Extar EP9 vs Foxtrot Mike VFM-9 vs Springfield Kuna
A few weeks ago I did a review of EP9 vs Kuna, now I added the VFM-9 to the mix. My big takeaway is this just made me like the EP9 even more lol.
I already planned to modify my 5” VFM-9, but I did this review initially in stock form. I bought the version with RMB (recoil mitigation buffer).
Recoil
The Kuna is king in recoil and it is not close. The Kuna really feels like a nailgun when shooting. The EP9 comes in second for felt recoil. The EP9, while not as completely soft as the Kuna, is still fairly soft and manageable. It is a different kind of impulse vs the Kuna, but it isn’t a straight punch. While the VFM-9 is much more like a straight punch. I wouldn’t say the VFM-9 recoil is bad, but it is clearly the worst and sharper than the EP9. The recoil itself in the VFM-9 isn’t much stronger, but the impulse is. The biggest difference between all 3 is the sharpness. You can do faster follow up shots with the Kuna due to it.
Ergos/Feel
In my first review I kept these pretty close between EP9 and Kuna, mostly on preference. Kuna is heavy and compact, EP9 is longer and much lighter. The Kuna feels good for me but someone who needs more room might enjoy the EP9 more. The VFM-9 is inbetween these two for weight and pretty similar size to the Kuna. Noticeably heavier than the EP9, slightly less than the Kuna. I have small hands and the VFM-9 handguard is great for me and the whole gun felt comfortable. The handguard did start to get warm though and if I didn’t have 3 PCC’s rotating, I could see the VFM-9 getting too hot the fastest out of the three (all shooting was suppressed). It does cool down pretty quick at least.
Controls
The Kuna still has the best controls, but the VFM-9 actually has pretty nice controls too. This is the one area the EP9 is just straight dogshit in lol. The Kuna everything feels top tier and like you have a high end firearm. Everything on the VFM-9 is slightly worse, except the mag release. It has the best mag release out of the 3 by far, actually so good. The safety lever is also really good on the VFM-9, only reason it isn’t better than the Kuna is 90 degrees vs Kuna being like 35 degrees, but it is smoother. The rear and the front charging handle on the VFM-9 are ok but not great, and still better than the EP9. The charging handle on the Kuna is the smoothest and best. VFM-9 has ambi controls just like the Kuna, just the left hand bolt catch is slightly worse (it is just a nub). While the EP9 has no ambi, and my biggest gripe is having the charging handle on the same side as the bolt catch, which to me is just dumb.
The trigger is the one weak point on the VFM-9 and the worst out of the 3. I actually think the EP9 trigger is ok, I have no need to replace it. I need to replace the VFM-9 trigger (already did lol). The Kuna has the best trigger easily.
Gas
I think the VFM-9 had the worst gas. Obviously the Kuna will be the least gassy, and more pleasant suppressed. As I said in my previous review, since I switched to Blazer Clean Fire Suppressor 147gr ammo, the gas doesn’t really both me much on any of the guns. For gas it is Kuna, then a big gap, EP9, and VFM-9. It just feels like the VFM-9 spits shit a lot and I get dirty shooting it. I switched cans when testing this since obviously the Milkman will have the least gas.
Brace
In my previous review I mentioned while the Kuna brace looks uncomfortable, it is surprisingly fine to shoot. However, my mind changed a bit today because I shot a mag of Federal HST 147gr and yeah, the Kuna brace kinda sucks lol. With soft shooting ammo it isn’t bad at all but with the HST I really felt it. The EP9 has the most comfortable brace (with the SBA3 version). The VFM-9 brace is noticeably worse than the EP9, but isn’t bad overall and better than the Kuna brace (and better than the EP9 blade). I am still going to replace the brace on both the VFM-9 (bought a SBA5 brace) and the Kuna (bought a 1913 brace).
TL;DR
Overall this just re-affirmed to me that the Extar EP9 is the budget king, with its biggest downside being trash controls, but otherwise it is pretty top tier in other aspects imo. The weight is a big advantage, and it shoots soft enough to be overall pleasant. The Kuna is the best in recoil, gas, and controls, but it needs a different brace, and everything comes at a premium price. The VFM-9 is a cool gun with good controls, and overall good value, just a bit worse to shoot recoil wise, and worse reliability with ammo.
So if you want a gun that just works and is budget friendly, esp for home defense, get the EP9. I would get the VFM-9 if you specifically want an AR9, and want access to AR9 upgrades (which is why I got it), but not for home defense due to ammo feed issues. To me the VFM-9 is better than the EP9 as a fun range toy, but worse for a do it all reliable gun. The Kuna is just the premium option, and it is clearly better in a lot of ways, but obviously costs a lot more, and isn’t without some downsides. Also the Kuna with BOE Incolite 9M is ridiculously quiet and people are impressed with it every time lol.
Some additional points on VFM-9 ammo
I had some feeding issues with the VFM-9 (all flat nose ammo), and a few times it failed to cycle, which I think may be due to the ammo since it is light loads. I don’t know enough about the short stroke buffer to know if that is the cause, but I will be switching to an A5 buffer. That makes me hesitant to use or recommend it for home defense, but I did buy it to be a range toy specifically.
I replaced the buffer to an A5 buffer and had zero cycling issues, and no feeding issues with Blazer Clean Fire, which is flat nose, but Federal Syntech 150gr would not feed at all. So I do think the short stroke buffer it comes with stock was giving cycling issues with the lighter loaded ammo. Again I don’t know much about the short stroke buffer or why it is used, but just my experience, I would not recommend it. Also the SBA5 brace was a nice improvement and I highly recommend. Outside of these issues I do think it is a nice gun overall. I am happy with my VFM-9 now as a range toy, and with FRT, it is super fun.