My new S&W FPC + Range report

I got it yesterday, 08/01. I have been wanting some kind of 9mm carbine for lower cost range fun and I decided on the FPC-

LGS charged me just $620 which is less than an M&P pistol. That is why I selected the FPC ultimately, to serve as a companion for my M&P Carry Comp. Initial impressions were better than I expected them to be. Give its screwed together polymer construction I expected it to feel a bit of a chintzy, rattlely mess but it doesn't, its quite light and mostly polymer and held together by about a hundred screws but it feels solid and tight despite this. Egromics are fairly good with two caveats-
My thumb cannot quite reach the magazine release with out rotating my wrist around and the stock somewhat impeeds said movement. It's not so bad as to ve especially cumbersome but it is a foible nonetheless
Also the bolt catch does not function as a bolt release. You need to use the charging handle to release the bolt and this works well enough. However I do find that if one wants to close the bolt on an empty magazine its is easy enough to reach uo with the firing index finger into the ejection port and depress tge top of tge bolt catch. You need to ride the bolt home to keep it from snapping shut on you finger though.
Disassembly is mostly easy but you will have a couple of small, non captive parts to keep track off and it is important to not let the hammer forward when the bolt is out or you will need to reset the hammer manually before the bolt can go back in. This is a fiddly process requiring me to use the back end of a screwdriver to come in from the front of the receiver to push down the hammer. Best to leave the safety on while taking everything apart.
Regarding that safety- it is a simple cross bolt style but the ends are perfectly contoured to fit the finger tip with aggressive texture and falls perfectly under the finger without having to stretch for it. For me at least.
It can be engaged and disengaged weather the hammer is cocked or un-cocked.
I have put the Holosun 515 from my HD AR onto the FPC with the Holosun AEMS that I got along with it replacing the 515 on said AR.
The 515 was on a high rise QD mount that was too tall to co-witness with BUIS but is at a perfect height for use on the FPC.
I had Initial trouble getting the 515 zeroed to tge FPC but that turned out to be due to a loose mount. The Midwest mount has adjustable clamp tension and had to be tightened a bit to secure it to the polymer rail of the FPC.
The folding action is solid and being that it folds to the side it doesn't interfere with the red dot. Locks up tightly too.
Today I took it to the range and sent 500 rounds throug it, I will give my range impressions in a following post.

I had 500 rounds left from a 1k case of Speer Lawman 124gr Std pressure.
It fired all these with one solitary malfunction, a double feed but I caused that by inadvertently blocking the ejection port with my thumb. I was trying to use a firing grip where tge thumb rests alongside to outside of tge grip as opposed to grasping around it. That doesn't work so well on the FPC. A standard grip works better.
The carbine was reasonably accurate, as much as one can expect from a PCC

These being shot at 50 yards. I also trued the windage at 100 yards for the purpose of banging the steel plate at the 200 yard line which to my pleasure it did, from a standing position no less!



No I dod not connect everytime but 200 yards is so outside the envelope of 9mm I was very pleased with that performance as it was. Again, from a standing, semi supported position. As you can see at that distance 9mm does not move the plate much and it was very difficult for me to tell if I was connecting or not. The hold over was quite extreme as well, roughly 20" over or so. The circle dot reticle mode of the Holosun was helpful for this.
Recoil impulse was similar to your typical blowback 9mm carbine but as the stock houses a second spring that sits behind the plastic buffer therecoil impulse is somewhat muted compared to others I've shot such as the Sub 2000, Scorpion and Ruger PC.
The FPC is also extremely handy and agile, with most of the weight concentrated in the rear its possible to effectively fire it one handed and braced against the shoulder. Could be useful as a home defense tool if one had family members to herd around.
In the end I am extremely pleased with it and there is really nothing I'd want to change on it. The only thing I'm considering is putting a light on which I am torn over since I don't really need it as a defensive gun. I have pistols and ARs and Shotguns to fall back on so I don't really see what I'd gian from adding tge FPC into the mix. If I were to add I light I think I go with a Streamlight TLR RM 1 HL-X mounted at the 12 o'clock position and relying on the thumb switch only.
This modle has the same output as tge TRL 7 HL-X O have on my Carry Comp and uses the same battery.
So obviously I am extremely pleased with my purchase and I find the FPC to be an excellent option in the PCC market.
Of course ot is not NY Legal which is incredibly stupid since an M&P 2.0 is perfectly legal with 10 round magazines the FPC is just an overgrown 2.0 that can use the same 10 rounders. And the folding thing isn't even an issue because like tge Sub 2000 the FPC is rendered inert when folded up. The KelTec Su 16 is NY legal and folds like a Sub 2000.
Anyhoo, I had a lot of fun with it today and I'll be taking it out agaim.........as soon as my order of additional 9mm comes in. I shot the last of my discretionary 9mm today.

Cleaned it this morning, it was absolutely filthy. Take down is toolless and simple once you know how. Cleaning the inside of the receiver is difficult as there is no open access to it. I just hosed it down with some aerosol cleaner and stuffed a rag inside.

No interest huh?

I purchased a few boxes of 9mm in the three popular weights and will be using a chronograph to find what velocity gains one gains from a pistol to a carbine.
A buddy of mine will be bringing his Garmin chronograph and an 8" CZ Scorpion pistol to test alongside a M&P 2.0 compact and the FPC.

Vapor said:

I like it, but I don't know if I can get past the plastic....I also already have a Ruger that takes Glock mags.


Looking forward to more info

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I don't think it is any better or worse than the Ruger PC Carbine, and in NY you don't have a choice anyway.
And to be honest I too thought it would feel cheap and flimsy but it actually feels very solid.
I wanted it because I always thought the KelTec Sub 2000 was a really cool carbine but I could never get a consensus as to its reliability, half of the people I ever talked to said theirs ran fine and the other half said it was a jamomatic. Then along came .50 a round 5.56, the FPC and my ownership of an M&P pistol so it became a no brainer purchase for me.

Vapor said:

I didn't have a choice when I bought the PC, but now I do have a choice. I just haven't figured it was worth the hassle of selling/buying.


Maybe it's the good kind of plastic like Magpul uses. Probably fiberglass reinforced or something.

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The receiver is actually aluminum clad in polymer. The handguard is entirely polymer but between each MLOK slot there is a partition that encircles the barrel in the same way the endcap does at the muzzle. This makes it feel very rigid and solid. If you ever have the chance to lay hands on one you will see what I mean.
I still don't think it's worth selling your Ruger for, the only real advantage the FPC has over the PC Carbine is that it is significantly lighter.

Vapor said:

Especially since I already have a bunch of 17 and 33rd Glock magazines.


If anything, I would get the fpc in addition to the Ruger. I've always had dreams of making the Ruger my wife's rifle. That's all been on hold with the toddler.


I'd really like the compact m and p. I now see a pistol between my 19d sized clone and my lcp max would be really nice.

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If by compact you are referring to the old model M&P equivalent in size the the Glock 26 Smith has discontinued it. The current M&P is the same size as the G19 in the 4" version. There is also a 3.6" version which obviously is just slightly shorter. For a true middle ground M&P you might want have a look at the Shield X which is S&W's counterpart the the 43x but has a slightly longer barrel and holds 13 rounds. For a compact I'd of course recommend the Carry Comp which I think is worth the extra $100.