Some combinations like habanero, Astroglide, Clinton, and the bathing suit shouldn’t go together. However, Foxtrot Mike Products’ FM-9 pistol caliber carbine is an exception. The FM-9 features a side-charging monolithic AR upper and a Glock-style mag well.
Reliability
A reliable weapon is the cornerstone of competitive shooting. Shooters cannot successfully transition from one target to the next if their gun fails to go into battery on each string round. The FM-9 features a proprietary bolt-carrier group that interfaces with the lower receiver’s existing 5.56 buffer and recoil spring and is tuned to cycle various ammunition reliably. The unit also has a side-charging design that allows users to charge the gun without breaking their firing position. The FM-9 comes with a free-floated barrel machined from 41V50 steel and treated with a salt-bath nitride finish, topped by an M-LOK handguard ready to accept accessories. Loading the gun differs from most belt-fed pistols, but the included manual describes how to do it.
Accuracy
The FM-9 is built to make shooting easier under stress, whether running against the clock in a match or defending your home. That starts with the pistol’s ultra-light, match-grade barrel machined from 41V50 steel and treated with a salt-bath nitride finish. It also features a patented bolt hold-open that’s not based on bent sheet metal and lives in an ergonomic position near the front of the handguard, enabling shooters to use their support hand without losing their aiming point. Another advantage is its open-slide design, which virtually eliminates “stove-piping” and helps ensure flawless cycling and feeding even after thousands of rounds. Add a Timney two-stage trigger, and you have a pistol ready for competition or home defense.
Lightweight
The FM-9 is built around an ultra-light, match-grade barrel machined from 41V50 steel and treated with a salt-bath nitride finish. An 8.5-inch, free-float handguard with M-Lok accessory attachment slots surrounds the barrel. A blast diffuser is integrated to mitigate expanding gases, reducing noise and recoil. The pistol lower receiver is designed to accept Glock-pattern magazines. This provides a much-needed upgrade from standard AR-15 lowers, which can only accommodate the 9mm cartridge through a Magwell adapter.
Versatility
The FM-9 is a drop-in unit that converts any mil-spec AR-15 or select-fire M-16 into a belt-fed weapon chambered in 9mm. When paired with the right optic and loaded with a full-size magazine, it was as reliable as any other blowback-operated PCC I’ve used in competitions. It also doesn’t have the standard bent sheet metal bolt hold-open found on most other AR pistols – it has a patent-pending forward charging handle that lives in an ergonomic location near the front of the handguard. This ambidextrous feature allows shooters to load the gun without keeping their eyes off the sights. It’s a feature-rich pistol with a pistol-length buffer tube and recoil spring designed to cycle various ammunition reliably. Moreover, the FM-9 comes with a hard-hitting pistol-length bolt, creating a more accurate shot than most AR-pattern pistols.
Customization
The FM-9 comes with a pistol-length gas system which reduces felt recoil and provides a more maneuverable gun for home defense. It also features a buffer and recoil spring combination tuned to cycle various ammunition reliably. One of the critical design elements of this gun is the patented last-round bolt hold-open. Many blowback 9mms have a piece of bent sheet metal that holds the bolt stop down, which can be problematic if the magazine has yet to dry completely. This is a simple and easy-to-use solution to that problem. Additionally, the magazine well and upper feed ramps are built around Glock-pattern magazines, which can be customized with several different mag well inserts. Further, the lower receiver and handguard are machined from billet, allowing for a high degree of customization for both look and function.