Rando here. Resident gun enthusiast of the MLC Taskforce. This may seem strange based on my last post, but I’m in a mood to type, so here we go.
I had mentioned that I wanted to get a .45 calibre pistol. I had shot a rental Glock 21 at the gun range. I put 50 rounds through on one day along with 50 rounds of .40 S&W (Springfield XDM rental) and at least 50 rounds of 9mm (my own gun). Two days later, I shot another 50 rounds of .45 with the Glock 21. I can’t remember if I shot any more .40 or 9mm on the second day, but I probably did. I ended up with nerve damage that sent numbness up my right arm from my wrist to my elbow as well as extremely sharp needle-like tingling pain in my hand and fingers. This lasted for at least 3 months. Not fun!
So I did a bit of research and had fallen in lust with the CZ 97BD. But you’ll find a unicorn before you find one of those specific models. So I continued to look. I wanted to stay under $800 if possible and I wanted at least a 10 round magazine for that price. I also wanted to stay under the 9.6 foot-lbs of recoil energy that the Glock 21 produces (info from Genitron).
So I wanted a good capacity for the price that would not destroy my body. I looked at lower recoil options and most of them are using the 1911 frame and were limited to 7 to 8 round magazines. Para makes one that holds a double-stack 14 round magazine. I was able to find one and hold it. In my hands, it felt like I was holding a brick. It was very uncomfortable. Considering that with the complicated take-down procedure and I really did not want that one.
I also looked at the Stoeger Cougar 8045. It has only an 8 round magazine, but the price point is far lower than the $1000+ of the 1911 models. But I wanted to hold the weapon and get a feel for its trigger, etc. I could only find it chambered for .40 S&W. So that one’s out.
I also looked at the Springfield XDM .45 (4.5″ barrel), but the recoil energy was at the upper range of what I wanted. But I hadn’t been able to find any other alternatives at the time. I was resigning myself to that weapon– especially after I found a local dealer that had one. Then something unexpected happened.
I visited another local dealer and talked things over with them. They showed me the FNH model FNX 45 pistol. They had one in the case and I was able to hold it. It felt no bigger than the Glock; check. It was a high-capacity .45 calibre pistol with 15 round magazines (2 more than the Glock); check. I looked it up at Genitron. It had 7.63 ft-lbs of recoil energy which is 2 ft-lbs less than the Glock; check. It’s price point was around $800 (much less than the Para model I was looking at); check. So after looking at the weapon again at yet another local dealer, I decided to take advantage of a distributor sale and I bought one.
I’ve taken it out for a spin putting 100 rounds through it along with around 50 .40 S&W and around 30 9mm. While I did have some stress in my arm and some definite fatigue, I was not in any pain. That’s a big win for me!
So now I’m going to work on building up my arm strength a bit and find a holster. I’m going to see if a Blackhawk Serpa Concealment holster for a Sig P220 will fit the FNX 45.
Here’s a picture of the pistol:
Rando!
Mid-Life Crisis Task Force 