Ruger Introduces the PC Charger Pistol
Gentlemen, you had my curiosity… but now you have my attention.
We first laid eyes on the Ruger PC Carbine at Range Day during the 2018 SHOT Show and almost immediately fell in love. It’s a take-down pistol caliber carbine that feels and shoots like a real-deal rifle from a great firearms company. While I haven’t had the extra money (or, realistically, the need for another PCC) to put one in my safe, every time I see one out in the wild, I long to have it. Now, Ruger has stepped up their game with a pistol version.
The just announced PC Charger is a 9mm pistol based on Ruger’s popular PC Carbine Chassis model. The PC Charger boasts an abundance of features including a 6.5″ barrel; an integrated rear Picatinny rail that allows for mounting of picatinny-style braces; a glass-filled polymer chassis system; a flared magazine well for improved magazine reloading capabilities; and an ergonomic pistol grip with extended trigger reach.
The glass-filled polymer chassis system allows for the use of standard AR pistol grips. These models utilize a CNC-machined, hard-coat anodized aluminum handguard with Magpul M-LOK-compatible slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions for easy mounting of M-LOK-compatible rails and accessories. The 6 o’clock position of the handguard features a factory-installed handstop for secure support-hand placement.
These models also maintain several hallmark features of the original PC Carbine, including an easily interchangeable magazine well system that allows the pistol to accept Ruger Security-9 and SR9 magazines, as well as Glock double-stack magazines; a dead blow action with a custom tungsten weight that shortens bolt travel and reduces felt recoil and muzzle rise; a reversible magazine release and charging handle to accommodate right- or left-handed use; a simple takedown mechanism to allow for quick separation of the barrel/forend assembly from the action; a durable heat-treated, chrome-moly steel bolt; a cold hammer-forged chrome-moly steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling and a 1/2″ x 28 threaded barrel.
The threaded barrel, coupled with a brace like the SB FS1913, would make this thing a great home defense/range/truck gun that can share magazines with your carry pistol. Or, I guess, if you’re feeling adventurous, it could be your carry pistol.
The PC Charger models ship with the SR-Series and Security-9 pistol magazine well installed and an additional magazine well that accepts newer Glock magazines. A 9mm Luger Ruger American Pistol magazine well is available separately at ShopRuger.com.
The standard model features a 17-round capacity, and an additional 10-round, state compliant model also is available.
At an MSRP of $799, it’s a little steep, cutting into CZ Scorpion territory, but likely to come down in price and go up in availability faster. Add in the handy takedown feature and that it comes with some nice accouterments, if I were going to add a firearm from this genre to my collection, I think this would be the one.
Norma Releases ENVY – A Dedicated 9mm Round for Pistol Caliber Carbines
Norma has announced the introduction of their latest line of ammo, dubbed ENVY. The new ammunition, currently available only in 9x19mm, is designed to bring out the maximum accuracy and performance from PCCs, which continue to grow as one of the latest trends in the modern sporting rifle and tactical platforms.
The halls of SHOT Show 2019 are filled with an ever growing crop of pistol caliber carbines, AR and AK pistols, and SBRs. Several of the new offerings really caught our attention at SHOT Show Range Day and on the show floor itself, so stay tuned to our show coverage for more information about our favorite new firearms from this category.
As the already-high popularity of PCCs has surged in the past few years, so has the need for an improved target load that can bring out the best results for both training and competition. Norma is addressing this need with the ENVY line. With a more precise, uniform bullet design and improved tolerance ranges across production, Norma believes that ENVY is about to set a new standard of accuracy and performance from PCCs.
“ENVY is the choice ammunition for extrapolating the utmost accuracy out of a pistol caliber carbine,” said Paul Lemke, General Manager for RUAG Ammotec USA. “The growing popularity of PCC’s extends out to both competition matches and just general fun at the range. When you can now expect groups of less than an inch at 50 yards, ENVY makes shooting PCC’s that much more fun.”
Norma ENVY 9mm features a 124gr FMJ projectile with a muzzle velocity of 1345 fps. The MSRP for a 50-round box is $13.