FMK 9C1 GEN 2: CHEAP... BUT GOOD?

Over the last couple years, I’ve found myself starting to look at pistols in a new way. I’ve never really wanted one, quite content with my inventory of rifles and carbines, yet, the more fondling I’ve done with Glocks, Sigs, S&W’s and even the funky Steyr M9, I’m thinking a semi-automatic pistol may be destined for my safe in the near future.

The problem is, I’m relatively new to pistols, I’m not a complete rookie, I know my way around the Browning 9-mm High Power from my military days, but I don’t have a whole lot more experience with the little guys.

The way I look at it is, getting into pistols is much like getting into racecars. Don’t go out and buy the fastest, most powerful machine when you really don’t know the basics yet. Better to start with something cheap and simple to build up your skill set, better preparing you for what you really want down the road.

Enter the FMK PC1 Gen II, the second generation of FMK’s venture into the semi-automatic pistol market. The challenge of becoming a firearms manufacturer based in California not only means the companies has met massive challenges to survive, investing in state-of-the-art machinery to improve build quality. It also means they have a pistol ideally suited to the Canadian market, as Vault Distribution are currently importing the very Glock-like PC1 complete with the prerequisite 10-round magazine and sneaks in under the 12.6 law with a 108 mm (4.25-inch) barrel.

As a beginner, the FMK looks quite attractive (not visually speaking mind you), as it is a very simplistic striker fire pistol. You really can’t get a whole lot wrong with this proven design, the safety is built into the trigger, so no extra levers crowding the slide other than the obligatory slide release. As well as it being simple to use, it’s also incredibly frugal in its price and cost of ownership. With an MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) of $469.95, you won’t find many competitors that can offer you so much for such a good price, while firing 19x9 Luger is a lot friendlier on the pocket book than say .40 or .45.

In the lockable hard plastic case you get the FMK PC1 Gen II, two 10-round magazines as well as seven interchangeable sights. The addition of extra sights is a different way of doing things, allowing the shooter to custom fit their pistol with the sighting alignment that works best for their environment. Seven additional sights have been are pre-cut and aligned for both windage on the rear sights and elevation adjustments on the fronts so you don’t have to drift the sights in their mounts. The pistol itself is a polymer framed semi-automatic with a high carbon steel slide riding on solid steel rails, weighing in at an impressive 665 grams (23.5 oz).

Other features include a loaded chamber indicator on the rear of the slide, accessory rail for lights, lasers or a combination of the two for those who like the versatility or fully loaded look and ambidextrous magazine release for the south paws out there. Canadians also have their choice of black, olive drab or pink frame colours. Pink might be a little girly, however, Vault Distribution have stepped up to the charitable plate and will be working with FMK to set in place a charitable donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Society for every pink pistol sold.

For those who know of this pistol, the “Bill of Rights” gun that had every square millimeter of the slide covered with scripture is not coming to Canada, thank god. And instead of “THANK YOU US SOLDIERS” written on the right side of the slide, a very generic “THANK YOU: ARMED FORCES” can be found on Canadian and likely other export copies.

Yes, it does look like the love child between a Glock and H&K, but does it live up to the very high standards of those iconic firearms? The PC1 can most obviously be compared to that of the pistol it mimics most, the Glock. It really is a Glock clone that shares all the major design characteristics, being a polymer framed, striker fired pistol with a trigger safety. Even the way the PC1 is disassembled directly mirrors that of the Glock with tabs on both sides of the slide above the trigger that are lowered with the slide pressed slightly to the rear, allowing it to move forward and off the frame where the spring and barrel are easily removed. When you get everything taken apart, it all looks very familiar to the Austrian. The only real difference design wise is a shapelier slide rather than the Glocks more sterile boxiness.

However, it really can’t be compared to its mentor at all. While it ‘s basic principles are based on the Glock, it does not measure up to Glock standards in both quality and operation, at least as I found out with my short time with the pistol.

Issues began to show themselves even before the trigger was pulled. The magazines were very stiff and the followers would get hung-up repeatedly, either not allowing any additional rounds into the mag, or not putting enough pressure on the rounds already seated. I then found the slide would not go into battery even with the slide release fully depressed. After a couple of takedowns and racking the slide a good amount, the issue seemed to solve itself. However, all was not well even afterwards as the PC1 failed to extract spent casings on three separate occasions, leaving the brass in the firing chamber and even had one round that failed to fire despite a firing pin strike. It all made for several round clearing drills and a couple chunks of missing skin.

Input from PC1 owners has been favourable calling it a reliable shooter. My testing did not prove as positive, however, as I said, our time was short and the PC1 was getting noticeably more reliable as it began to get broken in by the end of the session. To give the PC2 a fair shake, the test pistol I was using was an unfired virgin. After a several magazines dispatched down range, the slide did start to smoothen out and the magazine quickly became much more manageable. However, at the time I was thinking that if I were the owner, I would have wished I spent a little more for something more reliable.

I did like the way the PC1 sat in my hand. I’m not a big fan of the Glocks blocky handle, but the PC1 is a little more curvaceous and has three different back heels available to better custom fit the owners hands. A three white-dot aiming system is utilized, while the front post and rear opening are quite large, making long distance shots much more difficult. This is most definitely a close in pistol. I also found that sights were fairly out of zero. I didn’t have time to make use of the supplied additional sights, however, making use of some Kentucky windage and sand bags I was able to put rounds on target within a 4.5-inch grouping at 7-metres.

The PC1 utilizes a Double Action Only (DAO) trigger, which for newbies who didn’t read our first issue on trigger actions, means the striker is pulled back (action 1) and released (action 2) with one pull of the trigger. All Canadian versions have the upgraded “Fast Action Trigger” that is said to have the lighter feel of a single action, however I found there to still be a fair amount of creep and heavy load on this trigger.

The magazine release is easy to get to in a pinch, although the magazine itself does not pop out, but is just released. For someone not familiar with pistols, this will help keep magazines from dropping on the ground unexpectedly, however, I still like the fluid motion of a magazine release that starts the process of reloading without having to get a grip on the magazine.

To the person balancing on a strict budget without much experience with firearms that wants to jump into the game, the FMK PC1 Gen II is not a bad place to start. You really can’t argue with the price, and with more money in your pocket, the more you can get to the range and get comfortable with the pistol and build your skill set faster. This is not a gun that law enforcement or military personnel will be putting their lives behind. No this is a gun for the beginner to get out to the range and have some fun with. Will I be buying a PC1? No, the little issues don’t have me sold and I can wait a little longer and save up for something that has a little better track record.