Columbia, SC police department adopting FN FNS-9

As far as I know, this is the first significant police department (405 officers) to adopt the FNS pistol. It's obviously not a coincidence, since FN Manufacturing happens to produce this pistol at their factory in Columbia. The 9mm FNS-9 will be replacing the department's .45ACP SIG-Sauer P220 pistols.

http://m.thestate.com/state/db_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=XkC1omDg&full=true#display

I recall about 10 years ago a few small departments around here adopting the now-defunct FN Forty-Nine pistols, but thier use was short-lived. This, however, sounds like a much more major commitment to an FN design.

 

Give up a Sig??

I would cry.

 

Yeah, trading Sigs for an untried pistol......politics, the Mayor arranged it.

 

Prob. Our BMW plant gave the fire cheif for the area a BMW to drive. There for a while we had some bmw highway patrol cars.

 

Didn't we just go down this rd going from 9 to .40 because the 9 was not stopping people. At least they did get a good price.

 

Did the FNS ever go through the NATO tests? Just curious. I think I read or heard that Caracal did.

 

I remember those days of the BMW 3-series Highway Patrol cars in the Greenville area. You had to really keep your eyes open on I-385.

 

I'm glad they're supporting FN. FN sure supports SC with jobs and revenue. No, I don't work for FN, but I am a native South Carolinian.

As for the jump from 45 to 9, 45 is awesome. We gun enthusiasts know and appreciate that fact. Cops however, are generally (as has been stated plenty of times before) not. Also, a lot of cops are women who have more trouble handling larger caliber handguns. The 9mm fits the general purpose sidearm for law enforcement role very well.

As for performance, I can think of several current shootings involving 9mm (by local law enforcement) and it worked just fine.

 

Maaaan... I'd be one mad cop if they took away my 220 for an FNS-9...

Nothing against FN, but I've never been fond of their pistols. And I do love me some Sig 220...

 

Fishbed77 Yep now they have everything. I have seen a lot of ford f150's now. I think the still use BMW motorcycles.

 

The State Patrol here in Colorado have about 5 of the F-150's on the highway, whew, those suckers can move!

 

I always hoped that my corrections agency would forgo the Glock 22 and adopt a 9mm pistol. I can shoot .40 S&W pistols very well and I qualify with the piece very easily. But then again, I have been shooting handguns of many different calibers for over 30 years. Many of my colleagues, however, have very little experience with firearms of any kind and end up spending half the day at the range, making multiple attempts to qualify with the "snappy" .40. God forbid that I should ever get into a gun battle, but if I did I would hope that an inexperienced comrade at my side would have a 9mm rather then a .40.

 

We have used Glock 40s for over a decade now, we have no real issue with qualification. We have a harder qual course than most departments I have seen. Any pistol round is under powered. I would have a hard time equipping my officers with a gun in any caliber that has not been proven on the street, period. I would not want to experiment with my officers lives, that why I would go with a proven pistol.
The article does not talk about the round they are shooting. They have choosen the Corbon +p, so I think this brings recoil way up from a standard 9mm and closer to the 40.

 

FNs first striker fired pistol was a failure, the Forty Nine. It was a copy of the SW Sigma. Both those pistols had huge problems and did not stand up to large round counts. I just would not trust their track record with pistols for my officers. I think they really wanted to be different from Richland County that carries Glock. If they had switched to a Glock pistol there would not have been all these news stories.

 

"I just would not trust their track record with pistols for my officers."

Was there something wrong with FN's Browning High Power that I didn't hear about?

 

Both of those guns had issues, but durability wasn't one of them. Have any evidence to back that statement up?

 

Polish Police forces got similar deal. They got Radom produced or assembled Walther P99s because several hundred local jobs were saved. This is not how things should be done.

 

They also got one of the finest polymer 9mm semi-autos ever made in the process (and well-proven by the time they adopted it).

So I think it worked out for the Poles.

 

A good example of how corruption does not serve the public good.

I'm not saying the FN is not a good pistol, but the first question that should have been asked that I doubt was asked was "Does the department NEED to switch pistols?" I doubt there was a serious evaluation of the department's needs and whether the current service pistol was meeting those needs, and if some other pistol even should to be considered.

Then if it was determined that the current issue pistol was not meeting the needs of the department, was a set of requirements put together to express the needs of the department? I doubt it.

Were pistol trials held to evaluate a number of pistols and see which pistol of many, could best meet the needs of the department. I doubt it.

It's amazing to me that politicians give so little consideration to law enforcement officers. I don't know if they're just buying the sales pitch from FN, or if they even care enough to believe their assurances. I don't think very much thought went into this except thinking about jobs, tax revenue and campaign contributions.

 

Honestly, if FN (or anyone, really) would make a BUG (subcompact slimline) with the same control scheme as the FN (ambi slide stop, mag release, and safety) then I'd go for it. As it is, there isn't anything that fits my requirements for a BUG that has ambi slide stop...

 

I like it. Local goverment should support the local community and visa-versa. As long as it doesn't saddle anyone with an in-effective product of course, which the FN is not.

Is the Sig a "nicer" pistol than the FN? Maybe. More effective? Nope. As for the 9mm vs .45 thing, of course there will be people on both sides of that one. I really doubt that needs to be discussed.

 

"corruption"

Has someone been convicted of corruption?
Has anyone been indicted?

What are you talking about? Do you have inside information to base your claim on?

 

You doubt it, you doubt it, you doubt it...... but you have no idea what the real deal is. Personally, I give the dept the benefit of the doubt. Depts change out guns every 10 years or so, it could have just been time. Not all depts do their own evals on guns and ammo, often they don't have the money, appropriate personnel, or time so they go by info they get from big depts that have already done the leg work. This happens with guns, ammo, cars, all kinds of things. Yes, FN probably made them a great deal because they're local and it gets them on the LE Agency map, so what? How do you think Glock, SIG, S&W, HK, and others got their guns in all the cop holsters they inhabit? The difference in quality, accuracy, and reliability between the majority of the guns that cops are issued today are infinitesimal so it's really six of one, half a dozen of another. At least in the case of the FNS-9 it comes with replaceable back straps and 1911esque frame geometry so it fits lots of people well.

And as far as the change from .45 to 9mm? Greater capacity, less recoil, easier to teach newbies how to shoot since they're less intimidating, much lower ammo costs - win win win from a management stand point. Would I prefer a .45 if I was on that dept? Sure I would, I carry a .45 on duty now but I have to provide my own weapon so it's my choice. Would I feel undergunned with an 18 shot 9mm loaded with quality ammo and two 17rd mags on my belt? Hell no, it'll do the job if I do mine.

I agree with danweasel, it's a good example of the community supporting local business and local business supporting the community. And, if this results in more depts looking to FN to equip their officers it will benefit both the community and the business that much more.

 

BT, the browning hi power was a long time ago. Yes a good pistol, but name a FN pistol that that has been such a success since?
Owen, we carried the sigmas for several years because of a political decision, they were crap. They fell apart. Really fell apart, they had huge reliability problems. We had had to get rid of them after about 3 years of SW sending pistols back and forth.
The FN was a copy of the sigma. Even the employees at the plant admitted to that. It had the same issues and is no longer manufactured.

 

"name a FN pistol that that has been such a success since?"

That wasn't what you said. You said...

"I just would not trust their track record with pistols for my officers."

...without providing any evidence that the FNP, FNX, FNS series of guns were untrustworthy in any way. You can focus on sales numbers if you like, but I look at the guns themselves.

John