Many pistol caliber carbines on the civilian market today usually tip their hat to an existing military and law enforcement design. But others are built from the ground up with the civilian market in mind, such as the Marlin Camp Carbine and the Keltec Sub 2000. The Ruger PC Carbine is a more recent addition to the market that fits into that latter camp.
Ruger PC Carbine Features
Not unlike other PCCs on the market, the Ruger PC Carbine is a blowback operated pistol caliber carbine chambered in either 9mm Luger or 40 S&W that can be fed from Glock magazines. But the PC Carbine is not at all typical in features and style.
This is a true carbine, sporting a threaded sixteen-inch barrel and as it was 1st introduced, came with a traditional synthetic buttstock and fore-end, not unlike a typical hunting rifle. The base model rifle features a rear aperture sight forward of the anodized aluminum receiver. The front sight is a protected post. The receiver is milled with a Picatinny rail and the end also sports a section of rail for the optics and lights of your choice.
Since the carbine debuted in 2017, Ruger has offered a number of variants such as their M-Lock aluminum handguards and more modern collapsible stocks. But mechanically and ergonomically, the PC Carbine mimics the Ruger 10/22. The traditional PC Carbine has a similar buttstock, trigger group, cross-bolt safety, and bolt hold open as the 10/22. As it happens, the 10/22 was a model for the ill-fated Police Carbine that preceded the PC Carbine a decade previously.
The PC Carbine is more modular than the original, but it is fairly novel in the realm of PCCs. The Carbine’s charging handle and magazine release can be switched for use by left-handed and right-handed users. It comes from the factory compatible with Ruger SR pistol magazines, but the magazine well is modular and allows the user to change wells to accept Glock magazines.
While these features are occasionally seen elsewhere, the PC Carbine also enjoys the distinction of being a takedown. It borrows the same takedown mechanism as seen on the Ruger 10/22 takedown. By depressing a spring-loaded detent and twisting the PC Carbine in your hands, it comes apart into two halves allowing for easy storage.
Does the Ruger PC Carbine have any downsides?
The Ruger PC Carbine is a full-featured PCC that can be had for under $1000. But there are some aspects that may not be so appealing.
The 1st thing you will notice when you take it in hand is the heft of the rifle, compared to other PCCs. Ruger states that their standard PC Carbine weighs 6.7 pounds, while their lightweight backpacker model weighs 6.2 pounds. For a firearm that fires a pistol round, that is hefty and something worth considering if you want to press the PC Carbine into a pack role.
Beyond the weight of the PC Carbine, the stock iron sights leave something to be desired. Should you choose to go without an optic and depend on your eyes, the ghost ring rear sight is placed too far forward. Such a sight might better be used closer to the eye when mounted on the Picatinny rail. With my eyes, seeing the front post through that forward-mounted peep sight was a chore.
The Bottom Line
The Ruger PC Carbine may not satisfy the tacticool amongst us. While we might gravitate toward lightweight pistols braced to become carbines, the PC Carbine is true to the word with a full stock, sixteen-inch barrel, and the weight of such a platform to boot. But if you are familiar with a traditional hunting rifle and need something that can flex into a role that neither the 22 rimfire nor a full-powered rifle cartridge can fill, the PC Carbine can get the job done without breaking the bank.
