A Pistol Caliber Carbine

RUGER’S NEW PISTOL CALIBER Carbine (PCC) has all the impressions of being a legendary home run. The 9mm takedown carbine has a plethora of features and proved itself 100 percent reliable during my testing.

If you are familiar with the 10/22 takedown you get the premise of the 9mm PCC, but besides the action breakdown, action controls, and visibly similar trigger group module that’s about where the similarities end. The rifle’s heft surprised me. Usually 9mm barrels don’t weigh much because of the larger bore size and less material. However even though this 16-inch 1/2×28 threaded barrel is fluted, it is still thick and packs a bit of weight. The 6.8-pound rifle’s weight isn’t all packed in the barrel, but also in the bolt. Upon disassembly I discovered the receiver to weigh 15.5 ounces and the bolt assembly a surprising 24.3 ounces. I realize that it takes a little weight to allow a 9mm dead blowback rifle to cycle, but this was surprising when a complete full size 9mm handgun weighs less than the bolt assembly. 9.5 ounces of this weight consisted of a solid tungsten block installed in the bolt. Whatever the case, the rifle still performed flawlessly for me.

The takedown feature is quick and solid to engage with a simple tab in front of the magazine well. The PCC comes with a 15-round Ruger SR series handgun magazine, but I never even tried it because with a quick magazine well insert swap the PCC accepts Glock 9mm magazines.

I used my Glock 17/18/19 model magazines without issue, mostly with Angelfire 147-grain ammunition along with a Bowers VERS9S suppressor. The bolt charging handle is reversible, so I gladly installed it on the left side of the rifle in order to run the rifle like an AR15. This kept my firing grip secure, and I used my left hand to swap magazines and run the bolt.

The bolt holds open upon empty and releases with a tug after reloading the rifle. The bolt hold open catch is reminiscent of the 10/22 catch directly in front of the trigger guard. The PCC has a cross bolt safety that blocks the impressive trigger. The trigger was surprisingly crisp with minimum over-travel at 4.1 pounds. While the module looks like it would be easy to upgrade like a 10/22, I see no reason why it would be needed.

The PCC has an adjustable ghost ring rear sight and a shielded anti-glare serrated front sight. While I used the irons for most of my testing I quickly mounted a Holosun optic with LaRue mount on the milled pictatinny receiver rail for 50-yard accuracy testing. I figured it would be appropriate to utilize Ruger’s own ARX 124+P ammunition.

My single five-shot group at 50 yards was sub-two inches. I figure that’s plenty acceptable for a 9mm PCC where most shooting will be between 15 to 50 yards. However it sure is fun to shoot suppressed with subsonic ammo at 100 yards.

Further extra features of the PCC boast of two inches of adjustable length of pull by adding or removing the three ½-inch stock spacers. The forend has a molded picatinny rail perfect for adding a flashlight or other accessory, and the stock also has sling studs installed.

All in all the PCC is ready to go for range fun or defensive rifle. The extra features show this was a well thought out design, and it’s no wonder Ruger is having a tough time keeping up with popular demand.

Rumor also has it that caliber swaps might be available in the future because of the easily removable bolt face, tungsten weight, magazine well, and barrel swap capabilities. The MSRP for the Ruger PCC is $649 and more information is available at www.ruger.com.

Email Dustin Ellermann at ContactUs@fishgame.com

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