FN Reflex 9mm: Full Review

The 9mm carry pistol market is hot, and micro-­compact handguns are still evolving. The latest brand to submit an entry is FN with its 2023 launch of the Reflex, a semiautomatic 9mm with a barrel length of 3.3 ­inches and an unloaded weight of 18.4 ounces. However, the Reflex is hardly a clone of Springfield Armory’s Hellcat or the SIG Sauer P365 series. 

Unlike the striker-­fired P365 and Hellcat, the Reflex operates using an internal hammer-­fired action. In the last 20 years, the concealed-carry market has fallen in love with striker-fired pistols, but they do have some disadvantages. The primary downside of a striker system is that the pre-­set trigger usually has to complete cocking the striker spring. With internal-hammer guns, the hammer is fully cocked by the rearward movement of the slide. The result is a trigger that is typically smoother, crisper, lighter and single-action-­only (SAO).

The Reflex, unsurprisingly, has a light and crisp trigger pull. Ten pulls on a Wheeler gauge indicated a 41/2-pound average. A trigger like this helps to improve accuracy and consistency, but this isn’t the only justification that makes the Reflex worth consideration as a carry piece. It’s also sized right so that it’s easy to carry, and it is comfortable. 

With its 3.3-­inch, 1-in-10-inch twist, hammer-­forged barrel, the Reflex has an overall length of 6.2 ­inches. It’s width is just an inch. The slide is finished with a black or FDE PVD finish, which was shaped with angular machine cuts near the muzzle and throughout the gun’s trim. The beveled edges allow the Reflex to ride close to the body and minimize printing when carried under a shirt. It’s as easy to conceal as a P365 or Hellcat with an inside-the-waistband (IWB) holster. Its short size makes this one a candidate for anyone who wants to carry appendix, too. During testing, I tucked the Reflex away in an Elite Survival Systems Marathon Gun Pack and ran a few miles with it. The FN isn’t much larger than the .380 I usually carry, yet it offers almost twice the capacity!

On the subject of capacity, the Reflex matches or exceeds many of its rivals in this category. When the P365 first appeared in Guns & Ammo’s May 2018 issue, its capacity-for-size woke the carry-gun market. The P365 boasted a 10- and 12-plus-one magazine capacity, which was quickly followed with larger options. Since then, capacity has been an important consideration for those choosing a micro-­compact. Here, FN ships 11- and 15-­round magazines with the Reflex. The 11 ­rounder is easier to conceal for being shorter. The 15-count mag includes a grip extension that makes it better suited for the range due to the added real ­estate available for Large and XL hands. 

The grip design is quite good. There was clearly insight from shooters. The sides are flat and feature the type of micro texturing that has become commonplace on carry pistols today. The front and rear portions of the grip surface offer more aggressive texturing that keeps the gun secure without the cheese-grater feeling as with some grips.

The Reflex comes with slide serrations, fore and aft. There are five angular slide cuts at the rear, and three partial slide cuts near the muzzle. These are at least as aggressive as the slide cuts made to other pistols in this category. I like FN’s slide cuts because they allowed me to firmly grab the smaller slide of the Reflex when it was time to cycle the action and perform a quick press check of the chamber.

The Reflex is available in black or with an FDE physical vapor deposition (PVD) surface finish. For readers who are unfamiliar with PVD, it provides a protective layer that’s bonded to the metal surface on the atomic level. Developed from military requirements, it’s an extremely durable surface finish that stands up to wear and features a high lubricity. PVD finishes are great for carry guns because it reduces friction when drawing or reholstering the pistol.

FN launched both the Reflex and Reflex MRD models. The standard Reflex comes without an optics cut, but the iron sights are good. There’s a notch rear sight with two white dots dovetailed into the slide. Up front is a tritium insert surrounded by a high-­visibility orange dot, which is also dovetailed into the slide. The front of the rear sight is sturdy and flat enough for one-­handed racking against a rigid surface. 

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The upgraded Reflex MRD features an optic cut designed to accept J-­Point/Shield RMSc-pattern micro red dots. It’s a common footprint that accepts plenty of optics including the Holosun 507K; Ruger ReadyDot; Shield RMSc; and SIG Sauer RomeoZero Elite.

The polymer frame of the Relfex was designed well and features great ergonomics. The grip angle encourages a high grip, which helps to promote a secure hold of the pistol. That’s a good thing for a 9mm handgun that weighs 18 ­ounces and can fire +P loads. There’s also a small but sufficiently supportive beavertail, as well as a single-notch accessory rail on the dust cover. Controls are few and basic. There’s a reversible teardrop-­shaped mag release button on the left side of the gun, a small slidestop, and a rotating takedown lever. 

With the gun unloaded, lock the slide rearward. With the magazine removed, simply rotate the takedown lever 90 degrees clockwise. Then, the slide can be removed. The internal hammer design eliminates the need for a trigger pull during the disassembly process.

Dimensionally, the Reflex is similar to most competing micro compacts. The slide measures just an inch wide, which is typical these days, even for pistols cut for micro red dots. The slides of the P365 and Hellcat both measure near 1-inch wide. (Interestingly, SIG Sauer discontinued its original no-optic-cut model in May 2023.) The FN Reflex, though, offers the longest barrel of the base-model guns. It also has a sight radius longer than 5 inches, which is also the longest on the list. For not having a ported barrel or compensator, this figures add up to the Reflex having the longest overall length versus the Hellcat and P365: 6.2 ­inches. Is the .1-­inch worth a boost in sight radius?

The Reflex retails for $599; the Reflex MRD starts at $659. The Hellcat OSP with 3-inch barrel retails for $633. The P365X has a minimum advertised price (MAP) of $550. These guns are within $100 of each other. Specifications are close on these guns and each are easy to carry. Still, you must consider that the Reflex has an internal hammer-­fired action. Correspondingly, one could make the case that it has the best trigger. 

At the Range

G&A received three samples of the FN Reflex in black and FDE, with and without the MRD optic cut. They all had superb triggers. To me, the Reflex has the smoothest and lightest trigger of this class of gun. All three samples averaged at 5 pounds or less, though none was under 41/2 pounds. That’s consistent quality and a good indicator that any Reflex pistol you purchase will have an equally well-made, manageable trigger feel. With other brands, I’ve seen variations of more than a pound between samples of the same model.

I tested the Reflex with five loads at 25 yards. The performance was as good or better than competing pistols. Average five-­shot groups ran from just more than 2 ­inches to just less than 31/2 inches. That’s perfectly suitable for a concealed-carry gun, and better than many micro-compacts I’ve tested. Any pistol that groups less than 4 inches is unquestionably suitable for the accuracy needed for self-­defense duties, which often occur at less than 10 yards. The Reflex offers better-than-average accuracy potential, which is certainly due — at least in part — to the smooth and consistent trigger pull. (Note that I accuracy tested the standard model with iron sights only!)

Benchrest shooting is a good way to objectively compare accuracy potential among pistols, but most micro-­compacts will be judged more often by off-­the-­bench performance. The Reflex shot 7- and 10-yard drills well, although I noticed that the point of impact was slightly lower than my aim. However, the brilliant orange front sight was highly visible. I like the contrast between the rear and front sights because the shooter’s eye is automatically drawn to the orange ring at the front, exactly the focal point we desire. When new shooters have a Reflex in their hands, and instructors encourage them to maintain focus on the front sight, the effort will be no problem. 

Recoil was snappy with defensive loads, but that’s to be expected from an 18-­ounce 9mm. The ergonomics of the trim grip assembly suited me just fine, too, but I expect some shooters will want to add a Hogue HandAll grip sleeve or similar product to fill their hands. 

Reliability was perfect across the board. It’s a credit to FN’s reputation for using quality materials, engineering and construction. The externally mounted extractor is large, and it takes a robust bite around the case head. Internally, fit and finish were excellent; even the feed ramp and chamber were polished. In handling, I liked the slide serrations and design of the magazine release button. The other controls are small. Manipulating the slidestop could be burdensome; I simply closed the action by pulling back on the slide and releasing it.

With any self-protection firearm, safety should be top of mind, and G&A’s editors made a keen observation about the Reflex. Typically, a single-action pistol with a decent trigger would include some form of a manual safety, or safeties. The Reflex is drop and carry safe thanks to internal mechanisms such as the firing pin block. However, there is no backstop for poor trigger manipulation or an unintended trigger press, as by an object or garment in the triggerguard when holstering. FN has plans for a thumb-safety model as illustrated in the owner’s manual. 

The FN Reflex performed well and rates your attention. It’s priced competitively and stands apart for its internal-hammer operation. It was good enough for John Browning who designed a M1911 prototype with a shrouded hammer.

FN Reflex

• Type: Internal hammer fired, recoil op., semiautomatic
• Cartridge: 9mm
• Capacity: 10+1 rds., 11+1 rds., 15+1 rds.
• Barrel: 3.3 in.
• Overall length: 6.2 in.
• Width: 1 in.
• Height: 4.3 in.
• Weight: 1 lb., 2.4 oz.
• Finish: Black or FDE PVD
• Sights: Dovetail notch (rear); dovetail, orange night sight with tritium insert (front); Reflex MRD model w/ optic cut, optional
• Trigger: 4 lbs., 8 oz. (tested)
• MSRP: $599; $659 (Reflex MRD)
• Importer: FN America, 703-288-3500, fnamerica.com