FMK 9C1 Bill of Rights 9mm
Defending Yourself, Loved Ones, and Your Rights as an American
Designing a new pistol from the ground up, and then starting a new company to manufacture it is difficult. But, doing it in California is darn near impossible. That makes Jim Pontillo’s accomplishment all the more impressive. Jim has managed to design a gun and bring it to market in what may be the toughest environment in the United States. His model 9C1 autoloader is one of only two new handguns approved by the California Department of Justice for manufacture or sale within the state. Ruger has the other one, so Jim is in good company.
Jim is an engineer who owns a successful tool and model making company. So he has the technical chops needed to design a new self-defense pistol, and, thanks to his primary business, he has the resources to stay in the game for the long haul as the 9C1 gets off the ground. I started testing the 9C1 about six months ago. Like all new products, the early models had some bugs that needed to be corrected. During the process I was very impressed by Jim’s attitude. He took every complaint and suggestion on board, and re-engineered the gun to correct or improve whatever was in question. He is a guy who definitely wants to get it right.
Jim selected the E.M.F. Company to be the exclusive national distributors of the 9C1. E.M.F. has been in business for over 40 years, and has been best known as the importer of quality reproductions of old western Colt and Winchester firearms. But lately E.M.F. has been broadening its horizons to cover the home defense market as well. The 9C1 fits right into their new philosophy.
The 9C1 is a polymer-framed, double action only, striker fired autoloader. As such it will draw inevitable comparisons to Glocks, XDs, et al., but the 9C1 is an original design. The frame is polymer with steel guide rails. The stripped down frame is very light, weighing in at about two ounces. The entire pistol and magazine weighs just one and a half pounds minus the ammo. Most of that weight is in the steel barrel and slide. This is significantly light. That light weight makes the 9C1 a good choice for self-defense and concealed carry.
Visually, the 9C1 is unique. It has a nice clean profile, but your eye will immediately notice that the slide is extensively inscribed with text. A closer look will reveal that most of that text is actually the Bill of Rights from the Constitution of the United States distilled with each of the amendments distilled down to a few pithy words. You might be tempted to dismiss this as just a gimmick, but you’d be wrong. Jim Pontillo cares deeply about this country, about our history, and about our constitution and the liberties it guarantees. Part of FMK’s corporate charter describes FMK’s desire to, “encourage Americans on a journey to embrace and understand American history and our Founder’s intent in setting down into law the philosophies and principles which make the United States of America the greatest nation on earth.” Jim’s beliefs are spelled out clearly in the engraving on the 9C1’s slide
Of course there is more to the 9C1 than engraving. The rear of the steel slide is equipped with big, wide charging serrations. These make it easy to rack the slide, even on hot steamy days when your hands are greasy with sweat. The sights are fixed, but changeable. A lot of other guns with fixed sight are actually drift adjustable for windage, but elevation adjustments require either a metal file or a welding torch.
The 9C1 takes a different approach. The sights can be driven out of their mortises with a small punch. Elevation changes are made by driving in a new sight that is either higher or lower, depending on where you need to move the bullet’s point of impact. In order to change out the front sight, you have to field strip the pistol. This is very easily accomplished by first removing the magazine. Then hold the slide racked back a quarter of an inch and pull down on the two take down levers on either side of the frame. The slide and barrel assemble will slide off the frame. With the barrel out you’ll see a small set screw inside the slide that holds the front sight securely in place. Just loosen the screw and drive the sight out of its mortise with a mallet and a small punch. To put the new sight in just repeat the process in reverse.
Windage changes are made by swapping out the rear sight in the same manner, except there’s no set screw to mess with. There are four different height front sights to choose from. Combined with the 18 different rear sight configurations, and I can guarantee that you’ll get the 9C1 hitting where you point it. The sights themselves have a low profile, but are easy to acquire thanks to the bright three dot system.
We’ve already discussed how light the 9C1’s frame is. But in addition to being light, the frame is very ergonomic. The grip fits comfortably in my hand. And, even though it uses a double-stack magazine, the width of the grip is hand filling, but not thick feeling at all. In fact the thickness is just about the same as a 1911 with factory grips. The grip angle makes the 9C1 a natural pointer. It goes where you are looking.
Technically, the magazines are the only real disappointment with the 9C1. They only hold 10 rounds. In a pistol this size they should hold at least 12. Jim tells me that is a California requirement, but that he is developing a high capacity magazine for sale in other states. The magazines with our test pistol had very stiff springs. I had trouble getting 10 rounds into them. You can use the base of the extra magazine to depress rounds in the magazine for loading. That is a neat thoughtful feature. It was the only way I could get 10 rounds into the magazine. Jim tells me he’s now improved the mag springs, but I haven’t tested them yet.
The 9C1 is a true double action only design. Unlike the Glock or XD, which are essentially always on half-cock, the striker on the 9C1 is completely relaxed until you pull the trigger. The trigger itself incorporates a firing pin block. The pistol will only fire when your finger is actively depressing the trigger. In addition to the trigger safety, there is a magazine disconnect safety. If the magazine isn’t in the pistol, the trigger bar can’t contact the striker. I assume this is a California requirement. But I think mag-out safeties are, at best, unnecessary.
The 9C1 is only a little more complex in use than a double action revolver. But its flat profile is more concealable than a revolver, and the 9C1 with its 10-round magazine and another round in the chamber, provides 66 percent more firepower than the typical six-shot revolver.
DAO designs, whether we’re talking revolvers or autos, are excellent choices for self-defense. They are both fool proof and lawyer proof. But, they need to have light, smooth triggers to be effective. On an early version of the pistol that I tested the 9C1’s trigger was anything but light. In fact I had a great deal of trouble staying in the kill zone unless I very slowly and deliberately squeezed the trigger back.
That was one of the things I talked to Jim about after my first test. And Jim really listened. I sent the pistol back and a few weeks later I had a new one that had the light, smooth trigger this gun requires. Based on some of my other comments, Jim had also reengineered the feed ramp, changed the magazine spring and follower, re-configured the bolt face and relieved the slide to rail fit. The result is an autopistol that is ergonomic, reliable and accurate in all situations.
The trigger pull on the current 9C1 runs just under nine pounds. It is really outstanding for a pure DAO pistol. I had no problems shooting this gun quickly and accurately. I tested the 9C1 with five kinds of factory ammo and with my own handloads. It digested everything it was fed without a hiccup. Once again, that wasn’t the case with the early model I tested. That first gun wouldn’t feed hollow point bullets for love or money. So Jim reengineered the feed ramp and the bolt face, and the results are night and day. If you have one of the early 9C1s that doesn’t feed hollow points well, just send it back to FMK and they will install all the new parts.
I started off the test session with 100 rounds of my own handloads shooting 115 grain full metal jacket (FMJ) bullets over 5.1 grains of Hodgdon’s HP-38 pistol powder. This load moved along at 1,000 feet per second and produced three inch groups from 15 yards. That’s not bad with a DAO pistol, but the 9C1 was capable of doing better. Next I switched to Winchester NATO rounds firing 124-grain FMJ bullets. Even with the heavier bullets, this round averaged 1085 feet per seconds. Groups shrunk to two inches in diameter, and I was pleased.
During my next range session I tried a couple of boxes of American Eagle 124-grain FMJ ammunition. This brand proved to be very accurate. If I did my part; squeezing the trigger with as much control as I could muster, I was able to shoot one-inch groups. Velocity was 1061 feet per second. This was really an excellent practice round.
The final part of my test involved 115-grain Remington jacketed hollow points, both in standard velocity and in +P configuration. The standard configuration Remington ammo averaged three-inch groups from 15 yards. Not bad, but I was getting spoiled by the one and two inch groups. Velocity from the standard 115-grain Remington JHP rounds was 1,130 feet In contrast the +P version averaged 1,447 feet per second. This stuff was noticeably hotter shooting with really sharp muzzle blast. However, despite the obvious boost in power, groups shrunk back down to the one and two inch neighborhood. If I was carrying this pistol for self-defense, this is the ammo I’d fill it with.
During this whole process, over several months, I’ve been very impressed with FMK as a company, and with Jim Pontillo as a human being. So, if you’re in the market for a self-defense handgun, and made in America, and the constitution matters to you. You ought to check out the 9C1.
Specifications:
Caliber: 9mm parabellum (9x19mm)
Barrel: 4 inches
OA Length: 6.85 inches
Weight: 1 lb 7 oz
Sights: Interchangeable, low profile, 3-dot system
Action: Double Action Only (DAO)
Capacity: 10 + one
Finish: Polymer frame, blued steel slide and barrel.
Stocks: Integral to frame
Points of Contact:
FMK Firearms, Inc.
P.O. Box 1358
Placentia, CA 92871
714-630-0658
fmkfirearms.com
E.M.F. Co. Inc.
1900 E. Warner Ave., Suite 1-D
Santa Ana, CA 92705
949- 261-6611