Disassembly/Reassembly of The EMP 9C1 Pistol

Back in the day, California was acting like Gun Valley West and giving long established East Coast manufacturers quite a run for consumers’ firearms dollars. Politicians and activists were not being able to stand such financial success and soon the Golden State’s thriving gun business was systemati cally legislated into non-existence. These assorted knee jerks of applied economic ignorance were accompanied by a sizable number workers cast to unemployment lines and a disastrous amount of lost revenue.

In addition, a Twentieth Century exodus to Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Wyoming and elsewhere was undertaken by Lotus Land residents and businesses deciding to dwell no further in what they felt was being irreversibly transformed from a para dise into a Peoples’ Republic. Among those who chose to stay, stand and fight was James V. Pontillo II, a firm believer that exceptionalism is the quality Americans possess and embrace which defines and differen tiates our culture from all others.

As deeply, he believed that government has no right dictating peoples’ indi viduality and aspirations but is exclusively responsible for protecting those freedoms as the founding fathers have made eloquently clear. It seemed only natural, then, for James Pontillo II to apply his life-long experience in plastics, their vacuum forming, injection molding and in tool building to the design and manufacture of a handgun.

His decision wasn’t primarily impacted by the California hostility to such things nor to spite the political forces responsible for creating that environment. To Pontillo, it just seemed like "the American thing to do." He began his work on the 9C1 in 2001. Between then and now, changes were made as California laws changed. His gun was not to be counted among those who carry the infamous words: "Not for sale in California…" or any other state.

As finally produced by FMK Firearms, founded by Pontillo for its manufacture, the 9C1 includes a Glock-inspired safety trigger, a trigger guard designed to prevent accidental depression of the trigger and discharge, a loaded chamber indicator, a striker indicator warning the operator that discharge is imminent, a magazine-out trigger disconnect feature and a firing pin block.

The pistol is a striker-fired DAO chambered for the 9x19mm, is 6.85-inches in length, 5.09-inches in height, 1.14-inches wide, weighs 23.45 ounces empty and wears a four-inch, six-groove left hand twist barrel. It is guaranteed for two years to be free of defects in materials or workmanship. Any 9C1 returned to the factory that fails to meet these requirements and hasn’t been misused or modified in violation of the warranty will be repaired or replaced at no cost to the owner.

If replaced, FMK will keep the defective weapon and return ship anew one.

Field Stripping As always, remove the magazine, check for an empty chamber and put on some eye protection. Maintain a hold on the grip frame with one hand, wrap your free fingers over the slide and slightly retract it. Swivel the barrel release lever downward and the slide will nudge forward under recoil spring pressure. Grasp the slide and remove it to the front and off the frame. Press forward on the recoil spring assembly and lift it free. Do the same with the barrel. There are two holes in the end cap.

Insert a 1/16-inch diameter punch in the upper, smaller hole, depress the striker and start the end cap moving downward. You want to move it far enough initially to capture the striker. Place a finger over the large hole and continue moving down the end cap. You’ll be relying on the finger to prevent the striker from exiting the slide once the cap is out of its way and until you choose to withdraw it.

This preps a Also pictured, the slide hold and spring (B) and an example of a parallel drift punch (C) recommended for removal of frame pins. 9C1 for general cleaning. In that process, brush out and lightly lubricate the striker tunnel within the slide. Slide Disassembly The extractor (9) is under some tension from its spring (8) and both are retained by a roll pin (10).

This pin is drifted toward the top of the slide and is very small (0.085 inches.) You may have to turn down a 0.093-inch punch to accommodate the size. One of my running suggestions regard The trigger pin is located above the guard opening (A) and the housing pin (B) toward the rear of the grip frame. B A Cing roll pins is about to be restated. Whenever possible, do not drift roll pins all the way out, just far enough to free the part(s) they retain. Why not drift roll pins completely out?

Leaving them partially installed makes reassembly easier and eliminates the danger of damaging a pin in efforts to get it started back into its hole. Admittedly, a set of Brownells Roll Pin Starters go along way in precluding this re-entry damage, but I tend to be somewhat chicken

The trigger/trigger bar assembly has been removed for this photo. when dealing with roll pins, especially really skinny ones. In the case of the 9C1, the roll pins we’re worried about are the extractor and spring. When those two parts have been removed, the firing pin block (25) and block spring (24) can be picked from the slide if they haven’t come out on their own. The loaded chamber indicator assembly, (5 & 6), nests in a slot under the extractor.

Go at these indicator parts from the rear of the slide to move them forward. Final removal may call for a little tilting of the assembly. Frame Disassembly Advice comes first: The frame of the 9C1 is polymer with steel inserts providing bearing surfaces between it and the all-steel slide. Inserting a tapered drift punch could enlarge an entry hole on either side of the frame. Ergo, use parallel-sided drift punches exclusively when moving pins out of the frame.

This movement begins right now with the trigger pin (17) and housing pin (18), both from left to right. The barrel guide (26) is a tight fit. A small, bladed screwdriver may be needed to The 9C1 makes it clear if it is loaded and ready to fire with large, red indicators. Aget it started. Any prying, however, must be accomplished from the magazine well, or rear, side of the guide as it is too easy to cause damage to the front of the guide due to its design.

The rear housing (21) and the entire trigger/trigger bar assembly (27) lifts out as a unit. The trigger spring (32) hooks on to the housing (21), holds everything together and won’t fly

away. However, the trigger spring pin (31) doesn’t exist on newer production guns. What might happen when you remove the trigger/trigger bar assembly is the slide hold (30) and its spring (29) will come with it.

Hopefully they won’t, but the mere possibility should encourage you to take a closer look under magnification at how those parts fit together and how the spring is seated in the frame before pulling out part number twenty seven. 1 Frame 2 Frame Back 3 Magazine Assembly 4 Striker Assembly 5 Chamber Loaded Indicator 6 Chamber Loaded Indicator Spring 7 Rear Sight 8 Extractor Spring It’s possible to further disassemble the trigger/trigger bar assembly but I advise against it.

All its components are key actors in the magazine-out safety (MOS) feature. The housing has a cam on which the trigger bar rides and by which it is guided.

When the magazine is removed from the pistol this cam rotates forward to move the trigger bar abutment and misalign it, thereby eliminating any contact with the 9 Extractor 10 Extractor Pin 11 Front Sight 12 Front Sight Screw 13 Slide 14 Barrel 15 Recoil Spring Assembly 16 Barrel Release 17 Trigger Pin 18 Rear Housing Pin 19 Magazine Release Spring 20 Magazine Release 21 Rear Housing/MOS Assembly 22 Ejector 23 Slide End Cap 24 Block Spring striker.

As a result, when the trigger is pulled with the magazine out the pistol will not fire though there still might be an overlooked round still chambered. As can be determined from the accompanying diagrams this misalignment enables the firing pin block to prevent the striker from moving forward to ignite a cartridge primer.

Of course, when a loaded magazine is reinserted all bets on these built-in safeties are FMK Firearms 9C1 (Speci ications subject to change without notice) 25 Block 26 Barrel Guide 27 Trigger Bar Assembly 28 Barrel Release Spring 29 Slide Hold Spring 30 Slide Hold 31 Trigger Spring Pin 32 Trigger Spring

Above left and off, but the trigger safety remains fully functional. As you can see from the schematic, the magazine release spring (19) appears to be straight. Actually, it has a ninety degree bend at its base that snugs tightly into a horizontal frame cut. I suggest you leave it there. The main vertical element of the spring seats in a channel molded into the frame. The arrow in the schematic identifying the magazine release (20) points directly to a window cut-out in the bottom of the release.

Very carefully insert the blade of the small screwdriver between the left edge of the spring and its channel wall. Hold your thumb against the right side of the magazine release. "Encourage" the spring to move toward your thumb until you can see the spring end visible in the release window. Now further "encourage" the spring to come through the window and push the release out of the frame from the left.

I keep stressing "encourage" because I don’t want you to be obliged to purchase anew spring, anew release, or both. You must take the same precaution when reinstalling these parts. I’ll cover that aspect in the next section on reassembly tips. Little is left in the frame. It includes the barrel release spring (28) and the release (16). Depress the spring and slide out the release in either direction. The frame back (2) has two tabs at its top. These have to be squeezed together before the back is slid down and off.

Reassembly Tips The barrel release spring is introduced from the top. Insert the release until it contacts the spring then press the spring down and complete installation of the release. As you insert the release from right to left, move the spring to a center position in the release window. When centered, release pressure on the spring and push the release to flush with frame left. The trigger/trigger bar/housing assembly is reinstalled as a unit and the barrel guide pressed back in to retain it in place.

After the guide is seated, reinstall the rear housing and trigger pins in that order. The trigger pin has one rounded and one flat end and is inserted rounded end first from right to left. Be certain the slide hold and its spring are aligned and seated properly in the frame to accept the trigger pin. Reinstall the loaded chamber indicator assembly in its extractor slot before the reassembling the extractor and its spring to the slide. Commentary Much earlier, I mentioned the 9C1 carried a strong message.

It wasn’t stated in reference to its caliber or that it has been designed for personal defense. The pistol actually wears that message on its slide. They are words upon which the American people have based their great successes and greater freedom for over 200 years, words sworn to defend and uphold by all elected to government but seemingly put aside by actions taken soon after occupying their seats. They are the Bill of Rights. All ten of them.

Because one man had the guts to have them boldly appear on a firearm conceived and made in defense of all who still believe in and will stand to uphold those rights I humbly cast my vote for the 9C1 as Handgun of The Year, 2010. AG