FIRST LOOKS
Most noticeable prior to holding the FPC is its tailor-made case. This is a standard feature for the FPC. Its clamshell design opens to reveal the folded 9mm carbine held securely in one half by two Velcro-style straps.
The opposite side of the open case has three compartments that hold a carry strap, three custom pistol grip inserts, owner’s manual, cable lock, and two spare M&P 23-round double-stack magazines. S&W put some thought into this case! It is ideal for tossing in your backseat or trunk. There when you need it, it is unassuming.
Releasing the FPC from its straps, I notice many unique features. First is that shrouded barrel. Looking more like one found on an AR-style carbine, the Picatinny rail and M-LOK slots beg to be custom-fit with my red dot, flashlight, horizontal grip, or laser sight. I note that there are no sights included on the gun, so it is up to me to add my personal optics.
The gun opens with a solid click. I like the textured pistol grip that helps me control pointing of the gun. My medium-sized hands fit it well, but if your hands are bigger, S&W includes three neat interchangeable palm swell grip inserts that will fit your hand. Mounting my TruGlo high-rise red dot sight is a snap. Now the gun fits my shoulder well and feels great as I take aim.
Related: New Smith & Wesson 9mm M&P FPC Folding Carbine
MY IMPRESSIONS
An odd-looking buttstock reveals two forward-facing magazine compartments that lock in and store those two included 23-round magazines. They make the gun a bit heavier but add stability, which will help accuracy. I can see me carrying this little carbine all day on a desert hike without needing more ammo than what is in the pistol grip and the stock compartments. Great idea!
Controls are simple, and except for the cross-bolt safety, are ambidextrous. I find the reversible magazine release a bit hard to reach. This protects me from dropping a magazine inadvertently. The bolt hold-open is a smallish tab located above the pistol grip on either side of the receiver. The charging handle on the stock tube can be grasped with right or left hand at will.
The side-folding feature of the FPC is significant. This opens many optic options. I can mount a short tactical scope, red dot, holo-sight, or a long eye relief scope. None of these options will interfere with closing or storing the gun. I like that. Pulling up on the mid-mounted barrel lock allows the gun to fold sideways for storage. This cannot be done with a round in the chamber – a nice safety feature, I think.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Weight: 6.7 pounds
- Length: 30.4 inches
- Folded Length: 16.5 inches
- Length of Pull: 14.5 inches
- Height: 8 inches
- Width: 2.5 inches
- Barrel: 16.25 inches, threaded
- Magazines: One 17-round and two 23-round capacities included
- Trigger: 5.5 pounds, flat face
- Grips: Three extra palm-swell inserts included
- Sights: None, optics-ready
- Picatinny rail and M-LOK included
- Customized soft case included
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MSRP: $659
RANGE TIME
My Area 51 shooting range is ready! Those aliens left for outer space and left many targets to test the FPC. The S&W shoulders comfortably, despite its skeletonized design. Nothing is wasted in presenting my TruGlo red dot before my eye. The gun is new to me, so sighting in on the steel plate is a must. Three center-of-mass hits show it is zeroed in well. I have no issue moving my “flapper” swinger around, and a head shot is easy, too.
My favorite 2-liter bottles of root beer are easy targets for the FPC! Despite the full-metal-jacketed 115-grain bullets, the bottles explode, throwing root beer foam in all directions. I can see this as a close-range self-defense carbine. Effective range is about 100 yards on any 9mm carbine, but I would bet that the FPC can reach out more in the right hands. My steel milk bottle shaped target at around 60 yards rings and swings as I hit it. Hitting the distant root beer bottle proves the one-shot accuracy of the FPC, too.
The close-range ginger ale pop cans blow open one after another. They are challenging targets made easy by the FPC. 9mm is a potent round at this range and even more so coming from a 16-inch barrel. The magazines hold open the bolt automatically when empty. That is a nice feature missing in other guns. The magazines drop easily out of the gun each time. No jams were encountered on a magazine rapid fire dump, and I noticed the empties being ejected with force in a steady stream through the ejection port.
Related: Pistol Caliber Carbines Perfect for New Shooters
SILENT RUNNING
S&W is aware of the 2.6 million registered suppressors in the country and smartly threaded the muzzle of the FPC. One of those cans is my SilencerCo Hybrid multi-caliber suppressor. It is 8 inches long, adds a pound of weight, and will suppress anything from a .223 cartridge to a .45-70 Government.
Noise reduction is apparent. My zero remains constant at 60 yards – that is amazing. Good job, SilencerCo and S&W! Rapid fire at long range results in hit after hit, and another mag dump is smooth as silk. I think the FPC was made to be silenced.
PROS & CONS
