Pistol caliber carbines - why didn’t I know?

[DesertFox]

HK MP5. Nothing in the PCC realm holds a candle to this oldie but goodie. Delayed roller locked sweetness. You'll be grinnin ear to ear and you'll toss your other PCC in the trash bin. Or at least put them up for sale.

For years the clones were problematic, hit or miss. Now? You can get a real HK, a MKE, Zenith, POF or a couple of others that will run like sewing machines. Only problem then is that you may start purchasing HK gear at an accelerated rate...

Have a Camp 9 in the back of the vault that shares mags with the S&W 5906 which never sees the light of day. Built many, many ARs but none in 9mm. Do have a 10mm PCC that isn't an MP5/10-40 but I digress.

 

[NeverEnoughFDE]

I've had a few. Just finished building another AR9. It's an addiction

 

[Phaedrus/69]

How much fun they are! [...]

I don’t know how the lure of pistol caliber carbines escaped me for so long - I feel like I’ve missed out on a lot and now have to make up for lost time.

I've had a few go-rounds with the PCC and I agree! Lots of fun. I've had a Beretta Storm carbine set up 92 mags, a CZ Scorpion and an HK USC. Right now I don't have any though. On the plus side they are super fun to shoot! And pretty cheap if you go 9mm. When got my Storm carbine I lived in a largish town/city (form my state) and had nowhere to shoot a rifle. My indoor range allowed PCCs so I wound up shooting it there a lot. But eventually another range opened that allowed anything up to 50 BMG on the indoor range and I got my first AR. Ultimately as a weapon or defensive tool I decided that if I was gonna have rifle size and weight I might as well have rifle power to go along with it so I sold off my PCCs.

It kind of boils to down to what you have guns for. No one has to justify a purchase to anyone but themself (or maybe a spouse, natch). Philosophically I want most of my firearms to fill a niche and have a purpose. I guess I kind of forgot that "fun" was a totally valid purpose! I love my rifles but I could see getting another PCC again. They really are so much fun and cheap to shoot for the most part.

 

[JFrame]

I LOVE this thread!

I have a couple of PCCs, but they are of the "old school retro" variety... A Winchester '94 Trapper in .357 (pictured with a few caliber-compatible revolvers), and T/C Contender with the 16.5" .44 magnum barrel...

I do envision a semiauto PCC at some point in my future... There are quite a few intriguing newer models out there, but I'm thinking I might go with a Beretta CX4 Storm (so it can share magazines with my PX4 full-size)...

 

[Bazoo]

I've always been a fan of leverguns chambered for pistol calibers, or for short rifle cartridges. They are the most fun to me of all the guns I've ever tried. Lever action 22s and pistol caliber rifles are the stuff!

 

[jmr40]

As I pointed out in earlier posts and threads, I never really paid much attention to PPC's. I bought this one last week; it was really an impulse buy with no real research. I'm really liking this. It will fill a role in HD and will travel with us where legal. Folded this will be easy to discretely get into a hotel room.



It folds for transportation and has a place to carry 2 spare mags in the stock. Comes with two 23 round and one 17 round mags. I since removed these sights and replaced them with the Holosun shown above



I already had the Holosun sight. Took it to the range today. After getting zeroed did this at 50 yards. Pic needs to be rotated 90 degrees. The group was slightly below point of aim.



And this at 100 yards. (needs to be rotated too) I knew I'd have to hold a little high. My 1st group is a bit too high because I overestimated hold over. 2nd group is pretty good for a 9mm carbine and a dot sight.

 

[Pat Riot]

size)...

@JFrame , that is a great looking Thompson Center carbine. Very nice!

 

[Pat Riot]

I had a Marlin 44 mag for years. Never shot it much, 44 mag ammo is expensive and in that rifle recoil was a little snappy. I just liked my 30-30's better.

Your statement made me chuckle. About 20 years ago I took my daughter and her boyfriend shooting in the desert. We would always meet up with friends there and make a day of it.
I was shooting my Marlin 336 and Winchester 94, both in 30-30. My future son-in-law asked me if I would like to shoot his new Winchester 94 carbine .44 Magnum. I was excited to try one out.
Man! That thing rattled my teeth. I went back to shooting my .30-30’s.

 

[JFrame]

@JFrame , that is a great looking Thompson Center carbine. Very nice!

Thank you, Sir!

 

[Nature Boy]

It makes me want to drink a bottle of stolis and storm Berlin

 

[Walkalong]

It makes me want to drink a bottle of stolis and storm Berlin


View attachment 1192571

Ok, break down that build………..

 

[vanfunk]

Keep it going, fellas! Lots of “impulse buy” inspiration in this thread! I took my Marlin .44 and Colt to the range the other day and had a ball. I am glad that the Marlin likes lead; it was a little balky cycling my 240 grain swc handloads but I think it’ll get better as it breaks in. With a Ranger Point Precision rear peep on it, it’ll hold 5 shots inside 5” at 100 yards, which is as good as I can do with a peep sight and a big-bore carbine. Velocity (measured with my new Garmin Xero - love that thing) hovered around 1650 fps, plenty of thump for anything I need to do with it.

I replaced the buffer spring in my Colt with a Geissele braided rifle-length spring; I love these and they really cut down on the “sproing!” I adjusted the A1 sights to my mark 1 mod 0 eyeball to be centered and 2” high at 50 yards so I can just hold on target and squeeze away out to 100 yards. So fun! Function was 100% with cheap Remington “bargain bucket” 115 grain ammo. That stuff’s pretty anemic (1150 fps out of a 16” barrel) but it was a gift from my LGS, so there. Groups were running around 2” at 50 yards and ringing steel at 100 yards was easy-peasy.

Now I am thinking about a Henry all-weather stainless lever in .45 Colt, a Winchester 92 in .44 magnum and/or an 1873 in .44-40. They’re all on the wall at my LGS. Torture.

 

[Balrog]

I like PCC's in general, but I really like PCC's with the magazine well in the pistol grip as opposed to in front of the trigger. This shortens the rifle by a couple of inches and makes it more compact for travel. Ruger is adding 45 ACP to the LC line, which has the mag well in the pistol grip. It uses Glock magazines. Hopefully they will add and LC in 9mm as well.

 

[OS/N]

I mostly deer hunt with a scoped 94 marlin in 357mag now a days. My win 94 in 30-30 and the rossi 92 in 45C get used some but my eyes can't see well enough for hunting with them any more.

My wife keeps a areo survival 9mm carbine by her night stand w/ a 33 rnd mag in it. The 16" 9 carbine does well with TB or A#7 powder and a solid 125 bullet - pushes fast but stays quiet. Even when we practice inside the shots are not that loud.

The only factory ammo I purchase is 22 rimfire. Once upon at time you couldn't save money reloading 9mm or 556 but those days are gone.

 

[dobedo]

My take is having both a carbine and pistol using the same cartridge provides you with alternatives. I started off with a Magnum Research BFR in .500 S&W Magnum revolver for hunting. Then I acquired a Big Horn Armory carbine lever action Model 98 in .500 S&W magnum. With the same loads as used in the revolver the carbine produces 300-500 FPS more than the revolver. Also, having a rifle and a pistol in the same caliber allows one to not have to stock different types of rounds. As far as 9mm or 40 S&W in a rifle you can reach out and touch someone further. Not a very good round for hunting but good for protection and CCW.

 

[PO2Hammer]

Digging that shorty 44 Rem Mag single shot.
Handsome little carbine.

 

[12Bravo20]

9mm velocity peaks out between 9 and 11 inches typically. Thats one reason military subguns have barrels in that range. The round actually starts to slow down in 16" US-legal civilian barrels, though its still cooking faster than out of a 4" pistol.

I need to buy a new chronograph or borrow one to see what my AR9 does with a 10.5" barrel and a fake XM177 flash hider on it. I didn't feel like doing the SBR route when the brae rule came out so I pinned and welled the extended muzzle device on instead.

I also have a Hi Point carbine in 40 S&W that is fun to shoot too.

Here is my AR9

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Home built to daughters specs-

9mm dedicated upper, standard lower with Stern Defense magwell adapter for Beretta 92 mags, bayonet lug.


And a PSA 9 I picked up on a midnight madness sale-

 

[Walkalong]

I have a Gen I Kel-Tec Sub 2000, and an AR.

I had a Beretta Storm, but sold it to fund something else.

 

[The Happy Kaboomer]

Regarding economy of handloading for the PCC (or any 9mm for that matter), its always worthwhile to mention the numbers and arithmetic.

Cast/swaged 9mm bullet is about 7 cents
Primer about 7 cents
Powder charge about 3 cents
Brass is free

This means you can save about 10 cents per round on 9mm if you handload.
If you shoot 5000 rounds a year (that's a lot by my standard), you save $500/yr. by handloading 9mm.
But handloading sure does take a lot of time, and while well-crafted cast-bullet handloads can be quite reliable and accurate, I don't think anyone will argue that cast-bullet 9mm ammo is quite "as good as" factory FMJ.
And we'll keep in mind that while you "saved" $500, you still spent $850 (plus your time) on building the ammo.

I can foresee these 9mm PCC's I've got still lying over here new-in-the-box could eat up some ammo.
Hoping for fun times in the process.

Since I shoot my hard cast 9mm bullets free(free lead-retired free time). By your calculations I'm around $0.10 a round or $5.00 a box.

 

[Tiribulus]

For the highest value entry, get one of THESE

You're welcome

My avatar is 10 rounds at 30 yards with that "cheap" gun.

 

[OS/N]

Pretty neat 9mm package w/ Troy HK night sights & 3ea 33rnd glock 17 mags -



Still like my six shooter though

 

[aaaaa]

My Ruger PC Carbine 9mm. I have so much fun shooting this gun. I bought it when they first came out. I put an Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot on it with an American Defense QD mount. I installed an Odin Works Atlas 9 comp and some parts from MCARBO; buffer pad, receiver pins, metal recoil spring cap, cheek pad and an extended bolt stop.
View attachment 1191963

I got my PC 9 last summer and it is a lot of fun to shoot. I got the 17 and 33 round magazines and a 50-round drum magazine.

 

[Pat Riot]

I got my PC 9 last summer and it is a lot of fun to shoot. I got the 17 and 33 round magazines and a 50-round drum magazine.

Did you get the Magpul drum? I have been wondering how reliable they are.

 

[PistoleroWadcutterGANG]

YEP ! PCC 9's are fantastic. Don't be surprised if your spouse or significant other doesn't try to claim it. My wife gave me back all the guns she's claimed over the years to have the PC Carbine. So I had to go get another one for myself. BUT I got back 14 guns, LOL!

The hostage exchange was well worth it.