New For 2023: Smith & Wesson Response Carbine

by
posted on October 21, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
SW Response 01
Images courtesy of Smith & Wesson.

Earlier this year, Smith & Wesson introduced its first rifle chambered for a pistol cartridge in more than half a century with the Folding Pistol-Caliber Carbine (FPC). Looking to match the FPC’s innovative styling and features, the company has released its second 9 mm rifle for the year with the Response, a firearm that offers its own twists on the pistol-caliber AR-15 format.

A man holding the Smith & Wesson Response Carbine next to a Smith & Wesson handgun on an outdoor range.The Response is a pistol-caliber carbine that not only uses Smith & Wesson M&P magazines, but is adaptable to magazines from other manufacturers.

The Response is chambered in 9 mm Luger and uses a blowback-operated action with a spring and buffer housed in a receiver extension and an AR-compatible fire control group that uses a flat-faced trigger. The action is contained within a polymer receiver that is comprised of upper and lower halves. A 16.5" barrel with its muzzle threaded 1/2x28 TPI is surrounded within a FPC-esque 15" polymer handguard with a Picatinny rail extending across the top and a generous number of M-Lok slots on the sides and bottom.

The rifle’s controls are in standard AR format,with a left-side safety lever and bolt release, a right-side magazine release and a rear-mounted charging handle. Stock and pistol grip are also AR-compatible, and the supplied furniture is a Magpul MOE SL buttstock and a proprietary grip unit from Smith & Wesson that mimics the shape and texture of the grip on the company's M&P 2.0 handguns and comes with four sizes of interchangeable palm swells. The stock telescopes to six positions, and the rifle’s overall length is 32.13" fully collapsed or 35.38" fully extended. It weighs 6 lbs., 3 ozs.  

Left side of the Smith & Wesson Response carbine.The Response has its controls, including the safety, bolt release and charging handles in positions familiar to AR-15 users.

Where the Response differs from other AR-type PCCs is in what Smith & Wesson calls its “Flexmag System.” The magazine well area of the lower receiver is detachable. This allows for the rifle to utilize multiple formats of magazines. The rifle ships with an installed magazine-well adapter that accepts Smith & Wesson’s own M&P series and two 23-round extended magazines are included. An accessory adapter for Glock pattern magazines is also supplied. Both adapters will accept any double-stack 9 mm magazine from each manufacturer that holds 15 rounds or more. Based on the language Smith & Wesson used in announcing the release of the rifle, expect magazine-well adapters for other manufacturer’s magazines in the future.    

The detachable magazine well of the Smith & Wesson Response carbine.The Flexmag System uses magazine-well adapters to allow the Response to feed from various manufacturer’s magazines.

The Smith & Wesson Response has an MSRP of $799. For more information, visit smith-wesson.com.

Latest

Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Expedition Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus Expedition

Taurus entered the bolt-action rifle market with its Expedition, a Remington 700-pattern design that's built to be versatile and affordable.

New For 2025: Charter Arms Pathfinder II

Charter Arms updated one of the oldest models in its lineup with the new Pathfinder II, which features a lightweight 7075 aluminum frame, making it more well-balanced and easier to carry.

Review: Kimber 2K11

The 2011-style pistol was designed to address the capacity limitations of the single-stack M1911 platform, and Kimber's approach to the concept is its 2K11, a competition-ready offering with several notable features.

Favorite Firearms: A High-Flying Hi-Standard “A-D”

Manufactured in New Haven, Conn., in late 1940, this Hi-Standard pistol was shipped as a Model “A,” but a heavier Model “D” barrel was installed later to replace the original, light barrel, leading one American Rifleman reader to call it a Model “A-D.”

Ruger Helps Families In Need Through The Kids & Clays Foundation

In the effort to help tens of thousands of critically ill children and their families across the nation through local Ronald McDonald Houses, Ruger is among some of the industry’s foremost Platinum-level sponsors of The Kids & Clays Foundation.

Unlocking The Future: Smith & Wesson's "No Lock" Revolvers

The future is shaping up to be a good one for fans of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The iconic American company had released 14 new models thus far in 2025 at the time this was written mid-year. And, with one exception, they have all shared a common feature—no internal lock.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.