Ruger PC Carbine Review: Summary
Reliability
It’s a very new carbine, so it’s hard to say for sure, but I am confident the reliability of this carbine will never be an issue.
Accuracy
At 50 yards, my groups were constantly very tight.
Ergonomics
Adjustable buttpad on the stock, and the grip is comfortable. The carbine feels very natural.
Looks
It’s a black synthetic carbine. Nothing special about it.
Customization
Plenty that you are able to do, especially considering the picatinny rail.
Bang for your Buck
The carbine is reasonably priced.
We Like
- Versatile. This carbine can use many different magazines, has a takedown feature, and can be used for many different purposes. The charging handle and magazine release can also be switched for left handed shooters.
- Accurate. Within the range of this carbine, it can shoot extremely accurately.
- Fun to shoot. All in all, this is a fun semiautomatic carbine to shoot. I really enjoyed my time on the range with it.
We Don't Like
- Not the best looking. It’s a simple, black synthetic carbine. Not everyone will love that.
This is a pretty fun carbine overall. It is a very unique takedown carbine that offers unparalleled versatility. The carbine functions great, is very safe, accurate, and can be used for quite a few different things. Overall, this carbine is a great choice for most shooters.
Ruger just recently released this carbine that shoots pistol cartridges, and as soon as I saw it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. Well, I was finally able to shoot one, and I’ve got to say, I was really impressed. The carbine is really fun to shoot, and I think it’s a great plinking gun.
The carbine takes some features from the extremely popular Ruger 10/22, so you know that it’s got a great base. It can serve a wide variety of roles, and has some great features that you’re sure to love.
In this article, we will give a complete review of the new carbine from Ruger.
What is the Ruger PC Carbine for?
This 9mm carbine carbine is pretty versatile. I would say it’s best for plinking at the range, but you could definitely use it for other things as well.
The carbine would serve well for home defense. It’s pretty small and compact, so it would be pretty easy to have nearby for a home defense situation. You could also do some varmint hunting with this carbine, considering how accurate it is.
However, maybe the best use of this carbine is as a survival rifle. Just like the 10/22 Takedown, this carbine is actually a takedown carbine. You can split the carbine in half essentially and pack it down into a small package. If you’re a prepper, this is a great carbine for you. 9mm ammunition is easy to find, and the carbine can be easily packed into a backpack.
While I personally wouldn’t use this carbine for deer hunting, some people have before. Like I said, I wouldn’t do it, but if you have the patience to wait for an absolutely perfect shot placement, you could potentially hunt deer with this.
Ruger PC Carbine Review: Breakdown
Like we’ve already mentioned, this is a takedown 9mm carbine. It measures 34.37 inches overall and weighs less than 7 pounds. The barrel is just over 16 inches long.
The first pro of this carbine is that it can accept many different magazines. You are able to easily swap out the interchangeable magwells extremely easily, so you are able to choose between Glock magazines, Ruger SR-9 magazines, Ruger Security-9 magazines, and Ruger American 9 magazines.
This extreme versatility allows you to choose which magazines you would like to use, and may save you money if you’ve already got one of these carbines. However, the carbine does ship with either a 17 or 10 round magazine, so you’ll have at least one right off the bat.
The next pro of this carbine is functionality. The trigger is extremely smooth. If you’ve every shot a Ruger 10/22, the Ruger PC Carbine has a nearly identical trigger. Another similarity to the 10/22 is how reliable and smooth the action of the carbine is. You’ll enjoy how smoothly this carbine fires.
The carbine performs well too. It’s very accurate. Regardless of magazine and round chosen, I was able to shoot extremely tight groups at 50 yards. Between the barrel and the precision forged barrel, you will find this carbine shoots very accurately. The stock sights are easy to use.
Other nice features of this carbine are the integral picatinny rail on the receiver, the durability of the carbine, and how easy it is for left handed shooters. The picatinny rail allows you to mount any optics or accessories you may want. The durability comes from the fact that it is a synthetic material with an anodized finish. For left-handers, thee charging handle (which is the same as the handle of the 10/22) and the magazine release can easily be switched to the other side of the carbine to accommodate left handed shooters.
Ruger PC Carbine: Safety and Reliability
The safety is yet another feature that the PC Carbine shares with the 10/22. It has a very similar cross-bolt safety, and it is located in the same place as on the 10/22 carbines. There are no safety concerns about this carbine.
I really hate to continually compare this carbine to the Ruger 10/22, but let’s be honest, that’s not a bad comparison. The Ruger 10/22 is one of the best carbines out there. The action of the PC Carbine is extremely similar to the 10/22. It’s very smooth, and I have no doubt that it will be similarly reliable.
Read more:
Ruger PC Carbine: Comfort and Shootability
In terms of comfort, this carbine is very balanced and feels natural in your hand. The grip is more than adequate, and the stock feels good. Additionally, you are able to install spacers to change where the rubber buttpad sits on the carbine. This allows you to sort of custom fit the carbine to you, no matter how long you want the stock to be.
This greatly improves the shootability. Anyone is able to make it meet their needs exactly. However, there are quite a few other features that add to the shootability, some of which have already been talked about.
Like we said, the trigger and action are extremely smooth. These make the carbine very enjoyable to shoot. The carbine features a dead blow weight, which is designed to shorten the bolt travel and absorb some of the recoil. This also improves the overall shootability.
Accessories and Upgrades
Like we said before, there are plenty of different magazine choices you can use for this carbine. I’m sort of biased because I have quite a few Glock magazines, but I really like these. You can get a pack of Glock 19 magazines, or you could get a larger capacity Glock magazine.
If you’re looking to add a scope to this carbine, it will be very easy due to the picatinny rail. We recommend a simple red dot sight like this one from Bushnell. No magnification is required, because your range will be limited to about 100 yards.
Buying new magwells for the carbine is pretty easy as well, just in case anything goes wrong or you need to use different mags.
The carbine also has a small section of picatinny rail under the barrel, if you’d like to add a flashlight or something similar.
Conclusion
As you can see, this is a pretty fun carbine overall. It is a very unique takedown carbine that offers unparalleled versatility. The carbine functions great, is very safe, accurate, and can be used for quite a few different things. Overall, this Ruger PC 9mm carbine is a great choice for most shooters.