New Welt order

I remember in the LE world during the introduction of the original Taser M-Series (and requirement that we get tased as part of training). We used to joke “What’s next-having to get shot by your own handgun to qualify with it?”  Nowadays, that is a distinct possibility with the widespread availability of Simunition® training using modified firearms. FN America and General Dynamics have teamed up to create a new Simunition® pistol based on the 509 platform for law enforcement training.  To delineate it as a Simunition®-only platform, the pistol features a blue frame and blue Simunition slide/barrel assembly, as well as blue magazine baseplates.  The frame and fire control group should be compatible with regular FN 509 slides, however.  (If one was so inclined to have a blue frame/black slide FN 509, this would be one rather expensive way to go about it.)

Press release Per FN America:

(McLean, VA – August 17, 2018) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of the FN 509® Simunition® pistol, developed jointly with General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, available to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Ideal for agencies seeking more realistic training for their officers, the FN 509 Simunition® is a complete pistol that utilizes the FN 509 fire control, frame and magazine along with the Simunition® slide assembly to fire the proprietary FX® 9mm marking cartridges.

“The FN 509 Simunition® pistol gives agencies the ability to train their officers for force-on-force scenarios in real-time,” said Charles “Bucky” Mills, senior director for law enforcement sales at FN America, LLC. “This ability provides a great training benefit for our agencies invested in the FN 509 platform and is an added benefit for future agencies considering the FN 509 as their next duty pistol.”

The FN 509 Simunition® is a dedicated training pistol that utilizes the FX 9mm reduced-energy, non-lethal marking cartridges. The FN 509 Simunition® pistol ships with three magazines that feature dedicated blue base plates, three interchangeable backstraps, take-down wrench for disassembly and a blue soft case. The pistol is available for agency quote now. Agencies interested in the FN 509 Simunition® should email inquiries to LE@fnamerica.com.

For more information about the FN 509 or other FN products, please visit www.fnamerica.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

 cruisin’ for a bruisin’

General Dynamics’ Ordnance and Tactical Systems department is an excellent partner for FN on this product.  Making everything from A-10 barrels to ballistic missiles, Simunition® is a product line of theirs, manufactured in Quebec.  Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Simunition® pistols are “bleu” in color.  If one has not experienced such training, bruises and welts are the order of the day.  They serve as painful reminders of a potentially lethal screw-up in a simulated gunfight.  Being that the FN 509 is a line extension of the FNS, departments that issue the FNS can use them as a Simunition® training option.    If your department uses FN 509 pistols, be sure to give the head shed a heads-up about this development.