The FN FNX™-45 Tactical Semi-Auto Pistol harnesses the latest handgun engineering in a battle-ready upgrade to the original FNP-45 developed for the U.S. Joint Combat Pistol Program. Ideal for combat and self-defense, the FNX-45 offers hammer-fired reliability in a polymer frame pistol.

The cold hammer-forged stainless steel barrel comes with a polished chamber and feed ramp for reliable feeding and extraction, and the barrel is threaded (.578×28 tpi) for attaching aftermarket suppressors (including thread protectors). Raised 3-dot Trijicon green tritium night sights to come standard, allowing the use of sights with a suppressor attached to the barrel.

The stainless steel slide has serrations on both the front and rear for a solid grip when loading, or clearing the weapon. 2 included mounting bases allow attaching aftermarket electronic sights directly to the slide. The slide makes solid contact with steel rails on a replaceable steel subframe within the polymer frame, and a steel recoil spring guide rod enhances reliability and longevity. Low-bore axis reduces felt recoil, enhancing operator control.

The grip angle delivers a natural point of aim. Use the 4 included interchangeable backstraps to customize the grip feel quickly. All operating controls are fully ambidextrous for ease of use. Other highlights include an integral MIL-STD-1913 accessory mounting rail and loaded chamber indicator. The FN FNX-45 Tactical semi-auto pistol comes in a fitted, soft Cordura® nylon case and includes 2 magazines, a locking device, and a sight mounting kit with plates and screws.

• Polished, nickel-coated steel
• Hammer-fired polymer frame
• Raised 3-dot night sights
• Threaded barrel for suppressors
• Slide cut for optional electronic sights
• 2 interchangeable backstraps
• Replaceable steel sub frame
• Ambidextrous controls
• Integral accessory rail
• Comes with 2 steel magazines

SPECS

• CALIBER: .45 ACP
• OPERATION: Double-action/Single-action
• MAG CAPACITY: 10 or 15 Rd.
• WEIGHT: 33.3 oz.
• BARREL LENGTH: 5.3″
• OVERALL LENGTH: 8.6″
• TWIST RATE: 1:16″ RH
• HEIGHT: 6.5″
• WIDTH: 1.58″
• TRIGGER PULL: 8.8 – 12.1 lb. or 3.96 – 5.06 lb.
• SIGHT RADIUS: 6.4″

The FNX series features an ergonomic polymer frame with a low-bore axis for less felt recoil and improved control. The grip panels are checkered and ribbed for comfortable, non-snag carry. Interchangeable backstraps quickly adapt the FNX to your hand size, and the profiled stainless steel slide has cocking serrations front and rear. Ambidextrous operating controls (decocking/safety lever, slide stop, and magazine release) make the FNX perfect for competition or personal defense.

The FNX Tactical features a 5.3″ cold hammer-forged stainless steel barrel with .578×28 TPI and a thread protector. The FNX Tactical also has high-profile combat night sights and includes two mounting bases to accept multiple styles of optional red-dot electronic sights. It includes three (3) magazines with an extended base pad and a fitted, soft Cordura nylon case.

This Tactical 45 ACP model has a Flat Dark Earth frame and slides with a 15+1 capacity.

PRIMARY FEATURES

Raised 3-dot Trijicon green tritium night sights (standard) allow for one-handed operation

The width of the raised night sights perfectly sizes up the shoulder width of a target at 25 meters

 

The ammo’s less expensive.

 

 

 

SLIDE

Stainless steel construction

External extractor with loaded chamber indicator

Front and rear cocking serrations

Slide cut and threaded for optional electronic red-dot sight (not included)

Raised night sights for suppressor use

BARREL

Cold hammer-forged stainless steel

Polished chamber and feed ramp

Threaded .578×28 tpi with thread protector

FRAME

Polymer construction with replaceable steel frame/slide rails

Four interchangeable backstraps with lanyard eyelets

MIL-STD-1913 accessory mounting rail

Serrated trigger guard

Matte black finish

OPERATING CONTROLS

Fully-ambidextrous decocking/safety levers, slide stop lever, and magazine release

MAGAZINE

Polished body

Low-friction follower

Polymer base

SIGHTS

Includes two mounting bases for optional red-dot electronic sights

SHIPS WITH

Two 15-round magazines with an extended base pad or Two 10-round magazines

Fitted, soft Cordura® nylon case

Owner’s manual

Four interchangeable backstraps

Locking device

Sight mounting kit with plates and screws

FNX-45 TACTICAL .45ACP PISTOL

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of its release, the FNX-45 Tactical still keeps up with modern designs due to its forward-thinking engineering. Bilateral controls, suppressor-height night sights, and an optics-capable slide put this pistol ahead of its time when designed in 2007. It also leads the class of tactical .45 ACP pistols in capacity with its 15-round magazines. We’ll get in deeper with the specs further on, but for now, let’s look at this “offensive handguns” somewhat controversial past.

First showcased in 2007 for the U.S. Military’s Joint Combat Pistol Program, the FN-X was originally known as the FN-P. It was introduced in .45 ACP as an upgrade to the Beretta M9 the military was fielding at the time. The FN-P didn’t necessarily fail the pistol trials, the pistol trials just didn’t yield enough convincing data to warrant a full replacement of the military’s current sidearm.

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The FN-P was also an expensive handgun and would require a complete and costly overhaul of the pistol and parts inventory. The heavier and more expensive .45 ACP round would need to be reintroduced en masse as well, and there simply was not enough ballistic evidence to support replacing the 9mm round. So, the FN-P went back to FN America for a few years of upgrades and improvements and was released to the consumer market in October 2012, as the FNX-45 Tactical.

There are also FNX-45 handguns that do not bear the “tactical” designation. The main differences are the threaded and suppressor-ready barrel, along with Trijicon suppressor-height night sights. Today, however, we will only be discussing the tactical version.

FNX-45 Tactical Specifications

The FNX-45 Tactical is a polymer-frame, double-action/single-action, recoil-operated handgun. It uses the tried-and-true Browning tilting barrel design. With an overall length of 8.6 inches and a height of 6.5 inches, this is truly a full-sized handgun. The weight without a magazine is 30 ounces, with an empty 15-round magazine 33.3 ounces, and with a fully loaded 15-round magazine 44 ounces. This pistol was designed from top to bottom as a large, powerful, and durable-duty handgun.

A manual safety/de-cocking lever is located on both sides of the pistol to accommodate left-handed shooters. With my Lyman trigger gauge, I was able to get very consistent SA pulls between 4 pounds and 6 ounces. and 4 pounds, 8 ounces. Double action is a little more than double at an average of 10 pounds, 1 ounce. The trigger shoe itself is also made of polymer but feels plenty strong, robust, and comfortable with no trigger shoe safety.

Moving past the trigger, we have a polymer frame in FN’s Flat Dark Earth (FDE). Two sizes of backstraps come included with the pistol, with both having a unique grip pattern. The profile of the grip is slender and uniform at 1.6 inches wide even with the enormous 15-round capacity. The takedown lever is large and easy to actuate.

The bilateral magazine release buttons are extended, easy to reach, and intuitive to use.  The frame also includes the standard Picatinny accessory rail for all your mounting desires. The pistol points will feel ergonomic and is easy to shoot.

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The slide is completely stainless steel, solid and heavy, has an extremely durable finish, and includes front and rear serrations. These serrations, combined with the overall texture of the steel and/or coating, make the slide very easy to grip. The slide is cut for the RMR footprint and comes with 2 steel mounting plates and hardware.

Bilateral slide stop/release levers make this weapon a great option for both left and right-handed shooters. The slide is topped off with steel suppressor-height night sights by Trijicon with two yellow lamps in the rear and one green lamp up front. I really like the contrast of colors and, coincidentally, is the same exact night sight setup as my Glock pistol.

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The barrel is 5.3 inches long, cold hammer forged, and all stainless-steel construction. The chamber end contains a highly polished feed ramp for reliable feeding. The muzzle end is threaded .578×28 and comes with a steel thread protector. The 6-groove barrel has a 1:16 right-hand twist, which is standard for .45 ACP. It appears to be nitride or treated with a similar QPQ finish. FN is known worldwide for its accurate and strong CHF barrels, and the FNX-45 Tactical barrel is no exception.

Velocity & Accuracy

I took my FNX-45 Tactical out to the range to do some velocity measurements and some bench-rested accuracy tests. Even with the sandbag rest, I am certain one could achieve greater accuracy than I have with this one test. I shot from a standing position with a sandbag rest from 25 feet.

Fiocchi 230-grain FMJ RN: 2.56 inch group

Sellier & Bellot 230-grain FMJ RN: 2.5-inch group

SIG Sauer V-Crown 230-grain JHP: 1.8-inch group

A lot of my shots were printing slightly right of my point of aim but with the SIG Sauer V-Crown, it was much more pronounced. The V-Crown did however produce the best groups of all three ammunition types. The Fiocchi and S&B were almost identical in accuracy performance, and I had zero malfunctions of any kind with any of the three loads tested.

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Velocities were measured using a Pro-Chrono chronograph and the ambient temperature was around 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the testing. I was 10 feet from the chrono and 25 feet from the targets. The velocity of these loads are as follows:

Fiocchi 230-grain FMJ RN: 851.2 fps

Sellier & Bellot 230-grain FMJ RN: 813.6 fps

SIG Sauer V-Crown 230-grain JHP: 846.8 fps

All loads had consistent velocity, but the SIG V-Crown was the most consistent. The Fiocchi ran hottest of all three, while the S&B came in last. As far as accuracy and velocity are concerned, the SIG V-Crown took the win in both categories. The SIG V-Crown had very tight groups, albeit a little right of the point of aim, and extremely consistent powder loads and velocity. At almost $2/round compared to $.60/round, I don’t know if the edge in performance is worth the extra coin. If you do insist on carrying hollow points in your FNX-45 Tactical though, the V-Crown would be a great choice.

A Classic That Stands The Test Of Time

The FNX-45 Tactical is one of my absolute favorite handguns because it seemingly sits in a class by itself: A high-capacity DA/SA polymer-framed handgun that holds 15+1 rounds of .45 ACP. It looks stunning, shoots spectacularly well, and has been very reliable. This all comes at a price though. The MSRP for the FNX-45 Tactical is $1,379 at the time of writing this article. There also aren’t many upgrades one could do to this pistol. There are currently no aftermarket triggers available for the FNX-45 Tactical, and replacement parts are typically available but can be expensive or frequently out of stock.

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The weapon comes with two 15-round magazines and you can expect to pay about $50 for an extra one. Another downside to the FNX 45 Tactical is the strength of the polymer. As you can see in my photos, the bottom of the mag well becomes pretty chewed up from reloads. It does not affect the functionality of the weapon, but it does leave questions about longevity for a weapon in this price category.

The FNX 45 has been designed and sold exactly the way it is for 10 years. It is meant to be used and carried exactly how it comes with perhaps the addition of a light and red-dot sight. As you can see in the photos, I fitted mine with Talon Grips because I like the rubber texture. I also run mine with a Streamlight TLR-1 HL. It serves me mostly as a fun range toy and a perfect bed or nightstand weapon.

It is large and easy to locate, with controls that are the same. The .45 ACP round has plenty of power but will also prevent too much over-penetration. I am very curious to see if FN will release a new and improved version of this handgun as they seem to be doing with many of their models such as the iconic Hi-Power. If that were to happen, I will be the first one trying to get my hands on it for a review. Stronger polymer and possibly a 17-round capacity magazine? Your move, FN.