GUNS Magazine PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES

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Henry’s Big Boy Classic and the Uberti Cattleman both fire the powerful .45 Colt cartridge.

In the last several years pistol caliber carbines (PCC) have become all the rage. Facebook and other social media sources have several groups related to them and all of the major competitive organizations have added a special category for them and accessories are plentiful.

If one cares to be technical the first rifle/carbine to use pistol ammunition was the Model 1873 Winchester. Chambered in .38-40 or .44-40 it was appreciated by lawmen, outlaws, cowboys and anyone else who ventured away from readily available supplies as the cartridges would work in either their rifles or revolvers.

Today the term pistol caliber carbine is generally used to designate a semi-auto carbine using pistol ammunition, most commonly 9mm Luger, .40 S&W or .45 ACP. Less common are .380 and 357 SIG chamberings.

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MGI Marck-15 old school AR-15 type 9mm carbine — 20-year-old tech.

Early ‘Modern’

My first PCC was a now-discontinued Marlin Camp-45 using the same magazine as a 1911 pistol. Another model, the Camp-9, used a magazine compatible with the S&W Model 59 series of auto pistols. Both were reliable utilitarian carbines. Production ran from 1985-1999 and some agencies even experimented with using them as patrol carbines.

I bought another PCC around 20 years ago; an MGI Marck-15 old school AR-15 type carbine. Bought while the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban was still in place, its 16" barrel is not threaded for any type of muzzle device. Unlike many other PCCs currently produced, it uses a proprietary 32-round Colt magazine. Like most pistol caliber carbines, it uses a blow-back action.

Many pistol caliber carbines use the same magazine a manufacturer uses for their pistols. This is largely aimed at the law enforcement market as well as private citizens, with the thought magazine compatibility between the two platforms is very important.

In another life I was a member of my department’s SWAT team. Members of the team carried their personal 1911s and were issued an H&K MP5 and later an AR-15. The thought of compatible magazines never crossed our minds.

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The Ruger PC Carbine will handle magazines from different Ruger handguns as well as GLOCK mags — smart. And they’re fun to shoot!

Ruger Does It

Currently one of the most popular PCCs, due to both availability and price point, is the Ruger PC Carbine.

This handy carbine’s 16.1″ barrel has a threaded muzzle for different muzzle devices including flash hiders, compensators and suppressors. The Ruger is available in different models including versions with a full barrel shroud and various stock colors. Mine is a TALO Distributor Exclusive in Flat Brown Earth.

The Ruger PC Carbine is a takedown carbine making it handy to store or transport. Takedown is as simple as locking the bolt back and verifying the rifle is unloaded, pushing a recessed lever, twisting the subassemblies and pulling them apart.

A dead-blow action features a custom tungsten dead blow weight shortening bolt travel and reducing felt recoil and muzzle rise.
A reversible magazine release and reversible charging handle to support left- or right-handed use enables one-handed control manipulation while maintaining a proper firing grip.

In some people’s opinion one of the best features is it uses Ruger SR-series or Security-9 magazines even though the SR-series releases from a notch in the front of the mag and the Security-9 releases from the side. Clever engineers at Ruger.

Ruger recognized the most popular pistols are the GLOCK 9mms so the carbine incudes a magazine well accommodating GLOCK magazines as well. Switching the mag wells can be accomplished easily in less than five minutes. Those engineers were a busy lot.

The suggested retail for the Ruger PC Carbine starts at $649, but I’ve seen them for sale on some websites for as low as $429, so shop around.

Parenthetically, some dealers trying to cash in on the present unavailability of firearms have jacked the price up to around $900. If and when this firearms famine ceases, we’ll remember who they are.

As you can tell by the space I gave to it, the Ruger PC Carbine is currently my favorite, but there are many manufacturers to choose from, including H&K, Wilson Combat, Beretta, CZ, CMMG, PSA and many others.

Shop wise and decide which best suits your personal tastes and budget.

Ruger.com

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