Cybergun/VFC FNX-45

[DeltaZero]

OK, so its finally here!! The Cybergun/VFC FNX-45. #YOLOSWAG

 

The box is as you’ve all seen, glossy picture with the promotional jargon plastered in the spare space. There is no packaging inside the box it is literally just a box with the pistol, spare back strap and manual inside. Interestingly my pistol was sent with the slide removed, not sure why but all pieces were packaged well with bubble wrap. The instructions are poor to say the least just tells you the basic function of the pistol. But then again most of us are men, who looks at the instructions? 

 

 

The Pistol

 

 

Picking the pistol up (in my case after reassembly) you immediately get a sense of bulk and solidness. This pistol is big, it’s hefty and did I say big? 

 

The finish on the slide is fantastic, a nice matt sand colour, whilst the frame is a darker tan. The polymer used feels almost “fibery” not sure if thats true or not but it’s certainly very solid with good texture. Aiming down the sights you suddenly realise it’s got the taller “tactical” sights to clear a suppressor. For me, being used to Hi-Capas and M&Ps, its quite a bit change and something I will have to get used to. You also notice the enlarged 16mm barrel that sticks out from the front of the slide. 

 

The weight of the pistol is good, unfortunately my scales are currently out of battery so I can’t weight it with or without mag but I’m sure someone else will chip in when they get hold of one. It’s certainly much lighter without the magazine for obvious reasons and also becomes quite unbalanced without it. But that’s not a major issue as the main time you’ll be holding it is with a mag in, in which case its really well balanced and very pointable. 

 

Holding the pistol you will notice that the grip texture is quite aggressive and harsh to a bare hand. Not painful but you notice its there, it’s something a lot of people are adding to their pistols at the moment with different stippling techniques so it’s nice that realistically you won’t need to go to the extra length here. Holding the pistol with gloves and you’re given fantastic grip with very little if any change of it slipping out of your hand. 

 

 

There are also slide serrations running along the left and right of the slide to aid grip when racking the slide, these aren’t the deepest of serrations I’ve seen but certainly give enough grip and traction. 

 

Externals

 

Looking at the slide itself the finish of the paintwork is fantastic, there are very few flaws that I can see and the paintwork is a very nice matt sand with slight flecks of lighter colour, almost looks sparkly in the right lighting. If you remove the slide from the lower frame you are able to see a flawless continuation of paint finish right through the whole slide even to the underside of the upper edge, something I’ve known some replicas to have failed on. 

 

The trade marks and slide serrations are present on both sides and are really clear cut with very good definition. With Cybergun having the licensing from FN Herstal I would assume that they are also 100% accurate or as close as you’ll get. There is absolutely no mention that the gun is an airsoft replica which is a refreshing change from all licensing and safety rubbish that features on most replicas nowadays! 

 

 

Carrying on with the trademark theme you’ve also got the FN Herstal logo on both sides of the pistol grip and on the bottom of the mag baseplate. Again these trademarks are crisply moulded into the plastic with great definition. There is also a serial plate on the underside of the frame which has a QR code and serial number laser etched into it. I don’t know if these serial codes are unique, I’m waiting to hear from another owner to confirm. 

 

 

Moving onto the ambi controls you suddenly notice how functional this pistol really is. I’ve never had a pistol that has any ambidextrous controls other than the dual sided safety on a Hi-Capa and I must say it’s a really nice addition. All bar the safety/decocking lever are made out of metal and have a nice positive feel to them. The decocker/safety lever especially has a nice solid feel. It clicks firmly into place and has little to no movement, I’ve heard reports of a slight vibration in this part as the slide is racked, but personally I can’t notice it. On some occasions I've found the right slide release to be quite intermittent in function. It seem to be weaker than the left hand side. Not a major issue as I am mainly a right handed shooter, but something to bear in mind. There is also you’re usual red marker to show the pistol is in the fire position, no white marker to show it’s in safe mind you. 

 

 

The back strap is removable, albeit REALLY stiff. You need to push a little screw driver or similar into the small hole on the back of the back strap and simultaneously slide the back strap down. I’ve not found a easy way to do it yet. Some of you will notice from the pictures that the back strap looks to be a slightly different shade of tan to the rest of the grip. You are correct, it is slightly different, I would assume it was due to it being a rubbery material and not having the dyes quite matched up. The pistol comes with two options of back strap, unfortunately i’ve managed to mis place the slim back strap so have not been able to photo it with either grip on unfortunately. Having said that the alternative back strap is VERY thin. Almost too thin for the pistol to keep a comfortable curved back to fit into your palm. I have smaller than average hands and I found the slim grip uncomfortable and too flat for my liking (I usually use slim on an M&P).

 

The sights that are installed onto the pistol are the taller “tactical” style iron sights. From what I can understand they are taller to make sure they are still useable when a suppressor is installed. I’ve put an Osprey on this and have had no problem at all acquiring targets, they’re the perfect height, surprisingly . Both front and rear are moulded really nicely and feel very solid. They have the usual white 3 dot system however quite uniquely the white dot is actually a ring with a clear fibre running through the middle. I don’t know if this means you’d be able to knock the existing fibre out and install a coloured fibre should you want to but its certainly a plausible option. They seem to be attached via screws running right through the BBU for the rear sight and a little grub screw for the front. I’m unsure on RS sight compatibility. 

 

 

The outer barrel itself is really nicely made, obviously its a thicker gauge to you’re standard outer barrel with a 16mm thread including protector. I really like the way the barrel protrudes from the end of the slide, really finishes off the “look” in my eyes. It’s not something you see on a side arm very often. The threaded barrel is a clockwise thread and the ACE1ARMS 16mm Osprey adaptor fits perfectly. The thread protector itself is really nicely made with some well defined knurling for grip. 

 

 

RMR

 

Now for the moment a lot of you have been waiting for. It is NOT RMR compatible unfortunately. The screw holes for mounting the plate are too close together to accept the screws from the RMR. Unfortunately I can’t see a way around this without redesigning the BBU with the correct hole positions which would of course require a new top plate also. I don’t understand why Cybergun/VFC have made it this way as I can’t see why they needed to position the screws in the wrong place but they have. There is also a ridge running along the top of the BBU which I’m pretty sure could be dremelled away to create a flat surface to accept the RMR. I don’t know if it is just my RMR that isn’t compatible or if it will be other brand/types but I can’t imagine it is the RMR’s fault. Thumbs down CG.. you’ve disappointed a lot of people. Of course an adaptor plate could potentially be made and used but you would loose the co-witness function unfortunately. Yes, if the holes were in the right place, you would be able to co-witness perfectly well, I balanced my RMR on top to test, I hope someone releases an aftermarket BBU that has the correct hole positions! 

 

Please do note, I have only tried with a Trijicon RMR replica nothing else. I don't know if the one Cybergun have shown on the box will fit mounting plate free but I would assume it doesn't as they said it would need a plate. You would also loose co-witness too. Apologies for not having pictures of the RMR to show as a comparison, I put it back on my Breacher in disappointment. But it really is just completely out of place. 

 

 

Magazine

 

The magazine has a really nice “polished/blued’ finish to it. It’s a dark chrome look which is really attractive. Not only does it look fantastic but it makes the mag slide out of the mag well so smoothly, aiding with reloads. It’s really nice quality plating (I assume) with a good smooth surface. 

 

 

Obviously the fill valve is in a different position to your conventional gas pistol magazine. It’s right under the “hammer?” gas valve. Personally I find this position really natural to hold the magazine for gassing, I certainly wouldn’t put it as a draw back. Means the fill valve won’t get gunked up with mud if you’re crawling around! 

 

Overall the magazine seems really well made, are generally solid and seem to be constructed in much the same way as any other gas pistol magazine. The only change I can see other than the fill valve position is the weird base plate design. Now I’m not talking about the oversized bumper on the end. Removing the bumper will let you see the base of the magazine itself. It’s curved to match the curvature of the base plate. I can’t see any benefit to this other than making the baseplate itself feel solid and optimise space available for the gas reservoir. But due to this curved design it does mean the flat style baseplates that I know a few of you were after will not be an option unfortunately. 

 

 

Now the mags are big, around the same size as a USP .45 I would say. They obviously have a big gas reservoir, i managed to get around 3 magazines worth out of one magazine before it wouldn’t cycle anymore. 2 before cool down or any other noticeable affect. They do still fit in magazine pouches though. I run Warrior Assault Systems old style pistol mag pouches on my rig and it fits JUST. There is about a 1cm over lap on the velcro but they’re pretty tight so I would have no worries about them falling out. 

 

Internally

 

The first thing you’ll notice when you open it up is the amount of horrible grease that is literally spread all over the thing. It’s horrendous and smells foul. I immediately gave it a quick rub down with a rag and applied my own oil to the pistol to make sure everything was running smoothly. Unfortunately the internals are a bit of a mystery to me I’m afraid. I’m not 100% confident on them to start pulling it apart without knowing 100% I can get it back together or that there is someone out there that can help me! So for now I’m just going to do the basics. 

 

After removing the recoil spring in your usual fashion similar to most pistols, and then removing the outer barrel you’re left with the BBU. Taking the RMR plate off and removing the screws holding the rear sight on means you can get a bit of play into the BBU but for some reason it won’t come out by just pulling. I would assume it is catching on the shell extractor or something like that but I don’t want to force anything. So I’m going to leave it down to someone with a bit more GBB Pistol experience to rip it apart. Squad 701 maybe? What I will say is its not your standard nozzle assembly that you would expect to find in a pistol. The piston isn’t attached to the rear of the bbu with the nozzle sliding back and forth over it, the nozzle is the piston. Similar to a GBB Rifle actually, the whole assembly is one piece and sprung. It’s also pretty stiff. I don’t know if the O-Ring is swollen or something but it’s not having an affect on the function right now so I’m not going to worry until it does. 

 

 

The hop up is something I will hazard a guess at though. Again I don’t want to take it apart unless I really have to as I don’t want to obviously make a void of my warranty (as it was shipped in 3 parts, I haven’t done anything more realistically). But removing the inner barrel from the outer barrel itself is similar to most other pistols with the exception of a little spring that is keeping the inner barrel assembly tight against the outer barrel. Again I don’t know the reason for this but I would guess it was something to do with helping break contact from the nozzle possibly? Just be careful when removing the inner barrel, I reckon that spring is pretty hard to get hold of and it’s pretty flimsy!

 

 

Remove the spring with some needle nose pliers and you’re free to slide the inner assembly out of the outer. This reveals quite a conventional pistol hop up set up with what I can presume is a TM compatible rubber and very similar hop tensioner system to their older designs. I’ve not taken it apart yet but I will do eventually to see how it compares to a TM Glock, TM M&P and TM Hi-Capa. If it’s TM rubber compatible it will be TM barrel compatible so there’s some potential upgrade parts. 

 

 

 

Shooting

 

After gassing and filling the magazine with BBs which is your standard affair you’re going to be pushing the mag into the mag well to find it seat firmly in the grip. Then racking the slide you get quite a metallic high pitch clank which sounds fantastic. It’s definitely a metal on metal clunk. 

 

Decocking the hammer is the same as any other pistol with a working decocker. Pull the lever down and the hammer falls to a half cocked position. You can fire straight from that position no problem. Interestingly though, the pistol will not dry fire if you pull the trigger from un cocked. A nice little feature as it’s obvious theres no round in the chamber so in RS, how could it fire? 

 

Firing the pistol is fantastic. It’s bloody snappy! The recoil spring is a little weak I will say but you don’t notice when actually firing. The slide slams back then straight forward faster than I can pull the trigger. The kick is insane with this thing, without a doubt the hardest I’ve ever felt, not “TM crisp and snappy” but it definitely packs more of a punch. 

 

Shooting with propane on a 17C evening it clocks in around 340fps on the first shot then 320fps on the last shot before the slide locks back with the fps dropping on the last 4-5 shots it’s pretty consistent. I would imagine if it were a hot day you’d have to be selective on which gases to use as it’ll definitely jump past the 350fps limit most of us here in the UK for sure have to abide by. I can’t see that being an issue though given the weaker recoil spring. 

 

Range and accuracy wise things are definitely not up to TM standards but I think thats a little too much to ask, its definitely not bad though. It’s definitely adequate for you’re regular pistol engagement distances and given the fact I am assuming its TM hop compatible I’m sure you’d be able to improve it relatively easy. The hop itself though does seem quite stable and is very easy to adjust. 

 

I’ve put around 20 magazines through this thing now with no glitches at all and I’ve always come out of it with a massive grin on my face. Unfortunately more mags aren’t available at the moment but as soon as they are I will be having some! 

 

Conclusion

 

In conclusion this is a fantastic pistol for the price I paid. As many of you will know I managed to get in on the pre-order before the price was hiked up to a staggering $225 and paid just $139 for the pistol itself. Unfortunately I just don’t think it is worth the $225 price tag. It’s fantastic don’t get me wrong but $225 is a lot of money and you could get a better pistol for much less than that. Now obviously I am just going on performance right now. This IS an FNX45 and it IS a 100% trademarked piece which will, obviously, hoik the price up. But I don’t think I personally would be able to justify spending that sort of money on something that for me doesn’t perform as well as some of my other pistols. Not only the lack of performance but one of the main game changers for me would be the lack of RMR compatibility which is what we all immediately wanted as soon as this pistol was revealed, and too right, the RS is compatible why shouldn’t this be? It was easy enough to do but for some strange reason CG chose not to, its even got the removable plate for crying out loud, the mind boggles! I think that will be a major game changer for most of the people interested in buying this pistol to be honest. 

 

I would assume it will eventually come down in price. I know Hobby Airsoft over in Irelend has it for sale at €175 right now which is better and I would assume it’ll come over to the UK pretty soon but I don’t know how price competitive it’ll be compared to other pistols. It’ll be interesting to find out, I’d quite like a black one when it finally gets released, but not at that price I don’t think. 

 

Performance wise, its really good, don’t get me wrong. Very snappy, kicks like a mule and is pretty efficient. But it just didn’t feel as snappy as a TM nor was it as accurate. There was just that “something” missing unfortunately. I want to love it I really do, I’ve been dreaming about having one ever since I can remember. It’s such a nice, clean, refreshing pistol. To think I’m sitting here right now with a FNX45 right next to me on my desk is fantastic. Finally a new pistol, something to break the sea of Glocks, Hi-Capas and 1911s.. but like I said there’s just that “something” missing. 

Edited September 13, 2014 by DeltaZero

[PureSilver]

Excellent review; in depth, covered the main points and the little unexpected issues well.

 

For me the next question is whether a different MRDS (e.g. a RS RMR) will fit the screw pattern, or whether we're all just SoL and heads need to roll at VFC/Cybergun.

[DeltaZero]

Thanks for the comments buddy.

 

You're right I too would like to know if an RS will fit or another MRDS.. maybe I'll get hold of another to see, I need one for my MP9 anyway. I wouldn't have thought it'd be too hard to redesign the BBU to change the screw positions and remove the ridge along the top. I'm sure some aftermarket company would be able to do that no problem. Just have to wait and see I guess, see what gets offered to us!

 

EDIT: think I've just worked out what the clear fibre in the iron sights is for. Unless it's just a happy coincidence..

 

With a torch mounted and switched on in a dark room you are able to see the light through the clear fibre pieces which sort of 'illuminates' the dots making it possible to aim whilst you have the torch on.

Edited September 13, 2014 by DeltaZero

[WTF?Shane]

Good review! Sadly, I started to lose interest in this hand gun after CG's shenanigans.

 

The red dot/reflex sight on the box is the Docter mini reflex sight. Hole spacing looks to be about the same, minus the BBU being in the way.

 

It would've been nice if they used colored fiber optic inserts to mimic the colored tritium inserts, or tritium inserts seeing as how much they are selling the handgun for.

[aznriptide859]

It is NOT RMR compatible unfortunately. The screw holes for mounting the plate are too close together to accept the screws from the RMR.

 

WHAT IN THE NAME OF DANTE'S *albatross* CYBERGUN?

[Starblade54]

Very nice review! 

Finish looks substantially better than the one they traipsed around for the pictures and preproduction videos. Everything on there matches my real one so kudos to CG/VFC for that. 

I will not be buying one however, as much as I want one. The lack of RMR compatibility, and the price point makes this a no-go for me. For the price you paid? hell yes, but not for $50 more than I paid for a shipped Tokyo Marui HK45 from Asia. From a US based retailer, it is a bit easier to stomach, as its not $225 + shipping from Asia, instead it is $225 shipped, but, that still is not worth it in my opinion. 

[mvirtue]

Thanks for the review!

[Scallene]

Onto the hop up unit that unit looks WAY to similar to the TM 5-7 unit that was completely plagued with issues. Thats just me though I could be wrong.

[tyguy94920]

 

Now we have to wait for mine to see the comparability with the Real Deal

[kagami]

I've been slow on the "news" thread but did they address the barrel to properly tilt or was that never an issue to begin with?

[DeltaZero]

Not sure what you mean by properly tilt? Point up when the slide is pulled back? I can get you some more pictures once I get home this evening.

 

Also small update regarding the Serial plate, I can confirm it is unique which is a nice touch! 

Edited September 13, 2014 by DeltaZero

[Zereck]

 

The first thing you’ll notice when you open it up is the amount of horrible grease that is literally spread all over the thing.

Oh I hated that in their M&P9 too, it was vomit enducingly stinky. Also the RMR clone incompatibility is kinda of a bummer as I wanted to buy one just for this pistol. I mean I don't think most people want to dish out 600$ for a real one. Altough I guess they couldn't place two holes near each other on the slide  if the screw are slightly in a different places on the clone RMRs. Where did you get your RMR if I may ask?

Also here is a picture of a real(left) and fake RMR(right):

 

Edit: I did read somewhere that a guy who succesfully installed a clone RMR on his real FNX-45, he did need to use a drill on the clone but it took him 5 mins.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Zereck

[DeltaZero]

Oh I hated that in their M&P9 too, it was vomit enducingly stinky. Also the RMR clone incompatibility is kinda of a bummer as I wanted to buy one just for this pistol. I mean I don't think most people want to dish out 600$ for a real one. Altough I guess they couldn't place two holes near each other on the slide  if the screw are slightly in a different places on the clone RMRs. Where did you get your RMR if I may ask?

Also here is a picture of a real(left) and fake RMR(right):

 

 

 

It wouldn't be too hard to change the screw hole positioning, but it would require a completely new BBU as you wouldn't be able to put the holes in the existing one. From what I can work out looking at reference pictures like the one above my screw holes are in the same place as on the RS RMR. But at the same time it only needs to be misaligned by a mm and it wont fit. But these holes are more than that out, at least 1mm either way. Mine came from RSOV I think but I honestly can't 100% remember, I buy so many bits and pieces it's hard to keep track! 

Edited September 13, 2014 by DeltaZero

[Habakure]

You know, this is me being picky, maybe if they concentrated more on the function of the pistol (as in the mounting plate and being able to stick an RMR on there, whilst still being able to co-witness) than the trades, they'd have made a damn fine pistol. Serial number being unique is handy (helps to identify the pistol to the user), but that's a small thing, were as the mounting point, on the frame, is a big deal for a lot of people.

 

Great review, DeltaZero, and am made up that you only paid the original asking price. Ya jammy sod.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Habakure

[Squad 701]

Nice Review DZ and Great photos too

 

Cybergun are expecting large worldwide sales, so are probably commissioning it's own RMR through VFC that could be sold globally without licencing issues.

I'm sure they're hoping any currently available clone RMRs will be sorted out by aftermarket adapter plates, as I reckon they won't be getting involved with sales of Trijicon- type replica RMR compatability and licensing issues.

It certainly is one snappy shooter, and nice to hold with decent gas efficiency.

But with it being a gunged up VFC build you can be sure that stuff is there to ensure no breakages of cheap parts within the initial release period, so only time will tell.

Maybe there is a massive 'Chipper' in Taiwan where VFC send their guns to be lubricated, that stuff smells funky

The safety/decocker shows signs of a slight resistance at times, like something that might break easy, you can see a vibration running through the decocker as you rack the slide.

Cybergun are in a strange position of having to finance a licenced gun that will always be classed as being 'Not Marui' and price will be expected to reflect this and yet incorporate a metal-slide and proper trades.

But these thing are obviously made as cheap as possible because of those reasons as they're guessing people won't be prepared to pay anymore than Marui prices.

So with cheaper hammer/trigger mechanism parts and mixed-metal slide/barrel there is always a chance of forthcoming problems etc.

The new RRP of $225 does seem a tiny bit steep for a gun with more serious chances of breakages than say a KJW.

Maybe KJW would have proved a better OEM, but it might have cost a premium.

Only time will tell if Cybergun are willing to up their game and finance better quality internals for the higher prices demanded from them, but I'm not expecting too much for the immediate future, but wishing.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Squad 701

[DeltaZero]

It would certainly make things easier if Cybergun/VFC came out with their own RMR but I wonder what styling they will go for? Realistically I think most people would agree that the Trijicon one suits the pistol best, so hopefully they go down that route. I will be disappointed if they don't!

[chas]

CB's facebook page shows the gun with a red dot on a mounting plate, which seems to reuin the cowitness thing.

 

https://www.facebook.com/cybergun

[DeltaZero]

Yup they use a Mounting place and apparently its an RS mounting plate or something they've made up. But they've stated it wont be available to purchase from them. There's a big discussion about it in the FNX45 News thread!

[chas]

https://www.facebook.com/cybergun/photos/pb.215979548413683.-2207520000.1410605993./837437082934590/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xpf1%2Ft31.0-8%2F10448654_837437082934590_4065978356683427477_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xpf1%2Ft31.0-8%2Fs960x960%2F10448654_837437082934590_4065978356683427477_o.jpg&size=1091%2C1200&fbid=837437082934590

 

https://www.facebook.com/cybergun/photos/pb.215979548413683.-2207520000.1410605993./832999423378356/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xpa1%2Ft31.0-8%2F10258361_832999423378356_2047066700795425751_o.jpg&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-xfa1%2Fv%2Ft1.0-9%2F1901213_832999423378356_2047066700795425751_n.jpg%3Foh%3Df88863687cd8ac44b09d493125059c38%26oe%3D5493205E&size=1153%2C863&fbid=832999423378356

[Atsalakotos]

A bit disappointed on the RMR compatibility, and having to work around something that could have been avoided alltogether by the manufacturer by simply relocating a few holes, really puts me off...

[DeltaZero]

It was made clear by Cybergun that it wouldn't accept an RMR without a mounting plate so it's not a massive surprise really. disappointing yes, but not a surprise! 

 

Unless things have changed in the last couple of months Cybergun have no plans to release a mounting plate. 

 

Please ignore the CG rep talking out of his *albartroth* about the co-witness. 

Edited September 13, 2014 by DeltaZero

[tyguy94920]

Edit: I did read somewhere that a guy who succesfully installed a clone RMR on his real FNX-45, he did need to use a drill on the clone but it took him 5 mins.

I got my clone RMR from Ebairsoft, installed with no problems

 

I should've noticed that the RMR holes on the CG were in the wrong place the whole time, the issue looks to be that in the location that the would be in the RS they would be on the edges of the BBU (holes marked with red)

[DeltaZero]

Thats a very good point actually.. They surely must be able to think of a way of working around that though? I mean you could reinforce the BBU etc no problems. It could be done I'm sure of it, just how would need to be thought about. 

[aznriptide859]

There exists a Docter-to-RMR adapter mount made by Trijicon; unfortunately it's not the greatest looking, and it's $60.

 

http://www.opticsplanet.com/trijicon-rmr-adapter-plate-for-docter-mounts-ms10-ms16.html

[tyguy94920]

 

That looks like it may actually work