The real surprise of SHOT Show 2018 came from Ruger, and I would argue this for best of the new firearms, and second place contender for the story of the year. Only 224 Valkyrie as a cartridge ranks higher in my opinion, and that is saying something. So Ruger has decided to enter the Pistol Caliber Carbine game, and I am really glad I didn’t spend the last year on R&D for a competing product. Because Ruger is going to sink a lot of ships with their new Ruger PC Carbine.
SPECS:
- Capacity: 17+1 rds.
- Uses Glock & Ruger mags
- Easy takedown
- Cartridge: 9mm
- Barrel length: 16.12 in.
- Overall length: 34.37 in.
- Front sight blade; rear adj. ghost ring
- Finish: Type II hardcoat anodized
- Weight: 6.8 lbs.
- MSRP: $649
Impressions
The Ruger PC Carbine is basically a scaled up 10/22, which offers a number of advantages. First and foremost, 9mm carbines are all blowback models. Ruger knows a little something about this. The 10/2isng the most ubiquitous 22 LR rifle in the world — by a large margin. Walking into this, Ruger had decades of experience to fall back on, probably most of the reason they went with a 10/22 style action.
The rifle is a takedown model, which is also cool. If you already have the capability in engineering terms, why not? So while there are not as many stock options for a takedown 10/22 as a regular 10/22, there is still a lot.
The PC Carbine and 10/22 don’t share a footprint, but the scale is close. It won’t be long before we see aftermarket stocks piled up like cordwood, and that is a huge win. You can make a 10/22 look and feel like anything from a Tommy Gun to a HALO alien carbine, and I bet we’ll see the same thing for the PC Carbine soon.
The barrel is threaded from the factory, so it ships suppressor ready. Also important, Ruger put some magic in the bolt. I haven’t taken it apart yet to see exactly what, but the company man we interviewed mentioned recoil dampening.
This platform recoils less than any 9mm carbine I have shot to date.
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Pricing & Availability
In a big step for Ruger, they also acknowledged the strength of the Glock magazine in the market. The PC Carbine ships set up for an SR-9 magazine ( a nod to the Ruger loyalists), but includes an insert to adapt it to Glock magazines. Well played, Ruger, well played. At a retail price of $649, this carbine is poised to wreck house. I wish I had purchased Ruger stock last week.
For more information about Ruger’s PC Carbine, click here.