FN’s striker-fired pistol models have not met the market with great commercial success.
I recently had the chance to head out and run some rounds through the FN 509, and in this review, we’ll explore what I feel are the pros and cons of this pistol and answer the question, does the FN 509 buck the trend?
FN 509 SPECS
- Barrel length4.0”
- Length7.4”
- Capacity17 rounds
- ActionStriker-fired
FN 509 Background
FN has a storied history as a firearm manufacturer. Their work with John Moses Browning led to some legendary firearms like the M2 .50 BMG and the Browning Automatic Rifle. FN went on to introduce the Hi-Power, which was the high capacity 9mm to beat for decades. Their FAL became known as the “right arm of the free world” for how widely adopted it was by western nations, and they won the M16 and M4 contracts from Colt.
This streak of success has, unfortunately, not carried over to their striker-fired pistols. The FNS was their first attempt at that market segment. It was not a great commercial success but also not a total failure.
A modified FNS competed in the U.S. Army XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition. The Sig Sauer P320 ultimately beat out the FN submission, as well as offerings from Glock, Beretta, and others. FN did not want to waste the effort and expense that went into their MHS submission, and it morphed into the 509.
The 509 lineup has become very diverse, ranging from compact models to full-size tactical and competition variants. But the 509 had the misfortune of hitting the market at a time when the striker-fired pistol market was much more crowded than it was in the days of the FNS.
FN 509 Features
1INTERCHANGEABLE BACK STRAPS
2LUMINOUS SIGHTS FOR LOW LIGHT
3ACCESSORY RAIL
FN 509 MODELS
The FN 509 lineup is much more than a single full-size model. Midsize models retain the 4-inch barrel of the full-sized model but have a shorter grip. The magazine capacity is reduced to 15 rounds, but higher capacity versions fit as well. Compact models further shorten the grip and barrel. MRD versions of the midsize and compact are able to accept red dot sights.
Tactical models have threaded barrels and slides that are cut to accept red dot sights. The tactical models also include a 24-round extended magazine and are available in black or flat dark earth. Compact and midsize tactical models are also available. The LS Edge variant is the “competition” model with an extended slide, a better trigger, and extra slide cuts. Ten-round magazines are also available for states with restrictions.
FN 509 REVIEW – OUR TAKE
The FN 509 is not a class leader in any category. It attempts to mimic its more successful competitors but fails to distinguish itself in any way. The magazine capacity of 17 in the full size and 15 in the midsize is directly comparable to other brands of similar sizes.
Shooting the 509 is a thoroughly lackluster experience. The trigger is mushy and indefinite, and long even by striker-fired standards. Recoil is not noticeably more or less than any similar pistol. It points well enough coming onto target but is not appreciably better or worse than its competitors. The 509 is the firearm equivalent of a modern superhero movie; it works well enough but is generally not memorable.
Reliability is the only area where the 509 is noteworthy. The gun used for this review is a rental on the shooting range where I work. It has been on the line for several years and has been shot, handled, and dropped by people who did not know what they were doing. The cleaning and maintenance schedule it has survived would best be described as infrequent or occasional. Despite a rough life, it has kept working, and FN deserves credit for that. The only reliability issue was the slide failing to lock back on a few occasions where it should have, and it is possible the slide stop it at the end of its service life on this particular gun.
Ergonomically, the 509 is ok. There is nothing shockingly bad or noticeably good. The controls are ambidextrous and the backstraps can be changed to accommodate different hand sizes. The backstraps can add a bit of a swell, but the grip is still very squared off and feels like holding a 2×2. Shooters who like to wrap the index finger of their support hand around to pinch at the base of the trigger guard cannot do so, as the magazine release is located there.
The 509 is a suitably accurate gun for most purposes but it is not a stand-out. At seven yards it will print groups that are thoroughly average. At 25 yards, it takes real work to keep a decent group. Most of that struggle stems from the poor trigger. I generally do not like changing triggers away from factory models, but if you have a 509 and are determined to make it better, a replacement trigger should be considered.
Other accuracy issues with the 509 stem from the factory sights. The rear notch is very wide compared to the front sight. At closer ranges, this can help with getting a faster sight picture. However, when shooting for the accuracy or at distances beyond 15 yards, it is so wide that it becomes a liability. The front sight feels like it is swimming in the canyon of the rear sight. The sights feature luminous dots (like a watch face) that glow once they have been exposed to light, but they are not tritium. This style of sight is inferior to true night sights because a pistol stored in a safe or holstered in concealment will probably not have enough exposure to light for the sights to glow. Tritium night sights are available on the aftermarket
Possibly the most underwhelming feature of the 509 is the price. Despite its flaws, it is priced like a premium pistol. Tactical models cost around $900, and base models are around $600. The LS Edge with its extended slide and more ornate slide cuts is over $1,300. While those prices are not unusual among Glocks and Sigs, those guns are more able to justify the price. Perhaps the 509 would have more success if it was competing with the $400 handguns instead of the premier options. Spare magazines for the 509 also run about $50, which makes buying a stockpile of magazines an expensive endeavor.
The ATF’s new re-definition of “Engaged in the Business” of selling firearms is expected to go into effect on or about May 15th. The ATF’s Final Rulemaking was announced on April 8, 2024. Ignoring the weight of public comment, and ignoring logic, this new set of rules (see text at the ATF website) could make advertising and selling just one gun at a profit without a FFL a felony criminal offense. Even worse, it shifts the burden of proof from the government to individuals. In effect, you will be assumed to be guilty unless you can prove that you made no profit. Given the ongoing onslaught of currency inflation, just breaking even after allowing for inflation could be deemed a “profit”.
This new rule, which is 466-pages long, stems from the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), which broadened the definition of when someone is considered “engaged in the business”. Creepy Joe Biden signed this law on June 25, 2022. By abusing Chevron deference, the ATF’s minions then created this 466-page monstrosity, to wildly extrapolate just 73 words from the 1968 Gun Control Act into this lengthy set of rules.
There are some vague exemptions in the rule that redefine the term “personal collection” to clarify when people are not “engaged in the business” because they make only occasional sales to enhance a personal collection or for a hobby. But the rule also calls out exceptions to those exemptions. Fo example, the new rule transforms “occasional” into just one sale at a profit, to qualify for prosecution under a Federal felony! The ATF has warned: Willfully engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license is subject to a term of imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. They want to make everyone fearful of prosecution, and bow to their will.
Again, the burden of proof will shift from the government to individuals, to establish if the modern firearms they “occasionally” sell are part of a personal collection, and whether those sales are not intended to make a profit, but rather just to improve a collection.
The government use vague and ambiguous definitions where it suits them (like refusing to assign any number or frequency to the term “occasional”), but elsewhere in their rules they come down hard, with strict and picky definitions, to their advantage.
Absurdly, the word “sale” is redefined by the new rule, to include bartering between residents of the same state.
Even more absurdly, the ruling fabricates from thin air several new standards of “evidence” of criminal intent, none of which were mentioned in congressional legislation, such as:
Repetitively selling guns “…that are of the same or similar kind (i.e., make/manufacturer, model,
caliber/gauge, and action) and type…” — as proof of intent to be “engaged in the business”.
or,
Keeping a gun less than 30 days before reselling it — as proof of intent to be “engaged in the business”.
or,
including a factory box (“…persons who repetitively sell firearms in new condition or in like-new
condition in their original packaging…”) — as proof of intent to be “engaged in the business”.
or,
Keeping records of original cost versus sales price — as proof of intent to be “engaged in the business”.
The ATF rule includes this phrase: “…makes and maintains records to document, track, or calculate profits and losses from firearms repetitively purchased for resale.” It bears mention that keeping records is often needed for tax or insurance purposes, but the ATF sees this as further evidence of someone’s intent to be “engaged in the business”
Elsewhere in the same 466-page-long set of rules, we learn that a lack of original purchase cost records would make it almost impossible to prove that you didn’t later re-sell any particular gun at a higher price. Thus, it is a case of: “You are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.” So, from a practical standpoint, what are we expected to do? A.) Not keep records, but then be unable to document that we weren’t seeking a profit, or B.) Hide our cost basis records, and only reveal them if we are later charged with being “engaged in the business” without a license, to prove our innocence? This all flies in the face of the time-honored “innocent until proven guilty” principle in American jurisprudence.
Sadly, the DOJ’s comment period for the proposed rulemaking has come and gone, and this new set of rules may stand, even if the Supreme Court does away with Chevron deference, with the upcoming Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo case. We will simply have to live with it, most likely for several years.
INTRASTATE VERSUS INTERSTATE
By their very nature private party sales through local classified ads or at gun shows are intrastate (within a state) commerce. Buyers, sellers, and merchandise do not cross state lines. The Federal government only has constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce. By effectively banning private party sales between residents of the same state, this new rule is a gross overreach of Federal authority. The ATF claims that they have authority because intrastate somehow magically “affect interstate commerce. I spelled out their illogical nonsense in a recent SurvivalBlog article, titled: Fencing In Federal Jurisdiction.
PRE-1899 GUNS ARE EXEMPT
Thankfully, pre-1899 antique guns and blackpowder replica guns are exempt from the new rules. Per the Gun Control Act of 1968, any gun with a frame or receiver made on or before December 31, 1898 is not considered a “firearm”, regardless of its chambering, ignition system, or configuration. With the exceptions of only short-barreled cartridge rifles or shotguns, or full-auto guns (per the National Firearms Act of 1934) all other “antiques” are outside of Federal jurisdiction. Note, however, that some state and local laws apply. Needless, to say, after this rule goes into effect I expect to see some brisk sales of my pre-1899 antiques and percussion black powder replicas, at Elk Creek Company. I invested in a big vault full of the right guns!
THE CLOCK IS TICKING!
I’ve warned SurvivalBlog readers about this upcoming rule for more than four years. (See: Preparing for a Private Gun Transfer Ban, posted in January 2019, and Some Very Bad Law: The ATF’s New “Engaged In The Business” Rule, posted in September 2023.) I hope that my readers bought what they needed for their collections, quietly. (Read: Sans papiers.)
Some advice for those of you who live in any of the 34 “free” (private party sales) states: You now have less than a month to buy any private party guns or lowers that you want, to round out your collection. The clock is ticking. Do your purchasing while it is still legal, and while there are still some willing sellers. After the rule goes into effect, most people will be frightened into compliance, and nearly all sales of modern (post-1898) guns will be shifted to FFL channels — which means filling out an ATF Form 4473, and submitting to an FBI background check. Gun shows as we now know them in the 34 free states will become a thing of the past. The selection of guns offered privately will become pitifully small. There will be just a handful, and your chance of finding a particular model variant will become almost nonexistent, unless you submit to the Federal paperwork and background check.
Bottom line: Unless this rule is suspended or overthrown by the courts, by June of 2024, all gun shows will resemble California gun shows, where any modern guns get transferred only through Federally-licensed “transfer dealers.” This deeply saddens and troubles me. Another nail has been added to the coffin of American liberty.
P.S. : A reminder that there were 15 shameless U.S. Senators with a “(R)” after their names who voted for the BSCA bill. They knew that this bill would end private sales of used guns. They were:
- Roy Blunt, Missouri
- Richard Burr, North Carolina
- Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia
- Bill Cassidy. Louisiana
- Susan Collins, Maine
- John Cornyn, Texas
- Joni Ernst, Iowa
- Lindsey Graham, South Carolina
- Mitch McConnell, Kentucky
- Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
- Rob Portman, Ohio
- Mitt Romney, Utah
- Thom Tillis, North Carolina
- Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania
- Todd Young, Indiana
BY DAVE WORKMAN
Got your hunting gear together already? Great, because now you’ve
got plenty of time to study your voter’s pamphlet, get an absentee ballot
if necessary, and make sure you vote on or before Nov. 8.
Traditionally, I’ll be in the midst of an elk season one month from now, and I’ve got all of my hunting gear together, the truck is gassed up, my rifle is clean, got gas for the camp stove, which means I’ve got plenty of time to fill out a ballot and vote.
Around the rest of the country, many of you may be just getting into whitetail deer seasons, or waterfowl and upland bird hunting is heating up. So, since this is a reminder, there’s no excuse for not voting. If you’re going to be in the field, now’s the time to get an absentee ballot, fill it out, and stick it in the mail or a drop box.
It’s pretty easy to get an absentee ballot. Contact your local city or county election office and get the details on applying.
So, consider yourselves reminded. There is no excuse for not voting, especially this year, when much is at stake, including Second Amendment rights.
That said, this column’s readers seem to like numbers, and this week we’ve got a bunch of them.
Self-Defense Incidents
A major report in Reason last month revealed what it called “the largest and most comprehensive survey of American gun owners ever conducted.”
This report “suggests” people use firearms in self-defense “about 1.7 million times a year,” and that AR-15-style rifles and magazines holding more than 10 rounds “are in common use for lawful purposes.” The study “was based on a representative sample of about 54,000 adults, 16,708 of whom were gun owners.”
A major survey reported last month estimates armed citizens
use firearms for self-defense about 1.7 million times annually.
The survey was commissioned by William English, a political economist at Georgetown University, as part of a book project, Reason said.
The research estimated there are some 415 million firearms in private ownership, including an estimated 171 million handguns, 146 million rifles and 98 million shotguns. Pretty impressive, huh?
Well, check this out: “The survey suggests that up to 44 million AR-15-style rifles and up to 542 million magazines with capacities exceeding 10 rounds are already in circulation,” the Reason report revealed.
Speaking specifically of “assault rifles,” Reason said the survey found that two-thirds of survey respondents who acknowledged owning a semi-auto long gun used them for “recreational target shooting.” Fifty percent “mentioned hunting,” refuting claims by the White House and Capitol Hill anti-gunners that nobody hunts with an AR-15. And one-third “mentioned competitive shooting.” This might include high-power matches, 3-gun competitions or some other rifle discipline.
A whopping 62% said their rifles are also used for home defense, and 35% “cited defense outside the home.”
No question about it, we own a lot of hardware, so if Congress were to somehow pass legislation banning so-called “assault rifles” and “high capacity magazines,” they’ll have a heck of a time enforcing it.
Keep this in perspective: Long before anybody tried to collect any of those firearms, there would be a herd of attorneys lining up to file so many civil rights lawsuits, it would jam the federal courts for years.
Homicides Up in ‘21
Just as this column was being written, a publication called Grid published a report stating “provisional data” from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimating 48,000 deaths from “gun-related suicides, homicides, accidents and other incidents” in 2021.
It’s an 8% increase over the firearm-related fatalities in 2020, which was a fairly violent year with urban unrest and outright riots. According to the Grid article, “The death rate per 100,000 residents climbed to 14.8 last year, eclipsing decades-old rates of high gun violence, according to the CDC.”
By now, the FBI has released its Uniform Crime Report for 2021, which was to have been available just a few days ago. Insider will have some interesting data to share shortly, once we’ve had a chance to digest the report.
One thing the Grid story acknowledged is “Suicides are still the most common gun death in the United States.” In 2012, the ration was 62% of gun-related deaths were suicides and 35% were homicides, with a handful of deaths being presumably accidents or justifiable shootings. By last year, the ratio had narrowed, with 55% being suicides and 43% homicides.
Source of the data, according to the Grid article, is ‘CDC Wonder,’ a collection of online databases.
Gun sales may change dramatically now that three credit card firms have
adopted a new merchandising code to isolate and identify gun and ammunition purchases.
Cash and Carry
When news broke recently about a decision by Visa, MasterCard and American Express to create a new “merchant category code” (MCC) to help isolate and identify gun-related charges, the firearms community was justifiably peeved.
These financial institutions were under pressure from the gun prohibition lobby and a pair of anti-gun politicians, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), to institute this scrutiny. Warren and Dean issued a press release touting their effort. They refer to “suspicious activities including straw purchases and unlawful bulk purchases” as a reason for credit card transactions to be weaponized against gun owners.
When this story first broke, a phone call from an old colleague offered an interesting suggestion: Cash-only gun purchases. If you don’t have enough cash to pay for a particular firearm, maybe put some money down and come back with more greenbacks when available to settle the balance. No credit card record, no foul.
This started with an early-September decision by the Geneva-based International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to create the new MCC for firearms retailers. While on the surface, proponents describe this scheme as an effort to prevent mass shootings by monitoring credit card activity, but some critics in the gun rights movement think this could be a backdoor registration scheme.
Jim Shepherd, a colleague and editor of The Outdoor Wire, called it “a calculated move to circumvent regulations preventing federal tracking of gun sales.”
Rep. Karen Bass, an anti-gun California Democrat, lost two handguns from
her Los Angeles home to burglars. (Official image from Bass’ congressional website.)
Call it Karma, Karen
U.S. Representative Karen Bass (D-CA), who has been representing California’s 37th District and is now running for the office of Los Angeles mayor, is an anti-gunner based on the “F” grade she recently received from the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
So, when Bass reported a burglary at her Los Angeles home, she wound up with egg on her face because two guns were part of the loot taken. Bass claimed the guns were safely stored.
According to various published reports, the perps took nothing else, even though they could have taken cash, electronics and “other valuables.”
Bass told reporters the guns had been purchased years ago. According to a Fox News affiliate in Los Angeles, Bass said the guns had been for personal protection, a right her voting record suggests she wasn’t concerned about for her constituents.
Don’t Rob Cops
Here’s a bit of advice to would-be robbers: Don’t try ripping off undercover cops because it will not end well.
This is a lesson learned the hard way by a 19-year-old suspect in a drug deal gone really bad in Prince William County, Va., according to The Washington Post. The newspaper said a man identified as Jaiden M. Carter was one of three people involved in the caper, which an attorney for the Carter family quickly declared was “another example of unnecessary police brutality.”
Carter and another man, identified as Jalil M. Turner, were allegedly involved in a drug buy, but instead tried to rob the undercover cops of their buy money. They allegedly took the money and “additional property,” before returning to their own car. About that time, backup officers arrived and “converged on the car.” There was “an exchange of gunfire,” the newspaper reported. Carter was fatally wounded.
The Post quoted a statement from police, which said two handguns were recovered at the crime scene and one of the guns had been “illegally modified to be fully automatic with an extended magazine.”
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