Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
The FN Reflex combines a surprisingly good trigger, .85-inch best-group accuracy, and flawless reliability in a palm-sized carry gun. This little 9mm ran clean, dirty, and gritty without giving us the first problem.
FN Reflex Review: Can This Micro 9mm Still Deliver?
FN is no stranger to polymer pistols, but the US-made Reflex 9mm micro-compact models bring that experience to the micro-carry gun market. This FN Reflex review focuses on the iron-sighted version, but there is also an RDS-ready option, the MRD model.
Let’s revisit the FN Reflex Micro Compact, which we originally reviewed back in early 2023. Many of you have now put some time behind the gun. What do you think now? Still like it? Interested in a larger version, such as a compact or even full-size handgun? Read up, then let us know what you think in the comments.
Table of contents
- FN Reflex Review: Can This Micro 9mm Still Deliver?
- Why the FN Reflex Trigger Stands Out in a Crowded Micro 9mm Field
- Two Magazines Give the FN Reflex Two Different Personalities
- The FN Reflex Front Sight Glows Like a Beacon
- Built to Disappear: How the FN Reflex Handles Concealed Carry
- FN Reflex Micro Compact 9mm Specifications
- FN Reflex Accuracy Test: A .85-Inch Group From a Tiny 9mm
- Nine Loads Reveal What the FN Reflex Likes to Eat
- Dirty, Gritty, and Still Running: FN Reflex Reliability
- FN Reflex Pros and Cons: Small Gun, Serious Performance
- FN Reflex Review Verdict: Better Than Expected Where It Counts
- Related Reads From GunsAmerica Digest
- More FN Reflex Information and Comparisons
Why the FN Reflex Trigger Stands Out in a Crowded Micro 9mm Field
One of the features that sets the Reflex apart from many of its competitors is that it is not a striker-fired pistol. It is a Single Action Only (SAO) internal hammer-fired pistol. I think this helps the Reflex deliver a fantastic trigger pull. It is not a match trigger, but it is just about right for practical distances and safety.
FN advertises a 4.5 – 5.5 lb. trigger pull weight, and the company did not exaggerate. The trigger on the pistol tested averaged right at 5 lbs. Testing on my trigger gauge resulted in less than a one-pound variance.
Controls on the FN Reflex are simple and easy to operate. The reversible magazine release’s elongated shape allows operation with smaller hands and is nicely checkered. All the controls are recessed below the surrounding frame area to help prevent inadvertent operation or snagging.
Two Magazines Give the FN Reflex Two Different Personalities
The Reflex comes with an 11-round magazine with a finger rest at the bottom and a 15-round extended magazine. Firing the Reflex with the 11-rounder requires focusing on your grip, as most micro-compacts with flush magazines do. Replacing the 11 with the 15-round magazine provides a full grip for the whole hand. It is a nice touch by FN to provide both with the gun rather than making the buyer purchase an extension as an accessory.
The FN Reflex Front Sight Glows Like a Beacon
Another great feature of the Reflex is the 3 dot iron sights. The rear sight is a 2-dot notch that is driftable for windage adjustment, while the front has a tritium dot center surrounded by a high-visibility orange circle. I think that style of front sight should be on every carry or duty gun. It allows excellent front-sight acquisition day or night.
Built to Disappear: How the FN Reflex Handles Concealed Carry
The Reflex slide is 1 inch wide, falling right in with the norm of modern micro-compacts and making it well suited for concealed carry. It has front and rear cocking serrations and is relatively easy to pull to the rear. That can sometimes be an issue for shooters with less hand strength when dealing with micro-compacts.
The stippled and textured grip of the Reflex is very effective in providing the traction needed to hang on to the micro 9mm. I shot hundreds of rounds and never had an issue with the grip of the gun shifting while firing. The grip is cut high in the rear, providing a low bore axis over the hand, and it has a nicely undercut trigger guard. A Picatinny rail finishes off the front of the frame for accessory mounting.
FN Reflex Micro Compact 9mm Specifications
| Caliber | 9mm |
|---|---|
| Action | Single Action Only Internal Hammer Fired |
| Capacity | Typically, 11- and 15-round magazines |
| Length | 6.3 inches |
| Height | 4.27 inches |
| Weight | 18.4 ounces |
| Slide | Front and Rear Cocking Serrations (PVD Finish) |
| Sights | Three dot w/ Tritium high visibility front |
| Barrel | 3.3 inches |
| Trigger | 4.5 – 5.5 lbs. |
| MSRP | $599/$659 (MRD) as of this writing |
FN Reflex Accuracy Test: A .85-Inch Group From a Tiny 9mm
I always ponder the question of what constitutes acceptable accuracy from the guns I am testing. Obviously, it varies with the size and type of firearm. So, for a “micro-compact” that is barely 6 inches long, has a short barrel, and carries a 5.05 sight radius, what distance do you test it at? Everyone has an opinion, and I see many of those opinions in the comments on articles.
For accuracy testing in this FN Reflex review, I shot 5-round groups at bullseye targets from a sandbag rest at 15 yards. Yes, that is definitely farther than most practical engagements would be expected, but it is far enough away to see how the ammunition differed.
The single best group of the day came from Hornady American Gunner 115 XTP ammunition at .85” center to center, and it was the only group under one inch. Federal Hydra-Shok took the silver medal for the second-best group. That is fantastic accuracy from the little Reflex.
Nine Loads Reveal What the FN Reflex Likes to Eat
I shot nine (9) different ammunitions ranging from Hornady Critical Defense Lite 100 grain loads to Speer Lawman 147 grain. The Hornady Lite was the most comfortable to shoot because of its lighter recoil, but it did not produce greater accuracy.
Groups ranged from the best at .85 to the worst, with military ball-type ammunition printing 2.7 inches. The average group size for the Reflex turned out to be around 2 inches at 15 yards, which is more than acceptable for practical applications from a micro-compact. At 5 yards, it shot a 10-round ragged hole while standing offhand.
The front sight stood out like a beacon during accuracy testing and while running the plate rack and silhouette targets. The gun did shoot slightly to the left and needed a tiny sight adjustment to get centered up. On a short-sight-radius gun, a tiny adjustment definitely shows up at greater distances.
Dirty, Gritty, and Still Running: FN Reflex Reliability
The best part of all the testing was also what I consider most important in a defensive firearm: reliability. The US-made FN Reflex was 100% reliable. I never had the first issue. Both magazines and the pistol fed flawlessly while shooting hundreds of rounds of different types of 9mm ammunition.
I never stopped to clean it or add any lubrication. I wanted to see what it did fresh and clean, then dirty and gritty. It just kept running flawlessly.
FN Reflex Pros and Cons: Small Gun, Serious Performance
- Pros: Fantastic 5-lb. average trigger, high-visibility tritium front sight, 11-round and 15-round magazines included, effective grip texture, .85” best group, and 100% reliability throughout hundreds of rounds.
- Cons: The 11-round magazine requires more attention to grip, the pistol initially shot slightly left, and the short sight radius makes small sight adjustments more noticeable at distance.
FN Reflex Review Verdict: Better Than Expected Where It Counts
The FN Reflex exceeded my expectations, and it was not because my expectations were low. I expected a high-quality handgun from a company like FN. The Reflex trigger was simply better than I expected. The front sight was also better, a cut above what is provided on so many handguns these days.
The grip was comfortable and well stippled. Average accuracy was good, while some ammunition produced great accuracy. Most importantly, the pistol shot, fed, ejected, and functioned flawlessly.
The results of our FN Reflex review are clear. When you are in the market for a small 9mm carry gun, the FN Reflex 9mm is definitely worth checking out.
Related Reads From GunsAmerica Digest
- FN Reflex Unboxed and the First 100 Rounds
- Shop FN Reflex Pistols on GunsAmerica
- Read More Handgun Reviews From GunsAmerica Digest
More FN Reflex Information and Comparisons
- For more information on this model, visit FN America’s Reflex page.
- Read an FN Reflex owner discussion on Reddit.
- Read another look at the FN Reflex micro-compact.
- Compare the FN Reflex and SIG Sauer P365.
- Compare the FN Reflex and Springfield Hellcat.
Available on GunsAmerica Now
is a world-class competitive shooter having won medals at both the 2012 IPSC World Shotgun Championship in Hungary and more recently the 2017 IPSC World Rifle Championship in Russia. He is passionate about shooting sports and the outdoors. He has followed that passion for over 30 years, hunting and competing in practical pistol, 3gun, precision rifle and sporting clays matches. Jeff is intimately familiar with the shooting industry – competitor, instructor, RO, range master, match director. Among his training credits include NRA Instructor, AR-15 armorer, FBI Rifle Instructor, and Officer Low Light Survival Instructor. As a sponsored shooter, Jeff has represented notable industry names such as: Benelli, 5.11 Tactical, Bushnell, Blackhawk, DoubleStar, and Hornady. He has been featured on several of Outdoor Channel’s Shooting Gallery episodes and on a Downrange TV series. Jeff’s current endeavors cover a broad spectrum and he can be found anywhere from local matches helping and encouraging new shooters as they develop their own love of the sport, to the dove field with his friends, a charity sporting clays shoot, backpack hunting public land in Montana, or the winners podium of a major championship.
I loved the original FN Reflex – until it failed. After a few round trips back to the company – as they said that the could not duplicate the problems with jamming that I experienced – we arrived at an amicable resolution. I deeply regret that the pistol didn’t work for me, because until it started having problems, it was excellent.
I owned and carried one when they were first released, i dispute the 5lb pull, mine was much lighter and i did not feel comfortable carrying it. And yes it shot left, watch the review left by HR Funk on youtube. Im sure FN addressed these issues but after i dropped $550.
So the consumer doesn’t have to buy an extra extension accessory for the other magazine? So now instead most of us in the country would have to buy an entirely new magazine so we can crush the useless 11 round magazine? Does that sound about right stupid factory decision and the stupid thing to say in an article. I quit reading after that…
If we’re paying that kind of money for a pistol we should have the right to choose our magazine size. And as long as it’s legal in the state it’s being shipped to, that’s it, end of story. Charge us extra for the second full size magazine if you must but don’t stick me with a magazine I can not and will not use.
And to the writer who thinks this is a great idea… Apparently you’ve never operated in a hostile environment or you’re blowing sunshine up my kilt. When shooting, you count rounds in the last thing you wanna do is waste brain space on remembering what size magazine is stuck in “this time“. Let us order what we want and what our state laws allow, simple as that!
I thoroughly enjoyed your article. I look forward to reading your upcoming post. Best wishes for your upcoming upgrading. This essay is extremely fascinating and useful.
Just what I’m looking for! Gonna buy 2 before they are discontinued. I hate bladed trigger striker fired pistols.
Very nice. But what about cocked-n-locked carry? I don’t see an external 1911 style safety…
why would you NEED a safety??? if you are going to carry that way(as i have for 40yrs) you DO NOT carry with the safety engaged, WHEN the time comes for deployment it is TIME for ACTION, NOT time to worry about a safety and NOT the time to pull the trigger all to find out you CAN’T because you FORGOT your safety switch!!! take this advice frome someone who HAS been in many gun fights and NEVER worried that the trigger worked when squeezed(thank goodness)…..
Wrong. Anyone who has carried a 1911 as a soldier or a civilian is comfortable and won’t forget or fumble while disengaging a safety. Modern idea of no safety is careless and foolish.
If you look closely at the trigger, you will see it is articulated in the middle. You barely feel the pivot during take up, but that is a safety in the same vein as the Glock bladed trigger. Though, the triggers shown in the pictures do look a bit different than the triggers on my Reflex MRD and 510 MRD. They also offer a model that has an external safety 1911 style.
From the FN Reflex manual:
“The hinged trigger safety remains engaged unless the shooter’s finger
is on the trigger and blocks the rearward movement of the trigger,
preventing the trigger from moving rearward under inertia should the
pistol be dropped (Figure 25).”
Ruger LCP MAX is also a hammer-fired SAO platform….a bit smaller yet but .380 cal……..yes, the hammer can be seen to “rock-back” a bit further from the fully cocked position… but this is an enhanced safety feature with the sear/hammer notch interface not fully at 90 degrees from one another….causing a slight “locking” effect. This is NOT the same as many Glock platforms ( striker) that “cock” maybe 60% with slide action and the remaining 40% added to trigger pull.
SA with no safety? Would you carry a 1911 cocked and locked with safety off? Or carry a 1911 with no safety? Condition 1, no thanks. Still wondering who thought this was a good idea.
Striker or hammer, it’s a 5lb trigger. Would you carry a Glock without a safety?
are there any striker fired 9mm guns that will allow a single round to be shot while the magazine is ejected ??
Sig p320 series & Sig p365 series do not have a magazine disconnect safety. I don’t think Sig makes a pistol (striker or hammer fired) which has one by default. You usually have to have one installed if you want one (not sure why you would, but to each their own…)
I believe most U.S. models of the H&K VP series also do not have a magazine disconnect. They are installed on Canadian and E.U. models, and likely on CA compliant models as well. However, normal U.S. models should not have one.
You could likely look at Walther PDP, Springfield XD-, and FN509 as well
One reason, perhaps not a great one, for the magazine disconnect happened around 1994. Some teenagers were playing around with a loaded gun at a mall in Orange, CA. After one teenager pulled the magazine, one of his friends started calling out, “Shoot me, shoot me!” So he did; she died. The kids did not understand that pulling the magazine left one in the chamber.
In my opinion, so many things went wrong that day that the solution of a magazine disconnect is a poor one.
Walther PPS M2… best carry pistol I’ve ever owned