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FNP-9 Range Report
Hey Guys (and gals),
I recently picked up my brand-new FNP-9 from "jail" and took it to the range for a little break-in session. Here's how it went.
Ammo: 100rds Remington UMC 115 gr FMJ + 15 or so rounds 145gr Remington Golden Sabre JHP (both 9mm).
Range: Metcalf
Weather: Fair, overcast. No wind.
Distance: 15 yards.
Target: 8" Shoot-N-C stick ons
Verdict: See end of post.
I started out with the 145 gr JHPs since that's what I'd likely load it with at home. I didn't shoot much of these since they're more expensive (about $1 a round, maybe a bit more). I had zero issues with these rounds - no FTF/FTE, and no jams. Slide locked open when the mag was empty every time. My grouping sucked, but this was a) maybe my 4th time (ever) with a pistol, and b) the first few shots through the gun.
After burning just over half of my 145gr JHPs, I switched back to the lighter, cheaper target shooting (i.e., cheap) 115gr FMJ rounds. These had all kinds of issues. A couple double feeds, a couple jams, and the slide almost never locked back after emptying the mag. Clearing the various malfunctions was easy, but it was annoying to have to do that. My groupings with these rounds improved a lot (all within 8", most rounds within 6" at 15 yards). I think this has more to do with me working on and improving my technique in sighting than it does with the round. Also, I was shooting with my non-dominant eye (trying to "Train out" my cross-dominance, with decent results so far).
I've heard that most pistols have a "break-in" period, and have preferred weights for the rounds they feed/shoot, so I'm not terribly worried about my pistols issues with 115gr FMJ. I will most likely load it up with heavier rounds at home anyway, and it showed absolutely no issue with those rounds.
A couple of people have suggested leaving the slide locked open for an extended amount of time when at home, so I've been doing that too. As far as my technique, I've been practicing acquiring my sight picture with my non-dominant eye (training out that cross dominance), as well as correcting my flinch so as to be able to call my shots in the future.
Another small issue I had was that the brass was sometimes hitting me on the top of the head, or dropping down my shirt front. I'd imagine this has more to do with my technique on managing and riding the recoil than it does with the gun. Anyone have any tips for avoiding this brass problem?
All in all, shooting this gun was a blast (no pun intended). I am willing to accept the issues with 115gr rounds for now, until I get a couple hundred more through it - at which point if it still has issues, I may order a lighter recoil spring.
Verdict: Very fun gun, likes heavier rounds at first. Feeds JHPs no problem. If you're on the fence - get it! But be aware of a break-in period for lighter rounds. Be prepared for some brass to the face/shirt area if you're a newbie like me.
Groupings: http://yfrog.com/eviusoj
I recently picked up my brand-new FNP-9 from "jail" and took it to the range for a little break-in session. Here's how it went.
Ammo: 100rds Remington UMC 115 gr FMJ + 15 or so rounds 145gr Remington Golden Sabre JHP (both 9mm).
Range: Metcalf
Weather: Fair, overcast. No wind.
Distance: 15 yards.
Target: 8" Shoot-N-C stick ons
Verdict: See end of post.
I started out with the 145 gr JHPs since that's what I'd likely load it with at home. I didn't shoot much of these since they're more expensive (about $1 a round, maybe a bit more). I had zero issues with these rounds - no FTF/FTE, and no jams. Slide locked open when the mag was empty every time. My grouping sucked, but this was a) maybe my 4th time (ever) with a pistol, and b) the first few shots through the gun.
After burning just over half of my 145gr JHPs, I switched back to the lighter, cheaper target shooting (i.e., cheap) 115gr FMJ rounds. These had all kinds of issues. A couple double feeds, a couple jams, and the slide almost never locked back after emptying the mag. Clearing the various malfunctions was easy, but it was annoying to have to do that. My groupings with these rounds improved a lot (all within 8", most rounds within 6" at 15 yards). I think this has more to do with me working on and improving my technique in sighting than it does with the round. Also, I was shooting with my non-dominant eye (trying to "Train out" my cross-dominance, with decent results so far).
I've heard that most pistols have a "break-in" period, and have preferred weights for the rounds they feed/shoot, so I'm not terribly worried about my pistols issues with 115gr FMJ. I will most likely load it up with heavier rounds at home anyway, and it showed absolutely no issue with those rounds.
A couple of people have suggested leaving the slide locked open for an extended amount of time when at home, so I've been doing that too. As far as my technique, I've been practicing acquiring my sight picture with my non-dominant eye (training out that cross dominance), as well as correcting my flinch so as to be able to call my shots in the future.
Another small issue I had was that the brass was sometimes hitting me on the top of the head, or dropping down my shirt front. I'd imagine this has more to do with my technique on managing and riding the recoil than it does with the gun. Anyone have any tips for avoiding this brass problem?
All in all, shooting this gun was a blast (no pun intended). I am willing to accept the issues with 115gr rounds for now, until I get a couple hundred more through it - at which point if it still has issues, I may order a lighter recoil spring.
Verdict: Very fun gun, likes heavier rounds at first. Feeds JHPs no problem. If you're on the fence - get it! But be aware of a break-in period for lighter rounds. Be prepared for some brass to the face/shirt area if you're a newbie like me.
Groupings: http://yfrog.com/eviusoj
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