Working The Ruger PC Carbine

Original article photographySource page 8

Ruger recently introduced its PC Carbine, a clean sheet upgrade/redesign of its former pistol caliber Police Carbines designated PC9 (9mm) and PC4 (sometimes referred to as PC40, in .40 S&W) made between 1996 and 2006. The "PC" in the new offering’s name denotes "Pistol Caliber" and at the moment is offered in 9×19 only, but evidence of the design features of the PC Carbine suggest that other chamberings may be offered in future.

Before we examine the new PC Carbine, let’s take a brief but closer review of Ruger’s former entries into the pistol caliber long gun market, the PC9 and PC4. Those earlier Ruger carbines were designed as companions to their P-series pistols. Ruger sought to capitalize on the trend of many law enforcement departments of adding a carbine as an alternative or an addition to a shotgun for patrol cars.

Ruger P-series pistols used the same magazines and were offered in both 9mm and .40 caliber chamberings, marketing them primarily to police departments and selling them to private customers as well. The PC9 and PC4 outwardly resembled a Ruger 10/22, with the barrel breech end inserted into an angular receiver block and a black Stock/ receiver, forend/barrel, and magazine. The PC Carbine takes down in seconds.

Top: 1990s Ruger PC9 characterized by the trademark carbine barrel band at the front of the stock, receiver top milled for Ruger rings, and the magazine well integral with the trigger guard.

Original article photographySource page 9

Bolt hold open is the kidney-shaped metal tab between mag well housing and trigger guard. Above center: Right side of stock and receiver with ejection port, magazine release button, and operating handle. Bolt hold open is pressed upward into the stock engaging the bolt and is not visible. polymer stock wearing the seemingly obligatory trademark Ruger carbine band.

The receiver block differed from the 10/22 receiver by having a projecting rib featured dimples for Ruger scope rings and a projecting magazine well in front of trigger guard as part of its casting. The magazine seated at a pistol-grip angle and was latched in place by Below center: The PC Carbine front sight is tactically/ militarily inspired with its substantial blade and robust protective ears.

Different models offer either unthreaded (left) or threaded (right) muzzles. an external magazine catch reminiscent of that found on an AR-15/ M16 magazine well. The Police Carbines were a good idea that had practical appeal extending back to frontiersmen and cowboys carrying a revolver and long gun both chambered in .44-40, although at that time ammunition manufacturers typically offered mild loads for the revolvers and stouter loads for the rifles and owners of the combo sometimes carried both types of ammo.

Marlin blew the dust off the concept in the 1980s with its Camp Carbine line, with the Camp 9 using the relatively-common S&W 59/5900 15-round 9mm magazine and the Camp 45 being fed by ubiquitous 1911 magazines. Marlin’s success with the Camp Carbines was mixed at best; the selection of the S&W 9mm double stack magazine forever tied the Camp 9’s fortunes to the success of the S&W line of semi-auto pistols.

The market for such "wondernines" included other popular high-capacity handguns, such as the Beretta 92, the Ruger P-series, the Browning High Power, the SIG P226/P228, and the polymer newcomer from Austria, the Glock 17/19. Inevitably, too many choices translated into mediocre sales for Marlin and the Camp Carbines were removed from production. Unfortunately for Ruger, the Police Carbines in 9mm and .40 S&W befell a similar fate. Sales of

Original article photographySource page 10

The takedown lever is between the two captured disassembly screws. Above center: The PC Carbine in takedown "separation" position. Takedown lever has been pushed forward and the forend and stock sections have been rotated such that they can be pulled apart. Three male lugs of the "bayonet" takedown joint are visible on the breech end of the barrel. PC9 and PC4 units depended on departments and civilians who selected the Ruger’s P-series handguns. Again, too many choices faced buying departments and individuals.

In many cases the selection of a competitive pistol precluded the purchase of a Ruger Police Carbine due to magazine incompatibility. Ruger faced stiff competition from another direction, too. Following the uptick in worldwide and domestic terror in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, departments were increasingly equipping patrol vehicles with variants of the AR-15, rendering handgun/carbine ammunition and magazine commonality a moot point.

In 2017, Ruger marketing and engineering personnel rethought the pistol caliber carbine concept. The result is the new PC Carbine which hit the market in quantity in the first quarter of 2018. Chambered in 9×19, the PC Carbine is true Ruger in its modularity of design and construction and it represents a revolutionary improvement over the previous PC9 Police Carbine.

PC Carbine Differences This might be a good place to mention that some people in social media erroneously refer to the new PC Carbine as a "PC9" but the latter was the formal designation of the earlier Ruger Police Carbine. At a glance, the PC Carbine resembles the earlier PC9, however, closer inspection reveals a number of differences.

The CNC-milled, aerospace-grade 7075-T6 billet aluminum receiver includes an integrated Picatinny rail and is Type III hard-coat flatblack anodized for corrosion protection and durability. There are slots on either side of the receiver for the shooter’s preference of mounting the operating handle to the slide—left or right.

Moving the operating handle is as simple as using the included 5/32" hex wrench to loosen and remove the cap screw inside the hollow operating handle and relocating the handle to the opposite side. The ejection port is on the right. There is a flat sheet metal tab between the trigger guard and magazine well that makes one think of an M1 or M14 safety but it is an ambidextrous bolt stop for manually holding the bolt open.

The cold hammer-forged, nitride-coated chrome-moly steel barrel is fluted for strength without the expense of weight and mounts an ear-protected front sight and fully-adjustable, sliding-ramp rear sight with windage-driftable ghost ring insert. At the muzzle on most PC Carbines is a 1/2"-28 thread protector held in place by an elastomer O-ring in the event the department or indi-

Original article photographySource page 11

Loosen the capture screws in front of the magazine well housing and behind the trigger guard. Ruger provides a 5/32" hex key. Above center: With the stock/receiver group screws loosened, hold the stock and push up on the trigger guard to lift the receiver from the stock. vidual has bought a tax stamp to go with a suppressor in a state or locale permitting such accessories. Unscrew the ring and screw on the can.

Note that Ruger makes a separate model of the PC Carbine with a non-threaded muzzle made for sale in states that prohibit muzzle devices and suppressors. The end of the barrel on the unthreaded muzzle version is machined to resemble a thread protector and at a distance the two models appear identical. The black pistol-gripped polymer stock is noteworthy in that it is split in front of the receiver, indicating a take- Below center: Magazine wells are identified by Ruger at the forward bottom edge.

The Glock 9mm version is shown. The ends of the pins holding the trigger guard in place are visible at the lower left. down feature lifted directly from the 10/22 Takedown, and scaled up appropriately. The rear half of the stock enclosing the receiver also features a downward-projecting magazine well with radiused front and rear surfaces that create a reasonably comfortable single-finger grip point. The forend has molded-in non-slip texturing, so fans of stippling polymer can put their woodburning pens away.

Thoughtfully included is another short Picatinny rail on the underside of the forend tip for mounting a laser or light. The buttplate is rubber with one 1/2" thick spacer fitted and Ruger ships the PC Carbine with two more spacers for those shooters with ape arms. T-Rex can remove the factoryfitted 1/2" spacer to shorten the length of pull, which would also fit younger and small-statured human shooters.

The most notable feature of the PC Carbine which completely separates it from the constraints that crippled PC9/4 and Marlin Camp Carbine sales is a system of interchangeable adapter inserts Ruger calls "magazine wells" that fit in the stock. Magazine wells can accept either Ruger Security-9/SR9, Ruger American Pistol, or Glock 17/19 magazines. Each PC Carbine ships with magazine wells for SR9 and Glock 17/19 magazines; Ruger American Pistol magazine wells are available from Ruger online at ShopRuger.com.

Disassembly Referring to the multi-view exploded parts diagrams in the PC Carbine manual (available for free from Ruger, download at bit.ly/2Li16E0), disassembly entails pulling the charging handle to the rear and latching the bolt in place by pushing the bolt stop up. Invert the weapon and push

Original article photographySource page 12

It must be removed before the bolt can be taken out of the receiver. Degrease the screw threads prior to reassembly and snug up the machine screw. Advise customers to check the screw for tightness regularly. Above center: To remove the bolt, insert thumb or finger between the buffer plate and the rear of the receiver.

Pinching the buffer plate between thumb and forefinger, lift up and backward to remove the bolt. forward on the locking lever, rotating the barrel/forend section counterclockwise in relation to the receiver section. Pull the barrel/forend section forward and out of the receiver. Note there are three robust lugs on the rear of the barrel/forend assembly that mate to slots in the receiver.

Pull the charging handle fully rearward and release the bolt forward and place the safety "on." Use a 5/32" hex key to loosen the captive takedown screw inside the A smaller single pin at the lower right retains the extractor. brass escutcheon in the underside of the forend. Separate the barrel assembly from the forend. Use the same 5/32" hex key to loosen the two captive takedown screws behind the trigger guard and in front of the magazine well boss molded into the buttstock. Lift the receiver from the buttstock.

Removing the magazine well by depressing the magazine release button. If a Ruger magazine well is installed, depress the magazine latch in the front center of the magazine well also. Lift the magazine well straight up and out of the buttstock. Remove the trigger guard by drifting the two trigger guard retaining pins out to the left. To remove the bolt, place the receiver upside down on a mat or cloth to protect the finish.

Make certain the bolt is fully forward by grasping the charging handle, pulling the bolt partially rearward, and releasing the charging handle. Remove the charging handle by using a 5/32" hex key and loosening the cap screw inside the charging handle. Remove the cap screw and charging handle. Place a finger between receiver and buffer, push the buffer forward slightly and lift the buffer/recoil spring/bolt assembly up and out of the receiver.

To disassemble the bolt, slide the multi-tabbed "bolt top" assembly with recoil spring out of the bolt to the rear. At the breech end of the bolt, press in on the bolt head and invert the bolt to allow the bolt head retaining pins to drop out. Force from the firing pin return spring holds the pins in place. Push in on the extractor in the area of the extractor spring and remove the extractor pin from the top of the bolt. Carefully release the extractor so

Original article photographySource page 13

Above center: In keeping with the extensive modularity, Ruger engineers designed the bolt head as a separate component, easily removed by first pressing the boltface to the rear against firing pin spring force and tipping the bolt over to allow two loose-fit, large-headed retaining pins to fall out. Carefully ease off restraining force from the extractor and remove extractor and spring. as not to launch it or the extractor spring. Remove the bolt head, the firing pin return spring, and the firing pin.

With the firing pin removed, remove the silver-colored dead blow weight. Trigger group components are quite reminiscent of those in the 10/22 and takedown of the trigger guard assembly is very similar as well. Restrain the cocked hammer, pull the trigger, and ease the hammer forward to release the compressed hammer spring. Remove hammer spring and Below center: With extractor removed, the bolt head can be withdrawn from the front of the bolt. strut.

The hammer and trigger are removed by driving out their respective axis pins, taking care to control the trigger return spring. The Ruger PC Carbine features an adjustable takedown mechanism to ensure a snug fit between the barrel/forend assembly and receiver/buttstock assembly. This comes pre-adjusted from the factory but should adjustment be necessary, it is carried out as follows.

First, with the barrel/forend assembly separated from the receiver, loosen the adjustment knob by turning it counterclockwise when facing the knob from the muzzle end of the barrel/forend assembly. Next, assemble the receiver/buttstock and barrel/forend assemblies and ensure that they latch. Finally, tighten the adjustment knob by turning it clockwise until the two assemblies are firmly secured together. Do not use tools!

The adjustment knob is to be rotated with fingers only and employs an elastomer O-ring to prevent loosening in service. I mentioned modularity of design earlier. Now that the PC Carbine has been disassembled, one can see how truly well thought out the design really is.

For example, the bolt is a machining that is primarily a "receiver" in its own right, in that it serves as a carrier/platform for the firing pin, the detachable bolt head that engages the cartridge case head, the extractor, and what Ruger refers to as a "dead blow weight"—a powdered metal or metal injection molded (MIM) heavy tungsten alloy mass that rests in a recess in the rear of the bolt. The dead blow weight moves slightly fore and aft inside

Original article photographySource page 14

With the firing pin removed, the tungsten mass can be removed as well. The mass is uni-directional end-to-end and does not need to be reinstalled in any particular direction. The passage for the firing pin is drilled off-center on the long axis requiring the mass to be installed with a particular side up to allow the firing pin channel in the bolt and mass to be aligned.

Ease off restraining force on the recoil spring and then slip the spring off the guide rod and the guide rod out from the front of the multi-tabbed bolt top. the bolt, which suggests that the dead blow weight imparts an extra "bump" of an impulse to the bolt as a cartridge is chambered. This is a thoughtful design feature which should improve functionality but primarily it means that a lowerforce recoil spring can be used.

In blowback actions, the rearward force of the discharged cartridge is countered by bolt mass and recoil spring force. The lower the bolt mass, the higher the required The internal components will be familiar to anyone with 10/22 experience. recoil spring force. In the case of the PC Carbine, the higher the bolt mass allows a weaker recoil spring force to be employed. This makes it easier to rack the bolt and charge the weapon.

However, a weaker recoil spring can compromise cartridge feeding by failing to ensure the bolt fully closes into battery. The heavy tungsten alloy mass that is free to move perhaps 1/8" provides an extra "kick" of force that makes up for the lighter spring. Clever design. There has been speculation on firearm social media platforms that such modularity will ultimately lead to Ruger’s introduction of PC Carbines in .45 ACP, .40 S&W, etc.

It has been noticed that the tungsten alloy dead blow weight has a molded-in "1" which has led some to contemplate that other variants marked with different numbers may be in the works. Could be, or it could also just be the current revision number of the dead blow weight mould tooling, In typical practice, if an engineering change was warranted for any reason, the revised P/Mor MIM tooling punches would be marked "2" to denote the change.

Time, market acceptance of the 9mm PC, and demand for the PC in other chamberings will tell. Range Report To correctly state an often-misquoted adage, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." No review of anew firearm would be complete without a range report. Because I have no SR9 magazines, I exchanged the magazine well for the Glock unit and headed for the range along with several Glock 17 and 19 magazines pre-filled with a number of 115 grain FMJ and 124 grain JHP loads.

Weather conditions were "Pennsylvania Winter," meaning that while at the range for just under an hour, the PC Carbine and I experienced rain, snow, sleet, graupel (big sleet), and hail. Don’t like it? Just wait five minutes. The weather did not adversely affect the Ruger PC Carbine. In just over 200 aggregate rounds fired, there were no failures of any kind. I did not post paper targets, rather opting for shooting at four-inch gongs at 25 yards, eight-inch

Original article photographySource page 15

The guide rod is already a deburred, fine-blanked component but polishing further could further remove friction. gongs at 50, and alone one-foot diameter gong at 100. In terms of accuracy, the Ruger clearly did better than I could hold it as I shivered or strained to see through the precipitation. Still, I was rewarded with the solid "thunk" of lead on steel over 85% of the time at any of the three distances to target.

The handy Ruger was almost boringly accurate in a practical "minute of coyote or wild pig" sense but shooting for record on paper will have to wait for not-so-heavy weather. The PC carbine was indeed handy, coming to both shoulder, cheek, and on target as near simultaneously as possible. The balance point is almost exactly through the magazine well boss.

The right amount of pull for me was provided by the single factory-installed buttplate spacer and the amount of rise on the comb made for a perfect cheek weld for me with the ghost ring rear sight and military-style, ear-protected, generously-wide front post. Sighting the Ruger PC Carbine is not unlike sighting an M1 or AR-15 with standard irons.

I did not have time to fit an optic but the cast-in Picatinny rail in the center top of the receiver ensures that your choice of target acquisition device will be right at home. The barrel is substantial in diameter but with weightsaving flutes machined most of the length and the steel bits are finished in what appears to be a nitride coating. Combined with the polymer stock and forend, the PC Carbine is robustly protected from the elements.

The PC Carbine hit the market January 2018 and had very few problems reported within the first five months that I could find. These were limited to a couple of reports of a broken firing pin and a broken extractor tip. There are a few videos documenting what owners are purporting to be "failures" of the PC Carbine but in reality were proof of operator error or failure to read and comprehend the instructions in the owner’s manual.

One such video shows the PC Carbine "shooting loose" at the takedown joint, however, the remedy for that is adjusting the knurled nut at the breech end of the barrel to snug up the takedown fit, as described on page 37 of the manual. The most striking attribute about the PC Carbine is a departure from along-standing tradition/policy of Ruger using only proprietary magazines and offering the ability to accept interchangeable magazine wells.

It’s one thing to make inserts for Ruger American and SR9 pistols but Ruger has taken the unorthodox step of shipping the PC Carbine with a magazine adapter for the competitor Glock 9mm magazines. This is a masterstroke strategy on Ruger’s part because a non-AR-based semiauto pistol caliber carbine that accepts Glock mags from a major US firearm manufacturer opens up abroad market of Glock owners to whom the idea of a carbine using G17 or G19 mags can be very appealing.

It certainly was the primary reason I purchased a PC Carbine myself; the Glock 19 is our "family carry pistol." AG