Ohvall

Thanks for the heads-up. I just ordered one.

I am still waiting for SIG to ship the small version of the original P320 X5 grip module. It's listed on their web store but it's never in stock.

The CMP runs several types of matches. I shoot the service pistol matches that are shot at 50 and 25 yards so everyone uses adjustable sights. Although the FNS and 509 are very similar, the FNS uses a proprietary rear dovetail. FN must have realized that was a bad idea because they switched to the P320/XD style sight cuts for the 509. If FN could just make a 5" version of the 509 I'd buy that but I doubt that is going to happen.

The pistol I have is an FN FNS-9 5". It has a wide, shallow dovetail for the rear sight, so filing down the base of a sight made for another pistol probably wouldn't work. But since it's the same basic design as the FN 509 and FN puts some deep optic cuts into the 509 Tactical/MRD slides I think there's a good bit of metal there. This would wind up being a bullseye pistol for CMP matches so a low mount isn't a priority. I'd be fine with something sitting high and hanging off the back of the slide.

If you have an "oddball" pistol with few aftermarket sight options, is it possible to weld up the original rear sight cut and mill a new one? Or, if you want to mount a Bomar-style target sight are you just going to remove most of that metal anyway?

I don't understand the $200 or so price difference between a stripped P320 FCU and a complete one with all the parts. Obviously, the parts and the labor to assemble them cost money, but it seems like there shouldn't be much fine machining or hand fitting involved. It will be interesting to see what happens when more aftermarket parts become available.

I have noticed that stripped fire control units for the P320 are available on Gunbroker for very reasonable prices - typically under $20. If you were planning to replace the trigger parts and grip module from an X5 or regular P320 anyway, would it make more sense to build one as opposed to buying a stock pistol and replacing the parts?

I'm very curious about the trigger on these. Did Ruger actually do a little tuning to get the gun ready for competition or is it just a typical "meh" Ruger trigger? By the way, Ruger really dropped the ball when it came to naming this pistol. "American pistol" is about as interesting and distinctive as "American cheese". Couldn't they have come up with something a little snappier for the match gun variant?

The hole is at the top rear of the barrel so it can serve as a loaded chamber indicator. There are also holes along the upper forward sides of the slide but they are just for looks and a bit of weight reduction. There's no barrel porting.

How did the American P210 group compared to the Shadow 2?

The new APX Target (long slide, 4.7" barrel, 5# trigger, adjustable sights, optics plate) looks interesting. I am waiting to see how retail prices compare to the MSRP of $699.

I rarely see threads about the FN 509. Why is that? I know that FN has a poor history of supporting competitive shooters, their magazines are over-priced, their triggers are only a bit better than Glock's, and aftermarket parts and holsters are scarce. But it does seem like a 509 Tactical could be competitive in Carry Optics.

Looking at the online load data from Alliant and Hodgdon, Sport Pistol seems to be very similar to Win 231/Hodgdon HP-38. I've done a little testing in 45 ACP and Sport PIstol performs much like Win 231 with light loads in that cartridge. The Sport Pistol granules are also about the same size as those for Win 231 - maybe a little smaller. I'm going to test to see how the two powders compare in density.

I load 5.2 grains of BE-86 under a Zero 115 grain JHP-C and it's a very accurate, soft shooting load in my Glock 34. The same powder charge with an Xtreme 115 gr heavy plate concave base RN bullet also works well. You'll probably need to go up to 5.6 grains of BE-86 to make Minor PF.

I just noticed something interesting in the online load data from Hodgdon and Alliant. Both loads are max for a 45 ACP with a 200 grain LSWC: IMR Target 5.8 gr 1007 fps Sport Pistol 5.8 gr 1005 fps Curiously, Alliant has far more data for Sport Pistol than for Bullseye in 45 ACP.

I've done a little loading with IMR Target. It is similar to Bullseye, but not close enough to share load data. When I loaded 4.3 grains under a Zero 185 grain JHP I got performance similar to the same bullet over 4.5 grains of Bullseye. (Sorry, I don't have any chronograph numbers.) I'm still trying to find a niche for it.