Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
by Friedrich Seiltgen
New to the micro compact pistol segment is the FN Reflex, from FN America, the U.S. subsidiary of leading firearms manufacturer FN Herstal.
Founded In 1889, Fabrique Nationale was created in order to manufacture 150,000 Mauser model 89 rifles for the Belgian army. A key player in the Fabrique Nationale story was John Browning. In 1898, Browning had a fallout with the Winchester company regarding his new autoloading shotgun design, the A5. Winchester wanted to give Browning the usual one-time single fee payment for the rights to the A5, while Browning wanted royalties based on unit sales.
READ MORE firearms reviews from Friedrich Seiltgen
Browning signed a deal with FN to produce the new A5 design, and Browning moved to Belgium to work with FN. Browning would go on to design several firearms for FN and passed away working at his bench while working on the FN Hi-Power design.
FN went on to produce the FAL, French for Fusil Automatique Léger (Light Automatic Rifle). Made in Herstal, Belgium, the FAL has been in service since 1953 in over 90 countries. It was dubbed “the right arm of the free world,” and became a symbol of the struggle against Communism.
Today, innovation is at the core of FN’s product development efforts, according to Mark Cherpes,
President and CEO of FN America, LLC.
“We aspire to push beyond the status quo to deliver products that provide a meaningful improvement over the existing landscape, and we feel we’ve accomplished this with the FN Reflex,” Cherpes said. “Our customers now have a firearm they can trust to perform when seconds count, that is backed by a quality promise rooted in our battle-tested heritage.”
Here’s a look at one of the newest offerings, the Reflex Micro Compact Pistol.
The Frame
When designing the Reflex, FN engineers decided to go with an internal hammer-fired SAO trigger instead of a striker-fired system. This puts the Reflex in a class by itself and gives the shooter a smooth 5-lb trigger pull while reducing the effort required to rack the slide. It also means you won’t have to pull the trigger during takedown.
Other features include an in-mold stippled grip, reversible magazine release, and a slim line rail mount for lights & lasers.
The Slide and Barrel
The slide features three-dot iron sights, the front night sight fitted with a tritium insert, and high visibility orange circle. It’s also cut for Shield RMSc and Holosun K-series pattern Micro Red Dot Optics. The easy grip front and rear slide cuts assist with better slide manipulation.
The Barrel is cold hammer-forged with a polished ramp and chamber, and its target crowned.
Specifications
Type: Internal Hammer Fired SAO
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Magazine capacity: 10,11 or 15 Rounds
Sights: Three Dot Iron Sights with Tritium Front or
Barrel Length: 3.3 Inches
Overall Length: 6.2 Inches
Width: 1 Inch
Height 4.2 Inches
Weight: 18.4 Ounces
MSRP: $659
The Verdict
The FN Reflex is giving the P365 and Hellcat fierce competition and setting the benchmark in the Micro Compact EDC game.
Get down to your FN dealer and check out the new Reflex from Fabrique Nationale.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. He writes frequently for Soldier of Fortune and other publications. Contact him at [email protected].
