S&W FPC folding 9mm carbine

[les snyder]

I had some expensive dental work last month, so had some VISA points to use... LGS had one of the SW FPC on the wall, so with the AR pistol brace fiasco ( just tell me how long the buffer tube can be), picked one up as a potential car gun.. it is not intuitive for an AR shooter... cheek weld is high, charging handle on the butt stock , bolt hold open/release hard to use, but I think they came up with a slim, compact design.. it does fold tighter than my LAW hinge on the AR, and has magazine storage in the butt stock... to keep it a slim design, the take down for the bolt is out the back of the buffer..... a set of flip up sights did work better than I had anticipated an did give a good cheek weld... trigger is not too bad... just sighted it in a 35yd, and will shoot some groups next week at longer distances...I originally intended to use a 1x prism scope, but after cataract replacement surgery, I can see the fixed sights  pretty well... regards Les

[Big Frank]

I saw a video last week of Jerry Miculek shooting one. It looks pretty good. It can even store a pair of long competition mags.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJjlJBv0VUk

[les snyder]

yes... the video was one of the reasons I looked closely at it...

[Big Frank]

yes... the video was one of the reasons I looked closely at it...

That was what got me interested in it too, not the articles about it. That case could hang on the back of a car seat and not look at all like a "truck gun" IMO. I like the point he makes about velocity gains in a 16" barrel compared to a pistol barrel. The lighter the bullet the more velocity and energy gains too. I've seen some ballistics for run of the mill ammo in several revolver and pistol calibers, and it seems like 1/3 more M.E. is a reasonable expectation in most of them. In a relatively slow pokey .45 ACP like my CCU, 30% seems to be about it, but some other calibers with light bullets are quite a bit higher. If I'm not mistaken, I once saw a .357 Magnum carbine that was doubling the energy of the ammo tested in a revolver with a "normal" barrel length.

[les snyder]

I'm more into accuracy... I wanted over match at greater than pistol distances, my G45 was very accurate for a 9mm as was my P35 high power... my polygonal rifled Glocks not so much.. until the brace ruling makes it through the courts, I removed the G34 from the Recover Tactical 20/20 brace which was my car gun... the G34.3 with a Briley barrel with HS509 would shoot 2" or so off a bag at 50m... I don't plan on using an optic or dot on the SW, but haven't tried it at anything over 35m for groups yet... I have a 100yd indoor range local, so will drag out some factory 124 and 147 to see how it does....regards

[Sponsor]

[Big Frank]

There aren't many folding semi-auto carbines available that I know of. From what I've read online, the KELTEC SUB2000 is SUBPAR. But what do you expect from KELTEC? The Trailblazer Firearms Pivot is accurate from what I've seen, and looks like a real winner. But the $1795 price tag is $1136 more than the S&W FPC! That $1136 would buy a whole lot of ammo, even at today's prices.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM3CthnALGs

[les snyder]

I think my original concept was optimal for my use... a highly reliable Glock platform in a pistol brace configuration without anything interfering with the operation of the basic pistol... supported by the front 1913 rail and rear of the lower... forward grip with extra mag, red dot and co-witness iron sights, and a folding brace... if I had a do-over I'd go with the Brugger and Thomet USW-G chassis and SBR it... I think the concept is very valid

my previous car gun iteration was an 8" 9mm upper on a spare New Frontier Glock format lower, with a KAK 8 1/2" buffer tube... the buffer tube would stick out of a gym bag, but even experienced 3 gunners did not readily recognize what was in the bag.. muzzle blast was a non choice for use with any 5.56 upper shorter than 10.5... I did have a proof of concept 7 1/2 5.56 with a LAW folding brace... very compact lengthwise but bulky and concussion inside a barrel would make shooing inside a car without ear protection disorientating

if ATF succeeds in keeping the brace rule alive, at least they could quantify the length of a legal buffer tube

regards Les

[Jim Kennedy-ar154me]

What are your thoughts on Microconversion kits?

https://caagearup.com/products/mcks-ronis/mck-micro-conversion-kit/

That is if the ATF pistol brace "rule" is overthrown, as it should be.

[alfsauve]

I like my Ruger PC9 quick takedown.  (I made B Class in Steel Challenge with iron sights in my second match with it.)  I got the plain-jim stock, which I'm thinking, hmmmm wonder if I could mill out space for 2 magazines.

I never liked the idea of mico-convertables.  I want higher velocities and greater accuracy, not just a way to hold a pistol steadier.

Granted if the S&W had been on the market last year maybe I'd have gone that way. 

[les snyder]

J. Kennedy... I looked at the available options at the time.... Recover Tactical 20/20 which is Israeli... the B&T USW-G (which didn't come complete from B&T as a brace, but there were modifications available ... the Flux Raider...and some of the RONI conversions (I didn't want any part of the conversion impinging on the operation of the basic Glock pistol... I've been shooting Glock platform since a 1911 break at Ft Benning in2005... I'm basically cheap, and the RT was considerably cheaper for a proof of concept option, and afforded the basics of what I presumed I wanted... I would have liked a brace mounted dot that did not reciprocate, but I picked up one of the original RT braces without that option, and to simplify and shorten the overall height, used a slide mounted red dot..(as an aside the machine work by Battle Werx for the HS 507c was exceptional).I added the front grip and mag well when it became available... my brace had a little flex but not enough to negate its value... I have a background in 200m IHMSA metallic handgun and knew the potential of a .357mag caliber at 200m... I was willing to shoot a 124 9mm at half that distance if I could shoot a bunch in a hurry with a relatively high hit probability.... if the brace rule is overthrown, I'll most likely return to the RT