The FN 509 is a

polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...

frame

striker-fired A firing pin or striker is a part of the firing mechanism of a firearm that impacts the primer in the base of a cartridge and causes it to fire. In firearms terminology, a striker is a particular type of firing pin where a compressed spring ...

semi-automatic pistol manufactured in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, by FN America, a division of FN Herstal. It is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum featuring

double-action Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. *Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action f ...

operation and a

Picatinny rail The Picatinny rail ( or ), or Pic rail for short, also known as a MIL-STD-1913 rail, 1913 rail or STANAG 2324 rail (cancelled), is a military standard rail interface system that provides a mounting platform for firearm accessories. It was ...

located forward of the

trigger guard A trigger guard is a protective loop surrounding the trigger of a firearm designed to prevent unwanted contact with the trigger, which may cause an accidental discharge. Other devices that use a trigger-like actuator mechanism, such as inhaler ...

. Tactical, midsize, and compact variants have also been made available.

Background

As part of the XM17 Modular Handgun System competition (MHS) initiated in September 2015, FN Herstal entered a polymer-framed,

pistol, derived from the

FN FNS The FN FNS pistol is a series of striker-fired semi-automatic, polymer- framed pistols manufactured in Fredericksburg, Virginia, by FN America, a division of Fabrique Nationale Herstal. The pistol is chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 ...

. After SIG Sauer won the competition in January 2017 with a modified version of the P320, FN America brought a version of their entry, now known as the FN 509, to the commercial market. FN sought consultation from retired

Delta Force The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta (1st SFOD-D), referred to variously as Delta Force, Combat Applications Group (CAG), Army Compartmented Elements (ACE), "The Unit", or within Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Task Fo ...

operator Larry Vickers during early development of the FN 509. FN America stated that during development and testing of the MHS entry and the FN 509, over a million rounds of ammunition were used.

Design details

Features

The FN 509 is a striker-fired handgun with a stainless steel slide with

ferritic nitrocarburizing Ferritic nitrocarburizing or FNC, also known by the proprietary names Tenifer, Tufftride and Melonite as well as ARCOR,Other trade names include Tuffride/ Tuffrider, QPQ, Sulfinuz, Sursulf, Meli 1, and Nitride, among others is a range of proprie ...

finish and a polymer frame. Black and flat dark earth (FDE) colorings are available. Barrel length is . The

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...

has serrations on both front and back, for easy slide manipulation. There is a full-sized grip, housing 17-round

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

s; 10-round magazines are available for states with a

high-capacity magazine ban A high-capacity magazine ban is a law which bans or otherwise restricts high-capacity magazines, detachable firearm magazines that can hold more than a certain number of rounds of ammunition. For example, in the United States, the now-expired F ...

. The backstrap of the grip accepts interchangeable inserts; one arched and one flat. Instead of a manual safety, the 509 includes an integrated trigger safety (the articulated trigger type like the

) as part of its four passive safety systems: a striker block, a drop safety, a trigger disconnect and a trigger safety lever. Magazine releases and slide locks are present on both side of the gun.

Variants

Several variants of the FN 509 have been made available: * Tactical – barrel length, 17- and 24-round magazines, available in black or FDE, threaded barrel, raised sights (to accommodate a

suppressor A silencer, also known as a sound suppressor, suppressor, or sound moderator, is a muzzle device that reduces the acoustic intensity Sound intensity, also known as acoustic intensity, is defined as the power carried by sound waves per unit ...

), with low-profile optics mounting system (for a

red dot sight A red dot sight is a common classification for a type of non- magnifying reflector (or reflex) sight for firearms, and other devices that require aiming, that gives the user a point of aim in the form of an illuminated red dot. A standard desig ...

). * Midsize – barrel length, 15-round magazines, available in black, with a midsize frame intended for

concealed carry Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pre ...

. ** Midsize MRD – as above, with low-profile optics mounting system. * Compact MRD – barrel length, 12- and 15-round magazines, available in black or FDE, with low-profile optics mounting system. Also available are an inert training pistol, and a Simunition (simulated ammunition) pistol. The subcompact

FN 503 The FN 503 is a polymer frame striker-fired subcompact semi-automatic pistol manufactured in Columbia, South Carolina, by FN America, a division of FN Herstal. Introduced in March 2020, it is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and is intended for co ...

, introduced in March 2020, uses the "design, performance and reliability standards" of the FN 509.

Specifications

For all variants, 10-round magazines are available for states that restrict capacity.
For the Tactical variant, 24-round extended magazines also available.
For the Compact MRD variant, 15-round extended magazines also available, which increase height to .

Users

* : Standard-issue sidearm of the

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

as of 2021.

Notes

References

External links

*
FN 509 Comparison
by

Hickok45 Hickok45 is a YouTube and Full30 channel featuring videos about firearms. The videos are hosted by Greg Kinman (born July 11, 1950), a retired middle-school English teacher and former sheriff's auxiliary officer. Hickok45 videos also appear on ...

via

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

{{FN Herstal firearms 9mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistols FN Herstal firearms Semi-automatic pistols of the United States Weapons and ammunition introduced in 2017