FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Approximating the feel and manual of arms of the centerfire FN 509 series of handguns, FN’s 502 pistol is a fun, inexpensive-to-shoot .22 LR alternative that doubles as a great trainer. Available in black and FDE, the FN 502 Tactical is suppressor-ready and optics-ready right out of the box, and boasts 15-round capacity.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Multiple optics plates and assorted hardware is included, allowing the user to mount the vast majority of micro red dot reflex sights on the market. Installed from the factory is a blanking plate that nicely fills in the optics-ready portion of the slide for a clean appearance.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

If you’re in a free state you’ll receive a 502 Tactical with one 10-round and one 15-round magazine. This is pretty cool in the world of .22 LR pistols, where 10 rounds has long-since been the norm regardless of state restrictions.

The windowed magazines make it quick and easy to determine how many rounds are on deck, and the thumb button attached to the follower makes it easy to load the 502’s mags to full capacity.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

If you do mount an optic to the industry’s first slide-mounted-optics rimfire handgun, the suppressor-height iron sights will have no issue co-witnessing through the optic’s window. Front and rear sights are serrated to reduce glare and are all black.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

If you’re familiar with the grip shape and texture of the FN 509, you’ll feel right at home with the 502.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

While grip circumference is a little smaller, everything else about the ergos is a near dead-on match between 509 and 502, including the locations, shapes, and sizes of the controls such as the magazine release and slide catch.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Both of those controls and the manual safety are fully ambidextrous, appearing in functional form on the right side of the FN 502 as well as on the left.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Because the entire aluminum and steel slide on the FN 502 series reciprocates, running a 502 is extremely similar to running a centerfire 509. Shared ergonomics, controls, and basic operation mean the .22 LR rimfire FN 502 is a great trainer for anyone who shoots a 509, whether that’s a 509 LS Edge for competition (or Operations) or a 509 Tactical or 509 Midsize for self-defense or home-defense.

I have always loved the idea of rimfire trainers, whether bolt guns or pistols, as they’re not only extremely affordable to shoot and practice with but they tend to train away bad habits such as flinching and help ingrain better trigger presses. The FN 502 Tactical even fits most FN 509 Tactical holsters.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

With the 1/2×28″ threaded barrel allowing for suppressed shooting, the FN 502 Tactical is also an ideal way to introduce new handgun shooters to the sport. Eliminating the blast and noise that comes with unsuppressed shooting, which allows for a range session free from on-the-head hearing protection, makes for a less intimidating, more pleasant, and safer experience.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Out of the box it was the 502’s trigger that perhaps stood out to me the most. While many rimfire pistols have marginal-at-best triggers, that isn’t the case with the hammer-fired, single-action FN 509. This bad boy’s trigger is clean and crisp, breaking at a little over 4.5 pounds as measured but feeling quite a bit lighter than that. It has a nice reset, too, that’s fairly short with a click that can be felt and heard.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

I’ve shot dozens of models of .22 LR pistols manufactured by Umarex, and the 502 feels like the nicest level of product to come out of that factory. From the formulation of the polymer and how it feels in the hand to the quality of the machining and the finishes, it looks and feels like a quality firearm.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

Issues related to cheap, bulk box .22 LR ammo aside (ammo-side problems like dud primers), the FN 502 Tactical ran reliably and accurately for me over the course of five-ish range sessions and almost 500 rounds of mixed types of ammo.

Nearly all of this shooting was done suppressed, which blows extra carbon and fouling into the action. Finally, on my most recent range trip with the 502, I noticed that slide speed was a little slow and eventually had some failures to go into battery with waxed .22 LR rounds. The poor gun was dry as a desert and chock full of carbon and copper flecks; it was past due to be cleaned and lubed and was letting me know it.

If I could change anything about the 502 Tactical I’d probably go with a stiffer recoil spring, particularly for use when shooting suppressed. That extra backpressure from the silencer runs the slide harder, and a stiffer recoil spring would have allowed me to abuse my poor pistol even longer before it started stopping.

Not to get too in-the-weeds nerdy, but these hammer-fired .22s rely a lot on the stiffness of the hammer spring to provide resistance to the slide under recoil. That works great, but it doesn’t help the slide return to battery. Given the distance the 502 fires empty brass, FN can [and should] get away with a stronger recoil spring.

FN 502 Tactical .22 LR Pistol

The FN 502 Tactical is everything I want from a .22 LR pistol. It’s a standard-sized gun with matching ergonomics, controls, and general operation to that of a quality centerfire pistol (the FN 509 series) so it works great as an affordable trainer. It’s suppressor-ready and optics-ready, with the necessary adapters to fit the optic of your choice. It has great sights, a high-for-rimfire capacity, and is an absolute blast to shoot.

In a dystopian world in which I could only own one .22 LR pistol, I can absolutely see the FN 502 Tactical winning that spot.

Specifications: FN 502 Tactical

CALIBER: .22 LR
OPERATION: Single Action Only (SAO)
MAG CAPACITY: 10 or 15 Rd.
SIGHTS: suppressor/optics-height iron sights with optics-ready slide
WEIGHT: 23.7 oz.
BARREL: 4.6″ threaded 1/2×28″
OVERALL LENGTH: 7.6″
HEIGHT: 5.8”
WIDTH: 1.4”
FINISH: all-black or all-FDE
TRIGGER PULL: ~5 lbs
MSRP: $519 (typically about $499)

Ratings (out of five stars):

Reliability * * * *
One star above average for a modern .22 LR pistol. The FN 502 is not ammunition-sensitive, which is a huge deal among .22 LR pistols. However, it does have a gentle recoil spring that won’t overcome less-than-correct rounds (clumps of wax, small burrs, etc) or my utter neglect at proper maintenance, and could also result in slow slide speeds with certain optics.

Accuracy * * * *
Tight little groups with lots of different ammo brands. Even first-time shooters put up impressive groups when equipped with a red dot. The crisp trigger and quality ergonomics help, too.

Ergonomics * * * * *
From the 502 Tactical’s grip shape and texture to the location, size, and texture of its controls and slide serrations, it earns top marks for ergos. If you’re already shooting a 509, the 502 is a no-brainer.

Customize This * * * *
Multiple optics plates, a threaded barrel, and some 509 accessories compatibility make the 502 a highly customizable rimfire trainer, indeed.

On The Range * * * * *
More fun than a barrel of .22 LR. Great shooter, great trigger, great ergos. Suppresses really well and ran reliably, typical .22 LR ammo problems aside.

Overall * * * * 1/2
Falling just shy of a perfect score, the FN 502 Tactical is definitely a contender for best all-around .22 LR pistol on the market.

 

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41 COMMENTS

  1. that explains the hammer. i didn’t think my friends 509 had one.
    cz kadet please.

    • I’ll assume you mean “lusting” after the CP33?

      The CP33 is the real deal. Get it. It’s awesome. I absolutely love mine. Going to the range with five magazines, I’ve got 200 rounds loaded up, and it costs 1/10th what my 10mm costs to shoot.

      Just have to be careful to feed it what it likes. Mini-Mags are a no-go on mine, but AR Tactical, Thunderbolt, AutoMatch, Winchester Super-X, it loves all those.

      • I’ll be captain obvious here. .22s tend to be ammo sensitive. It’s the nature of the beast. I had a Umarex Walther that would only run with Mini Mags. Go figure.

    • I know I love my CP33. And I even think they are still available for less than $500.

    • The Schiller Institute is a German based political and economic think tank founded by Helga Zepp-LaRouche, with stated members in 50 countries. It is among the principal organizations of the LaRouche movement.[2] The institute’s stated aim is to apply the ideas of the poet and philosopher Friedrich Schiller to what it calls the “contemporary world crisis.” Their constitution, adopted in 1984, rails against international financial institutions and other supranational bodies, without naming any, for causing a state of tyranny in the world, especially amongst developing nations.

      Allegations of antisemitism arose in 2003 following the death of Jeremiah Duggan, a student who had been attending their conference in Germany. The Schiller Institute was accused of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories. An internal London Metropolitan Police (Scotland Yard) letter, obtained by the BBC’s Newsnight during a British investigation into the death says: “The Schiller Institute and the LaRouche Youth Movement… blames the Jewish people for the Iraq war and all the other problems in the world. Jeremiah’s lecture notes and bulletins showed the antisemitic nature of [the] ideology.” The German newspaper Berliner Zeitung categorizes the Schiller Institute as antisemitic.

      The author ignores that NATO is a unified defense pact, and that any nation that engages in attacking another is not entitled to assistance from the member nations. Further, NATO has had nothing to do with the situation in Syria, although the US certainly has. Rather, the adventures in Syria (ill-advised as Obama’s efforts were) were in the main directed at ISIS and Iran, and the threat Iran poses to Israel.

  4. I love a .22 LR handguns. I’ve used them in the field to dispatch everything from an Eastern Diamondback to a whitetail. Own half a dozen of them. Looking for more of the right make/model every day. But, I don’t want 8″ of suppressor on a pistol that isn’t loud anyway. Or, an optic. By the time I walk out the door with all that I might as well take one of my .22 LR rifles. With subsonic ammo it’s quite enough and with those Leupold scopes a head shot on squirrels is usually not a problem at 50 yards. Before anyone starts squealing FUDD. My original permanent duty station had suppressed Colt Woodsmans (they may have been High Standards. It was a long time ago) in the arms room. When I asked what they were for I was told, “Sentry removal.” I asked, “If given that job could I have one of those MP5SDs instead, please?” I was labeled a malcontent. Seriously, anything that makes any weapon larger and more unwieldy better have a serious trade off for me. And it’s a double edged sword. An 8″ .556 is just plain stupid. It’s loud and, well, really loud. And the ballistics suck. Screw on a suppressor and it’s quiter, but not as short anymore. And the ballistics still suck. Point is, if you like suppressors, good for you. So do I. But one on a .22 LR handgun? Except as a range toy, eh. I ain’t no Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle and it’s been a minute since I’ve seen a sentry. But it’s your money.

    • An unsuppressed .22 LR pistol is good for about 157 dB, which is way more than loud enough to cause some degree of permanent hearing loss after extremely little exposure. There is all the reason in the world to suppress a .22 pistol, which brings it down to about 115 dB.

      .22 LR silencers are not 8″ long as you suggested, nor are they heavy or cumbersome. In fact, they’re typically so short and light that you can’t tell whether one’s installed or not other than by the sound. The Rugged Mustang seen in many of these photos (the tan one) is 3.3 ounces as configured in its full, 5.3″ length as in the photos. It’s 2.4 ounces and 3.4 inches in short config. It isn’t an outlier.

      • A headshot 50 yds with a .22 pistol or any other pistol come to that on squirrels is at best delusional. Even witth a .22 Rifle scoped up it’s not a given and I’ve done my share. I once more or less casually pointed my .22 LR over a gate and more in hope than anger pointed it at a hopping bunny. Flop it went. I’d put one right through it’s bloody eye BUT that does not mean that I would say that was normal. A bunny rabbit, unless yours are elephant sized, has a head of about TWO INCHES and If you can fire a two inch group with any kind of bloody pistol I really would eat my hat .22LR ballistics are against it in the first place.
        I was a small arms instructor for a few years in the UK RAF and the UK Infantry Reserves and a more than competent ‘shot’ with any smal arm youcn think of especially wo ith ALL service Rifles, Subbies and in the top five in the UK Services with both Service SR[A] Service Rifles with out augumentation L-E No4.303, FN 7.62SLG BREN.303 and 7.62. SA80 5.56NATO and.22 Match. Though on the right side of competent with handguns mainly Browning 9mm Hi-Power S&W38 Glock and Sig Sauer I would not claim expertise in target pistol BUT to say a bloody bunny herad shot as if it’s commonplace is borderline idiocy.

        • You do you. I hunt squirrel with .22 pistols every season. Mostly a mkll or a match target woodsman. It’s not always “easy” but that’s what practice practice practice is for.
          Crackpot full of squirrels and gravy Mmmmm

        • You subjects are afraid of weapons and barely competent. A lot of the kids, yes kids, I ran with in WV and KY Could head shoot bunnies and squirrels all day long with both .22 rifle and pistol.

          I watched my old man head shoot 5 squirrels in one morning with a .22 rifle. And in those days it was rare to see a scope on a rifle. Dad did it with irons.

        • did you see deep purple play with the royal philharmonic at albert hall? no, you went to see the wiggles.
          .22 pistol shoot 2″ at 25yds all. day. long.

        • “Even witth a .22 Rifle scoped up it’s not a given and I’ve done my share.”

          When I was a kid, I used to pop squirrel heads with a Nylon 66 using iron sights. Used sold the squirrel tails to a guy who made car antenna streamers out of them.

          Remember car antennas?

    • @Gadsden Flag

      I run a Sparrow* can on most of my .22’s. It is not the newest, quietest on the market…but it works well and doesn’t mess up the weight / balance of the pistol (well, maybe a tiny bit). Suppressors are a godsend to those of us who already have damaged hearing. Most of my semi-autos are equipped with threaded barrels for that very reason….and, yes, I still use electronic ear muffs (with the volume turned up instead of down).

      *my local dealer sells the Sparrow for $275 plus the damnable $200 permission stamp. At that price I would own 5 or 6 more if not for the $200 extra each and year out of my life waiting.

    • I would ask everyone to keep in mind that not all shots are made in the middle of the night with only crickets for ambient noise. Even in third world environments, there is plenty background and traffic noise. A suppressed .22LR can be unnoticed in the right situations.

    • It’s fun to shoot house mice with .22 snake loads. Doesn’t even puncture the cereal box in the pantry that the little bugger is poking his head out from behind.

      That was decades ago in a crappy old trailer in North Idaho. I’ve come up in the world since then.

      • LOL one morning in a Missouri shack I took a shot at a mouse by the kitchen faucet , the water was flying. Heh heh, what to do? Turn off main and Left note for old lady , “Fix pipes when I get home late for work. Luv yah.”
        Peace out brother mouse killer👍

      • And nuther thing, since I got to thinking, Did you really come up in the world?
        I’ wouldn’t mind shooting mice in the house again.
        Theres Freedom and then theres freedom.

        • got one behind the bookcase with a daisy powerline. fished it out with a fly rod. after the next attempt left a hole in the baseboard i quit.
          squirrels in the attic, however…

      • In America the only way you remain one of the poors is if you make it happens. Bad habits, bad choices.

        Coming up in the world is what we all should push for.

      • Mostsad , ain’t them the guys that shot their pistuls sideways, their from Egypt or somewhere, built pyramids for a living, until they got the biggest biggest one built, then they got fired and run off the property cause they was hanging around wanting food.
        Moses was an infiltrator.
        It’s all in my book The Pyramid Conspiracies.

      • That’s a common legend, but not strictly true. The Mossad prefers suppressed .32 ACP pistols. That’s what they used on Gerald Bull.

        The Israeli military uses integrally suppressed 10/22 rifles to take care of watchdogs. They call them “hush puppies”. That’s pretty tactical, but not a pistol.

  6. I did not know that Umarex made actual firearms. I have a Umarex Beretta 92 replica, but that is a BB gun. Shoots full rock ‘n roll too.
    Also, the FN 502 is not listed on the Umarex USA web site but is on the FN web site. So… do Umarex and FN have common ownership or is Umarex just an FN subcontractor?

  7. PRO’S , TH BARREL A PLUS , CON’S , NO REAR SIGHT ADJ FOR WINDAGE OR ELVEVATION .
    BACK TO SR22 MORE IDEAL TARGET PISTOL .
    WISH BROWNING 1911 22LR HAD ADJ ELEVATION REAR SIGHT , IT’S PLASTIC BUTTON AND NO REMOVABLE BASE MAGAZINE ARE A BUMBER .

    THANKS ANYWAY ON INFOR ALWAYS

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