Background
The 509 CC Edge is a polymer, striker-fired, micro compact pistol with an excellent flat trigger, integrated factory compensator, and unique multi-optic mounting system that might be the best in the industry. This was one of the first big-name factory guns that came with an integrated compensator.
It received some fanfare, but it didn’t take over the world. I believe if it were released today, it would be much more popular. To its credit, FN knew the industry was moving in this direction, but the company just didn’t realize the public need a few more years to catch up.
The Edge was designed with the help of Aaron Cowan, a renowned pistol instructor and gun reviewer. I belong to his Patreon – his info is that good. He assisted in what I consider an almost perfect carry gun.
The action is your basic Browning tilt barrel with a striker-firing mechanism. The 4-inch barrel has a gold titanium-nitrited finish that aids lubricity and corrosion resistance.
Compensator
The compensator is the star, though. It’s small and only has a single port, but it is the perfect size and weight for a carry gun. It functions extremely well to make this compact package controllable and easy to shoot. FN says it reduces the muzzle flip by 25 percent.
There’s also an innovative attachment method for this comp. It is not your basic thread-on design; instead, FN made it a quick-detach comp that auto-indexes. One common problem with aftermarket compensators is that that they make disassembly difficult.
They are usually threaded on and then pinned somehow so they don’t spin off while in use. This FN design just twists off but will never walk loose under fire – genius. If you have a 509, the comp and barrel set are available as an upgrade.
Sight System
As we move back on the gun, the front sight has a fiber-optic dot and is set at a co-witness height, since FN designed this gun for an optic. This leads us to possibly the best optics system on the market. Again, it was designed with the help of Aaron Cowan, who is one of the leading authorities on red dot testing.
From the factory, FN 509 guns come with all the accessories to mount most of the most popular red dots. This is a nice value add, but not totally unique in the industry. What makes it different is how this is done. There is a plate system, but the plate does not run the entire length of the base as on most systems.
On the FN, the optic mounts directly into the slide. There are different screw hole patterns cut out in the slide, and the plate sits in a cutout at the front of the optic footprint. Different plates have unique recoil pins for each type of optic.
The plate also sits on a rubber O-ring that provides tension to keep the screws from backing out. Loctite is not needed in this design – only the proper torque specs. This system allows for a very low-sitting optic, which makes acquiring the dot easier. Mounting into the slide also eliminates some of the tolerance stacking issues that plague other plate designs.
It is simple, flexible, and robust. I like it a lot, and I don't know why more companies don't do something similar – or just buy the licensing for it.
More Features
Lightening cuts in the slide give good traction, and controls are ambidextrous. The slide stop levers are easy to reach.
The grip is short and only supports the pinky with the magazine installed, but that's intentional. FN wanted a concealable gun. It comes with one short magazine that holds 12 rounds and just supports the whole hand.
There are also two 15-round magazines that make the grip feel like a full-size gun. The mag base plates are weighted to drop faster for quick reloads, but any 509 magazine will work. The mag release is also oblong for easy reach.
I like the grip texture, too. It is tactile enough for consistent shooting. The texture also goes high up on the side panel, providing traction for the support hand. Two different backstraps are included for shooter customization.
The flat-faced, top-hinging polymer trigger with center trigger safety is excellent. The pull starts with some take-up, a little creep, and then a good break that has a slightly springy feeling. There is no noticeable over-travel, and a short to medium reset. Pull weight is about 4.5 pounds. This is a good trigger for striker-fired gun.
Gideon Optic
For testing, I mounted Gideon Optics’ new Storm dot sight. If you don't know Gideon, the company makes innovative but affordable optics. These are not just copies of what is already out there; Gideon tries to improve the landscape and give shooters what they want.
The Storm is the company’s first Delta Point Pro footprint sight, and it gives the DPP a run for its money. The window is even bigger than on the DPP, but the glass is just as clear and the dot just as bright, at half the cost.
Even with this big dot installed, the iron sights still co-witness. That’s a testament to Gideon for giving its dots low deck heights, and to FN for inventing a super-low mounting system.
Specs
- Caliber: 9mm
- Operation: Double action
- Mag Capacity: 10 or 12/15 round
- Weight: 25.5 ounces
- Barrel Length: 4.2 inches
- Overall Length: 7.5 inches
- Height: 4.8 inches
- Width: 1.35 inches
- Trigger Pull: 4.5 to 6.7 pounds
- Sight Radius: 5.41 inches
- Twist Rate: 1:10 RH
Shooting Notes
For this review, we had the opportunity to shoot at a different venue: Precision Point in Frederick, Maryland. It’s a public indoor range and gun shop that transfers a lot of Guns.com-purchased firearms. Precision Point also serves the community by offering classes and training from basic pistol and rifle to first aid and CPR. We were lucky enough to shoot right before one of their weekly matches, so lots of different stages and targets were already set up for us to use.
The FN 509 CC Edge performed flawlessly. I ran a few hundred rounds through it without a bobble. Ejection was consistent and reliable – a good sign on a pistol. Always check your ejection pattern.
The compensator worked great and kept this small, light gun controllable. I had no problems executing sub-three-second Bill drills. The Edge shot very flat for a carry piece.
The grip was easy to hit on the draw, and I didn’t notice the short grip and long magazine combination. In fact, it was easy to get a good secure grip because of the width of the grip.
The giant Gideon optic also helped with performance. No matter how good your technique, a big red dot window helps when you are trying to go fast while being dynamic and moving around. I’m really liking the Gideon dot, and it made shooting groups easier. Accuracy was also good, partially thanks to the good trigger.
Conclusion
All in all, this is an outstanding carry gun that can be a do-it-all pistol. The short grip makes it easy to conceal, but the extended mags allowed it to work as a competition gun.
FNs are dead reliable, so you don’t have anything to worry about in that realm. Finally, the innovative comp and optics mounting system makes the CC Edge truly unique, with features not available anywhere else. If you want a full-sized grip, FN makes the CC Edge XL, which is basically the same gun with a longer grip.
