very naturally. The trigger is traditional DA/SA, with the DA pull coming in consistently at 10.5lbs on my trigger gauge and the SA trigger pull coming in at a crisp 4lbs.

Let me also say, I 'm a huge FNH fan. I own a lot of their weapons and even used an A2 made by them in basic training. I love the M240 Light they offer these days as well; it may be my favorite gun on planet earth. So, I guess I'm a FNH "fan-boy" if you will.

Reliability: As the title says, I've put 2,000 rounds down the pipe of this gun and, of those, this gun has had 1 failure. That failure was by a new shooter that wanted to try the gun out and the slide locked back after firing; it was almost certainly shooter error with him probably hitting the slide lock with his thumb... I've never had a failure with it. I've used mostly Blazer aluminum cased ammo but also, Federal FMJs, MFS FMJs, Aguila FMJs, Hornady TAP 230gr JHPs, Hornady TAP 230gr +p JHPs, Winchester Ranger 230gr JHPs, and Federal HST 230gr +p JHPs. All fed reliably and the gun soaked up recoil regardless of the ammo used.

Accuracy: IMO, this is where the FNP and FNX handguns really stand out among their peers. In SA mode, this gun is an absolute tack driver. I'd put it against any 1911 I've ever shot. When using the red dot option, follow up shots are also extremely fast. I have a 4MOA Optima 2000 (now the JPoint) on mine that I picked up on ebay for $155 and it works extremely well. It really seems 'unfair' how accurate this gun is coupled with the fast target acquisition provided by the red dot sight and bright night sights.

Durability: I've had no issues with the gun at all. I've seen reports of broken triggers on the early models but it has been a tank so far.

Maintenance: I clean and lubricate the gun after every time out (usually 100-200 round sessions) with good old CLP and use a little grease on the rails. Takedown is extremely easy and doesn't require the user to pull the trigger which is a turn off for a lot of people who are considering Glocks. I don't think it's an issue, but I don't want to go down that road...

Cost: This is the biggest downside to this gun. It's expensive, no doubt about it. It retails for anywhere between $900-1200. That's a hefty price tag for a non-1911 handgun. FNH does offer a military discount for those eligible (this is how I purchased the pistol) and the discount is significant. For people looking to save some cash the standard FNP 45 is also a great option, I own one as well and it has been great too.



Final thoughts: This is an excellent firearm and is the best DA/SA gun on the market in my view. I know some will chime in with SIG and H&Ks; they're fine guns as well but if I could only have one out of the lot I'd take this one.

Full review with a ton of pictures can be found here: Review
 
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#27 ·
FNH received my gun and after 2 weeks decided it was completely FUBAR and will send me a new one. They won't tell me what the problem is with it... that makes me a little nervous about getting another FNP 45 back. Also, I'm wondering why FNP is gone and replaced by FNX.

Been waiting over a month for the replacement. Update to come upon return of the gun.
 
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