I really liked the FNP's polymer trigger, which is short enough that I didn't have to shift my firing grip to break that first, double-action shot. The double-action trigger broke at a smooth 10 pounds, one ounce. It took only four pounds to trip the sear in single action.

The test pistol digested several hundred rounds without a hiccup through a number of speed-shooting drills. While it’s a large pistol, the author felt it handled quite well.

Normally, I need a few boxes of ammunition to get used to a new DA/SA pistol, but thanks to its trigger and ergonomic grip, I shot the FNP-45 well right off the bat.

The FNP's sights are superb. I didn't use the white dots, but I really dug the combination of the thin front blade and wider rear notch. I find this combination easy to hit with in all light conditions and distances. In fact, I like it so much that all my custom 1911s have similar sight setups.

After firing a few magazines to get the feel of the sights and trigger, I got serious. I started with 150 rounds of assorted ammunition from Black Hills and Cor-Bon at the seven-yard line. The FNP-45 fed, extracted and ejected perfectly, and all the rounds landed in a tight group a hair left of the front sight but dead-on for elevation.

I started slow at first but quickly worked up speed until I was shooting almost as fast as I do with my full-size 1911s. I didn't quite get there because the pistol is a wee bit top-heavy, resulting in a little more muzzle flip than I am used to with my full-size 1911s, but I was pretty darn close.

ACCURACY RESULTS: FNH-USA FNP-45
.45 ACP Ammo Type	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Avg. Group (in.)
Black Hills JHP	185	1.69
Cor-Bon FMJ Match	230	1.87
Federal Hydra-Shok	230	1.58
Hornady TAP	200	2.17
Speer Gold Dot HP	185	2.34
Averages accuracy is the result of five, five-shot groups fired from a sandbag rest at 25 yards. Abbraviations: HP, hollowpoint; JHP, jacketed hollowpoint

After I played with it long enough to get a good feel for the sights and the trigger, I moved back to 25 yards to do some accuracy testing. Using a sandbag rest, I fired five five-shot groups with five different loads. As you can see from the accompanying accuracy table, the test pistol shot very well with a variety of loads.

While I listed only average accuracy in the table, I shot a few excellent groups with the test pistol. Federal's 230-grain Hydra Shok load produced an incredible .705-inch group and a five-group average of 1.58 inches. The FNP also liked Black Hill's 185-grain load, as evidenced by its 1.18-inch best group and 1.69-inch average. That is good shooting for any pistol, especially a polymer-framed, box-stock pistol as affordable as the FNP.

With the accuracy work complete, my training partner, Fernando Flores, and I set out to finish the 500 rounds of ammunition I'd brought to the range. One of us would load magazines while the other did his best to unload them as fast and accurately as possible.