Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Editor’s Note: FN America is running a hot Summer Sizzle rebate program for their new FN 509 pistols till September 30, 2023. You’re looking at a sweet deal with up to $220 value. You get free virtual pistol training classes from the pros at Sheepdog Response, worth $120, and cash back of up to a cool $100 depending on the gun model you snag. Just remember to make your purchase between July 17 and September 30, 2023, and cash in on the rebate online by October 31, 2023. You can find all the details over at FN America’s website.
2021’s handgun releases have surprised me. 2020 was a bit of a stale year, to be honest, and I can’t remember anything significant making a splash. Yet, in 2021 Ruger, Taurus, S&W, and Kimber all released Micro Compacts. FN went a different route and released to us the FN 509 LS Edge. By different route, I mean the complete opposite route from everyone else. The FN 509 LS Edge is a huge gun coming out in a field of micro compacts, so it most certainly stands out.
The FN 509 has become the flagship pistol of FN, and they’ve released numerous models. This includes compact, tactical variants, and more. The LS Edge is the latest in a long line of 509s and brings the gun to the world of long slide firearms. It joins the ranks of the Glock 34, the VP9L, and SIG X-Five series. Besides being a long slide variant, the LS Edge packs a number of desirable features that move it to the world of premium guns.
Table of contents
Breaking Down The LS Edge
Barrel Length – 5 inches
Overall Length – 8.2 inches
Height – 5.9 inches
Width – 1.35 inches
Weight – 31 ounces
Caliber – 9mm
Capacity – 17
The LS Edge comes with a soft carrying case that’s essentially a mini range bag. I greatly prefer this to a hard case solely because it’s actually handy. In the bag, you have three 17 round magazines, the gun lock, an instruction manual, and a small bag of screws, plates, and inserts. This small bag of small parts is designed to mount optics.
Yep, the LS Edge is optic’s ready. It also uses a universal optic mounting system that accommodates the following optics.
Trijicon RMR
Holosun 507C/5008
Deltapoint Pro
Docter
Vortex Venom and Viper
C-More STS2
Burris Fastfire series
Aimpoint Acro
The various plates and inserts match screw mounting patterns, boss cuts, and similar needs that optics have. This system seems more promising than the Glock MOS series. It sits the optic’s low, and the inclusion of suppressor height sights is a very nice touch. The Holosun 509T fits, but with the adaptive plate, it sits very, very high. Higher than the iron sights, making co witnessing impossible.
The Size Advantage
One might wonder why the LS Edge exists, and the easy argument is for competitive use. The longer sight radius and barrel both add some extra potential in the competition world. This design ensures maximum accuracy potential, and there isn’t a need to keep the weapon concealed in 3-Gun or 2-Gun matches.
I say there are plenty of advantages to a gun like this for defensive purposes. Obviously, it’s tough to conceal but not impossible. In the home, it would be perfect for defensive use if you choose a pistol for that task. The LS Edge has a rail, making it light-ready, and tapping a red dot onto a home defense pistol gives you the potential to shoot with increased speed and accuracy. FN even makes 24 round magazines for the gun, which would up your firepower a good bit.
Obviously, duty use is another factor. Police officers have no reason to try and conceal a gun, and if that’s the case, I’d want the best fighting weapon I could get. Bigger guns tend to make better fighting weapons. The LS Edge is a big gun, and as I found out at the range, it’s a very competent pistol for tactical use.
To The Range
The long slide and 5-inch barrel give the LS Edge a sight radius over 6 inches. A long sight radius makes the gun easier to shoot accurately, especially at range. With that in mind, I did take the gun out to 50 yards with iron sights and began throwing lead at my IPSC target at 50 yards. Landing rounds in the chest of the target took very little practice.
The front sight is very thin, and the green high visibility insert makes it easy to see. At 50 yards, even the IPSC target looks small, so a thin front sight is nice. Being able to center it on the target’s chest and consistently hit steel is a testament to the gun’s accuracy and accuracy potential. I dinged that target all over the chest, and in a real-life situation, the accuracy is there to make the shot count.
Along with the sights and sight radius, we get a very smooth trigger. It’s a flat-faced trigger that breaks when it reaches 90 degrees. The LS Edge trigger has some slight take up, and then it meets the wall. According to my Lyman trigger scale, it’s 5 pounds and very nice. It’s not one of those crazy light custom 1911 triggers and would be suitable for duty or defensive use.
Recoil? Ha
Big guns have less recoil. It’s just a factor of weight and your ability to grip the gun. The LS Edge also shoots 9mm, so recoil is mild by default. With the gun’s large size, it’s extremely easy to control. You’ll find your follow-up shots fast and accurate. The long slide also helps make it easier to track the front sight as you fire.
The muzzle rise reminds me of a compensated Glock 19. Sure there is a little, but it’s a fair bit less than smaller firearms. Plus, you can get your hand up high on the gun and exert excellent control over it. With the increased control, you won’t have a problem shooting fast.
Combine accuracy with control, and you’ve got yourself a very capable defensive pistol that can also excel at competition shooting. The LS Edge makes it very easy to make tiny groups relatively fast. I shot a 10-10-10 drill and scored, and on my first try, I shot it clean in 8 seconds. The more I shot the drill, the faster I got until I narrowed it down to nearly 7 seconds flat.
I’m decidedly average with a handgun, so I couldn’t imagine how fast a truly skilled shooter could complete a clean 10-10-10 drill. I executed a series of flawless failure-to-stop drills, and box drills with A-zone hits for every shot fired. The LS Edge makes it easy to shoot straight and certainly, makes me feel good about myself at the range.
What About Reliability?
Flawless! With ammo the way it is, I can’t get my hands on steel-cased stuff. I like to use steel cased to see how guns handle the bottom of the barrel ammunition. Sadly, all I have on hand are standard brass-cased FMJs. Throughout 600 rounds fired over two days, the weapon performed without issue.
Banging Away
I love long slide pistols and always have. They are always a blast, especially when you take them to that 50-yard line. Unlike a lot of long slide guns that are simply long slide variants of standard guns, the LS Edge is a long slide variant that’s also a premium variant. We get an awesome trigger, great sights, optic compatibility, a sweet lightened slide, and even a magwell for fast reloads. It’s an all-in-one gun, and FN has done a fantastic job with the LS Edge.
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It seems like a nice setup, would like to test the trigger pull on it to see how smooth it is. All my 1911 have that 3.5 to 5 pounds triggers with a smooth and crisp takeoff. The dual tone looks really good.
Either I have had the worst luck with the two 509 LS Edges I have owned or the other writers testing this model don’t know the difference between a good trigger and a terrible trigger. My first gun went back to the manufacturer because of the terrible trigger and the slide had out of battery issues . They replaced the gun because it was unrepairable.I shot 20 rounds through it.After waiting five months the replacement gun has the same awful crunchy trigger as the first one even after complaining to FN about it. I have shot many handguns and rifles before but this is about as bad as it gets. There is no excuse for this with a gun that sells for
$1,300.00 . The FN customer service department is very unresponsive and unsympathetic.