AN OVERVIEW OF THE FN P90 SUBMACHINE by Tony L. Jones

fnp90: "AN OVERVIEW OF THE FN P90 SUBMACHINE

By Tony L. Jones
Times are changing very quickly for police agencies. Criminals today are more determined, not afraid of the judicial system, better armed, and well equipped with items such as personal body armor, radios, and protective (gas) masks. As a result, agencies are expressing the need for lightweight, compact, ambidextrous, and easy to use weapons which fire a cartridge that will be effective against the modern criminal, but not pose the liability risk of a rifle. FN Herstal took notice and developed a weapon system called the FN P90 Submachine Gun to address all of these issues.
This weapon system may be classified as a Personal Defense Weapon (PDW), which is typically a military designation, or as an entry/containment weapon useful in the law enforcement arena.
I seized the opportunity to observe, handle and fire the FN P90 at the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI) Regional Conference held in Dayton, Ohio, this past July. I readily admit the futuristic design left me somewhat skeptical; however, my skepticism dissolved after firing only a handful of ammunition. The more I fired the FN P90, the more I admired its futuristic design and unique capabilities.
I will discuss the FN P90�s unique characteristics by focusing on the following categories in order to logically discuss the weapon: ergonomics, mechanism, safety, ejection, magazine, versions, sighting system, ammunition, maintenance, and accessories.
Ergonomics: The FN P90 is very compact (the overall length is 19.7 inches; the width is only 2.2 inches; and the height, including the optical sight, is 8.3 inches). The entire weapon system only weighs 6.6 pounds with a completely loaded 50 round magazine affixed. Not only are the dimensions"