MagPul and ZEV Technologies announce the FDP-9 and FDC-9: the legend lives!
MagPul and ZEV Technologies announce the FDP-9 and FDC-9 folding defensive pistols and carbines: the FMG-9 concept folding gun showcased at the 2008 SHOT Show will hit the global markets in two civilian-legal variants in 2022
MagPul and ZEV Technologies announce the FDP-9 and FDC-9: the legend lives!
MagPul and ZEV Technologies announce the FDP-9 and FDC-9: the legendary "folding pocket gun" comes to reality after over a decade of relegation to the world of videogames and airsoft replicas!
The FMG-9 folding sub-machinegun concept showcased by MagPul made as much global sensation when it was showcased at the 2008 edition of the SHOT Show as much as it caused massive disappointment when the project was shelved not much time later, apparently forever.
The hype, however, returned on January 15, 2021, when the FDP-9 folding pistol and FDC-9 folding carbine were announced as a cooperative effort of MagPul and ZEV Technologies, with a tentative release date set to 2022.
We don't know much about the upcoming folding gun from MagPul and ZEV Technologies, as of now, but according to the official press release, the collaborative effort started in 2019 shortly after ZEV released the OZ9 modular pistol, compatible with Glock-style operating systems and based on a unique receiver block that's separated and independent from the grip.
Market considerations aside, we can speculate that what held the FMG-9 back all these years were the technical challenges tied to the availability of reliable components that would make such a design really functional and trustworthy; challenges that seem to have been overcome as the upcoming FDP-9 and FDC-9 will use a proprietary variant of the ZEV OZ9 operating system and a MagPul chassis.
The design will be offered chiefly as the FDP-9 – standing for "Folding Defensive Pistol, 9mm" – which will be convertible to the Folding Defensive Carbine tthrough the use of a factory kit. The FDC-9 will be more similar to the original FMG-9, sans the full-automatic capabilities of course, and with several small differences from the now 13-years-old design.
In the United States, due to the provisions of the 1934 National Firearms Act, conversion of the FDP-9 to the FDC-9 will require the gun to be registered as a Short Barrel Rifle through an approved ATF Form 1.
Different forms of legal red tape may stand in the way of the FDP-9 and FDC-9 when it comes to export and market availability outside of the US, with many Countries having an outright ban on civilian ownership of firearms masked by other objects.
The intent, with preliminary ATF approvals in place, is for ZEV Technologies to manufacture the FDP-9 and FDC-9 and distribute them directly through the network of distributors and dealers that market ZEV firearms and accessories.
No information has been released so far regarding availability – except that it won't be ready before 2022 – nor pricing or possibility to place advance orders. Similarly, there's no word yet on whether or not a select-fire version will be made available to military, law enforcement and government customers. All in due time.
