Recoil Envy: FN’s Compensator Accessory Kit
Follow me on a spiritual journey aimed at answering one of life’s great mysteries; how do you delete recoil? If you shoot an FN 509 MRD, there now exists something that can help. FN has released their Compensator Accessory Kit.
A COMPanion For Your FN 509
This isn’t meant to be a review of the 509, but we have to have a baseline. This is the 509 MRD. It has a 4” barrel, sitting inside an optics-ready slide with an FNC finish. The grip has a few textures mixed together, which cause it to dig into your hand from different directions. Magazines hold 15 rounds, and the gun comes from FN with two.
The 509 is what I would consider a full-size pistol. It might be labeled “midsized” but its capabilities fall closer to a duty gun than a compact concealed carry pistol. I know plenty of people who carry full-size pistols, so I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it’s definitely not small. At its widest point, the 509 is 1.35” wide.
Regardless of the purpose of your pistol, compensators can be a very useful tool for reducing muzzle rise. The FN Compensator Kit comes with a barrel and a compensator. You just thread the comp onto your barrel…
Wait! This kit uses no threads! FN pulled up their engineering chonies and created a mounting system that feels very similar to attaching a tri-lug suppressor. Just apply pressure, turn, and release. The lack of threads means that local bans on threaded barrels won’t stop you from putting a comp on your 509.
Due to the clean lines in the barrel/comp transition, the comp cannot be added to your pistol while the gun is still assembled. Instead, the slide needs to be taken off and attached while the slide is not installed
Practical Performance
So, is the comp any good? We put some rounds downrange and loosely measured the difference in recoil between comped and un-comped shooting. First with basic range ammo.
Comps are made to tame recoil, and FMJs don’t have the sharpest recoil impulse. So, we threw in some defensive rounds. First was Sig V-Crown 147-grain JHPs.
Next, my personal favorite carry rounds, the G9 Defense EHP.
Across the board, muzzle flip was reduced by about four degrees of upward travel. My method may not be completely scientific, but shows a clear change.
Comps have some drawbacks as well, though they might not matter depending on the use. Compensators are loud, but this all comes back to purpose. If this isn’t meant to fire in an enclosed space, like in a home defense situation, it doesn’t matter. The other downside of a compensator is the increased muzzle flash. Again, in a defensive situation, this isn’t ideal. However, at an outdoor competition, it’s not even the slightest bit important.
Is The Juice Worth The Squeeze?
This is all great data, but how does it translate to the shooter? I set up two drills to test the difference in speed. First, of course, is the Bill drill. It’s not the most unique choice, but it specifically works on tracking your dot through recoil and should be faster with the comp.
Without Comp – 1.98
With Comp – 1.82
Next, I set up three targets, and we worked on transitions. While this does introduce more variables due to the shooter’s skill level, transitions between targets should be faster due to the dot settling on the next target sooner. In this case, I didn’t see a faster time, but I was still in the realm of what I’m capable of.
Without Comp – 3.01
With Comp – 3.04
I can have whatever unfounded opinion I want, and thankfully, that’s how a lot of you already operate. Don’t @ me, bro. I think that the tests we conducted showed enough of a consistent difference to prove that this compensator will make a difference in your shooting. Now the question is if it’s worth the $349 price tag. The 509 MRD has an MSRP of $834. Combined, the total price is about $1200. That’s definitely not cheap, but if you’re already willing to put down almost $900 on just a pistol, $1200 isn’t that much of a reach for a comp and barrel.
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