Pistol Caliber Carbines, or PCCs, are a controversial topic. Plenty of people love them, as evidenced by the massive number of them on the market. They are popular in competition and for plinking, and they’re often an affordable semi-auto option. The Defensive PCC appears to offer a capable defensive choice.
I say appears because, on the other side of the coin, PCCs are often seen as useless. Fine for plinking and even competition, but poorly suited for defensive use and just not-so-serious guns. No one argues about a USPSA PCC or some kind of plinking at the range, but does a defensive PCC make sense?
The Defensive PCC Idea Defined
Let’s define what I mean when I say a defensive PCC. I mean a full-sized rifle, not a large-format pistol that features a brace. I’m talking about a rifle with a 16-inch barrel.
The term “defensive” in this application is pretty easy to understand. It’s a rifle designed for home defense. It’s likely modular to accept accessories like a red dot and light. It’s also loaded with defensive ammunition and designed to stop threats.
Does this platform make sense?
The Benefits of a Defensive PCC
Defensive PCC apologists will point out several benefits to a defensive PCC, one of which is cheap ammo. You can train for a fraction of the cost of a 5.56 rifle.
I can buy 50 rounds of 9mm for $9.99 from Academy. It’s not great ammo, but it goes bang and allows me to train. A box of 5.56 is likely to cost me double that on a good day.
Additionally, it’s easier to train with a PCC. Many gun ranges don’t allow rifle rounds. How do you train with your rifle if you can’t easily shoot it? That’s not a problem with PCCs.
Most modern PCCs use fairly common magazines, like Glock magazines, which are common, cheap, and reliable. Pistol magazines are popular for feeding PCCs, which makes it possible to match your handgun magazine to your defensive PCC magazine.
Finally, the biggest benefit to me is how easy it is to suppress a pistol round. Finding subsonic pistol rounds is super easy, and they can be effective defensive cartridges. A suppressed home defense firearm will save your hearing in the event you have to use it to defend your home.
Additionally, it’s not a controversial choice like a braced pistol. With the ATF flip-flopping on braced pistols over and over, a proper rifle gives you a feeling of security.
If you choose a higher-end PCC, like the CMMG Radial Delayed designs, a roller delayed design, or a short-stroke gas piston system, you get minimal recoil.
These guns handle like kittens and can be an amazing option for recoil-sensitive shooters and those who are smaller in stature. As a radial delayed enjoyer, I can attest that my 9mm PCC feels closer to a rimfire than a 9mm.
Downsides
Here is where we get into all the reasons why the defensive PCC concept is a bit of a conundrum. Here are the downsides you’re likely to face using a PCC.
More Recoil
The vast majority of PCCs are straight blowback-operated firearms. These guns are simple, reliable, and often affordable, with the downside of higher recoil. Sometimes, the recoil can exceed that of a 5.56 rifle, and you only get the performance of 9mm.
Straight blowback guns have a zero-delay mechanism, so the bolt, buffers, and springs are often heavy, which helps create additional recoil. This is not comfy at times and is a big reason why the PCC gets so much hate.
Weak Ballistics
Speaking of hate, the biggest reason why people don’t like the idea of a defensive PCC is due to its weak ballistics. A handgun round fired from a rifle is still just a handgun round. Pistol rounds only have one wounding mechanism, which is direct contact with the target.
A rifle has direct contact, and the projectile yaw creates a massive wound tract. It releases tremendous amounts of kinetic energy and creates a temporary wound cavity up to 12 times larger than the bullet’s diameter.
A rifle round is much more effective than a handgun round for stopping a threat.
Ammo Pickiness
We live in a world where everything is plug-and-play, including most firearms concepts. That’s not all that true with a defensive PCC. Defensive pistol ammo, like jacketed hollow points, is the way to go, but you can’t just slap the ammo from your carry gun into a rifle.
Handgun ammo is made for handgun barrel lengths. The problem is that a longer barrel does add some velocity to the cartridge. The projectile is designed for specific velocities, and with a PCC, they are often exceeded.
When exceeded, the projectiles tend to open too early and fail to penetrate adequately. You have to use heavier cartridges. A JHP in the 147-grain realm is a good choice, and Speer now makes a specific defensive PCC load.
You have to be picky and get the right ammo for the job for defensive purposes.
It’s Just Inefficient
The big issue with the defensive PCC is its inefficiency. It’s as large and heavy as a 5.56 caliber semi-auto rifle and can even have more recoil than a 5.56 rifle. That’s why it’s often disliked and thought poorly of.
To make the defensive PCC efficient, you have to buy a higher-end option with a delayed blowback or gas-operated system. If you do that, add a suppressor, and pick the right ammo, you have quite the firearm for defensive use.
It takes more effort than buying a decent 5.56 rifle and learning to shoot it, but maybe that extra work is worth it.
