  The FNS-9 from FNH-USA is a sexy pistol that is made in America, and has a retail price under $650. If you look closely, you will see that this gun is completely ambidextrous, and it has a manual safety. This is the first we have seen in a high end striker pistol. The FNS is a flawless gun that is everything you could ever ask for in a practical, duty-sized pistol.
 The manual safety and slide stop look very small on the gun, but they function very well ergonomically in the hand.
 FNH-USA has their own version of the trigger mounted safety device for the FNS, but none of these little gizmos are as comforting as the manual thumb safety to protect against accidental discharges.
 The left and right versions of the magazine release, slide stop and safety are exactly the same.
 The FNS comes in a hard plastic case with a total of three magazines.
 Ther thicker of the two interchangeable backstraps comes mounted on the gun.
 The doublestack magazines hold 17 rounds, and are pleasantly not thumb busters.
 The FNS field strips like many other polymer pistols. You lock the slide back, rotate that lever, pull the trigger, and slide the slide off of the frame. You can actually leave the safety on when you jack a loaded round out of the chamber.
 This target is similar to most 5 round group we tried. Most shots are within an inch and half or so at 10 yards, with an occasional flier, probably due to human error not the gun.
 This is a rapid fire, rested group of the whole 17 round magazine. It gets boring when most bullets go through the same inch wide ragged hole.
 The FNS could be the great American hope to capture the duty pistol market for a US made gun. If you are one of the lucky few who actually do their homework, the FNS is a real, Made in U.S.A. find in the polymer pistol world.
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FNH-USA
https://www.fnhusa.com/fns-9/
Very few guns have everything. These days there are so many polymer, striker fired pistols on the market, it is difficult to tell them apart sometimes. But if you are looking for a gun that truly has everything, you have to look at the FNS from FNH-USA. It is made in America, has a street price under $650, and one by one, you can count the features that are unique to this gun. It is completely ambidextrous; the magazine release, slide stop, and safety lever appear on both sides of the frame. The drop safety itself is a revelation of sorts and should make a lot of people jump up and down screaming “YES! FINALLY!” Few companies have dared put a manual safety on their striker pistols and this is the first in a gun that can compete with the big boys. And with a rail on the front, double useful slide serrations, an external extractor, stock night sights, and downright good looks, there is little you could want in a full-sized duty pistol that the FNS doesn’t already have right out of the box.
We got to shoot the 9mm version of the FNS, but it also comes in .40 S&W. Ergonomically, the FNS is not unlike other double stack 9mm pistols, but the manual safety adds a completely different dynamic to the gun you don’t normally expect in a gun like this. FNH calls the FNS a “double action,” which is correct. Over the years we have been fed other terminology for a trigger pull that both cocks and fires the gun, but double action is double action. Prior to the striker pistols, most pistols were controlled in one of two ways. They were either a double action first pull – like a revolver or Beretta 92 – or they were single action and had a manual drop safety, like a 1911. The two systems were equal in regards to safety because despite being very different in function, they both prevented accidental discharges in their own way.
Glock and the other subsequent striker pistols made us believe that a longer, softer, partially-cocked pull was just as safe as a heavy, double action pull without the need for a manual safety, simply because of the center safety button on the trigger. In addition to the safety trigger, internal mechanisms prevented the gun from firing when dropped. The FNS is the first gun from a high end manufacturer that breaks this mold and boldly admits that many of us would rather have a manual safety on our double action guns. In a duty situation, your gun may be drawn and pointed several times a week, you may be tackled or have things thrown at you, all while pointing your loaded firearm at someone, there is nothing like the confidence of a manual safety to protect you from shooting someone unintentionally.
Our test gun came in the two tone variation, and whether you get the two tone or the all black, the slides are stainless steel. The FNS does have its own version of the trigger safety lever, and it weighs 25.2 ounces empty (The .40 is two ounces heavier). Though it is light, the ergonomics are good and the 9mm recoil isn’t too snappy for a plastic pistol. With the standard backstrap, the FNS has a grip circumference of five and 5/8 inches, and it comes with a slightly thinner replaceable backstrap for smaller hands. It comes with three magazines, each with a 17 round capacity in 9mm, or 14 in the .40 S&W. The barrel is four inches and slightly protrudes, giving it a slightly different and somewhat sexy look, and the trigger has about a half inch of travel and breaks clean at about 6.5 lbs.
The small controls on the FNS could be perceived in two ways. You could argue that the slide stop and manual safety are, well, small, but stop by a gun shop and try the gun before you pass judgment. Small can be good when it comes to controls because small doesn’t catch on clothing or other things when you draw. The main thing is whether the controls are functional, which they are. The safety is ergonomically as comfortable as a 1911, while retaining a snag-free profile. The slide stop, which is also the release when you drop the slide on a new mag, looks like it would be a fingertip operation at that size, but because the control is protected on both sides, you can drop the slide with the side of your thumb without much effort. Locking the slide back with no magazine for cleaning is more of a task. As for the magazine release it is larger and protrudes, which begs the question, is it prone to accidental magazine drops? We didn’t have any drops in the course of shooting the FNS for an afternoon, so the magazine release is probably not prone them. About the only complaint I have with the gun is that the take up on the trigger is a little bit scratchy. The reset is about 1/8 of an inch, with the same feel as many other striker guns, but the takeup on the first shot could be smoother. There is no cocked indicator on the FNS, but since there is no second strike capability on the gun anyway, this would be redundant, since it has a loaded round indicator. If there is a round in the chamber, it is either cocked, or you’ve already discovered that it’s a dud.
The accuracy of the FNS was as good as we have seen from an out of the box pistol. At ten yards, five shots printed into about two inches on average, and the whole 17 round magazine shot into about the same two inches in a ragged hole with a couple fliers (human error most likely). Several different types of ammo had zero failures and shot to different points of impact as you would expect, but the results were consistent across the board. The gun isn’t finicky at all and performed well with inexpensive roundball range ammo, expensive carry rounds, and even +P. We put a total of about 250 rounds through this test gun, and even slamming three mags through it to heat it up didn’t seem to throw off the accuracy whatsoever. The night sights that come stock on the gun are the three dot type, and both the front and rear are steel, and drift adjustable. Serrations on the front of the trigger guard and the grip surface make it easy to hold onto, with better than average shot to shot recovery, at least with large male hands.
The FNS is proof that you can make a high end, competitively priced polymer pistol in the U.S.A. that will match, and possibly best, the popular imports. If until now, you have stayed away from striker pistols for duty use due to the risk of accidental discharge, the manual safety on the FNS truly gives you the best of both worlds. There are other guns out there that have this feature, but they are not in the same class as the FNS. For now, this gun comes in very limited configurations – just the 9mm you see here and the .40 S&W – in full size. But if this pistol sees the success it deserves, we would hope to see versions in a compact, concealed carry size as well. Too many people are out there buying the knee-jerk, popular polymer pistol without doing their homework. If they did, they would find that there are better guns out there in the market, and one of them is the FNS from FNH-USA.
The FNS-9mm is a beautiful pistol. I was in the market for the latest generation Glock 17 and got
the FNS for about $50 less. Fit and finish are excellent. One drawback. The ambidextrous magazine releases
work a little too easily during complex manipulations required during LE courses of fire. The magazine would
drop on the floor/ground during hand changes and rapid fire courses. Maybe operator issue. Welcome suggestions.
Despite this fact I scored higher with this gun that with any other common LE handgun.
In the seven years that my probation department has been training with handguns, there have been six “breakdowns” ending the shooter qualification for the day. ALL have been Taurus. Four were the 5 shot revolvers and two semiautos. Of the revolvers, two were the identical handgun, one breakdown occurring out of the box and the other when returned from the factory after having been warranty serviced. The revolvers had the identical problem – the ejecting star failed to retract back into the cylinder. The revolvers were scratched by the star during this failure. I don’t think this is a design problem as there were few problems with Taurus 20 years ago. It seems Taurus pistols are just poorly assembled recently.
How could you ever put Taurus in the same leauge with anything other than a cap gun lol … I had a 40 Millinnium and that was the biggiest pile of crap, every shot the clip would drop if you Google (Taurus millennium clip falls out) you will find all kinds of Satisfied Customers LOL talking about how the clip fals out after every shot, and the part to fix is on national back order so I would guess they (Tauras) have a problem hummmm , my FNS is flawless but hey YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR …… and most of all hope your life isnt in danger and you need more than one shot to protect your self….
Wow. Seems you have peeved a few Taurus & Glock owners off [among others], although I must agree with your article. Best handgun I’ve shot, ever. Put 300+ rds through my FNS40, so far-smooth as silk, minimal recoil and as sexy as they come. Only drawback I’ve found is the lack of decent OWB holsters to fit. If you complain about this gun, it’s because you don’t own one. Worth every penny.
My son and i both picked up FNS pistols in April of this yr,i got the FNS9,my son got the FNS 40. we both have put better than 500 rd through both with out any problems at all. They both shoot well. i do like the safety,but do have to agree with other comments keep your finger off the trigger till time to shoot. the break down is simple for cleaning,the night sites are great,and the rail is a plus also. We both use N.R.A slide holsters for carry but are looking for other options in holsters.
FYI, Jeff, the FNS fits very well in LEATHER holsters made for the Springfield XD. I don’t know about the polymer holsters, but XD leather one fit like a glove.
I am left handed and my wife is right handed this gun is good for both of us and we both can learn to shoot with our weaker hands as well with the FNS striker in case our strong hand gets hurt. I know our finger off the triger is best safety but I like the idea of a external thumb safety for other reasons 1) if the gun gets taken from me in a fight maybe the other fellow won’t know it is there and he can’t shoot me till he figures it out and maybe I can run away get it back before he shoots me. 2) A little extra child protection just in case. I know it is my responsabilty to keep it away from small children but I do know children can get anything when your back is turned in a split second. 3) if it is good (safer) for our fighting forces it is good (safer) for me. I just have to practice with any gun to be safe and know how it FULLY functions. I did just buy a Glock 23 Gen 4 but the only thing I can change for a lefty is the mag release but then a righty would have the same problem that I would have if I left it on the other side we both would not be able to push the mag release button on the same Glock gun. It only works on one side or the other. Maybe we need two of FNS guns so my wife(righty) and I (lefty) can shoot each others guns with ease and no changes!!!! 😉 PS: Is the exterior safety a decocker? If so can it be cocked and locked? Thanks Don
Been looking for a new firearm for a year… shot several different models…. decided to purchase a FNS9 as it has everything that I want in a defense pistol..will have it in 4 weeks… looking forward to it
guy in my squad @ idpa match dropped his mag twice hitting ambi mag release
What I don’t like about manual safeties is that they may result in a negligent failure to discharge. What I mean is, when you most need the gun to fire (to save your life or another’s), you may have negligently left the safety in the non-fire position. So you pull the trigger and no bang from your gun. Very disappointing, particularly if your opponent did not forget to switch his gun’s safety to the fire position, or had no safety lever to complicate his task. Either way, you and/or a loved one may end up dead.
On every modern double action handgun or DA/SA autoloading pistol or SA only sidearm (like a Glock or Ruger Blackhawk), the only safety lever needed is the trigger itself. Finger inside trigger guard = safety off. Finger outside trigger guard = safety on. Granted, on an exposed hammer SA auto, like a 1911, a manual safety is necessary so the gun can be carried cocked and safe, needing just one hand to swipe the thumb safety off as you draw. And if you carry a Blackhawk or other modern SA revolver, you can practice cocking the hammer with your thumb as you draw. And as always, your finger goes inside the trigger guard only after you are on target.
Elliot, what model do you own? Is it FNS or FNP or FNX? You stated there is a decocker on yours when responding to Bill’s question about the FNS. Where is the decocker on the FNS? I find none.
I have an FNP, a DA/SA with a decocker, but no manual safety. I believe FN also makes a DAO FNP model with no decocker or thumb safety.
Frisian’s post might imply it, but I’ll say it; the FNS is a single action pistol, period. The FNS cannot be cocked and fired by trigger action alone. The FNS can be fired by pulling the trigger. but only AFTER the slide was moved backwards to cock the striker to a point where the trigger could then be used to fire the gun.
Naw, it’s really a “belt-fed, Pinfired, semi articulated, double revolving Flintlock” They say if you repeat the same untruth long enough it will be commonly accepted as fact, Just look at how many people use the term “Clip” incorrectly in place of “Magazine”… There never has been a cartridge by the name .45 Long Colt…
The real cartridge, the classic “.45 Colt”, has been incorrectly stuck with the handle of “Long” for so many years now that several cartridge makers are actually labeling their .45 Colt ammo as Long Colt.
We make the distinction that Revolvers are revolvers but auto loaders are “Pistols”. Yet the term “Pistol” from the Italian “Pistoli” has been used for centuries to describe all “Hand Guns”.
So why shouldn’t we bastardize traditional long standing terms and definitions to fit recent designs or technology.
The terms Double Action and Single Action have for well over a century defined “The number of functions, the Trigger, causes the hammer or action to perform”.
But here comes the parade of modern striker fired guns and all of a sudden we want to rewrite history or at least a dew historic definitions.
Simply put, a trigger whose action simply drops the hammer is single action, period.
A double action trigger will both cock an release the hammer or strikerby trigger action alone each time the trigger is actuated.
Actions like or similar to the Glock Safe action are most emphatically NOT double action only. The act of racking the slide partially cocks or stages the mechanism so that when the trigger is actuated it finishes the process with minimal force and then releases the hammer/striker. Though technically performing two operations the trigger can only do so by the movement of the slide to “Pre-Set” the action. Indeed the industry has taken to classifying this type of action as “Pre-Set”.
A true DAO will have the ability to cock and release as many times as the trigger is pulled. However this “double strike” capability is of dubious importance, in that most shooters will not only not practice its use appropriately, most will not even practice clearing standard malfuntions.
As far as “Glock” or any similar action being unsafe because they lack an external safety… It is simply not the case. They are as safe as any other pistol design if handled safely. However they will not cut you any slack should you screw up. An external safety does not allow you to be careless about safe gun handling as any safety can fail. However an external safety may just prevent a trajedy should you get careless. To those of you who call an external safety redundent… Sorry but that is sheer arrogance. You can chose not to use it if you so wish, however judicious use of a good external safety as part of your manual of arms could give you that little edge in that “once in a lifetime” situation where circumstances overwhelm your training or good intentions.
Stay safe…
Wayne. Ok
I own both FNX40 and FNS9.. they are a better design than the Glock and yes I own 4 Glock pistols. The FN is more versatile and holds more rounds in a smaller print. My Glocks have been sitting in my safe sine I when with FN. They carry so nice and light.
I’ve not fired the FNS-9, but know a couple of shooters who like them very much. They are solid, dependable firearms. That allowed, nothing in the design qualifies as new or unique. It is merely another execution of existing ideas in a slightly different conception.
As for those critiquing the author, they do have some merit. He seems to have some issues with commonly understood terminology, and makes claims about training that simply aren’t best practices.
I also write about guns every now and again and I’ve made mistakes or have been unclear no matter how careful I’ve tried to be. When I do get corrected, I tend to thank readers for correcting my erroneous statements instead of fragging them.
Perhaps you’re on to a new sales technique, where insulting people generates sales?
I’m with you here. I haven’t shot the FNS-9 either, but I have handled one, and at no point did I think “this is so cutting edge, I must have one!”. I will say that FNH is a reputable company though, and the gun was at least nice. I actually liked it better than the FNX, but I’m not sure how one could claim its superior to similar platforms such as Glock, Steyr, M&P, PPQ etc. Yet the author is clearly trying his best to sell the reader on it.
“I’m not sure how one could claim it’s superior to similar platforms such as Glock, Steyr, M&P, PPQ, etc”
It’s superior to all of them off the bat by having an out-of-battery safety. For example:
– If you press a gun against a bad guy (he rushes you, you’re in close quarters, etc regardless of reason) with a slide on it and the slide gets pushed back they can ALL end up having a catastrophic failure or, at the very least, an OOBE that leads to fragments coming out of the ejection chamber. This is ESPECIALLY true for those that have barrels completely flush with the slide.
I could go further, go on about how much better the trigger is compared to the M&P although some might consider it arguably a little less nice than say the PPQ (but this is subjective at best), and even point out the fact that, as a left handed, left-eye-dominant shooter, I’d much rather have an ambidextrous set of magazine releases even more than a slide release since the back of the slide does the exact same thing in the case of the latter. It’s all a lot less relevant when I point out the simple fact that it has an Out-Of-Battery-Safety. Period.
“FNH-USA has their own version of the trigger mounted safety device for the FNS, but none of these little gizmos are as comforting as the manual thumb safety to protect against accidental discharges.”
I have the same safety on all my fiearms..it’s call my index finger. If you keep it out of the trigger guard and off the trigger the weapon will not fire. All these safety’s are for insurance purposes to helping to keep idiots from suing.
“In a duty situation, your gun may be drawn and pointed several times a week, you may be tackled or have things thrown at you, all while pointing your loaded firearm at someone, there is nothing like the confidence of a manual safety to protect you from shooting someone unintentionally.”
The author looses credibility with that statement alone. As a law enforcement officer of 32 years, firearms/defensive tactics instructor for 23 years, that is simply wrong. There’s not a US law enforcement trainer out there that I am aware of that would teach their officers to wait to disengage a manual external safety only at the point of pulling the trigger. Every trainer I know of would instruct someone with a manual external safety to disengage the safety immediately upon drawing the firearm. At that point, the finger stays off the trigger until the decision is made to fire.
A manual safety on a modern striker fired pistol….. Total redundancy. There will always be those who don’t train.Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire….. Problem solved!!! Why must we always be compelled to lower things to the lowest common denominator? Oh I know… Like here in Wisconsin where anyone can get a ccw permit with a note from your mother without ever touching a firearm let alone demonstrating any proficiency. Purely cya for the manufacturers.
See how the parrots can’t say anything they haven’t been told in marketing articles everyone?
My compliments to the Administrator who wrote this article (and, of course, to the folks at FNH-USA who designed this fine pistol). Finally, someone has emerged with the gonads to openly acknowledge the the considerable safety advantage of a manual safety on a striker-fired pistol. In my judgment, the FNS signals a return to sanity in an industry that seems to have blindly fallen in lock-step behind Glock. Thank you!
The author is clearly no Glock fan – nor am I really – but it seems premature to claim that this FNS pistol is a better gun. Yes, there are a lot of ignorant consumers (“sheep”) out there buying Glocks simply because they recognize the brand and refuse to look into other options. However, there are also a lot of educated buyers out there who buy Glocks because they ARE in fact good guns with a proven record of accuracy, durability, and dependability. In fact, I would own one right now if it weren’t for the fact that Glock’s ergonomics just don’t work for me. So I’m always on the lookout for a gun with similar qualities that suits me better. As such, the prospect of a viable Glock alternative, especially one from FNH, definitely excites me.
Unfortunately though, there was nothing written here about this FNS pistol that convinced me it was truly superior to the Glock; just a bit different. Ok, so it has fully ambidextrous controls; that doesn’t automatically give it the buy nod in my opinion – I consider it a bonus not a deal-maker/breaker. The article suggests that this, and several of the other FNS features are so unique and desirable when compared to existing market offerings. With that in mind, I found this statement interesting: “The FNS is the first gun from a high end manufacturer that…boldly admits that many of us would rather have a manual safety on our double action guns”. I scratched my head at this, since the vast majority of posts I’ve read online, and people I’ve spoken to at gun stores (on both sides of the counter) are against manual-safeties on Double Action guns. Unlike the article I would claim that most firearm consumers are disappointed when they see an otherwise promising DA or Striker gun come equipped standard with a manual safety. Such is the case with the Ruger SR9 and the new S&W Shield, to the point where the safeties will be removed, locked in the “off” position, or at the very least ignored. Because they can be ignored, I don’t really mind either way. In the end I can decide to train with or without it – not a huge deal. That being said, I prefer my DA guns without a safety, and overall prefer the DA/SA system of Sigs, older S&Ws, HKs etc.
As for appearance of the gun, I don’t find it particularly interesting or sexy. It looks like an amalgamation of SR9, S&W Sigma, Browning Pro 9, and HK design elements. I wouldn’t say it’s ugly, but neither is it classy or inspirational – just very much a gun. Also I don’t view the protruding muzzle as a “sexy” or even desirable feature. Why would I want the muzzle sitting out there all exposed? I’m not into it. I do like the interchangable backstrap feature, but that is becoming less and less unique. The S&W M&P, Walther PP9/Q, HK P30, and even the new Glock G4s all have some form of interchangable backstrap. These guns also offer good accuracy and steel slide rails just like the FNS apparently. And with the exception of the HK, they too are under 650$. Other than FNS’s fully ambidextrous controls, and the fact the gun ships with 3 magazines, I don’t see its other features as particularly ground breaking or even attractive in some cases. Forward cocking serrations, a manual safety, accessory rail, protruding muzzle, interchangable backstraps, steel slide rails. Somehow these features make it automatically superior to a Glock?…So we should all go out and buy an FNS right now…
I think a manual safety is a good feature on a DA/SA gun like this one. if you don’t want it, don’t use it. pretty simple, really.
It’s all about training, practice and mindset. A retired Marine, I grew up on 1911s and am comfortable with them as well as with most other types. My oldest sons first handgun was striker fired. He has the least experience of the three boys and feels the need for an external safety. My wife prefers a Glock type for its simplicity, one DIL a revolver for the same reason, another any double action. My middle son, a Navy veteran is comfortable with his 92F not surprisingly, his wife’s 226, my 1911s but no revolvers and the youngest, an AF veteran likes 92Fs and like his old man, almost anything that goes bang.
The difference? Training and experience. I find those with the most mechanical ability and experience adjust to any platform. Those with formal training and experience gravitate to those platforms and those with the least to simple systems that seem the easiest and safest. While there is an exception to every rule and every individual is just that, decades of experience have taught me that understanding in detail the theory of operation and the ability to detail strip, maintain and repair these tools makes all the difference in the world. When asked to teach a newcomer I always start with disassembly, reassembly and basic maintenance several times before addressing actual operation. I find that when you take the mystery out, confidence goes up. The ability to picture operation, manual of arms, malfunction causes and immediate action in ones head is invaluable.
Any operating system is as acceptable, safe and effective as its operator. Knowledge and training are more important than the specific system. And no firearm training is complete without a discussion of lethal force intended or otherwise, its consequences and what to expect from our law enforcement and legal systems if used. The biggest safety factor is a strong understanding of what happens after you pull the trigger.
I had a Glock 19,never cared for it,sold it and bought an FNX-9. Great pistol,much more accurate than the Glock and it carries well.
Did the old editor from Recoil already get a new job? This write up is full of misleading information.
There is no misleading information at all. Why don’t you elaborate.
Wow…
This is excellent journalism
Manual safeties prevent negligent discharges? How about being aware of what you’re doing instead?
umm, they do prevent negligent discharges…
Its evident the author of this article never carried a handgun for a living or was compelled to draw it under stress in defense of himself or others.
I Agree with Ernie; not anything new. The Ruger SR9 has every feature touted here except for the ambi slide release and can be purchased for $400 not $650. Not to take away from FNH, they build good stuff; this just isn’t any revolutionary to get excited about like the author would have you believe.
This is one of many articles from GunsAmerica written in this format and I’m finally frustrated enough to say something. I’m not sure if the author of these reviews are the same person, but these articles contain few solid facts and are poorly written advertisements. I understand GunsAmerica wants to help seller’s “Sell” guns and in turn keep the manufacturers in buiness and the industry alive, but the author needs to do his homework. S&W, Taurus and Springfield Armory all make a version of their fantastic plastic pistols with manual thumb safeties.
There is no replacment for safe and proper firearms manipulation and to report that this single feature solves the problems of NEGLIGENT discharges is pure dribble.
I appreciate FN’s willigness to add an external thumb safety to their line of polymern pistols for those who want them, but the piece written above is a classic format paid advertisement written by someone who needs to do a little more research and has a better touch with what is going on in the industry. Unfortunatley, the article does nothing to help “Sell” the gun to those who can read the article for what it is…fatuous nonsense.
C’mon GunsAmerica, You surely can find someone who can write an article about a particular gun that provides un-opinionated facts without all the false emotion and used car jargon.
I can’t be the only one who sees this.
Why don’t you read it again and figure what about it you don’t like. Why don’t you google around and see what you can find about negligent discharges with striker pistols before making silly accusations with not one word of what you are even talking about. We are one of the few internet reviewers out here even shooting the guns to any extent, and there are no lies about being able to shoot into 2 inches at 25 yards with a gun that has a sight radius of three inches, which I can pick up a print mag and see TODAY, in this month’s issue. Do you want us to make up bad stuff about a gun that is as perfect as a handgun can get? The FNS is flawless. Why don’t you read our Diamondback article, or is your reading tutor done with her hour lesson?
I purchased one of the 9mm. To be honest it is probably the best out of the box I’ve ever owned. I liked it so much that I purchased the 40 the following week. I would like to see a little lighter trigger (around 4 lbs), but that’s just a personal preference.
Gee…. A little Glock bashing here?? A manual safety on a weapon of this type is only there to make up for poor training. Totally redundant. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot. Problem solved. Haven’t seen many revolvers with manual safeties have we???
where do you see GLOCK Bashing? how come every single gun review on the internet turns into a “GLOCK is better” type of argument in the comments section?
The Glock is the only gun that is Mall-Ninja approved…Just mentioning the name of their God they will come out of the wood work 😉
I like the option of an external safety but as long as you keep your booger hooks off of the bang switch the gun will be safe, and if you have to pull the trigger to disassemble…drop the mag, check the gun, check it again…check it another time…
I am curious as to why you think Rugers SR9 and 40 are not worthy of being in the same category being they have manual safeties. The S&W M&P’s can also be had with a ambi safety. I am confused as to why this gun is considered the “only one” in this category.
I have to agree with another poster. The FNS is definitely NOT the first of the “big boys” to have a manual safety. What about Springfield’s XD-line, which is available with manual safeties and has been out for years? Also, who would draw a weapon and then leave their safety on in any kind of duty situation? The author also mentions the possibility of an accidental discharge on a gun without an external safety…That really belongs in the realm of morons that shouldn’t be handling a gun to begin with. So, nice gun…shoddy info from the author!
Agreed, The M&P also comes with an external safety as an option but it’s like people always forget the single most important safety…your fingers…
Bill- I own one of these in .40 S&W. The first trigger pull is a long, firm, double action. It both cocks and fires the weapon. After the first round is fired the pistol self-cocks (like most single actions). From then on it reverts to single action with a much shorter trigger pull. There is a de-cocker as well that allows you to go back to double actions should you want. I carry concealed and like having a double action first shot so I’m not walking around with a cocked gun. But after that first pull it is all systems go single action.
I’m somewhat of a novice, which may be why I’m confused. The following two sentences seem to imply that the action is “double action” meaning that a trigger pull both cocks and fires the gun. Later in the story it says there is no second strike capability. If a trigger pull both cocks and fires the gun, why is there no second strike capability?
Quoting:
FNH calls the FNS a “double action,” which is correct. Over the years we have been fed other terminology for a trigger pull that both cocks and fires the gun, but double action is double action.
I believe this gun is actually DA/SA…Double action trigger pull on first shot, with single action trigger on following shots.
Hum…Wait, both my Taurus PT-111 Pro and my Taurus PT24/7 Pro are both striker fired pistols, they both have manual safeties and they are at least 5 years old, plus they have a second strike capability if the primer fails the first time. Single action and double action. Plus, both have a loaded chamber indicator via the extractor, the PT24/7 Pro has a cocked indicator at the back of the slide and the it has the ability to be decocked! The PT24/7 Pro also has a Picatinny Accessory Rail MIL-STD-1913. The new PT24/7 G2 is fully ambidextrous, safety, slide stop and mag release controls and also has 3 interchangeable backstraps.Their street prices are generally half the cost of the FNH pistols. Taurus RULES!
Taurus never has been in the same league as FN or any of the other big USA makers.
lol @ thinking Taurus is in the same league as anything FNH-USA produces. If they work for you that’s great, but I have owned 2 Tauruses and sold them both because they had so many problems I never got to shoot ’em because they were at the Taurus “factory” getting fixed all the time
I’ll second that. Every Taurus I ever owned went back more than one.Carried Glocks that were shot monthly or more for almost 20 yrs and neither I or my associates never had one problem. They just work!!!! The AK s of handguns.
I was horrified the first time I pulled the trigger on my NIB 24/7 G2, .40 S&W. I was almost as bad as my Hungarian FEG copy of the PPK. One blogger on the Taurus site suggested “just run a thousand rounds through it, she’ll loosen up”. Another said to remove the slide, and with the de-cocker activated, simply work the trigger a thousand times. That seemed to have helped, although my trigger finger was in “Intensive Care” for two days!
That’s when I ordered a SP2022, two-tone w/Sig-sites. When it arrived and I un-boxed it , believe it or not, I actually read the instruction manual. Some how, some one in Exeter forgot to put the “loaded chamber indicator” on the slide. Not even a slot cut? Minor draw back. After I performed a safety check, I dry fired it in DA and SA. DA was pretty good, but SA…WOW! That is the sweetest single action trigger of any NIB hand gun I’ve ever owned. I wouldn’t even dream of F@#$%^G with it.
My buddy shot it and he was very impressed. Both the Taurus and the SigPro performed flawlessly with both 180 grn. FMJ FN and JHP ammo. I did fire 10 rnds of 155 gr. JHP at a 8″ bulls eye from ten yds. Only 4 of which printed on the paper. I suspect the remaining six came to ground somewhere in SoCal!
IMHO, this is the most superior pistol design since John Moses Browning’s Hi-Power. and I don’t wish to denigrate the 1911. I have a SA1911-A1 w/ CT Laser Grips. and never wish to part with it.
A plus for the 24/7 G2 is the de-cdocker. It’s in the right place and is the right size. Ala the 1911 safety.
Makes sense. Also the de-cocker on the Sig seems to take a more concerted effort than on the 24/7. It almost seems awkward.
Slide release on the Sig is much easier than on the 24/7 G2, and I doubt it’s the length of the slide release lever.
If I could duplicate the trigger of the Sig Pro in the Taurus, I would have a difficult choice as to which gun I would take to WAR.
Finding 10 rnd. magazines and/or holsters for either guns are a challenge. Any Ideas?
MOVE!
Yeah, good for you if you love your Taurii, but I’d never own or carry one. Their revolvers might be a bargain, but their pistols are poorly engineered and poorly built. There’s a reason no LE Agency, and no serious user at all has ever remotely considered deploying Taurus brand pistols. I’ve seen multiple 24/7s that were utter garbage. I’ve got a friend struggling with a 709 jam-o-matic currently because he ignored my advice. The Taurus PT-111’s look like the best design from an engineering perspective, but my LGS has returned many for repair. Their 1911 might be a decent one, but just like the Ruger, I’ve only seen ads for it.
You usually get what you pay for, and with Taurus pistols, sometimes you get even less. If you want to save some dough by buying South American, try a Bersa. They’re simple, well engineered Walther/CZ clonish guns with a great reputation for reliability, used extensively by police and military south of the border. I’ve got an impulse purchase .40 Thunder compact that has been utterly reliable. Brutal mile long DA pull and a hateful safety/decocker set up, but a solid gun nontheless.
Taurus is a decent brand, The only issue I have ever had with my 24/7 (Gen 1) was the light primer strikes and sometimes it had trouble going into battery fully, The Ergonomics are SUPERB on the first Taurus and I feel the Gen 2 took a step back and tried to be too much like Glock, My wife owns their 7 shot .357 revolver and we both love it.
The FNH is definitely a higher quality design, the FNX I own is a 100% reliable and resisted me trying to limp wrist it completely, The Taurus is really machined very well but the other reliability issues did not inspire confidence in the product, I’m sure it will fire fine with high quality self defense ammo though.
You CANNOT be serious!