By: Friedrich Seiltgen

Copyright © 2023

FABRIQUE NATIONAL

Founded in 1889, Fabrique Nationale was started by a Belgian investors group to manufacture Mauser rifles for the Belgian army. Also in 1898, John Browning had a fallout with the Winchester company about his new autoloading shotgun design, the A5. Winchester wanted to give Browning a one-time, single fee payment for the rights to the A5, while Browning wanted royalties based on unit sales.

Browning signed a deal with FN and moved to Belgium to produce the new A5 design. Browning designed several firearms for FN. He passed away at his bench while working on the FN Hi-Power design.

FN went on to produce the FAL, French for Fusil Automatique Léger (Light Automatic Rifle). Made by Fabrique Nationale in Herstal, Belgium, the FAL has been in service since 1953 in over 90 countries. The original design of the FAL started in 1946 and was the brainchild of Belgian weapons designer Dieudonne Joseph Saive. Saive was immensely talented; he designed the FN model 49 and modified some of John Browning’s designs.

THE FRAME

FN adapted the ergonomics of the FN 509 Tactical to the 545 and created a powerhouse .45 ACP pistol. Purpose-built as a defense gun, it’s designed to put every advantage in hand.

Features include a precision-tuned fire control group, smooth trigger take-up, and a clean 6-pound break. The FN545 delivers accuracy.

The enhanced grip texturing, interchangeable backstraps, and slide serrations give the shooter superior control in managing the recoil of the 545. All controls are ambidextrous and a testimony to the advanced ergonomics of the FN Tactical line.

It’s also equipped with a MIL STD-1913 Rail for lights and lasers.

If you need capacity, the 545 has you covered with an unprecedented 18 rounds of firepower. The steel-bodied magazines are nickel plated, making them corrosion-resistant as well as lighting fast with reloads.

THE SLIDE & BARREL

The FN 545 Tactical is equipped with FN’s patented Low-Profile Optics Mounting System That is compatible with every major optics footprint. Shooters can directly mount virtually any optic in minutes. The slide is MRD-ready milled. The tritium inserts in the suppressor height 3-dot night sights co-witness with most MRDs, offering an immediate backup sighting option.

The barrel is 4.71 inches long, hammer forged, and target crowned for enduring accuracy. Its feed ramp and chamber have been polished for feed reliability, and the barrel is threaded .578” x 28 to accept most compensators and suppressors.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type: Double Action, Striker Fired, Semi-Automatic

Caliber: 45 ACP

Magazine capacity: 10, 15, or 18 Rounds

Sights: Tritium lamp steel dovetail sights, co-witness with most MRD optics

Barrel Length: 4.71

Overall Length: 8.3 Inches

Height: 6 Inches

Width: 1.45 Inches

Weight: 31 Ounces

MSRP: $1,139

URL: www.fnamerica.com

THE VERDICT

The FN 545 delivers tack-driving accuracy and high capacity in .45 ACP. The 545 Tactical ships with two interchangeable backstraps, one 18-round, and one 15-round magazine for those living in free states or two 10-round magazines for those in blue states.

Also included are four MRD mounting plates, an owner’s manual, a locking device, and a premium zippered case.

Check one out at your FN dealer.

That’s all for now, folks!   Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”

Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, Soldier of Fortune, The Counter Terrorist Magazine, Off Grid, American Thinker, Homeland Security Today, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International. Contact him at [email protected].