The Military & Police (M&P) product line is, along with the LadySmiths, arguably the most venerable series in the annals of the prestigious American gunmaker Smith & Wesson (S&W).
It started in 1899 with the .38 Special Hand Ejector Model double-action revolver (nowadays known as the S&W Model 10). Fast-forward to 2005, and along came the M&P striker-fired semiauto pistol series, followed by the hugely popular M&P Shield series in 2012.
Not content to rest on its laurels, S&W has now added a pistol-caliber carbine into the series. This firearm is the Smith & Wesson M&P FPC (Folding Pistol Carbine) 9mm.
S&W M&P FPC H&S (History & Specifications, That Is)
The FPC is brand-spankin’ new, having debuted earlier this year. As reported by Chris Eger of Guns.Com at the time of the gun’s release:
“Jumping into the pistol-caliber carbine market with a handy 9mm rifle that shares the same lineage as its successful M&P series pistols, S&W’s new gun folds at the barrel for easy storage … The new M&P FPC carbine stems from its family tree, logically using the grip, magazines, and surface controls of the M&P9 M2.0 pistol. The upper half, however, is radically different, sporting a 16-inch barrel inside of a lightweight handguard complete with M-LOK accessory slots. The carbine is both optics and suppressor ready, with a 1/2×28 TPI threaded barrel and a full-length top Picatinny rail for sights or glass. Meanwhile, the side-folding barrel prevents loss of zero.”
Eger goes on to quote John Myles, Smith&Wesson’s senior manager of new products: “The team at Smith & Wesson aimed to design a pistol carbine that was compatible with various M&P pistol magazines. We exceeded that initial desire by introducing side-folding mechanics that deliver a unique compact feature and allow the user to keep their sight system mounted on the gun both in the folded and extended positions.”
Meanwhile, the manufacturer’s official info page adds that “The new optics-ready M&P FPC showcases our brand new, compact, folding design. Coming with (one) 17-round and (two) 23-round magazines, the in-stock magazine storage w/ quick-release latch makes reloading convenient and quick. The M&P FPC is compatible with M&P full-size and compact pistol double-stack magazines, and includes a carrying bag with additional storage and VELCRO straps.”
Additional specifications include a barrel length of 16.25 inches, an overall length of 30.4 inches, a width of 2.5 inches, a height of 8 inches, and an empty weight of 80.42 ounces.
Personal Shooting Impressions (Mine and a Buddy’s)
Once again, the Silver Eagle Group (SEG) in Ashburn, Virginia, provided the venue for the firearm eval. But instead of either the range’s rental selections or my own personal “D’Orr-senal of Democracy,” the FPC I test-fired came courtesy of my shooting buddy Dr. Murray Bessette, current vice president of education for Washington DC’s Common Sense Society (previously holding a similar position with Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation). Doc Bessette came out to join me for the range session wherein we also ended up testing out the SIG P210A Target 9mm autopistol and Taurus Judge .45 Long Colt/.410 shotshell revolver, and for good measure he brought out his newly-purchased, still-waiting-to-be-fired FPC; I was only too happy to help him break it in!
Murray and I each took a 50-round box of Speer Lawman 124-grain total metal jacket (TMJ) to break in his new acquisition. I followed my typical protocol of 25 rounds of head shots at 7 yards and 25 rounds of center-torso shots at 25 yards.
Before I get into the accuracy results, I should add that Doc Bessette had a Holosun Red Dot Sight tacked onto his weapon, specifically the 510 series. A significant challenge for me when shooting long guns with iron sights is my righthand/left eye cross-dominance, which forces me to shoot either weak hand/strong eye or vice versa (the former got me better results during official quals back in my active-duty military and private military contractor [PMC] days). Thanks to the Holosun optic, my strong hand and dominant eye could finally work together in tandem.
Since the gun belonged to Murray, professional courtesy dictated that he get first dibs on going “pew-pew” with it, and he assessed the FPC thusly: “The S&W was a delight to shoot. Very little recoil, which aided with the accuracy of more rapid firing rates (once the Holosun was dialed). It was also super quiet, much more so than expected, to the point that were it equipped with a suppressor (the barrel comes threaded) it would be as quiet as Hollywood falsely depicts. Looking forward to shooting it again.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself. At 7 yards, all of my shots struck the A-zone of the head box of the USPSA/IPSC practice target. At 25 yards, my first half-dozen rounds strayed high-left into the C-zone; after making the appropriate zeroing adjustments to the optic, the rest of my rounds landed pleasingly in the low center of the A-zone.
Having the charging handle integral with the buttstock took a bit of getting used to. Nothing wrong with it, just different. The pistol grip and mag release ergonomics were good-to-go.
Want Your Own?
Dr. Bessette got his MPC during an Independence Day special sale from Nova Armory in Arlington, Virginia; currently, that shop has an asking price of $664.94. The manufacturer lists an MSRP of $659.00, whilst True Gun Value states that “A SMITH & WESSON M&P FPC rifle is currently worth an average price of $593.20 new. The 12-month average price is $608.41 new.” Palmetto State Armory lists theirs at $579.99.
As for the Holosun, Murray got his for $299.99. The manufacturer’s official website lists the HE510C-GR (green dot) at $399.99 and the HS510C (red dot) at $364.99.
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor for 19FortyFive. He has 34 years of shooting experience, starting at the tender age of 14. His marksmanship accomplishments include: the Air Force Small Arms Ribbon w/one device (for M16A2 rifle and M9 pistol); Pistol Expert Ratings from U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) Criminal Investigator Training Program (CITP); multiple medals and trophies via the Glock Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) and the Nevada Police & Fires Games (NPAF). Chris has been an NRA Certified Basic Pistol Instructor since 2011.
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