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The mission brief read very simply: take an FN 502 Tactical pistol and torture it in the desert. So Fred Mastison and Alex Landeen hit the range in Arizona with 2,222 rounds of .22 LR ammunition. And they ran the daylights out the blaster. Cooler still, they packaged into a 2 minute, 22 second video that is straight fire! This is the FN 502 Tactical Torture Test!
FN 502 Tactical Torture Test
While we clearly had some fun with this one, think for a second about what we did and why we did it. In the broadest stroke, a rimfire pistol exists for fun, practice, and sport. It’s the family gun, the pistol with which we teach our kids to shoot. A rimfire conjures up images of a fun-filled day on the range. But we’ve all shot plenty enough rimfire pistols that cause more consternation than celebration. Magazines won’t feed, or actions fail to eject. They hang up; they jam. They get dirty and just don’t run at all. So our test examines just what kind of temperament the FN 502 Tactical exhibits.
On a more mission-specific, tactical application, a pistol must perform without fail. Any time and every time a pistol deploys, whether as duty armament or a civilian defender, it must perform as designed. The FN 502 Tactical brings with it all the features and components a pistol requires to perform such duties. Capable of running suppressed, with optics or in more of a carry configuration–at least outwardly–it brings tremendous tactical/defensive capability by design. But can it hold up?
The Torture Test!
To test the 502 Tactical, the team bolted on a Vortex Defender CCW reflex sight. FN sent in 15 extra magazines that the boys loaded with a gaggle of Federal AutoMatch, CCI Green Tag, CCI Clean and CCI Clean Sub Sonic. One steel target took a prolonged, one-hour sting session of .22 LR! At the end of the day, the test induced only a couple failures to fire with subsonic ammo; and the all of the ammo held up better than expected. The guys took only one real break in the action–when the 502 Tactical reached temperates too hot to handle. “When I say the gun was hot, I mean as in you could fry bacon on it hot,” reported Mastison.
Look for the full report on this awesome range session in the upcoming October-November 2023 issue of Ballistic Magazine. Get your digital or print subscription at OutdoorGroupStore.com.
In the January-February issue of Combat Handguns, author Will Dabbs explored just what the FN 502 Tactical could do. He ran four different loads–Winchester Wildcat 40, Winchester M22 45, Aguila 40 Copper-Plated and CCI 45 Clean 22–to impressive accuracy results during testing. Fired from a rest at 12 meters, group sizes ranged from 1.2 to 2 inches.
“Every serious gun guy needs a reliable suppressed general utility .22 pistol,” Dabbs wrote. “A SWAT buddy keeps one handy on live ops to quietly deflate tires, extinguish offending lights or surreptitiously deal with vicious dogs. Those of us who live out in the boonies typically use such a rig for management of household pests.
“If ever you were to get ‘The Call’ from a loved one in trouble, you could even conceivably use the FN 502 for real,” Dabbs concluded. “The FN 502 Tactical is the coolest, most versatile .22 pistol I’ve ever seen.”
FN 502 Tactical Specs
Caliber: .22 LR
Barrel: 4.6 inches
Overall Length: 7.6 inches
Weight: 23.7 ounces (empty)
Grips: Polymer
Sights: Suppressor height
Action: SA hammer
Finish: FDE, black
Capacity: 10+1, 15+1
MSRP: $559
Read Will Dabbs’ full report in the January-February issue of Combat Handguns. Get your print or digital copy or subscription at OutdoorGroupStore.com.
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