First Shots: FN-America FN503 Pistol

When FNAmerica rolled out the FN 503 earlier this year, it caused a quiet storm. For the first time in, well, a long time, FN-America had a small, compact pistol for concealed-carry. Roughly the size of several other single-stack, subcompact, polymer-frame 9 mm pistols, the FN 503 is another small, easy-to-carry handgun perfect for the concealed-carrier. In a vacuum, it's not terrifically exciting - there's a lot of subcompact, single-stack, polymer 9 mm pistols out there, and many have been on the market for nearly a decade now - and some for quite a bit longer. For FN, though, it's noteworthy: This is a handgun designed for the consumer market, not a law enforcement or military contract. 

Joe Kurtenbach takes a closer look at the FN 503 in this video, noting how the FN 503 performs on the range. With the downsizing of the FN platform (literally), one concern is how the pistol will function as a reduced-weight, reduced-grip-size handgun. Often, pistols of this size and weight can be more difficult to shoot well, with snappiness and a tendency to recoil out of the hands among the main concerns.

The FN 503 comes with low-profile iron sights, a 3.1-inch barrel and ships with a six-round magazine with pinky extension and an eight-round magazine with a grip sleeve. MSRP on the FN 503 is $549. For more information on the FN 503, check out FNAmerica.com.