I first became acquainted with the FMK 9mm
pistol and its maker late this past Spring in Florida at a writer’s
event held at the Gander Mountain Academy in Lake Mary. Like
many modern auto pistols, the FMK 9C1 is a polymer-framed pistol
with modern safety features which are now required in many
jurisdictions of our nation. One thing that makes the FMK unique
among pistols is that it is manufactured in the state of
California. The Golden State has succeeded in driving most of
the gun manufacturing business away, as it is difficult for a
handgun maker to build and sell a weapon in that state that will
actually fire a bullet down its bore. Most pistol builders in
California have either gone away or gone under, but FMK is
building pistols in what is the most hostile environment in the
nation for a handgun manufacturer.
Lake Mary is where I first met David Wolfe.
David was present representing FMK Firearms. At this event, each
manufacturer presented their wares, and we had some trigger time
with each at the range, but what set David apart from the others
at the event was his outward expression of patriotism. The folks
at FMK have a passion for freedom unlike any other Americans
whom I have ever met. They have an appreciation of our
Constitution like I have only seen openly expressed by someone
who has grown up under severe oppression in another country.
While this article is about a pistol, it is also about FMK’s
outward expression of patriotism, as I cannot separate the two.
While some wear their patriotism on their sleeve, this FMK wears
it on its slide.
I appreciate firearms from all over the
world, but still I like to pick up a gun and read “Made in the
USA”. On the FMK, the slide reads “Proudly American”, but
FMK goes a bit farther, inscribing the entire first ten
amendments to our Constitution upon the slide, along with “In
God We Trust”. Better known as our Bill of Rights, these ten
amendments were expressly added to our Constitution to protect
the people from the government. That bears repeating. Our Bill
of Rights is in our Constitution to protect us from an
oppressive government. Our Constitution acknowledges that these
rights are God-given; not issued at will by a benevolent
government, but protected from infringement by that government.
Anyway, FMK places the Bill of Rights proudly upon the pistol as
a reminder to the owner and others that freedom is precious, and
is to forever be fought for, because it was won at a price, and
must be maintained at a price. The freedom that we enjoy and so
often take for granted as citizens was not free, but bought with
the blood of patriots, and is ours only so long as we are
willing to bleed for it again.
Anyway, FMK has chosen to embellish this
pistol with the words of liberty, along with a thanks to our
troops and an acknowledgement of our God, and in these days when
a bottom-feeding federal judge can prohibit students from even
bowing their heads in silence at a graduation ceremony, FMK is
neither afraid nor ashamed to stand up for God and country.
All of this would be pretty cool for a
special non-firing replica pistol to hang upon the wall, but
this FMK 9C1 Gen II pistol is made to serve the most serious of
needs; personal defense. While our nation’s founders desired
to guarantee each of us the right to life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness, there are those among us who seek to
deprive us of all three. When one human chooses to violently
attack another to gain his property or to do him harm, that
attack must be answered swiftly and with equal or greater
violence. Self defense is not for the timid. No sane and moral
civilian carries a gun with the hope of using it to take another’s
life, or to go in search of a fight, but if we do choose to go
heeled, we must be ready to use that weapon decisively should a
fight come to us. The weapon of choice, by necessity or
convenience, for most of us is a handgun. Any handgun is a
compromise in a fight. We carry a handgun because we cannot
comfortably conceal a twelve gauge fighting shotgun. In choosing
our defensive weapon, we must balance size, weight, power, cost,
and concealability with our daily wardrobe and lifestyle. Most
of us end up finding that balance in a handgun that we can
conceal in a good holster or pocket, that is not so heavy nor
cumbersome that it is often left at home or in the vehicle. The
FMK 9C1 is of a size that most folks can carry, keep it out of
sight until needed, and go about our daily lives. The size and
weight of the 9C1 places it in the same class as other popular
polymer-framed carry pistols. The trigger is of the
double-action-only variety, meaning that the pull is smooth,
long, and the same for every shot. The 9C1 also can do a
repeated strike on a bad cartridge should it fail to fire on the
first try, unlike many of its better-known competition, such as
the popular Glock design, which must have the slide manually
retracted slightly to reset the trigger for another pull. There
are no manual safeties to manipulate to fire the FMK, except for
the safety built into the trigger blade, which is automatically
manipulated as the trigger is pulled. The FMK has an internal
striker safety, to prevent accidental firing if the pistol is
dropped. It also has a magazine safety to prevent the weapon
from firing with the magazine removed. At the rear of the slide
is a visual and tactile loaded-chamber indicator. The FMK 9C1 is
as safe as a handgun can mechanically be, and still fire
immediately when needed. The 9C1 will not discharge unless the
trigger is pulled with a magazine in place. The FMK is both
Massachusetts and California compliant and approved. The FMK has
a black-finished carbon steel slide. The polymer frame is a
matte black, but other colors are available as well.
Critical specifications are listed in the
chart below. Weights are listed in ounces. Linear dimensions are
listed in inches. Trigger pull is listed in pounds of
resistance, as measured with my Lyman digital trigger pull
scale. Height includes sights and magazine base.
Chambering |
9x19mm |
Weight with Empty Magazine |
24 oz. |
Trigger Pull |
7 lbs., 11 oz. |
Barrel Length |
4.02" |
Barrel Diameter |
0.565" |
Overall Height |
5.11" |
Overall Length |
6.87" |
Grip Thickness |
1.13" |
Frame Width |
1.15" |
Slide Width |
1.09" |
Maximum Width |
1.15" |
Trigger Reach |
2.9" |
Magazine Capacity |
14 or 10 |
Magazines Supplied |
2 |
Accessory Rail |
Yes |
I fired a variety of ammunition over the
chronograph to check velocities, with the results listed in the
chart below. Velocities are listed in feet-per-second. Bullet
weights are listed in grains. JHP is a jacketed hollowpoint
bullet. DPX is a hollow nose homogenous copper bullet. EPR is a
specialty premium bullet from Extreme Shock. FP is a frangible,
pre-fragmented flatnose bullet. FMJ is a full metal jacket
roundnose bullet. FMJ-FN is a full metal jacket flat nose
Buffalo Bore Penetrator bullet. PB is Pow’RBall,
a specialty bullet from Cor-Bon. Glaser is a pre-fragmented
bullet. Velocities were taken at an elevation of 541 feet above
sea level, with an air temperature of thirty-seven degrees
Fahrenheit. Velocities were recorded at ten feet from the
muzzle.
Ammunition |
Bullet Weight |
Velocity |
WCC NATO FMJ |
124 |
1021 |
Fiocchi
FMJ |
115 |
1132 |
Buffalo Bore FMJ-FN |
124 |
1245 |
Buffalo Bore JHP |
115 |
1288 |
Buffalo Bore +P JHP |
115 |
1327 |
Buffalo Bore +P JHP |
147 |
1053 |
Cor-Bon Glaser |
80 |
1668 |
Cor-Bon JHP |
115 |
1330 |
Cor-Bon Pow’RBall |
100 |
1322 |
Cor-Bon +P DPX |
115 |
1142 |
Cor-Bon JHP |
125 |
1285 |
Stryker JHP |
115 |
1024 |
International Cartridge
FP |
100 |
1088 |
Extreme Shock EPR |
115 |
1124 |
The FMK proved to be very reliable. I
experienced one failure to eject, but that was with only one
cartridge of cheap ball ammo, early on in the first range
session. I fired a variety of high-performance hollowpoint ammo,
and every round fed, fired, and ejected perfectly, even a large
quantity of the above-referenced cheap ball ammo. The trigger
pull is very smooth, and contributes to good practical accuracy.
I did not benchrest the FMK, but fired everything offhand at
distances from seven out to forty yards, with good results.
Making head shots on a silhouette at fifteen yards was easy, as
was keeping all shots well-centered on the torso at twenty-five
yards.
The FMK has durable three-dot pattern sights,
and windage and elevation changes can be made by switching
sights. The FMK comes with extra front and rear sights to make
the adjustments, and they are easily interchanged. The FMK 9C1
Gen II pistol comes packed in a durable, lockable hard case with
two magazines, instruction manual, eight different sights, and
the “Red State Coalition” book.
Check out the FMK pistols online at www.fmkfirearms.com
To buy quality 9mm ammunition, go to www.buffalobore.com
and www.luckygunner.com.
Jeff Quinn