Guns come in many sizes, but they generally fall into three categories: full-sized, compact, and subcompact. Some firearms break out of this mold, and the FN 509 LS Edge is one of them. It goes beyond full-sized, getting into a size category that’s useful for competition, duty, and home defense. Hardcore guys won’t be shy about carrying it concealed, but it’s clearly not designed for that role.
This great big gun takes the 509 series to the next level. The FN 509 series has been FN’s biggest handgun success since the Hi-Power P35 guns. FN has made tons of great handguns, but they go mostly ignored. The 509 series changed that, delivering an excellent overall handgun.
FN originally developed the 509 series for the Army’s Modular Handgun Trials. While SIG ultimately won, FN delivered the 509 to the market where it’s seen several successes, including being adopted by the LAPD. The FN 509 LS Edge series is a natural evolution of a platform that’s moved its way into all the usual categories of handguns. When a series becomes so versatile and successful, it eventually pushes the boundaries of what’s typical — and that’s how we get guns like the LS Edge.
The LS Edge and the 509
The LS Edge doesn’t stray far from the core design of the 509 series. It’s still a partially cocked, striker-fired 9mm handgun with a polymer frame and a double-stack magazine. Like most modern handguns, the 509 series follows the trend that Glock popularized — polymer-framed, striker-fired 9mm pistols. This design has become ingrained in the firearms market, and it’s exactly what American buyers are looking for, which FN has successfully delivered with the 509 lineup.
The LS Edge extends the barrel to five inches and hits that Colt Government length. The barrel uses a cold hammer forged design with a target crown for maximum precision. To keep the extended slide from becoming too heavy and affecting recoil, they lightened it with a series of cuts. The barrel and slide extend past the frame, creating a distinct variant of the 509 series.
Unsurprisingly, the gun features an adaptable optics cut. The modular cut allows you to mount a wide variety of optics with options for the RMR, Shield RMSc, Leupold DPP, and others.
If optics aren’t your thing, the gun has suppressor height sights. The front sight has a green high-visibility insert and a pair of wings protect the rear sight. These sights allow you to co-witness with most pistol-sized red dots.
Digging Into the Ergonomics
The changes from the standard 509 to the LS Edge don’t end with the slide and barrel. The grip is the standard full-sized 509 grip, but some nice changes have been made. Primarily, the grip texture has been made much more aggressive than the standard 509. Like the standard 509, you get replaceable backstraps to help the gun fit your hand.
The gun also comes with oversized ambidextrous slide releases. It has a flat-faced trigger that breaks at 90 degrees. The magazine release is large and heavily textured for easy engagement, and the grip features an integrated magazine well to make reloads faster and more efficient.
The FN LS Edge offers excellent ergonomics. The little things, like how easy the slide is to rack and how positively the magazines drop, really top things off. Did I mention the gun comes with three 17-round magazines and is compatible with 24-round magazines?
Take It To The Edge
Let’s start with a bit of accuracy testing. I ran the gun as it came from FN with just iron sights. That front sight is bright and catches the eye as you draw, transition from a low ready, or move from target to target. And while it’s easy to see, it’s small and doesn’t obscure much of the target. This makes it easy to use at a multitude of ranges.
I went as far back as 50 yards, and on my first shot, I quickly knocked down a popper. I transitioned to a steel IPSC target and landed round after round on the little guy without a problem. Did I hit every shot? No, but I hit the vast majority of them.
Up close, the LS Edge worked like a charm to hit small targets. I sunk round after round into small circles running from two to five inches in diameter at ranges alternating between seven and 15 yards. Accuracy is most certainly not a problem with this gun. The LS Edge’s trigger is fantastic. It’s smooth, light, and consistent.
Recoil is a bit like the Americanised version of Indian food…mild. It’s easy and soft on the shooter. Muzzle rise won’t be a challenge, and the LS Edge can eat its way through 9mm like it’s nothing.
If You’re Not First, You’re Last
Let’s go fast! The LS Edge wants to go fast, very fast. The big, long slide snaps forward with ease and the sight lands back on target so damn quickly. You can make that green dot into a blur and keep it moving as you deliver a rapid string of rounds on target.
If my draw was a bit faster, I feel close to obtaining a sub 2.5 second Bill Drill. My six shots formed a very tight group on those A-zone-sized targets. I can go even faster if I get my skills up with slapping the trigger guard and turning the gun into a sewing machine.
I didn’t even notice my sweat-covered hands with the aggressive grip texture. My high grip allowed for excellent control, and the gun never felt like it wanted to wrestle its way out of my hands. I could zip through a six-round string without complication.
Beyond shooting fast, I can reload quickly and efficiently. The magazines fly out of the gun, and the magwell makes it easy to usher new magazines into the gun. The big slide locks are easy to engage and make it easy to thumb and get the gun into action.
Everything about this gun wants to go fast.
The LS Edge and You
One big turn-off of the LS Edge will be the price point. It’s expensive, with an MSRP of over $1,700. The gun performs at a higher level than most, though. It’s an outstanding firearm, and if you want to compete or have a real dedicated defensive gun, the FN 509 LS Edge has you covered.
