Welcome to Homebuild History, the part of 3D Gun Builder’s website where we focus on the history of some of the most iconic homebuilt firearms, their contributions to the world, and most importantly, how YOU AT HOME can get your hands on these classic arms and armaments!
What’s the Story?
This week’s article is about a very rare sort of homebuilt gun. Built for similar reasons as the Luty, the FGC-9 would become the cornerstone of a revolution. True to its name, it genuinely would frak gun control.
J For Jendetta
The FGC-9 begins with one man: JStark. The pseudonymous designer was inspired, as part of Deterrence Dispensed, to make the ultimate DIY firearm. Prior guns had been either difficult to build properly or required restricted firearms components to complete. No, Stark said, this gun would have none of that.
The base inspiration for the design was the Shuty AP-9. At the time Stark began development, it was the most advanced homebuilt gun available. It did, however, have limitations: Derwood’s CAD work wasn’t the easiest to print. It also required, at bare minimum, Glock magazines and a Glock barrel to work. For Stark, that wouldn’t cut it.
Every piece of the FGC-9 was to be capable of home fabrication. The barrel could be electrochemically machined. The fire control group could be salvaged from an airsoft gun, or even printed or cut from sheet metal. The magazines? Deterrence Dispensed had already built them to spite New Jersey senator Bob Menendez.
Release of the initial FGC-9 was a resounding success. The gun’s popularity saw people fabricating it around the world. At one time, European criminal syndicates were making and selling them for between 1500 and 3500 euros apiece. Irish Republican Army paramilitaries were seen carrying them at parades in 2022. Even American criminals ended up using them.
Still, however, the design had yet to reach its full potential.
Fraction of the Price
The Mk II variant of the FGC-9 introduced a number of significant improvements to the gun’s design. Most notable of the changes was the H&K-style charging handle, which needed the same slap an MP5 did. The aesthetics of the design became more solidifed and less pieced together, with MLok slots replacing the printed picatinny of the Mk I.
Simultaneous releases by DD2 alongside the improvements included new Menendez magazines, more durable than the original, and a fully homemade FCG. The barrel’s ECM fabrication process was also improved to give the Mk II much better rifling.
Several months after the Mk II release, JStark was allegedly raided by the German police. No firearms, ammunition, or firearms components were ever found. Sadly, two days after the raid, he was apparently found dead of a heart attack in his car. Stark’s contributions to the FGC-9 ended there, but its global impact had only just begun.
On the Warpath
The epitome of the FGC-9’s development came slightly over a year after the Mk II’s release in the form of the Stingray. Further polished and refined from the previous variant, the Stingray was unique in that it was built as a PCC, not a pistol. The 16in barrel gave much better accuracy while still being easily craftable at home and in irregular workshops.
And that was just what the People’s Defense Forces in Myanmar needed. Having risen up against the oppressive military junta that ruled their country for over a year, the PDF needed arms. Lacking access to most firearms, the PDF were approached by anonymous members of DD2 who directed them to the FGC-9.
There, they found exactly what they were looking for.
The FGC-9 replaced the paliuntod and the single-barrel shotgun as the weapon of choice by frontline PDF fighters. The gun was used offensively against the Burmese military and was responsible for many kills against a better armed and better equipped military force. In a sense, the Myanmar conflict vindicated everything JStark had said about his design.
Whispers From Beyond
Though the FGC-9 would never eclipse the fame of being the first homebuilt gun to arm a successful insurgency en masse, it still had yet to fully mature. There was still one more thing to be done to push the DIY design past the point of no return.
Thus was born the Partisan 9.
The Partisan 9, to quote one of our staff writers, “makes the FGC-9 MK2 Stingray look like an antique.” Featuring a side-folding stock and buffer tube, the biggest improvement of the design is a ported, integrally suppressed barrel. The Partisan is not only more compact than the Stingray, but quieter as well.
Whether further improvements to the FGC-9 design will come to fruition is unknown as of this article. The gun has been a critical backbone to Burmese rebels and directly contributed to their military gains. With how heavily reproduced all variants have been on the internet, it will never be suppressed. Anyone and everyone can have one.
If there’s but one bad thing to say about the design, it’s that Stark was unfortunately unable to see its ultimate success. Regardless, he will be remembered as one of the more instrumental members of the guncad movement. I and everyone else who knew him were very privileged to have him as a part of the community.
How do I make it?
The FGC-9 was designed by and matured in the Deterrence Dispensed (DD2) group. That group’s repo, the Gatalog, is your best place to find the files for all variants of the design, present and future. The Gatalog also contains tutorials on such processes as ECMing barrels and even making your own 9mm ammo.
While you can find the plans on various other sites, the Gatalog is most likely to have any future improvements released after this article. Building* one will be a significant step up from other designs, but the reward is well worth it.
As always, tune in next week for more Homebuild History! Stay safe and build on!
*Legally, of course. Laws don’t stop you from building this, but we at 3DGunBuilder encourage readers to follow all legal guidelines. If you can’t make this in your state or country, please don’t try to. Just remember that this is here for educational and research purposes only.
