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The FMK 9C1 Gen2 "Enhanced 316 Trigger"... A Comparison Study and Mild Review
I'm a Glock fan. There. I said it.
All jokes aside, I like pretty much any pistol I can get to shoot. But I do enjoy a variety of other pistols other than the Glock. The Glock however is what I shoot the most and either through just sheer trigger time or personal preference (I'm not sure which anymore), it is a mainstay.
In perusing other hand guns on the market, I've often looked at the FMK 9C1 and thought it was at least a little interesting. Having seen reviews that asked "Is this the poor man's Glock", and other reviews on either side of the fence speaking to its reliability and function, it has until recently remained a gun store window shopped gun. I say recently, as 3 CGN sponsors currently have the gun on sale at various prices ranging from $279.99 + shipping /tax (Wanstalls), $329.99 shipped + tax (Prairie Gun Traders) and $379.95 + shipping/tax (Frontier). These pistols usually retail for the $440 to $480 range which is what a used, well aftermarket supported Glock 17 could be found for. At the sale price I figured I’d take a chance on one and see where it went.
The gun ships in a solid, lockable plastic case complete with owner manual, a little bottle of gun oil, 2 magazines, a series of replacement sights that allow for windage and elevation adjustment and of course the pistol. Mine was missing the tiny bottle of gun oil but I wasn’t too worried about it. I did purchase an extra mag for around $30.
For the purposes of this review, the FMK 9C1 is a 2nd Gen “Fast Action Trigger” model with the “Enhanced” 316 marked trigger will be looked at. The 316 trigger is a factory replacement dealing with a recall that addressed the possibility of the pistol discharging when dropped when fitted with the original version of the Fast Action Trigger. The original design of the gun came with a DAO trigger, which was not affected. For comparison, side by side photos of different components will be shown using a Gen 2 Glock 19 with Lone Wolf barrel and 5.5lb trigger assembly.
The 9C1 Specs…
Model: 9C1 G2 Fast Action Trigger “316” Canadian
•Caliber: 9 mm
•Action: Single-Action
•Drop Free Magazines
•No Mag-Out Safety
•Magazine Capacity: 10+1
•Slide: High-Carbon Steel
•Barrel: Stainless Steel
•Frame: Polymer (available in Black, Dark Earth and Pink)
•Sights: Fixed three-Dot
•Barrel Length: 106mm / 4.173 inches
•Weight: 23.45 oz
•Twist: 1:16” LH
•Rifle Grooves: 6
The Guns… Glock on Left, FMK on Right
The Slides…Glock on Left, FMK on Right
The Receiver Internals…Glock on Left, FMK on Right
Barrels and Guide Rods… Glock Spring on Left, Glock Barrel on Bottom
- FMK will accept Glock 19 guide rod, Glock will not accept FMK guide rod.
Trigger Assemblies…Glock above, 9C1 below
- FMK take Glock trigger springs??? YUP!!! The grey spring is a Glock 5.5 lb trigger spring, while the black spring in the OEM FMK 9C1 Gen 2 316 spring.
Conclusions...
The big push for me to tear into these guns side by side was to determine how similar they really are. The mechanics of the guns are identical, however the physical parts themselves won't all interchange. That being said, a Glock 19 recoil spring "might" make due if one were to break their FMK recoil spring, or wear it out. Also, Glock trigger springs are totally interchangeable. I say that with a caveat that I do not know if a NY style trigger assembly would work, but the a standard 3.5, 5.5 or 8lb spring alone will.
I installed a 5.5 Glock trigger spring into my FMK 9C1 Gen 2 316. While I have no empirical data due to a lack of a trigger pull testing device, it does feel lighter. The brake of the trigger is still more pronounced than my Glocks. I'll have to search out a way to measure the pull at a later time.
I'm a Glock fan. There. I said it.
All jokes aside, I like pretty much any pistol I can get to shoot. But I do enjoy a variety of other pistols other than the Glock. The Glock however is what I shoot the most and either through just sheer trigger time or personal preference (I'm not sure which anymore), it is a mainstay.
In perusing other hand guns on the market, I've often looked at the FMK 9C1 and thought it was at least a little interesting. Having seen reviews that asked "Is this the poor man's Glock", and other reviews on either side of the fence speaking to its reliability and function, it has until recently remained a gun store window shopped gun. I say recently, as 3 CGN sponsors currently have the gun on sale at various prices ranging from $279.99 + shipping /tax (Wanstalls), $329.99 shipped + tax (Prairie Gun Traders) and $379.95 + shipping/tax (Frontier). These pistols usually retail for the $440 to $480 range which is what a used, well aftermarket supported Glock 17 could be found for. At the sale price I figured I’d take a chance on one and see where it went.
The gun ships in a solid, lockable plastic case complete with owner manual, a little bottle of gun oil, 2 magazines, a series of replacement sights that allow for windage and elevation adjustment and of course the pistol. Mine was missing the tiny bottle of gun oil but I wasn’t too worried about it. I did purchase an extra mag for around $30.
For the purposes of this review, the FMK 9C1 is a 2nd Gen “Fast Action Trigger” model with the “Enhanced” 316 marked trigger will be looked at. The 316 trigger is a factory replacement dealing with a recall that addressed the possibility of the pistol discharging when dropped when fitted with the original version of the Fast Action Trigger. The original design of the gun came with a DAO trigger, which was not affected. For comparison, side by side photos of different components will be shown using a Gen 2 Glock 19 with Lone Wolf barrel and 5.5lb trigger assembly.
The 9C1 Specs…
Model: 9C1 G2 Fast Action Trigger “316” Canadian
•Caliber: 9 mm
•Action: Single-Action
•Drop Free Magazines
•No Mag-Out Safety
•Magazine Capacity: 10+1
•Slide: High-Carbon Steel
•Barrel: Stainless Steel
•Frame: Polymer (available in Black, Dark Earth and Pink)
•Sights: Fixed three-Dot
•Barrel Length: 106mm / 4.173 inches
•Weight: 23.45 oz
•Twist: 1:16” LH
•Rifle Grooves: 6
The Guns… Glock on Left, FMK on Right
The Slides…Glock on Left, FMK on Right
The Receiver Internals…Glock on Left, FMK on Right
Barrels and Guide Rods… Glock Spring on Left, Glock Barrel on Bottom
- FMK will accept Glock 19 guide rod, Glock will not accept FMK guide rod.
Trigger Assemblies…Glock above, 9C1 below
- FMK take Glock trigger springs??? YUP!!! The grey spring is a Glock 5.5 lb trigger spring, while the black spring in the OEM FMK 9C1 Gen 2 316 spring.
Conclusions...
The big push for me to tear into these guns side by side was to determine how similar they really are. The mechanics of the guns are identical, however the physical parts themselves won't all interchange. That being said, a Glock 19 recoil spring "might" make due if one were to break their FMK recoil spring, or wear it out. Also, Glock trigger springs are totally interchangeable. I say that with a caveat that I do not know if a NY style trigger assembly would work, but the a standard 3.5, 5.5 or 8lb spring alone will.
I installed a 5.5 Glock trigger spring into my FMK 9C1 Gen 2 316. While I have no empirical data due to a lack of a trigger pull testing device, it does feel lighter. The brake of the trigger is still more pronounced than my Glocks. I'll have to search out a way to measure the pull at a later time.
