Overview
FN has always done a respectable job on small carry guns going back to John Browning's .32 ACP Mle 1899 debuted over 125 years ago. In recent years, this trend materialized in the pocket-sized 6+1 shot 9mm FN 503 which hit the market five years ago, followed by the beefy double-stack FN 509 Compact. However, while the 503 and 509 are striker-fired, the Reflex is hammer-fired – with a better trigger while simultaneously being easier-to-rack – and bridges the gap between the two pistols by having a size closer to the 503 with the capacity and features more typical to the 509.
Boom:
Specs
- Caliber: 9mm
- Capacity: 11+1 and 15+1 (10 rounders available in restricted states)
- Trigger Pull: 3.4 pounds (10-pull average after 2K rounds)
- Weight: 18.4 ounces with an empty 11-round mag
- Barrel Length: 3.3 inches, 1:10 twist
- Overall Length: 6.2 inches
- Sight Radius: 5.05 inches
- Height: 4.27 inches
- Width: 1 inch
- MRD Optic Footprint: Direct-mount Shield RMSc/Holosun 507k/407k
Features
Hitting the Range
The Reflex runs great on the range. In our initial two-gun tests for the first 1,000 rounds, we logged one failure: a stovepipe with a Winchester white box on a filthy gun. In subsequent less formal testing since then, after cleaning, we haven't been able to document any other failures that weren't chalked up to non-gun-related issues. Across the course of the past two years, we've put everything from 115 to 150-grain bullets in both FMJ and JHP ammo from Blazer, Browning, Federal, Tula, Remington, Speer, Winchester, and Wolf.
The Reflex has proven to be omnivorous.
As for ancillary issues, we did note that the Reflex occasionally failed to lock back on an empty magazine and got uncomfortably hot to shoot after extended range sessions – the latter a common pitfall of micro 9mm pistols.
Trigger
The hammer-fired action is crisp with the hinged trigger of the Reflex meeting the wall quickly, breaking almost flat. The trigger pull weight lightened up over the past two years and 2K rounds, dropping to 3.4 from the 3.8 it had right out of the box. That's pushing the 1911 range. With that, remembering to train with proper trigger and muzzle control is a must.
I've extensively shot and carried most of the dimensional doppelgangers to the Reflex – P365s, Hellcats, GX4s, and Kimber R7 Makos (all of which are striker-fired) – in the past couple of years, and the FN has the best trigger.
A short video:
Carrying
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Reliable.
- Accurate.
- Great trigger.
- Compact.
- Ease of maintenance with a safe takedown process.
- A direct-mounted optic system with no plates to fail and a common footprint.
- High viz steel sights.
- Lots of variants including two colors and with/without optics cut.
- Two magazine options are included.
- Lighter slide-racking impulse which is a bonus for those with lower hand strength.
Cons:
- The accessory rail is noticeably short, limiting its usefulness to microlights.
Conclusion
The FN Reflex makes a great candidate for anyone looking for a dependable carry gun. It ships with two different-sized magazines, steel sights, a great trigger, and options for direct-mounting optics in a popular footprint. It’s getting more holster and support options with even some aftermarket magazines creeping into the market. In short, it looks like it’s here to stay, and the introduction of its new Reflex XL follow-on model gives even more options.
The new Reflex XL delivers an update that stretches the pistol a bit for improved accuracy, ergonomics, and recoil control while upping the magazine capacity at the same time. Using a 3.8-inch barrel, which gives the pistol a 6.75-inch overall length, the new FN Reflex XL weighs 20 ounces, unloaded. This is about a half inch longer and 2 ounces heavier than the standard Reflex. The Reflex XL ships with a flush-fit 15+1 round magazine and an extended 18+1.
