Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit – Superb Used Carbine

Description

The Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit is a used 9mm pistol caliber carbine supplied with the Glock G17 and G19 FLEXMAG kit and 23 round magazines. The FLEXMAG system is the reason this rifle exists in the form it does: interchangeable magazine well adapters that let one carbine feed from magazines you already own.

Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit The FLEXMAG System

Pistol caliber carbines have always had a magazine problem. Buy the rifle, then buy an entirely separate stock of magazines that fit nothing else you own. The Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit solves that with swappable magazine well adapters, and this particular rifle comes configured for Glock 17 and 19 magazines with 23 round magazines included.

That matters more than it sounds. If you already carry a Glock, this rifle feeds from your carry magazines. A spare magazine in your pocket works in both guns, and one stock of magazines covers your pistol and your carbine.

The adapters are a user-level swap rather than a gunsmithing job, so a rifle set up for one magazine family can be reconfigured later if your pistol collection changes.

Controls, Barrel and Furniture

The controls are familiar MSR controls, so anyone who has run an AR-pattern rifle already knows where everything is. The same applies to accessories: standard MSR parts fit, which makes upgrading a matter of buying off the shelf rather than hunting for proprietary components.

The barrel is 16.5 inches with a 1:10 twist and a 1/2-28 threaded muzzle. That is the standard 9mm thread pitch, so a suppressor or muzzle device mounts directly. Sixteen and a half inches keeps the rifle legal without an SBR stamp while wringing meaningful extra velocity out of 9mm compared with a pistol barrel.

The handguard carries M-LOK slots on the sides and bottom with a Picatinny-style rail on top, so lights, sling mounts, hand stops and optics all mount without adapters. A collapsible stock adjusts for length of pull and for shooters wearing different layers.

The trigger is a flat face unit with a crisp break, a meaningful upgrade over the mil-spec trigger that usually comes in a rifle at this price.

Setting Up the Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit

Because the rifle has no iron sights fitted, an optic is the first purchase most owners make. A red dot suits the ranges a 9mm carbine actually works at, and the flat-top Picatinny rail takes any standard mount. A low power variable is overkill on a cartridge that runs out of steam past a hundred yards, though it costs nothing but weight if you want one.

A light is the second upgrade worth making on the Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit. This is a rifle many people buy for home defense, and identifying a target before pressing a trigger is not optional. The M-LOK slots on the handguard take a light mount directly, and the bottom slots keep it clear of a support hand.

Sling mounting deserves thought too. M-LOK sling mounts are inexpensive and let you set the attachment point where it suits your build rather than where a factory decided. A two point sling on a house gun is worth the twenty dollars.

Ammunition and Maintenance

The Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit uses a blowback action. Blowback pistol caliber carbines are generally not fussy about ammunition, but they do reward using the same load consistently. If you plan to shoot suppressed, subsonic 147 grain loads are quieter but sometimes cycle less reliably in a rifle tuned around standard pressure ammunition. Confirm your chosen load before you rely on it.

Cleaning is straightforward but frequent. Blowback actions run dirtier than a gas-operated AR because unburned powder and carbon get pushed straight back into the receiver. Expect to wipe out the bolt and receiver more often than you would with a 223 rifle, particularly if you shoot suppressed, which increases fouling considerably.

On a used rifle it is worth doing a full cleaning and inspection when it arrives rather than assuming the previous owner did. Check the bore, confirm the muzzle threads are undamaged, and function check with a magazine before your first range trip.

Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit Specifications

• UPC: 022188897685
• Condition: used
• Caliber: 9mm Luger
• Magazines: 23 rounds
• Barrel: 16.5 inches, 1:10 twist
• Muzzle: 1/2-28 threaded
• Trigger: flat face
• Handguard: M-LOK slots with Picatinny-style top rail
• Magazine well: FLEXMAG kit configured for Glock G17 and G19 magazines
• Stock: collapsible

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit

Nine millimeter out of a 16.5 inch barrel is quieter, cheaper and far softer shooting than 223, which makes this an excellent home defense and training rifle. Recoil is essentially nonexistent, so new shooters can learn rifle fundamentals without flinching.

It is also an outstanding suppressor host. Nine millimeter is subsonic in many common loadings, and a threaded muzzle plus a pistol cartridge is about as quiet as a rifle gets. Suppressors require a federal tax stamp and a wait, so plan accordingly.

This is a used rifle. Expect handling marks consistent with previous ownership, and understand that the photographs here are representative of the model rather than of this specific gun. Used firearms are inspected before listing, but they are not new and are not priced as new.

Check your state law on magazine capacity before ordering. Twenty three round magazines are not legal everywhere, and rules on collapsible stocks and threaded muzzles vary considerably as well.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson Response 9mm FLEXMAG Kit suits shooters who want a soft-shooting, inexpensive-to-feed carbine that runs Glock magazines: home defense users, Glock owners consolidating their magazine stock, suppressor owners, and anyone who wants a pistol caliber carbine at a used-gun price.

Learn more from Smith and Wesson, or browse the rest of our firearms selection.

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