When my nephew, Aaron, was young, he had a pretty severe aversion to rifle recoil. He was slightly built at the time, so rifles tended to rock his entire body. One time when I was out shooting with him, I pulled an AR-looking carbine out of the truck and asked him to give it a try.

He hadn’t been hitting much with his rifle, mostly because of flinching as he pulled the trigger, but he decided to humor me. When he squeezed off the first shot with the little 9mm carbine, a big smile quickly spread across his face. He then proceeded to knock over every steel target in the line set at about 40 yards, and in fairly quick order.

That is the joy of pistol-caliber carbines (PCCs). Because of shooting pistol calibers out of full-sized rifles, some are nearly as soft shooting as a rimfire. And since they are long guns that can be shouldered and laid across a rest, most are pretty accurate at short to moderate range. 

The World Of Pistol-Caliber Carbines

Of course, chambering a carbine to fire pistol rounds isn’t a new concept. Back in the Old West era, lever-action carbines often came chambered for the same ammunition used in the ubiquitous six-shooters of that time period. It’s likely that the first was the Winchester Model 1873, which was chambered in .38-40 or .44-40, two popular revolver calibers at the time.

Now, a number of companies produce PCCs, with the majority being chambered for the ubiquitous 9mm round. Some produce carbines in other pistol calibers, too, like the .45 ACP and 5.7x39mm, a spitfire of a round that is really fun to shoot and very accurate.

There are several benefits to PCCs, especially for fairly new shooters. The biggest, of course, comes with the low recoil associated with shooting a pistol-caliber round out of a rifle. The gun itself weighs several times heavier than the standard pistols designed to shoot that caliber. Think of like this: the 9mm round, designed to shoot from handguns, while most standard pistols weigh a couple of pounds or less. Even with a stout grip on the pistol, the 9mm rocks up and back when you shoot it, simply because of the laws of physics. But shoot that same round out of a 6- or 8-pound carbine held snuggly against your shoulder, and the recoil is light enough that just about anyone can enjoy shooting it without worrying about the “kick.”

Pistol-Caliber Carbines for Low-Cost Training & Fun

The low cost of ammunition, compared to rifle ammo, provides another big benefit. Considering that 1,000 rounds of .223 ammo will cost you around $450 to $500, that comes to about 45 to 50 cents per round. You can get 1,000 rounds of 9mm ammo for under $250, which is closer to 20 to 25 cents per round. That’s half the price. Another way to look at it is that you can shoot twice as much ammo through a PCC without breaking your ammo budget.

To me, however, the best benefit is that PCCs are just plain fun to shoot. What’s not to like about ripping off rapid-fire 50-yard shots at steel and hearing that ping, ping, ping! I can’t say that I’ve ever shot a gun that is more fun to shoot than most of the PCCs I’ve had the pleasure of taking to the range.

Now, let’s take a look at a few well-built PCCs on the market that might just be the perfect next addition to new shooters’ (growing) gun collection.

Ruger LC Carbine

Originally offered in .45 ACP and 5.7x28mm, Ruger is continuing to expand caliber availability with a new 10mm model. The gun features an aluminum alloy receiver and a 16.25-inch steel alloy barrel threaded for the muzzle device of the shooter’s choice. The CNC-milled handguards utilize Type III hard-coat anodizing for maximum durability; M-Lok slots adorn seven sides. Multiple QD sling sockets allow for maximum versatility.

For sights, the gun features Ruger Rapid Deploy folding sights on both the front and rear. They’re adjustable, and very easy to fold up and down. Best of all, all three calibers boast folding stocks that are easy to unfold with the push of a button and lock into place with no wiggle. (ruger.com)

Smith & Wesson M&P FPC

Another really cool folding PCC, the M&P FPC folds neatly in half in front of the action, leaving a folded length of only 16 3/8 inches. Chambered in 9mm and coming with two 23-round and one 17-round magazine, the gun is compatible with all M&P full-size and compact pistol double-stack magazines. They load into the grip of the PCC just like they do in the pistols. An in-stock magazine storage feature with a quick-release tab system allows the shooter to carry two extra mags at the ready.

Other features include a flat-faced trigger with a crisp break, a threaded muzzle with a thread protector, a reversible magazine catch and M-Lok slots on the handguard. The charging handle/slide doubles as a retainer with the gun folded, ensuring it stays put until the user deploys it again. (smith-wesson.com)

Springfield Armory Saint Victor

Springfield is noted for making high-quality pistols, and their foray into the PCC realm is equally well-built. The Saint Victor is a 16-inch barreled, 9mm carbine that features a full-length M-Lok handguard and uses Colt-pattern 32-round magazines. The gun features forged upper and lower receivers and a rugged direct blowback operating system for rock-solid reliability. A B5 Systems grip and five-position adjustable stock round out the package.

The overall length of the Saint Victor is 35 inches with stock fully extended, and its unloaded weight is 6.9 pounds. It comes complete with a set of low-profile, spring-loaded, adjustable flip-up sights, and those wishing to install a red-dot or other optic will find plenty of room on the upper receiver’s Picatinny rail. (springfield-armory.com)