I bought the Ruger PC Carbine envisioning it to be a 9mm bull barreled takedown 10/22. They have many of the same features: made by Ruger, blowback in operation, a synthetic stock with adjustable length of pull, a bull barrel threaded to accommodate a suppressor, and the ability to use some of the best magazines made in the industry. It seemed to be a natural progression for a shooter to graduate from shooting very inexpensive and light recoiling .22LR in the 10/22 to shooting relatively affordable and mild 9mm parabellum in a compact and light rifle. After multiple shooting, assembly/disassembly, and cleaning sessions I have come to the conclusion that the Ruger PC Carbine is NOT an up-scaled 10/22.

The PC Carbine is close in size to the 10/22, so picking it up was eye opening—I was surprised at how heavy it was. The Ruger 10/22 Takedown (model # 21114) is 37” in length with the standard (longer) stock extension and weighs 4.6 pounds. According to Ruger, the PC Carbine is 34.37” long and weighs 6.8 pounds (with no buttpad spacers installed.) The majority of the weight difference between the 10/22 and the PC Carbine is in the barrel and bolt. Ruger fluted the PC Carbine bull barrel to reduce the weight where they could, but it is still a heavy profiled steel barrel with the 3-lug take down features on the receiver end. One might suspect that would make the rifle muzzle heavy but the complete bolt weighs 24.2 ounces, which keeps the center of balance right at the magazine well so the carbine feels well balanced, even when loaded with a 33 round magazine. The PC carbine is quite compact, but due to the weight, it isn’t as quick handling as the 10/22.


With the extra weight, the PC Carbine should be very soft recoiling when shooting the 9mm parabellum, right? Well… I have seen other reviews that say the PC Carbine has little to no recoil and that may be true compared to large bore rifle calibers, but for a firearm this heavy, I was surprised at the amount of recoil. I did not find it punishing or bruising, but it does recoil and the muzzle does rise in free recoil.  A standard 16” barreled mid-length AR15 in .223 has more muzzle blast and makes more noise but recoils less than the PC Carbine. When compared to a 16” barreled semi-auto UZI and a 16” barreled CZ Evo Carbine, the PC Carbine had very similar recoil. The PC Carbine uses a tungsten weight and synthetic buffer to counter the bolt momentum at the end of its movement so the bolt reciprocates smoothly without bouncing. While the stock can be reduced to length of pull of 12.62” (only 0.12” longer than length of pull on the compact 10/22), recoil sensitive shooters might find the PC Carbine to be a big step up in recoil compared to the 10/22.


One huge design feature for the PC Carbine is that there are currently three mag well adaptors available from Ruger, two of which come with the rifle. From the factory it has the Ruger SR magazine adaptor installed in the magazine well. This allows the rifle to use Ruger SR9 and Security-9 pistol magazines. Ruger also sells a magazine well adaptor for the Ruger American Pistol magazine on their accessories website for $30, but the vast majority of owners will use the second magazine well adaptor included with the rifle—the Glock magazine adaptor. I didn’t even try the included SR9 magazine or magazine well adaptor. I promptly replaced it with the Glock adaptor and grabbed one of the many double stack 9mm Glock magazines I have and slapped it into place. Everything from the 9-round Glock 26 short mag to the 33-round Glock 18 mags have worked in the PC Carbine with the Glock magazine adaptor in place. In testing so far, it has proven to like Glock OEM and Magpul PMAG GL9 magazines, but it hated the one ETS magazine I tried. The ETS magazine fit very snug in the magazine well and would only cycle one or two rounds before failing to load the next round. The only other failure in over 1000 rounds was a Winchester white box 115 grain round that failed to feed in the middle of a 33-round Glock magazine dump. I have tried Glock 9, 10, 15, 17 and 33 round magazines, as well as Magpul PMAG 15, 17 and 21 round mags and all have been flawless thus far, with the exception of that one round.

I was very surprised to discover that the Ruger PC Carbine has a really good bolt hold open lever. Unlike the factory hold open on the 10/22, you do not need to play games with it to lock and unlock it. It works like the very popular aftermarket “auto bolt releases” made for the 10/22 where the shooter just tugs the bolt back and lets go. This is a HUGE improvement over the stock 10/22 and one that I hope Ruger implements in future 10/22s. The safety appears to be the same as the one in the 10/22 and works the same way. It is great for right-handers, but backwards and awkward for left-handers. It would have been nice if Ruger had incorporated an ambidextrous tang safety instead of the cross-bolt style. There is an aftermarket left hand safety that is currently available for the 10/22 and I believe it will work in this carbine as well, however I am not aware of a true ambidextrous safety for either the 10/22 or the PC Carbine at this time.


Ironically, both the charging handle and the magazine release can be installed on either the right or left side. The one caveat is that the older Gen1-3 Glock magazines only have a locking notch on the left side of the magazine, which requires the magazine release to remain on the left side of the carbine. The newer Glock magazines that have been made since the ambidextrous mag release change and all Magpul PMAGs will work with the mag release on either side. I shot the carbine with the charging handle on the right side, switched to the left side and finally settled on moving it back to the right side. Most of my other firearms have the charging handle on the right side and it just felt more natural on that side. With the ejection port only on the right side, I find it easier to check for an empty chamber while pulling the charging handle back with my right hand. I also found it easier to manually lock back the bolt using one hand to pull back the bolt and push up on the bolt hold open lever with the charging handle on the right side.

I was surprised at how crisp the trigger was in the PC Carbine—it is a very good trigger with a little bit of take up and hardly any creep—much better than any factory Ruger 10/22 trigger I have ever pulled. Unfortunately the right edge of the trigger blade on my carbine is a little sharp—two shooters commented on it “cutting” into their finger. While it did not draw blood, it was uncomfortable for them to shoot it for long. I found the trigger to be on the heavy side for my preferences—5 pounds on my scale. The marketing department at Ruger says the PC Carbine utilizes “proven 10/22 trigger components” suggesting that it can make use of many of the aftermarket trigger parts available for the 10/22. I figured I could kill two birds with one stone and get a lighter trigger with a smoother profile by installing an aftermarket trigger kit. I emailed Volquartsen Firearms, Kidd Innovative Design, Clark Custom and Power Custom to ask them if they had any concerns with installing their 10/22 trigger kits in the Ruger PC Carbine. Kidd responded almost immediately saying, “Our triggers are only recommended for the 10/22®.” Nic Volquartsen of Volquartsen Firearms followed on their heels saying, “Our hammer and sear is not compatible with the PC9.” I have not heard from Clark Custom or Power Custom at the time of this writing, but until I hear otherwise, I will err on the side of caution and not install any 10/22 trigger parts in my PC Carbine. No, the trigger housing in the 10/22 is a different size and shape than the PC Carbine, so a drop-in 10/22 housing will not work with the PC Carbine.

I was surprised that Ruger did not continue to use the interchangeable comb height/stock length modules that they incorporate on the Ruger American Rimfire and some Ruger 10/22 stocks. Instead they have a fixed comb height stock and include three 1/2” buttpad spacers to increase the length of pull from 12.62” to 14.12”. The comb height works well for the iron sights but I found it to be a little low when I installed a micro red dot scope in a low base on the receiver picatinny rail. The stippling on the pistol grip and forearm of the carbine are outstanding—rough enough to maintain a good grip in inclement weather but not so rough as to irritate the hands in a long shooting session. The fore-end has a short picatinny rail molded into the 6:00 position of the stock for a flashlight or laser. Unfortunately other users have reported that the rail section is too short to fit common dedicated weapons lights and lasers. I would prefer no railed section at all as my hand naturally grips where the rail section is placed. The rear of the stock has an in-molded sling point and the front has a screw-in sling stud. On my carbine, the sling stud came turned perpendicular to the bore from the factory and had to be turned another 90 degrees for proper use. Not a big deal, but evidence that Ruger’s quality control is still getting the manufacturing processes dialed in for this firearm.


The provided sights are pretty good—for close range. The large ghost ring rear sight makes it easy and fast to pick up the sights even in low light, but I struggled to make precise shots at 25 yards. Someone with younger/better eyes can undoubtedly do better, but I found using a red dot optic beyond 20 yards helped shrink my groups in half. Due to the design of the rear sight, I do not think people will be adjusting them frequently. I certainly won’t be. They require a hex driver to loosen a screw and slide the sight for adjustment. Not the precise click adjustment that I prefer, but for a set and forget sight I think they work just fine. I have not installed a magnified scope on this carbine so far, so I have not shot it for accuracy. I have seen many groups consisting of one ragged hole in testing thus far and I have seen other reports getting less than 2 MOA out of their carbines. I do not intend to shoot this carbine at long range—the 9mm parabellum can be effective at a surprisingly long range, but I have other rifles that are better suited for that. Instead, I see this carbine as being used for teaching, plinking with cheap ammo, practicing rifle skills on indoor ranges that only allow pistol calibers, shooting carbine matches that use steel targets that are only pistol caliber rated, and shooting quietly with a suppressor.

Yes, I have shot the PC Carbine with a suppressor—a Silencerco Octane 45 with a fixed spacer and 1/2-28 piston. So far it has functioned flawlessly with the suppressor installed. Because this carbine utilizes a blowback system, the gases escape and noise from firing a shot escape through the ejection port as soon as the bolt starts to open behind the fired cartridge. Therefore this carbine is not as quiet as a similarly suppressed firearm with a locked breech recoil system. If shooting with a suppressor, make sure to remove the O-ring from the threaded muzzle after removing the muzzle protector, to ensure that the suppressor is co-axial with the bore. The sights are high enough in profile that they appear above the suppressor body. The carbine does get dirty faster when shooting suppressed, but that doesn’t seem to hinder its performance in any way. I have not noticed any appreciable difference in gassiness shooting as a right-hander, but shooting left handed was pretty bad. On the other hand, shooting left-handed without the suppressor I noticed the gas too. I have only shot the carbine left handed a little bit, but if a shooter can handle the gas, the backwards safety and potentially the backwards magazine release, they should have no issues shooting this carbine as the brass ejects forward toward the 2:00 position.

I really like the take-down feature of the PC Carbine and Takedown 10/22. The front half is 16.12” in length to keep the barrel over the federal 16” minimum legal requirement while the rear half is 19.75” with no buttpad spacers. Unlike the 10/22, Ruger does not provide a carrying case with the PC Carbine and you will have to provide your own. I suspect extra 10/22 takedown bags on Ebay will be snapped up quickly as people look for bags for this carbine. The aftermarket manufacturers again offer other options and this might be a great opportunity for them.

After shooting the carbine for a while the heavy profile barrel gets hot. Really, really hot! And it takes a long time to cool down. I am used to waiting for a suppressor to cool off before packing my firearms up and leaving the range, but the greater mass of the barrel actually takes longer to cool than the Octane suppressor does. Even shooting unsuppressed the barrel can heat up to become uncomfortably warm to touch. When shooting a lot of rounds through the carbine fairly quickly, be careful to hold the fore-end by the synthetic stock and be careful what the barrel rests upon while cooling.

The biggest surprise that comes with this carbine is the number of screws that it uses. Most successful firearm designs use very few screws—or, like in the case of the Browning Auto-5 shotgun, they use locking screws (secondary screws) to ensure the primary screws do not back out. The Ruger PC Carbine has 20 screws—using all different sizes and drive types. Moving from the butt to the muzzle:
2 - recoil pad screws, 9/64” hex drive
2 – butt pad holder screws, Phillips #2 drive
3 – stock takedown screws, 5/32” hex drive
1 – charging handle screw, 5/32” hex drive
1 – magazine release screw, 5/64” hex drive
3 – barrel block screws, 1/8” hex drive
2 – takedown block screws, 9/64” hex drive
2 – rear sight adjustment screws, 1/16” hex drive
4 – rear and front sight base screws, T10 torx drive

That is a lot of screws using 7 different drive bits and none of the screws that I have removed so far have any sort of thread locker on them. I usually apply blue Loctite to all screws on my firearms, but that is for semi-permanent installation. Two of the stock takedown screws and the charging handle screw need to be loosened or removed to field strip the carbine to be properly cleaned. The stock takedown screws have worked well in the 10/22 for over 50 years and these screws appear to be the same screws, so maybe they will work fine—especially since they are in a non-reciprocating stock. The charging handle screw, on the other hand, reciprocates with every round fired. After the first trip to the range, I discovered the charging handle was loose after shooting 275 rounds. I cleaned the bolt charging handle hole and the charging handle screw with rubbing alcohol to remove any manufacturing oils on them and haven’t had any issues with the screw loosening since. The PC Carbine manual recommends checking the charging handle screw every 1000 rounds and tightening these 4 screws to 65 in-lbs torque. That is pretty high torque for fasteners of this size—especially for a hex drive. I am already seeing slight deformation of the hex pocket in these screws and I am using a Borka torque driver to drive these screws to make sure that I am not over torqueing these screws. I doubt many shooters have access to a torque driver and even fewer will actually use it every time the field strip their carbine, so I suspect this will be an issue—stock up on replacement screws!


We will see how all these fasteners do over time, but Ruger might consider upgrading to a Torx or Torx-plus drive on these fasteners for less possible deformation of the fastener head and improved torque. I also do not like how deep the charging handle screw is inset into the charging handle. A typical 1” long 5/32” hex bit will not reach the screw and fit into the drive tool/torque wrench. A longer bit is required—I had to add a 2” long bit to my gun cleaning kit. Ruger does provide 3 hex wrenches with the carbine: the 5/32”, the 9/64” and the 1/16” for the 3 sizes most likely to be adjusted. However, there is no storage on the rifle—if you aren’t carrying a wrench of the right size with you, field stripping the rifle, changing the sights or adjusting the stock length of pull isn’t possible. I think Ruger could have added a plug to the pistol grip of the stock to add onboard storage for the hex wrenches. I would love to see the charging handle screw be replaced with a more robust tool-less attachment method, such as the traditional cross pin or the spring loaded pin system many shotgun charging handles currently use. (As a side note: adding a locking washer and a couple of small flat washers to a 10-32x3/4” grade 8 Torx-plus socket cap screw prevents the screw from loosening under recoil and decreases the required tool depth. This will solve this issue until someone develops a shallower charging handle. Unfortunately, that adds yet another wrench type/size to the mix!)

The old Marlin Camp carbines had a polymer buffer that was known to crack and deteriorate over time. Firing the pistol caliber carbines without the buffer in place would damage and ultimately destroy the receiver. Will the same thing happen to the PC Carbine? Is Ruger’s elastomer buffer a wear item? If so, how many rounds before it needs to be replaced? The manual doesn’t say anything about it. I am sure Ruger will mail out a new buffer if needed, but how long will they remain available when production of the carbine ends some day?

My final (and biggest) concern is that the inside of the top of my receiver has two “gouges” in the aluminum from where the two bolt head retaining pins are sandwiched between the bolt and the receiver. The gouges appear to occur near where the bolt comes to a close. I have applied lubrication to those points (and the pins themselves) and will keep an eye on that area. If it continues to degrade I will send pictures to Ruger to see what they think. Hopefully the parts needed to “wear in” and no further wear will occur.



On paper Ruger designed the perfect carbine—a compact carbine that takes down into two pieces for discrete transportation, uses Glock mags, has a threaded barrel for suppressor use, has easy to see ghost ring sights and a picatinny rail for optics use. So far it has proven to be quite reliable—even with another manufacturer’s magazine! Ruger did a fantastic job updating the pistol caliber carbine design and I think they are going to sell a ton of them. It can even be sold in the “ban” states such as California and New York because they offer versions that use 10 round magazines and do not have threaded barrels. Since the PC Carbine fires a pistol caliber and not a rifle caliber and uses a traditional style stock instead of a separate pistol grip and butt stock, they are not subject to some of the “assault weapon” laws that the more restrictive states enforce. As good as the Ruger PC Carbine is, I think it has room for improvement. Specific products I would like to see Ruger or third party vendors produce:

1.Magpul X-22 Backpacker style stock – storage in the pistol grip for hex wrenches and spare batteries for optics, interchangeable cheek risers for iron sights and optics, storage for spare mags. It potentially could also eliminate 4 screws.
2.Even better, combine the Magpul stock with a folding stock to reduce the package size even further.
3.Replace the current charging handle with a more robust charging handle—especially the attachment method.
4.Replace the hex takedown screws with Torx or Torx-plus drive screws.
5.Ruger is supposedly working on an optics base to replace the rear sight. This will eliminate any point of impact changes with the barrel being removed and installed by attaching the optic to the barrel instead of the receiver picatinny rail. I am definitely interested in such a product!
6.Make a muzzle thread protector with a captured O-ring so it is not lost or left on the barrel with a suppressor attached.
7.Make an ambidextrous safety to replace the current one.
8.Make an ambidextrous mag release that mimics the mag release on the 10/22 with the same placement just behind the magwell.
9.Make a new forearm that has a no accessory rail or a longer accessory rail underneath for flashlights and lasers.
10.Until a better stock becomes available, a plug to replace the pistol grip emblem on the current stock, which will allow for hex wrench and battery storage on the rifle.
11.A short threaded barrel to make an SBR.
12.An integrally suppressed barrel.
13.I am sure many S&W M&P and Springfield XD/XDM pistol owners would love to see a magazine well adaptor for their pistol magazines, as well.
14.There are many different vendors that offer bolt buffers for the 10/22—hopefully some of them will start producing a quality replacement buffer for the PC Carbine as well.

Interestingly, one aftermarket product that I did not have on my wish list is already in production. Taccom3g is now producing a magazine funnel for the Ruger PC Carbine. Available at taccom3g.com for $29.95.

4March2018 Edited to add:
I decided to try to compare the recoil of the Ruger PC Carbine with the standard thread protector versus with a muzzle brake. A friend of mine recently removed the muzzle brake from his CZ EVO Scorpion 9mm carbine so we decided to use that. We put a piece of graph paper with a one inch grid pattern on the port side of of the muzzle (approximately 12 inches away) and placed an iPhone on the opposite side to record video of the carbine while in recoil. We recorded 2 strings of 3 shots for both with and without the muzzle brake. I took screen captures from the video and have embedded the "best" example of each below. "Best" being the best clarity of the video screenshots as the video was not taken with professional high speed equipment or photographers.

Ruger PC Carbine with standard thread protector


Ruger PC Carbine with CZ EVO Scorpion muzzle brake


The muzzle brake does reduce the rearward motion in recoil slightly (approximately 1/8" less than the 1-1/8" of the standard thread protector) but the upward motion appears to remain about the same (3/4"). It is interesting to note that despite leaving a 16" barrel, the 115 grain CCI Blazer 9mm ammunition was still producing a large muzzle flash. This suggests that a different muzzle brake tuned for the carbine may be more effective. Although it was not captured in the video, we did note that the camera had quite a bit of debris on it after shooting with the muzzle brake attached.

31March2018 Edited to add:
I have now shot over 2000 rounds through the Ruger PC Carbine with no further malfunctions. Most of it has been 115 grain FMJ from CCI, Winchester or Federal, but I have shot 150 more rounds of Federal 147 grain with the 45 Octane. The gouges in the top of the receiver do not appear to be increasing in size so we will continue to keep an eye on them. Taccom3g.com is now offering additional aftermarket parts for the Carbine including a Delrin mag funnel, an extended charging handle, an oversize mag release button and a ribbed buttplate. Available here: https://taccom3g.com/product-category/9mm-pcc-components-and-accessories/ruger-pccarbine/

13Sep2018 Edited to add:
I have not shot the Carbine as much over the summer and only have 2500 rounds through it now, but the gouges in the top of the receiver still appear to be the same size as shown in the original photos. A few other shooters have contacted me stating they have the same marks in their receiver. So far there does not appear to be any correlation as to why it is happening. Some are shooting suppressed, some aren't. Some have had loose charging handles and some haven't. I have not heard from anybody that has had to send their Carbines back to Ruger due to the gouges, so far, so maybe the wear is self limiting? I would be interested in hearing from others that have experienced this wear if I have not heard from you so far, or if there are new developments in your wear.
Multiple vendors now make barrel mounted optic bases that replace the rear sight, or you can make your own. More details can be found here: https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Rear-sight-optic-rail-for-the-Ruger-PC-Carbine/48-489941/
I created my own pistol grip plug for the carbine so allow me to store hex and Torx wrenches on-board the PC Carbine. Details here: https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Ruger-PC-Carbine-Grip-Storage/48-492577/

Blowback 9mm carbines do tend to have more recoil than most people expect. The bolt has to be heavy to delay opening for long enough and all that weight moving back and forth translates into felt recoil.

Wow.

Great, in-depth review!

Thanks for the effort.

One is on my buy list once they become more available.

Excellent review!

Great point about the multiple types of screws. Going to just a few different types of torx bits would be ideal.

A Magpul stock with with the Magpul grip angle would be great. Would be cool if you could buy for ends and stocks seperately, maybe a hunter type option, but with storage in the stock for spare magazines and a long and short for end. The long forend would be fine for the 16 inch carbine, but a short forend would be better for SBRs.
I don't believe the "back packer" style will be possible with the magwell. Magazines won't be able to stow in a back packer size stock any how.

I will end up with one of these. Both my wife and I have 10/22 take downs, I will wait to see what all options come out. The 9mm Glock mag option is ideal for me.

I took my Ruger PCC shooting with a buddy this weekend and we both liked most everything about it, especially that it takes Glock magazines. I found the recoil to be mild compared to other 9mm carbines I've fired except for maybe the MP5 variants.

I wonder how well a comp like what's listed below would help to cut down on recoil?

https://www.kawvalleyprecision.com/KVP-Linear-Compensator-p/kvp-linear-blk.htm

Thanks for the great review.  A few notes from when I shot mine:

1) Before shooting I changed the mag. well and moved the charging handle to the other side.  I was being lazy so I just used the included hex wrench to tighten the charging handle.  I fired ~120 rounds and when I came back home it was loose.  I have a torque wrench and the correct bit so I can follow the manuals torque setting.  The real problem is that it is being marketed to large numbers of people that don't have the wench.

2) The trigger pull is ok, but the serrations make it feel heavier.

3) I would like to see a Magpul stock.  The Magpul 10/22 stock is a favorite of the ones I own.

Overall I still like the gun but I have to agree it isn't perfect.

I wonder if a heavier weight would reduce the bolt noise while suppresed ?   Very very good review and mentioned all of the other issues we shared in the main thread.  I also want to try a comp or Muzzle break on this to see  if it helps.  The rifle is definitley snappy but not as bad as the CX4 I had that felt like a magnum paintball gun.

I intend to put a 9mm muzzle brake from a CZ scorpion on the PC Carbine (hopefully this weekend) to see what that does to the recoil characteristics. I will post my results on this thread after I test it.

Excellent, comprehensive review. Thanks for posting!

Long read.

OST

Anybody mount a 3-Lug adapter on their PCC yet?  I've got 3-Lug mounts on my AR9 and CZ Scorpion, so I'd like to be able to throw the same can on the Ruger as well.  I'll probably order and report back.

I just got mine today and didn’t get a chance to shoot it.

My advise: Be careful when you take it apart because there are some small parts that aren’t held in by much, like a 10/22.

It will not reduce recoil, might even slightly increase it. It directs all gasses forward, to make short barrels less obnoxious.

At 16" does a 9mm have much gas left?

Probably not. But what is left will push straight back out of a linear comp.

@fullauto01

Great Review, thank you.

Do you have any experience with the "original" PC9?  Do you have any observations between the two that you would like to add?

Has anyone found a cheap A2 style flash hider for 9mm yet? I just want it for looks until I get a 9mm can.

My original post has been edited to add a muzzle brake comparison.

Ohio: I have updated my post at the top to illustrate what a muzzle brake does (or doesn't do) on this carbine, but as you can see by the muzzle flash there is still quite a bit of gas even after leaving the 16" barrel.

Scully: unfortunately I have no experience with the original version of the Ruger PC9, so I can't help you there.

SickMAK90: Lone Wolf Distributors sells their 9mm LWD flash hider for $20. I haven't tried it on the Ruger, but it seems to work just fine on a friends CZ EVO carbine.
https://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=920084

Good job, thanks!

My original post has been updated for additional round count with no further issues, and additional aftermarket accessories for the Carbine now being available form Taccom3g.com.

We appreciate the updates and all the work you have done and shared with us. I will be getting one of these for sure (once wife approves...)

Wow. Awesome post. I have one of these on order with my LGS and have been anxiously awaiting the call for weeks.

As you point out, it does seem Ruger missed the mark a bit when it comes to the stock. No adjustable comb, and a picatinny rail that's not compatible with the most popular lights. Hopefully Magpul rectifies both issues with an aftermarket stock.

Sigh.

Tang safety.

Reversible handle + ejection.

10-22/AK mag release with straight insertion.

Adjustable LOP and comb.

Completely ambi. Was that so hard?

Ruger.

Tang safety will not work with that trigger group. Same for the 10/22 if I remember correctly.

Handle will swap over, if you worry about hot brass you can 3d print a deflector or make one that can hang off the top rail. Hell you could make a ton of $ if you made one.

AK style mag release. I don't see it being an option with Ruger, or Glock mags. Kinda like the trigger group, outside design limitations and keeping it to a price point. It does have an ambi mag release.

I agree with the adjustable Comb, but if you are not putting a scope on it it seems perfect to me. If you are worried about optics use low mounts. I am looking to see if there is a option to take off the rear sites and mount a red dot way up there.

Completely ambi? Well to keep it in the price point and to make it fully ambi, it may have been. Hell Ruger could have left out the glock adapter and charged people $50.00 for it and people would still be buying it. Every business is building firearms to a price point. Look at sig and the 226, 229, 220 lines each has a flavor of price point. I think ruger did the right thing, they had a price point and put out a firearm that met that point. Yes there are a few things they could have done better, but each one would mean a price jump. What may seem like a $8 part, becomes a $40-$50 price increase by the time it makes it to the retailer. Add in more changes and you are in to the $600-700 price point. At that point a lot of people myself included would simply pass on it.

Is it better than the ARs in 9mm? No clue I don't have an AR in 9mm, but it is for the most part a bit less expensive. I do have my 9mm PC carbine. It is fun to shoot, the wife likes shooting it. I am looking for the .45 version in the future.

I greatly dislike tang safeties, prefer a sealed left side receiver for blowback to not get crap in my face, don't know of anything that takes Glock mags with straight insertion, and certainly don't know if any takedown PCCs on the market that are even THIS ambi friendly, much less at this price point.

Theres much more right handed people buying this thing, and if somehow they have to switch hands due to injury I think it's ambi enough for them.

But I'm generally curious--why that specific set of issues for a PCC?  Just the ambi, personal preference, or something else I'm missing?  And wouldn't a tang safety make a later folding stock extremely difficult and expensive?

Great review,thank you.

I plan on buying one of these once supply is to more normal levels.

Please keep updated on the receiver wear and any issues that may come up

A Magpul Hunter stock would be sweet

https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Ruger-PC-Carbine-Mag-Experience-Thread/48-487144/

just a link to another thread which may interest potential buyers. I enjoy shooting my PCC Takedown. I'm hoping MagPul comes out with a slightly better stock for it.

Being left handed...is a thing.

Especially with firearms.

You cant buy hardly anything stock, and use it.

I don't like blowback in my face, or brass down my neck, or using the safety in some wonky fashion.

Being left handed sucks.It only helps playing first base, and I hated first base.

Fullauto01 or anyone else happen to know the thread size and pitch for the iron sight mount screws to the barrel?

For what I'm using this carbine for I don't need the irons and they're already removed.  Would like to put some allen set style screws in the barrel to plug the holes and keep crap out of them.

@MRBLACK947 the rear iron sight base screws (that attach the rear base to the barrel) should be 6-48.

I do not have access to my 6-48 plug screws right now so I can't verify that, however I determined the size by the following facts: The screw is finer toothed than the 40 threads/inch that is the smallest pitch my Mitutoyo thread pitch gauge measures. In the current US production gun world, that almost guarantees that it is 48 tpi, and Ruger uses 6-48 a lot. The major pitch diameter of the screw measures 0.1348" which is within tolerance for a #6 screw (0.1321-0.1372").

A 10-22 receiver scope rail plug screw should thread right in as it is also 6-48. Most plug screws have a slotted head but Brownells does carry 6-48x1/8" hex drive plug screws (#080-534-001AK). The original screws do not have any form of thread locker on them, but I would recommend using Blue Loctite (242) or Vibra-tite VC-3 on the original screws or on the replacement filler plugs. If you install them before I can verify the size here, please post confirmation that it worked out. Thanks in advance.

Thank you very much for your time fullauto.

I ordered a 12 piece set of 6-48 allen style hole plugs from Brownells today for 10 bucks.  I think it will be nice when done.

My son and I are enjoying the hell out of this new carbine.

Thanks for your time on the review.

Has anyone put the Taccom3g extended magazine release on the PC9. Having some difficulty. Couldn't find a video and the directions don't seem to be working. Could be my lack of skill too.

Edit: Finally figured it out. Works great.

I was able to verify they are 6-48 thread.

I am glad that I went with the Brownells hex style plugs for a cleaner appearance over the slotted plug.  Installed flush with 242.

Polish the outside of the aluminum with a cotton wheel and some mother's mag.

Has anyone made a mount or a pic rail that will fit in place of the rear sight yet?

Got the TRS-25 RD sighted in today.Mounted it right to the rail with no riser.

Perfect cheek weld,iron sights could still be used in a pinch but i most likely wont use them.

So far i am 200 rounds without cleaning with zero problems. Glock 26 10 round and Glock 18 33 round mags used so far.

Fired brass is getting a little dented.

Going to keep the Bushnell RD on there as its working great.

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Could you add a screw/plug to offside of charging handle?
Is there enough threads to run dual handles maybe?

I use dual handles. Stock on right, TACCOM on left.

Inside of my receiver is getting the same marks as the OP's.

Very minor right now,will keep an eye on it.

I created my own rear sight rail for the Ruger PC Carbine since Ruger hasn't released one yet.

@SickMAK90 you might want to look at this new thread: https://www.ar15.com/forums/Armory/Rear-sight-optic-rail-for-the-Ruger-PC-Carbine/48-489941/

Just got one of these myself, thanks for the write up and tips everybody.

I just got back from the range with mine.  Bought it last Sunday.  I am very impressed.  It really makes my Sub 2000 feel and shoot like a toy.  Sights took just a tiny tweak right to be zeroed at 25 yards.  Felt like shooting a "grown up 10/22", which it is.  I love the iron sights on it and am not even considering anything else.  I love when a gun makes you feel good.  Kudos to Ruger.

Oh and zero malfunctions shooting about 200 rounds.  Mixed 124 grain reloads, 115 gr factory stuff, and about 50 147 HST's.

My one and only complaint, if you could call it a complaint, is the weight.  Could be a pound lighter.  The stock reminds me of the Z-rims from the 80's BMX days.  Tough as hell but a bit heavy.

I wish someone made an aluminum chassis with stock options for Ruger PC.

I'm sure they will release all sorts of cool stuff.  Give it time.  This thing is a 10/22 in 9mm like I said.

Somebody might already be doing it, but I haven't seen it:

An affordable 9mm "carbine" load with powder type optimized for 16" barrels to give max velocity.

With all the 9mm ARs and other carbines out there right now it would be a seller.

Not a chassis, but Parker Mountain is working on an aluminum MLok fore end.


PMM Ruger PC Mlok fore end

Pretty cool design.

Price is going to be the key here for aftermarket stuff.

Magpul is very likely working on something like a Hunter stock.

There is just not enough room in the case for more of a slower powder. It can't really be done.

I figured 65 inch pounds wasn't much, being as the receiver is aluminum, it shouldn't be a bad investment.

It's nice to see some aftermarket developing for this rifle, but this seems like a step in the wrong direction.

An aftermarket stock/forend should correct the following problems:

- The OEM foreend's sling stud and molded-in rail make it hard to get your hand all the way forward.
- The rail is a poor accessory attachment point.
- No other accessory attachment points.
- Even with the barrel fluting the PC carbine is surprisingly a bit front-heavy.
- No QD sling sockets.

Aftermarket foreend should keep the same basic profile as OEM but delete the rail and sling stud (include a flush-mount plug which can be removed to install sling stud). One QD socket on each side towards the rear. One MLOK slot on each side towards the front. If possible, drop a couple ounces vs. OEM.

Fifteen MLOK slots on the handguard pictured above? I get it's mostly for weight savings, but it still screams overkill...