Experience using a Pistol Caliber Carbine in 2 Gun?

[WVGunman]

This is a follow-up to this thread. I already have a 9mm Kel-Tec Sub2000, so might as well give that a go. (Save the criticism for the gun/company/caliber; I'm not getting anything else until I've tried THIS one out.) I am interested on what it's like in general, what to expect using a PCC. Does it offer any advantages? What are the longest shots normally encountered? Are the needs for sights any different? Right now I have a 2x red dot mounted on it, but was going to get a something with more magnification.
Hi-Point actually offers a 10mm PCC now, which might be the highest power-to--cost ratio around now for such a gun. Anyone ever try that caliber?

 

[Gary Gill]

I am interested too. I shoot a Kel Tec Sub 2000 9mm Glock magazine configuration. It has a Sig Romeo 5 on it.

 

[mm93]

I've owned numerous rifles and handguns in the same caliber over the years, and one thing I've discovered is they rarely shoot the same bullet, powder charge equally well. Often the rifles and handguns have different twist rates, different groove diameters, and of course the different barrel lengths. This added up to me having to slug bores and size bullets to fit the rifle, but different size to fit the handgun. Then drop different charges to get optimum accuracy in the rifle or handgun. And often different weight bullets in one vs. the other to get the best accuracy.
You may get lucky and find it works out, but it's as good a chance as winning the lottery that they'll both like the same load and both shoot it accurately.

 

[ATLDave]

Shooting a 10mm in competition would drive you broke. You’d be leaving dimes and quarters on the ground. Trust me, I sometimes use a 10mm in USPSA. It’s dumb, don’t be like me.

Nor do most 2gun/3gun rulesets give much (any) of an advantage to a more powerful pistol/PCC round past 9mm.


Take that Keltec to a match. Shoot it. You’ll have a good time, make some new friends, and all the gamer gear stuff will make a LOt more sense.

Virtually every practical shooting game match has one or more people who are doing it for the first time, and most of them have non-game-optimized gear. You won’t be the first, the last, or perhaps even the only person meeting that description at the very match you attend.

I’m a USPSA guy, rather than 2gun/3gun, but I find most new shooters worry too much about the specific firearm and not enough about their belt and mag pouches. Having a way to haul your mags around the stage and get at them quickly is more important than having the most accurate gun in most cases. Have SOME way to do that, then just go to the match and learn.

 

[Chuck R.]

^

Great advice!

I shoot 3gun & IDPA (both pistol and PCC).

As ATLDave said, you'll get no benefit from going above 9mm, it will actually hurt you financially (brass, loading) and time wise. You don't get to pick up brass until your squad is done on that stage, and then you're on your way to the next one. At the end of the day, once the stages are broken down, you can police your brass. During the match, you're loading, on-deck, shooting, pasting tgts and picking up steel. Brass recovery isn't really an option unless you want to get known as "that guy".

Most new guys have issues with the stuff Dave mentioned, reloads, accuracy from non-standard shooting positions, and just doing stuff on the clock. The accuracy standards for equipment really aren't that high, your average pistol/carbine are easily good enough. What kills guys often is reliability (lack of) and not engaging targets at all. Sounds simple, but there's a lot of tgts to be engaged during a stage from multiple firing points.

We've got a couple guys in our club that shoot Kel Tecs and I haven't seen them have any issues. A blowback PCC is generally a pretty reliable gun as long as it's put together right. Longest shots, really depend on the club running the match. We normally have a "long" stage that goes out to 300+ yards. It sucks for PCCs, although some guys are quite good at that distance. Then the PCC guys have an advantage with being able to shoot pistol TGTs and some shotgun steel with their PCCs, whereas the 3Gun guys have to use a pistol & shotgun for more of the TGTs. Shotgun is harder to keep loaded, pistol isn't as accurate. Basically in 3Gun the PCC guys shoot a stage withing a stage that's modified for them.

My advice follows ATLDave's, go to a match, shoot, concentrate on safety and accuracy (speed will come) don't try to keep pace with the experienced shooters, expect to be humbled, learn and have fun.

 

[jak67429]

I have been using a sub2000 for a year now at uspsa and steel challenge. My only complaint is the long mushy trigger. I even let the kids on my sasp team use it last year. The only issues with a PCC that I see are reloading on the clock, and moving.