Many of you probably read or responded to my post earlier this week called "Which Would You Buy?", where i had stated that I was looking for suggestions regarding a few 22 semi-auto pistols as well as alternate suggestions. As I stated, I intended to visit the LGS (or a couple of them) to look at all my options, and I would choose one or none of the guns mentioned, based on my personal feelings.

Well, I bought a gun today, but it wasn't any of the guns discussed... And it wasn't actually a 22...

While perusing the used case at one LGS, I came across a gun I had never seen before: the FMK 9C1G2. The price was more than reasonable, and the gun was in near new condition with 2 10-round mags included. As can be seen in the photo below, this was a promotional gun offered by Front Sight Training Institute, and features the Front Sight logo, along with their philosophical statement about firearms training. What attracted me to it was its design, obviously influenced by the Glock 19, along with feeling extremely comfortable in my hand. A cursory internet search offered mixed reviews, some good, several unfavorable, however I decided for the asking price of $260 it was worth giving it a try myself. Be aware that I am attracted to guns like this, and often buy guns of lesser known, or "lower quality" brands, i.e. Canik, Bersa, Astra, SCCY, etc., and sometimes I find something I like (Canik and Astra), sometimes I find something that has earned its bad reputation (SCCY).

The post title says it all: I was pleasantly surprised by this gun. I took it straight to the range with 100 rounds of Herter's 115gr FMJ RN ammo (nothing all that special), and after a brief visual inspection internally, and externally, I started to put some rounds on paper. Below is a photo of my first 20 rounds or so, shot from an unbraced standing position, at 7-10 yards. Clearly, I am no marksman, however I found that my shooting with this particular firearm was better than I typically do with other 9mm handguns, even without spending a lot of range time familiarizing myself to the gun and its nuances. The only other gun I felt as comfortable shooting was the Springfield XD-9, and I am conflicted now as to which I like more. I did experience two failures over the 100 rounds, one FTE and a round stuck in the magazine, though I am not ready to condemn the gun yet. I bypassed my usual used gun cleaning and lubrication regimen and took the gun straight to the range. Although the gun did have light lubrication, I felt the gun was a bit dry and dirty and this may have played a part in the malfunctions. I have thoroughly cleaned and lubricated both the gun and magazines to my standards following my trip to the range, and will take another trip later in the week to see if the problems persist.

Things I like about the 9C1G2:
- The trigger: This gun has FMK's fast action trigger group installed, and I find it decent, though a slightly different feel compared to that of a Glock. Not better or worse, just different.
- The grip: The grip features an over-moulded rubber backstrap which I find both extremely comfortable, and less apt to slide in my hand during recoil.
- The build quality: This gun looks and feels well made, dare I say better than some polymer framed guns from more popular manufacturers
- The Sights: they are standard Glock sights, and are compatible with any set of sights that will fit the Glock pistols. Also, supposedly, you get two sets of sights with the gun if you get it brand new.

Things I don't like:
- The excessive writing all over the gun: It is available without the excessive markings, though supposedly it is a selling point from FMK that certain versions feature even more text, including pieces of the second amendment etched into the slide.

These of course are my initial observations and will update this post should my opinions change one way or the other. Also, in case anyone was wondering, I found that the 9C1G2 fits a Galco Kydex IWB Holster that I have, meant for full-size Glocks, leading me to believe that it would be compatible with other Glock holsters too.

Attached Images

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A man after my own heart. If you rode motorcycles you might pick a Jawa or an MZ.

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Not in jail.

Please give us the range report when you can,interesting hand gun!

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

That takes me back to my youth in England. A buddy had a MZ150. Was it sleek and cool looking like the Japanese bikes? Of course not. Was it sturdy and reliable with a great ride, absolutely.

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Release the Kraken

I don't ride motorcycles, however you are absolutely correct about the Jawa and MZ bikes, I find them absolutely beautiful. I am now currious: were either brand ever sold in the US?

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Now that was a nice report!

The most unusual thing about these is that they were able to make them in CA, and get through all the red tape to actually bring them to the market.

California shooters desperately wanted to like them, and might've been willing to pay a little extra to thumb their nose at The State. However, having the Bill of Rights scribbled all over the thing was a big turn-off for many, and the reports from real-world users weren't great. (They did eventually offer a version sans verbiage.)

From what I remember, most reports were similar to yours: Folks liked the trigger, the ergos and the accuracy/precision of the bullet-throwin', but experienced various malfunctions.

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TEAM DNF

"Well, I bought a gun today, but it wasn't any of the guns discussed... And it wasn't actually a 22..."

That happens in the majority of the "what should I buy threads", which is why I quit participating in them.

Oh, I know... I was actually going to pick up a Ruger SR22 EX when I spotted the FMK, and decided that the Ruger could wait a couple weeks. As I have said, I have never seen or heard of the 9C1G2, and wanted to grab it before someone else did. Whether I made a good choice in buying it is another matter...

I have done my best to research the 9C1G2, and have or watched as many reviews I can find. I don't think I could hate this gun to the point that Nutnfancy on YouTube does, but I am worried about another reviewer's video that demonstrated the same sort of malfunctions that I had, though my 2 rounds out of 100 were far less than problems that particular reviewer had. I am encouraged, however, that many shooters say the gun seems to break-in over time, so maybe more rounds down range is all I need to shake out any issues present.

In the end, problematic or not, I like the gun and it will probably stay with me. Will I use it as a personal defense gun? Probably not, but I find the accuracy and ergonomics good enough for the the gun to be a regular in my range bag.

Slightly off topic here, but I looked at another rather unusual handgun from Walther this weekend: The Walther Creed. It too felt very comfortable, and had an amazing trigger, though it has a very large slide and high bore axis. I didn't get to shoot it, but I am currious if anyone here has yet. The new price of $365 from my LGS has me interested, as it is priced less than the Canik TP9SAs. I would be interested to know how well it performs, and whether or not it's a worthwhile investment. The large slide threw me as it has a High Pointy look to it, though I'd imagine it's probably a bit better made.

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I hadn't heard of the Creed either, looks like a cost-cutter PPX.

Stole this pic from a review on gunsholstersandgear.com:



Obviously, you're now duty-bound to buy one and give us a review. You can tell your wife it's like a law, and it's a Federal one too, so...

I hate what they did with the rail & trigger guard. The biggest problem with rail-mounted lights and/or lasers is that they usually require 6" long fingers to operate. The changes on the Creed exacerbate this, both the lack of close rails and the rounded guard will prevent getting the unit as close as possible to the shooter's hand.

One good thing about polymer frames, they're easy to modify: On my Ruger P95R, I just used the file on my Leatherman to cut a new notch in the rail to bring the light & laser unit within reach.

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TEAM DNF

I am going to look at getting one soon then, and will let you all know what I think of it. The nice thing about being single is not having to answer to somebody else about my impulse buying, though often I find that I miss the nagging a little bit...

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Got back to the range this morning for a little snow day fun before work, and ran another 100 rounds of ammo through the FMK. This range trip I was shooting Blazer 115gr FMJ RN ammo, and experienced zero failures in those 100 rounds. As I had suspected, a thorough cleaning and lubrication solved any feeding issues present. My lubrication method employs a light coat of Hoppe's Elite oil on all moving parts, and a slightly heavier coat on the frame rails. I include in this a very light coat on the exterior of the barrel to help protect against friction wear between it and the slide, as well as a very light coat inside the barrel and chamber as well. I know many people don't like to over lubricate their guns because of the possibility of collecting crud, however for my guns, most being exclusively range used, a little extra oil isn't going to hurt. I also frequently swab out my mags, as I did in this case, using a dedicated silicone cloth that I push through the mag body to sweep away any present residue. I then reassemble without adding any additional lubrication, and this seems to help the mags function better.

Edit: Some additional impressions on the 9C1G2: I really like the reduced recoil of this gun, whuch I guess is due to both the low bore axis and the wonderful rubber backstrap. I kept finding myself anticipating a harder recoil, and it took a little time for that to anticipation to die down, which helped with my accuracy and quicker follow-up shots. I also played with my gripping of the gun, eventually settling on a modified revolver style hold, in which I interlock my thumbs, while taking care to stay clear of the reward travel of the slide. This gave me the best consistency and control over the gun, though I'm sure everyone has their own techniques. Going forward, I feel that a little bit of dry fire practice will be helpful, as I found with shooting faster groups that I was drifting to the right a bit, which I owe to a lack of familiarization with the trigger and its break point.

All in all, I am still very happy with this gun.

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