FNS-9 : Needs Break-In Period. Mag Spring Paint-WHY?

[camelspider]

got a new fns-9. knew i was gonna get it almost immediately after i first handled it. i'm not, nor have ever been into poly, striker-fired, "modern" pistols...but this thing just was special -i could tell. first thing i noticed was that it was made by FN...and i knew about FALs n Five Sevens so i was like...bad...ass... second thing i noticed was how this was suddenly seemingly the most ergo-friendly weapon ive yet handled. third thing i noticed (on another visit) was that it came with
TRITIUMs....STANDARD !

so then began the process of researching it prior to purchase. then the purchase. then some range time. chambered. aimed. fired. nothing follows. that's right-instant malfunction. i was miffed but i cleared and continued to fire. i musta had like 5-6 stoppages-double feeds mostly i think, out of 50 rounds. (on a budget) got some decent groups at 25. it's accurate...but the stoppages bugged me as i had read of people firing literally thousands of rounds through these things w/out any hiccup.

as i was getting ready to clean up my lane area i looked down and
managed to see what i thought was rust on the mag spring just beneath
the follower. checked other mags n same. thought maybe they sat at
the factory too long? wierd right? so i took em home, disassembled
n lo n behold it wasnt rust...it was paint. dastardly paint which could
effect friction betw/ the mag spring and body. who the hell would
do this??, i thought. (later i learned that FNs in particular need
some break in, tight spring, use a heavier load for a while, etc.)

So...that is my question. who the hell would paint mag springs
and why? i tried to look it up but only learned that different
makers use different colors at different times. seems odd
to insert that paint there...


(immediately afterwards my PI9128LP performed flawlessly once again)

 

[Mrgunsngear]

third thing i noticed (on another visit) was that it came with
TRITIUMs....STANDARD !

Not trying to be rude but that's not true. It was once true but no longer is.

So...that is my question. who the hell would paint mag springs
and why?

Several companies paint springs according to weight. One example is M&P pistol recoil springs.

BTW---I love my FNS9

 

[LockedBreech]

Looks nice with that Inox Beretta.

 

[camelspider]

have not been back to the range after the most recent visit. a new area shop however had CMC 8 round mags so i grabbed one up n will the other. got a box of winchester 9 ball. i had fired remington through the fn initially bought at the range. the winchester round visibly protrudes further from the case by about a millimeter n seems pointier. i also fired pmc..also 115 gr. through it. noticed that the win. case was slightly shorter than the pmc...n on the way home remembered that i had forgotten to ask about heavier bullets but im not sure they had others' 9 balls. screw this light bullet crap. good for the range. maybe. i hand cycled a full mag through it and achieved a few stoppages. ran a second time n they all cycled n ejected.

i had thought at the range that the empty mag was failing to catch the slide. however..this may be due to one of my tiffs about the piece..just minor. the mag catches in just such a way...i dunno. still familiarizing.

plouffe that's unfortunate about the tritiums no longer being stock. gotta read about it. i havent seen any of the 2-tone ones like your's around. any other differences? looked at a light for my rail but ima shop around. any favs?

going to store it slide locked for a few days when not playing w/ it. gonna see how it likes the winchester. kinda like that it says WIN on it heheh. this shop i went to today also cast their own bullets n seem to be avid reloaders so i might have to look into that. you guys have good results w/ particular loads? ACP?

 

[rburch]

Mine functioned flawlessly except for a box of Malaysian Surplus Ammo I tested. Had 4 out of the 50 that didn't set off the primer on the first attempt.

Any gun can have issues out of the box, but I still tend to look at the ammo first when hearing about stuff like this.

Try some various loads and see how they work.

 

[Mystro]

Not the best triggers but my FNX and FNS has been totally reliable.

 

[Mrgunsngear]

plouffe that's unfortunate about the tritiums no longer being stock. gotta read about it. i havent seen any of the 2-tone ones like your's around. any other differences? looked at a light for my rail but ima shop around. any favs?

Mine is the restricted version so it has no safety. For lights:

APL, TLR1, and X300U are my favorites depending on your budget.. my reviews should help you out.


Plouffedaddy's APL review

TLR1 Review

Plouffedaddy's X300U review link

 

[Bart Noir]

camelspider, welcome to TFL and

noticed that the win. case was slightly shorter than the pmc

This sets off some warning bells and a blinking amber LED.

I sounds like you are getting 9mm Short (9mm Kurz, 9mm Corto, .380 Auto, .380 ACP - these 5 are all the same cartridge!) confused with 9mm Luger, also known as 9mm Parabellum.

The 9mm Short has a slightly shorter case than the 9mm Luger. And the completed overall cartridge length is a little shorter. You cannot interchange these two rounds. I made ACP in bold since you mention it at the end of your last post.

Now, what did you mean by CMC 8-round mags The gun uses double stack magazines and you buy single-stack Colt 1911 style magazines? What am I missing here?

Bart Noir

 

[camelspider]

plouffe- thanks for the excellent reviews. out of those i'd get the Inforce.
i settled for a TLR-3 for the facts that it's hard to get to the places around here w/good selection, and the 3 is perfectly adequate for my FNS, which is really just a backup to my 1911, Bart. plus the poly of the light makes a 'motif' w/ the poly of the FNS. they seem to go together. reloading is seeming appealing. with the 9 for now i'm going to try n find heavier factory loads

also...i dont think it's 380. i base this assumption on several key circumstances: both the box and cartridge bottoms were suspiciously respectively labeled 115 gr. 9mm Luger & WIN 9mm Luger

 

[camelspider]

i didnt mean to sound arrogant w/ my .45 comment, nor to imply i was locking myself into a philosophy. if i was wearing 2 pistols though-might be how i'd roll. maybe.

the spring i guess is more forgiving now. also, i hadnt mentioned this...but i had a somewhat ugly breach. i had polished the feed lip on the barrel to a mirror sheen n smoothed out some jagginess otherwise. i put 34 more WIN .115 through it recently, expending one mag quickly as possible just to do so - NO snags. did anyone else's FNS come w/ an ugly barrel ?