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The Optics- And Suppressor-Ready FN 509 Tactical
With a forward-looking design, the new FN 509 Tactical comes factory ready for the addition of a suppressor and optic.
What the FN 509 Tactical offers:
- 1/2” x 28 threaded barrel.
- O-ring sealed thread protector.
- Suppressor height night sights.
- FN Low Profile Optics Mounting System for optics.
- 5.5 to 7.5 lbs. trigger pull.
- MIL-STD-1913 accessory mounting rail.
- Interchangeable backstraps.
- Fully ambidextrous slide stop lever and magazine release.
- MSRP $1,049.
The likes of the Browning Hi-Power and the U.S. Army’s M4 contract on its resume, it’s fair to say FN Herstal knows military firearms. Given this, it was absolutely no surprise the Belgium company tossed its hat in the ring when the Army went hunting for a new sidearm. The FN 509 was its submission, and while it didn’t earn a place in the U.S. combat arms’ pantheon it nonetheless proved a solid pistol.
FN has taken the original striker-fire, polymer-frame 9mm to the next level with the release of the FN 509 Tactical. The gun expands on the capabilities of the original 17-round semi-automatic and turns an extremely forward-looking eye to the shifting tastes of modern pistol shooters. This is particularly obvious fore and aft, with the gun’s threaded muzzle (comes with a O-ring sealed thread protector) for the quick addition of a suppressor and unique rear sight. Yeah, something definitely up back there.
The suppressor-height, night-capable, three-dot irons are protected by wings, which FN claims provides a better bite when tactically manipulating the slide – say off a table or belt. Additionally, the extensions protect the sight from going out of whack if you happen to work the slide in this fashion. As they say on late-night infomercials, “Wait, there’s more!” The “more” on the FN 509 Tactical is its Low Profile Optics Mounting System, a removable slide plate that allows the addition of a reflex sight in a milled recess in the slide.
One other point to mention on the FN 509 Tactical, it comes with a 24-round extra magazine. Perhaps not ready to carry, unless you can convince people you have a sometimes carbuncle, but potentially enjoyable nonetheless. MSRP on the FN 509 Tactical is $1,049.
From FN Herstal:
(McLean, VA) FN America, LLC announces today the expansion of the FN 509® Series of striker-fired pistols with the release of the FN 509 Tactical, an optics- and suppressor-ready 9mm pistol. The pistol features the company’s patent-pending Low-Profile Optics Mounting System™ that enables the platform to accept more than ten commercially-available miniature red dot (MRD) optics and remain adaptable to future optics releases with no requirement of direct milling of the slide.
“The FN 509 Tactical and the FN Low-Profile Optics Mounting System are another leap forward in the optics-ready pistol market,” said John Keppeler, vice president of sales and marketing for FN America, LLC. “FN set the trend for factory optics-ready pistols with the release of the FNP-45 Tactical nearly a decade ago and we’re set to do it again with this release. From barrel to base plate, the FN 509 Tactical really is the ultimate tactical pistol.”
The FN 509 Tactical, an extension of the FN 509 family, is based on FN’s submission pistol that the U.S. Army tested for its Modular Handgun Trials, but includes the significant improvements to the design that were implemented in the FN 509. Like the optics mounting system, FN’s team of engineers set out to develop the ultimate tactical pistol by addressing the market’s existing limitations.
As a result, the FN 509 Tactical features an FN-signature 4.5-inch, cold hammer-forged, stainless-steel barrel with target crown, ½” x 28 threads that accept the bulk of 9mm suppressors available and thread cap with integrated O-ring to prevent loosening during use. Lastly, the 24-round magazines, nearly identical in length to the pistol’s slide, maximize ammunition capacity without impacting carry convenience.
The optics mount accepts the majority of MRD’s on the market with no need to direct mill the slide, allowing for a low-profile mount and co-witness with the suppressor-height iron sights. The slide cap, for use when not shooting with an optic, has raised sight wings that protect iron sight alignment if the pistol is dropped or jostled, and provides a textured ramp for racking the slide against a belt loop, pant pocket or boot.
FN 509 Specs
CALIBER: 9mm
OPERATION: Double-action
MAG CAPACITY: 10 or 17/24 Rd.
WEIGHT: 27.9 oz.
BARREL LENGTH: 4.5″
OVERALL LENGTH: 7.9″
TWIST RATE: 1:10″ RH
HEIGHT: 5.75″
WIDTH: 1.35″
TRIGGER PULL: 5.5 – 7.5 lb.
SIGHT RADIUS: 5.79″
For more information on the FN 509 Tactical, please visit: www.fnamerica.com
Bone Up On FN Guns:
- FN PS90
- FNS-9 Compact
- FNX 45
- FNX 9
- FN-49
- FN 15
- FN 509
- FN 509 Compact
- FN 509 Compact MRD
- FN 509 Midsize
- FN 509 Compact Tactical
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