Smith & Wesson just announced the M&P FPC. This new rifle folds where the barrel meets the front of the receiver. The concept is similar to the Kel-Tec Sub 2000 that was released in 2001, however the Sub 2000 folds the barrel over the top of the receiver where the FPC folds to the left side of the receiver. The biggest benefit of this is being able to have a red dot on the top accessory rail of the FPC. On the Sub 2000 you need to either run an offset mount or a mount that lets you swing the red dot out of the way to fold the rifle which is an annoyance on top of the additional expense. For that we have to give Smith & Wesson some kudos.
There's some other nice features like the additional magazine storage included in the stock which is more substantial than the Sub 2000. On the Kel-Tec you are getting minimalist to an extreme. That being said the FPC is still fairly slim. The greatest advantage of the Sub 2000 is the magazine options. The Smith & Wesson will only accept M&P pistol magazines where Kel-Tec has options of Glock, Beretta, SIG, and S&W. The Glock option is the most popular option because of how prolific the mags are. You can find them anywhere and they're relatively cheap. The same can't always be said for the others, but Smith & Wesson does include (1) 17rd and (2) 23rd magazines with the FPC and a retail price of just $659. It also includes a nice little carrying pack for the gun and accessories.
If you're okay with being locked into S&W magazines this is a really compelling gun at the price point and unlike Kel-Tec, Smith & Wesson should be able to scale production so that stores can actually keep one in stock which. The ability to meet customer demand has historically been the Achilles heel of the Sub 2000.
If you're interested in purchasing a FPC please check our webstore where the gun will be posted once we receive our initial delivery.
