The FN Forty-Nine is a recoil operated, locked breech semi-automatic pistol developed by the Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 company Fabrique Nationale (FN)

Fabrique Nationale de Herstal

Fabrique Nationale d'Herstal — self identified as FN Herstal and often referred to as Fabrique Nationale or simply FN — is a firearms manufacturer located in Herstal, Belgium....

. The Forty-Nine uses an improved linkless locking principle intended for police use. The pistol is striker fired and uses FN's Repeatable Secure Striker mechanism. This means that unlike many other striker-fired pistols, such as the Glock

Glock

Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...

 family, the Forty-Nine operates on a double-action only (DAO) trigger mechanism, meaning that the hammer is cocked by the trigger pull before every shot. This allows the user to re-strike a misfired cartridge simply by pulling the trigger again. The Forty-Nine has no external (manual) safety switches. The double-stacked detachable magazine holds sixteen rounds in 9mm caliber and fourteen in .40 S&W

.40 S&W

The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...

. The frame is constructed of polymer and the slide of stainless steel. An accessory rail under the barrel allows for quick and easy mounting of laser aiming modules and flashlights.

As of 2008, the FN Forty-Nine pistol has been discontinued by FN.