9mm Magic

Top pistol-caliber carbines

- JOSH WAYNER

The pistol-caliber carbine (PCC) has become very common these days, and for good reason: The main benefit is, much like the old cowboy guns in .44-40 WCF, that it allows for a common cartridge between rifle and pistol, though many also feature shared magazines as well. This category has grown exponentially, and there are so many options out there that they’re hard to keep track.

In being a relatively new (but also not exactly new) category of gun, there are many proprietary designs. This class started out as what you’d call the sub-machine gun (SMG), a miniaturized pistol-caliber weapon for close fighting and special units. Likewise, it was also commonly issued to police SWAT teams and rear-unit soldiers who would be encumbered by a larger rifle. Common examples of this type in history are the U.S. “Grease Gun” and “Tommy Gun,” Nazi MP40 and Soviet PPSH, UZI and the HK MP5.

The popularity of this category has grown for a number of years, and thanks to the equal popularity of large-format pistol braces and better AR-based designs, it’s now a mainstay on the commercial market. In many ways, all this has helped the AR enthusiast understand that a PCC can be just as enjoyable—and practical—as a 5.56 NATO.

Of particular note is that these guns have a wide spectrum of designs and calibers, the most common being 9mm in a modified AR format. The old days saw modified mil-spec-type lowers with a mag well adapter, but now most are scaled down in that area to offer a more aesthetic and minimalist look.

Not only that, but there exist a number of magazine options to match your end use. Many of the AR-type designs allow compatibility with Glock magazines, which are far cheaper and more plentiful than the old Colt stick mags.