The trusty old S&W 686 is out and the newfangled FNX-40 is in as my nightstand gun

[jmh308]

This is a little long winded, but I'm pretty excited about this new gun, and wanted to share my experience with it.

I'm not exactly what you would call an early adopter. I grew up shooting 38 and 357 revolvers, and I always chose one as a nightstand gun because of their simplicity and reliability. I have a modern polymer wonder-gun for carry because of the size/weight/capacity, but for home defense, a 4" model 686 always felt reassuringly solid and powerful - and weight is a non-issue in that application.

Recently I was enticed into buying an FNX-40 because of a mega-sale, and I think I'm in love.

Ergonomics are different for everybody, but this thing is a perfect fit for my hand. (I wear size XL gloves due to long fingers) The controls are all very easy to reach and the safety/decocker lever is genius. Can't believe nobody employed this type of design before. Grip angle is perfect. I've read complaints about the sharp pyramids on the grips, but it wasn't an issue for me at all - even after 500 rounds in an afternoon. And Im an office worker - not a lumberjack. This may be something that FN has revised in more recent versions.

Trigger is decent. Not exceptional, but not bad. Let's say good enough to not get in the way. In a defensive scenario, I'm not going to be taking the time to appreciate a really great trigger pull.

I've never liked Glocks becuase I'm a reloader. The FN has a fully supported chamber, and traditional land and groove rifling, so I won't have brass bulge, and I can shoot lead bullets if I want to. I like to shoot plated bullets for practice - not sure if those are "glockable" or not, but they should do just fine in the FN. And for a defensive gun, there can never be too much practice.

The machining, fit, and finish are excellent. The bore is virtually free from any machining marks whatsoever. This is probably a big part of why it's so accurate. And it IS accurate. Probably the most accurate auto-loader I own. Reliability is yawn-inducing. I got the thing brand new, cleaned it quickly, and then took it to the range and fired 500 rounds - a mix of factory ammo and several different reloads. There were no issues whatsoever. It was even possible to load the brand new magazines to full capacity with no mag-loader tools, and no sliced thumbs.

Recoil is minimal for the cartridge. The current internet wisdom seems to be that the 40S&W cartridge has "snappy recoil." I guess I would agree if we're talking about a compact gun, but in a full size gun, I've never found it to be objectionable. (Then again, I was raised on the 357 magnum). The FNX has softer recoil than any other 40 S&W I've shot. I don't know if its the flat-steel recoil spring, the low bore axis, or the good fit for my hand. Probably a combination of all of these things. But I couldn't really tell much of a difference versus, say, my Beretta 92 in 9mm. The current internet wisdom also seems to be that modern 9mm bullets can do anything a 40 S&W can do. Maybe that's true - I dunno. But I figure those same modern bullets are available in 40 S&W, so that cartridge should perform better still.

Long story short folks, give these new FNX's a try if you get an opportunity - and if you like the SA/DA format. I can't see any downsides to mine.