Editor’s Note: Today is the 17th anniversary of the cowardly attacks on the United States by Al Qaeda. In the words of NYPD/Marine Vet Pat Rogers, “Never forget those who died. Never forget who killed them.
Having explored the Comparative Standards in Shooting Wire, it seems timely to check the FN 509 Tactical: by itself and with an optic. The idea behind the standards includes checking our skills with one gun against another – as well as support gear or simply doing a check of our skills against a benchmark. I wondered how well an optic sighted handgun would fare against the same gun sans optics.
The optic selected was the excellent Trijicon RMR Type 2 Adjustable LED Sight.
The example is product number RM06-C-700696: “Trijicon RMR Type 2 Adjustable LED Sight - 3.25 MOA Red Dot Cerakote Flat Dark Earth.” It’s alleged (with good reason) to be durable due to the housing shape and updated electronics designed to take the beating of the cycle of operation of the semi-auto pistol. As the sight rides on the slide – which slams back and forth as the gun fires – durability is a must.
It’s intended for a range of applications, but built for military, law enforcement and self-defense applications. You can control the brightness of the dot, can power the RMR down and select from manual or automatic operating modes. The dot is a 3.25 MOA size, suitable for some precision at distance while quickly acquired visually.
Specifications, from Trijicon, are shown below.
Retail: $749.00
|
Magnification |
1x |
|
Length (in) |
45mm |
|
Weight (oz) |
1.2 oz w/ Battery |
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Illumination Source |
LED |
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Reticle Pattern |
3.25 MOA Dot |
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Day Reticle Color |
Red |
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Night Reticle Color |
Red |
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Adjustment @ 100 yards (clicks/in) |
1 |
|
Housing Material |
Forged Aluminum |
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Batteries |
1 CR2032 Lithium Battery |
|
Battery Life |
Over 4 years of continuous use (when used at 70ºF (21ºC)) at setting 4 of 8. *Extreme temperatures (high or low) will affect lithium battery performance. |
As for mounting to the ground-breaking FN 509 Tactical, the sight was quickly installed using the excellent directions from FN and their addendum document on optics installation. I took the opportunity to lube the pistol while it was apart to ensure function with light range ammo on the next trip.
The holster used in the Comparative Standards for all “compact” size guns is the Safariland Model 576 GLS Pro-Fit. This eliminates a variable in the data and allows me to concentrate on the difference in guns, ammo – and in this case, sights.
I used Federal “Aluminum” 115 FMJ ammo for the test.
Interesting aspects? My times weren’t greatly better than before – but I only incurred a single penalty. Was that because I was going slowing trying to find the damn dot? Or was it because the dot, when found, was so much easier to use than aligning irons?
One test doesn’t tell the tale. I know that my reload stage was much faster, under five seconds, but that was due to increasing familiarity in juggling the sticks than to the change in sighting arrangements.
I ‘cheated,’ looking for the front sight and knowing that where the top edge was, the dot would be. While that’s worked for some folks who’ve reported on it, it didn’t work for me. I’m not sure as I didn’t document it, but I believe that somewhere between 20 and 25% of the shots I took during the standards I didn’t see the dot at all – I was using the irons.
That doesn’t rule out the use of optics on handguns – far from it. I’m a believer that it will soon be the standard for holster guns. Like on carbines, once it gets established in the system it’ll take over.
I’ll not be sold that irons aren’t needed at all; I’m a belt-and-suspenders type.
I am sold on the FN 509 – including this version – and the Trijicon RMR Type 2. I believe it’s a game changer on the combative handgun. I just haven’t worked with the system enough to move into that world.
- - Rich Grassi