SHOT Show 2018 FN Flaunts New FDE and Black Series Industry News January 25, 2018 Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Learn More Find out more about how we test products. By Jacki Billings FN wooed Flat Dark Earthers with a new spin on some of the company's favorite firearms, now in a spiffy FDE/Black motif. Announced in early January, the FN FDE and Black Series officially hit the streets of SHOT. The FN booth, usually a busier booth on the floor, was absolutely inundated with attendees vying to pick up and muzzle someone with one of the five pistols and three long guns in the collection. Ok, so the color runs rampant in the tactical community but aside from an over-saturated color marker, the guns are solid. It’s the standard FN fare. FN said the features and “benefits” remain the same as the every day, boring black but you’re basically getting more operatorish street cred by going FDE/Black over just black. Included in the series are customer favorites. On the pistol side: FNS 9 compact, FN 509, FNX 45 Tactical, FNX 45, FN Five-seveN. Pulling the weight on the rifle side: FN M2495 PARA, FN 15 Tactical Carbine, and FN M249S Standard. As a refresh: The FNS 9 Compact is a striker fired pistol with fixed 3-dot sights and barrel length at 3.6-inches. It’s chambered in, you guessed it, 9mm with mag capacity at 10, 12, or 17-rounds depending on your tastes (MSRP: $599). Following the FN 9 Compact is the FN 509. Launched last year, the 9mm pistol offers a longer barrel length, at 4-inches, and 10 or 17 round capacity (MSRP: $649). The third in the lineup, the FNX 45 Tactical delivers .45 ACP on a 5.3-inch threaded barrel (MSRP: $1,349). The standard FDX 45 ditches the threaded barrel and cuts down the length to 4.5-inches with 10 or 15 rounds of .45 ACP (MSRP: $824). The FN Five-seveN keeps with FN’s theme of naming its gun after its caliber and as such introduces 5.7x28mm in the pipe. With a barrel length of 4.8-inches and 1:9 twist rate, the Five-seveN wraps up the FDE pistol series (MSRP: $1,399.) In the rifle wheelhouse, the FN 15 Tactical, chambered in 5.56, features a direct impingement system with overall length ranging between 33.7-inches. Equipped with M-LOK the FN 15 comes with mag capacity at 30 rounds (MSRP: $1,599). The FN M249S PARA keeps with the 5.56 theme, but goes in for the closed-bolt system. Guarantee you’ll have a fun time with the 200-round belt felt version or if you want to not be one of the cool kids, we guess you can go for the standard 30 round mag (MSRP: $9,199). The FDE series culminates with the FN M249S, another 5.56 closed bolt, belt fed or mag fed, set-up. A replica of the SAW, the M249S features a top cover integrated 1913 mounting rail for optics (MSRP: $8,899.) Why you can trust RECOIL Since our founding in 2012, RECOIL remains the premier firearms lifestyle publication for the modern shooting enthusiast. We deliver cutting-edge coverage of guns, gear, accessories and technology. We go beyond basic reviews, providing no B.S. buyer’s guides, hands-on testing and expert analysis on everything from firearms and survival equipment to watches and vehicles. Our reviewers are the backbone of our operation and come from diverse shooting backgrounds: Former law enforcement, military veterans, competitive shooters, seasoned hunters and plain old firearms enthusiasts. Furthermore, we’re not just gun experts, but dedicated journalists who adhere to the strictest standards of our profession. At RECOIL, editorial independence is the foundation of everything we publish and the cornerstone of reader trust. 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