Promising “14 acres of Freedom” this year’s NRA Annual Meeting should be interesting. Held in Indianapolis, it runs through this Sunday.

That is all…

SPRINGFIELD, MA., (2/28/2023) – Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ Global Select: SWBI), a leader in firearm manufacturing and design, is proud to introduce its new folding pistol carbine, the M&P FPC.

Chambered in 9mm, the optics-ready FPC has a length of 30 inches and a compact folded length of 16 inches. It comes equipped with three double-stack M&P pistol magazines, including one 17-round and two 23-round mags. This new carbine features an integrated recoil buffer system, -28 threaded muzzle, and in-stock magazine storage for making reloading fast and efficient. The horizontal folding mechanism of the FPC provides a locking latch to enable secured transport and prevents interference with most top-mounted optics or accessories.

“The team at Smith & Wesson aimed to design a pistol carbine that was compatible with various M&P series pistol magazines. We exceeded that initial desire by introducing side-folding mechanics that deliver a unique compact feature and allow the user to keep their sight system mounted on the gun both in the folded and extended positions. Extra magazine storage in the buttstock, familiar M&P fire controls and reliable palmswell grip adaptors all make this new pistol carbine a great addition to the M&P family,” said John Myles, Senior Manager of New Products.

Additional features include a handguard with an upper Picatinny rail and M-LOK slots for accessory mounting capabilities, a flat-face trigger design that offers a crisp single-action trigger break, and four interchangeable palmswells for maximum comfort. The M&P FPC also comes with a carrying bag designed with multiple Velcro storage compartments to secure additional equipment for easy transport. This new folding pistol carbine is proudly made in the U.S.A. and has an MSRP of $659.00.

For more information on the new M&P FPC visit www.smith-wesson.com. 

(McLean, VA – February 21, 2023) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of four new promotional pistol bundles for the FN 509® and FNX™-45 Tactical that include upgrades like the FN 509 flat-faced trigger and fiber optic front sight. Each pistol includes five magazines packaged inside a premium FN zippered range bag at no added cost. These exclusive bundles will be sold through authorized FN distributors and retailers and are available for a limited time only.

Each pistol will be packaged with three additional extended capacity magazines, where applicable, for a total of five per pistol. The FN 509 Tactical, FN 509 Compact and FN 509 MRD will feature FN’s custom flat-faced precision trigger that breaks vertically at 90 degrees while the FN 509 MRD FOS will feature the green fiber optic front sight found only on the FN Edge Series models.

FN 5 Mag Pistol Bundle Details:

These added accessories and upgrades will be offered at no additional cost to the retail price of the standard models but will be a one-time production run and available only for a short period of time. To purchase, look for the black branded band around the grip at your local retailer. Visit fnamerica.com/promotions/5mags/ to learn more.

As we approach our 15th year of daily publication, I’d like to remind everyone that before there was an SSD, there was The Gear Guru which was founded in October 1997 on Geocities of all places. Eventually it received a proper URL.

The Way Back Machine has some archived versions of the site. Check them out if you want to know the secret origins of SSD, back when you had to create pages via HTML.

It was a lot of fun when I did it and I learned a lot.

Eric Graves
Editor

I once said that “It’s Not Testing If You Aren’t Wearing A Lab Coat” which was a tongue-in-cheek jab at online “testers” attempts to defame products based on half-assed efforts. While I was on active duty I conducted numerous tests without the lab coat. The reality is that if you don’t have a test plan, it’s not testing.

Taking a product out to the backyard or to a local range and putting a magazine through it isn’t testing. Neither is coming up with some one-off scenario like shooting a helmet with a threat it wasn’t designed for. Or, another fun one is watching some guy claim an item of FR clothing sucks because it caught fire when he held his flambé blowtorch to it.

Such demonstrations are often entertaining, but testing must be repeatable. What’s more, there are established test protocols for every single lifesaving item you’ll use and those tests must be conducted under very strict conditions.

Machine developed at the National Bureau of Standards to test the endurance of women’s shoes, Washington DC, 1945.