I’ll be honest with you. My depth of knowledge about the world of guns and shooting is nothing short of incredible. I’ve spent more than a decade immersed within it, both working in this industry and as a serious competitive shooter. And yet, I’m still learning new things about this industry every day. Take Extar USA for example and their Extar EP9 carbine.
A few months ago, I received an email asking if I’d heard of them and whether I was interested in reviewing their EP9 carbine. I’m always intrigued by the opportunity to review guns from manufacturers I’ve never heard of, as it allows for the most genuine review without any prior biases. Not only was I able to review this carbine, but I received it in time to use at my Gal’s Day at the Range event, where over 50 women got to demo it as well.
I was shocked by this PCC, especially with the ammunition testing I put it through. I also received feedback from attendees of my women’s range event, as well as from some of the range officers who were able to demo it while at the range. Read on to learn more about the EP9’s features, the feedback and check out the range test results.
Extar EP9 & AR-15 Parts Compatibility
The EP9 carbine doesn’t resemble most 9mm PCCs available on the market. The Extar EP9 comes with a uniquely designed handguard, an elongated magazine well and a differently-designed receiver set.
At first glance, you’d automatically think that everything on it is proprietary and only serviceable by Extar USA.
However, that isn’t the case. The EP9 features a standard AR-15 grip, stock, safety-selector, and trigger. This means that upgrading and customizing the EP9 with aftermarket AR-15-compatible parts is fair game!
I wouldn’t change the stock or grip, but I’d consider upgrading to an ambidextrous safety and swapping the trigger for competition use. The ability to customize the gun to your specifications and its compatibility with AR-15 components are significant value additions to the EP9. Taking this approach was an excellent call on behalf of Extar USA.
Glock Mags Compatible
Not only is the EP9 compatible with AR-15 parts, but it is also compatible with Glock magazines. Hallelujah!
It’s hard to deny the popularity of 9mm Glock-pattern magazines. These days, everyone has Glock magazines, and almost every PCC is designed for use with Glock mags. Any G19 and G17 double-stack Glock magazine works the EP9. And not to mention, Glock manufactures “big stick” magazines with 24, 31, and 33-round capacities. There are also aftermarket Glock-style magazines from brands such as Elite Tactical Systems and MBX Magazines.
Mass-Delayed Blowback System
I’ve shot dozens of blowback and roller-delay action pistol-caliber carbines. While a couple designs stand out, the rest of them “feel” similar to each other.
That said, the factory-tuned EP9 truly stood out to me as a softer recoiling pistol caliber carbine as soon as I fired the first few rounds from it. EP9s incorporate a mass-delayed blowback system that’s paired with Extar’s Recoil Damper and new Dynamic Mass Bolt for a comprehensive recoil mitigation package. The EP9’s bolt itself has a spring-loaded weight that helps dampen felt-recoil during shooting.
Frankly, after shooting the Extar USA EP9, it’s still one of the “weirdest-feeling” carbines simply because there isn’t much to compare against. Those who are already used to 9mm PCC recoil impulses will notice the delay of the bolt cycling. Those who don’t shoot them often or fire fast follow-up shots, will perceive the EP9 as a soft-recoiling carbine.
In fact, I think EP9’s mass-delay blowback system and soft impulse lends itself well for teaching new shooters, particularly young kids learning how to shoot a carbine. Not to mention, the EP9 is an enjoyable plinker all else aside. It’s not a particularly fast-firing carbine or designed for quick splits by high-level competitors. The EP9 better serves entry-level carbine shooters. I say this because the trade-off of its ultra-smooth mass-delayed recoil impulse is that the action cycles almost too slowly. A higher level shooter will feel like they’re waiting on the mechanism to chamber the next round before pulling the trigger again.
Lightweight Baby
I was excited to have the EP9 at my women’s range event because of the EP9 carbine’s light weight. It was precisely what I was looking for in the types of firearms I wanted to showcase. After receiving feedback from the previous year’s events, I’ve come to learn that attendees have a strong preference for lighter-weight guns.
The Extar EP9 carbine weighs 5-lbs, 2-ounces unloaded. Most comparable PCCs with the same barrel length are roughly two pounds heavier. I kept my EP9 slick besides mounting a Gideon Advocate Micro Prism Scope; it added only ½ pound. The women at my event were shocked to try different carbines prior to shooting the EP9. Many appreciated the gun’s lightweight design. By using a shorter Glock magazine, the EP9 also became easier to hold.
Range Officers at this event who also tried out the EP9 were surprised by the carbine’s smooth recoil impulse. They commented on how nice it was to shoot a PCC with very little “dot bounce.” Because a handful of these range officers were also parents, they mentioned how practical a lightweight 9mm PCC would be for teaching spouses and kids to shoot. Every range officer who worked the event is a professional competitive shooter or firearms instructor. They’re used to minimum prices around $1,000 for anything. After learning that the EP9 cost only $499, they almost didn’t believe me.
Gideon Optics Advocate
I rarely shoot micro-prism scopes, so the Gideon Optics Advocate mounted on my EP9 was the first I’ve used in a long time. For the price tag of just under $300, I think the value is worth it. I really appreciated the Advocate’s etched reticle, so even without power, the shooter keeps the reticle. That said, the Advocate’s reticle is also illuminated in either red or green. Gideon ships these with 1913 Picatinny riser rail mount which is greatly convenient. The included mount made it simple to install the Gideon Advocate on the EP9 in seconds.
Ammo & Range Time
Ammunition testing was my favorite part of testing the EP9. I specifically used faster velocity 115-grain and 124-grain ammunition with higher velocities. Due to its bullet weight, 147-grain 9 mm ammo has a slower muzzle velocity which likely wouldn’t work the best with the EP9’s action. I shot Federal’s Syntech load with the flat-nose coated TSJ bullet. I assumed that the texture of the coating, combined with the flat nose of the bullet, would prevent it from cycling through the EP9. It cycled just fine. However, it was the least accurate load out of the EP9. The Fiocchi Range Dynamics ammunition grouped well out of the EP9, but the top performers were the Remington 115-grain FMJ and Super Vel 124-grain FMJ loads.
A Nice Surprise
I was thoroughly impressed with the price, performance, and value of the Extar USA EP9 carbine. It was refreshing to review a gun that surprised me in a good way. If you’re looking for a good carbine to teach someone how to shoot or for a young kid, this would be the right gun for it.
Extar EP9 PCC Specifications
Caliber: 9mm
Action: Semi-Automatic
Capacity: Magazine-Dependent, compatible with Glock 9mm double-stack magazines
Barrel Length: 16.25 inches
Barrel Thread: ½ x 28
Handguard Length: 8 inches
Overall Length: 31.25 inches (collapsed) – 35 inches (extended)
Weight Empty: 5 pounds, 2 ounces
Trigger: Single-Stage
Charging Handle: Side-Charging Reciprocating
MSRP: $499.00
Extar EP9 PCC Performance
(5 Rounds Shot at 20 yards and Chronographed using the Garmin Xero C1 Pro)
| Remington 115-grain FMJ | |
| Average Velocity | 1,347 FPS |
| Average Group | 0.74 inches |
| Federal Syntech 115-grain JFN | |
| Average Velocity | 1,299 FPS |
| Average Group | 2.74 inches |
| Fiocchi Range Dynamics 124-grain FMJ | |
| Average Velocity | 1,254 FPS |
| Average Group | 1.17 inches |
| Super Vel 124-grain FMJ | |
| Average Velocity | 1,204 FPS |
| Average Group | 0.61 inches |
