Please. PCC's may not be your choice for home defense. Rifle caliber versus PCC caliber has been addressed many times.

My opinion is: "Roller locked and lever gun PCC's (not discussing the obviously superior 12G final solution) are the best for home defense.
Because, dependability is everything. Well, and a couple or three shots on tap.

If a PCC was my only option, I am partial to the Scorpion with the shorter barrel (around 8.5"). It is a robust, reliable blowback design, with good aftermarket support, and easy to accessorize.

I'm sorry but these trust your life on questions are always pretty silly.

If you had to be handed a weapon you never fired right before a life or death struggle then yes, you'd have to pick one to trust your life on.

However, anyone here has the common sense to use, test, BUILD trust in a weapon system before entrusting their life to it.

So the answer is always the same, buy a quality weapon, test it until you're comfortable with it, then use it for the intended purpose.

The short answer is damn near ANY of them. That's always the answer now days to these types of questions.

If you disagree with that then just ask, what's the most expensive PCC, cause without the logic that's what were asking everytime we ask these type questions.

B&T APC9
Or
HK non-clone MP5

My Ruger PC Carbine fits the bill. Its ability to use Glock mags is a big +++.

Favorite: HK MP5/10

Go to: Sig MPX SBR

I assume this question was at least in part prompted by my broken ejector retaining pin on my CMMG RDB carbine in the postal match thread. I have a long love/hate relationship with 9mm PCCs, so I guess I'll attempt an answer.

I've had 3 9mm PCCs over the years....a PSA straight blowback 9mm AR, a Ruger PC Carbine, and the current CMMG RDB build. None of them were purchased with the intent of using them as a serious defensive weapon, but rather as a training tool for my .223 ARs. My range only has one bay where we're allowed to shoot center-fire rifle, but there are multiple options for pistol caliber, so having an AR platform in 9mm gives me more flexibility.

As a defensive tool, I honestly think they have limited viability. It may have application for someone who is too weak to handle a shotgun, but too unskilled to use a pistol, but beyond that small subset of gun owners, I think there are much better choices out there. It's certainly one of the last things in my safe that I'd grab to investigate something that went bump in the night, even if I was 100% confident in its reliability.

I've chronographed 9mm loads out of my carbine, and especially with modern defensive ammo using fast-burning, low-flash powders, you get little ballistic advantage out of my 16" barreled 9mm AR compared to a 4" handgun. Even if I have complete confidence in the gun, I don't have much confidence in pistol ammo getting me a timely stop on a determined target, regardless of what platform it's fired out of.

With that in mind, if I'm going to limit myself to handgun calibers, I'd rather just have a handgun for it's improved manueverability and handling in tight quarters. Ballistically speaking, I'd rather have a levergun in a magnum handgun caliber than a 9mm carbine for defensive use...at least those cartridges see some significant benefit from the longer barrel.

So now to the question of reliability. Honestly, that CMMG is a reliable gun. It has run 100% apart from the issue with the ejector, and now that that's fixed, I'm completely confident that I could pick it up today and it would run 100%...at least for the next 500-800 rounds. Yes, there seems to be a design issue that is causing premature wear of those parts, but so long as that's addressed via a maintenance cycle, it's a reliable gun. Would I want to take it into an environment where I'd be depending on it in the field for weeks at a time? No. It's definitely not a go-to-war gun. But for a HD gun that lives in the safe in a controlled environment with proper maintenance, it's reliable.

This was not the case with my old blowback PSA...that thing would fail every way imaginable, including doubling and OOB discharges. I had zero confidence whatsoever that I could pick that gun up at any given time and it would work. I'd have probably been better off with a pointed stick than that thing.

The Ruger PC Carbine was reliable. I had very few malfunctions with that gun, and most of those were related to the magpul Glock pmag that it didn't like. I just didn't care for the plastic stock, harsher than desired recoil for a 9mm, the fact that it was held together with screws that had to be removed for cleaning, and the chintzy takedown lock ring. I foresaw future problems with those last two elements and divested myself of it before they became an issue.

Honestly, if money was no object and I had to choose a PCC for home defense, I'm gonna go with an MP5, an MPX, or maybe that new roller-delayed AR from JP. I've had my fill of straight-blowback guns, and I don't like them. Unfortunately, money is always a consideration, and for some reason nobody is able to produce a roller-delayed, gas operated, or locked-breach carbine for anything approaching a reasonable price. The CMMG is the closest thing I've found...I can't justify the increased price of the others for what would basically just be a range toy.

Does this mean that I hate PCCs? Absolutely not! They're a blast to shoot and I love playing with them. I just think there are better options for most of us for home defense.

B&T Apc9k or H&K SP5 both with SB braces. Shorter then the JP GMR15. All have functioned extremely well and have proven themselves trustworthy to me.

H&K MP5 or quality clone.

I've shot a lot with PCC's (tens of thousands of rounds over a dozen different brands and types of operation, none lever action so I have no idea what the OP means by a lever action PCC) . And the actual difference in reliability is pretty minimal. And the MP5 has some real operational issues in my mind (not reliability). If I'm picking one of the ones I have the B&T APC in 10mm seems the best of the options. But while I like the PCC for certain situations I'm really not going to use one for home defense. Not the best option.

Beretta CX4

I have a lot of experience with the Beretta Cx4 Storm and the CZ Scorpion. Both are absolutely dependable and accurate. The advantage of the Storm is that you can wear/use a matching Beretta pistol (92 series or Px4 series) which allows you to then carry interchangeable magazines. Magazines for the 92 series are also cheap and plentiful.

The advantage of the Scorpion is that you can SBR it (I haven’t really seen a viable 922r Storm) and magazines and parts are cheap and plentiful. You can also buy a binary trigger for the CZ if you want. That is not available for the Beretta.

I prefer the Storm in many ways because I like the cross bolt safety and the interchangeable magazines. But the Scorpion can be carried in a daypack like college kids carry and nobody is the wiser. Both have their advantages. But either are great choices IMO.

I think the cost of the MPX, B&T, SP5 really rules them out. I’ve fired full auto MP5s and MPXs and they are nice but at the end of the day, I really don’t see the price difference between these “high-end PCCs” and the Beretta and CZ. Binary triggers are also an option on B&T and the SP5 IIRC.

My 9mm Uzi Carbine never malfunctioned, with FMJ or JHP. It was the original, pre-AWB version. I cannot comment on the newer versions. My Uzi was a defensive weapon, before I became an LEO. Texas did not yet have a handgun carry license system, in those days, so private citizens could not, generally, carry handguns, but, Texas law was quite friendly to long gun carry.

I have only ever owned one PCC: a COLT SMG "clone". I no longer have it, and will likely never have another PCC. I have fired a couple different blowback guns, an MP5, and an MPX. The different operation mechanisms have their pros and cons, and if reliability and minimal maintenance is your priority, I think it's hard to argue against blowback. However, the recoil and accuracy characteristics of the gas-operated or roller-delayed systems are bound to be important to a lot of people.

One thing I don't get is why the B&T TP9 doesn't get more of a mention in these discussions. In my opinion, it has all the best characteristics. It is a locking-breach design and has the mag in the grip for a more compact package. If I ever have another PCC, it'll be a TP9.

I had a scorpion ( new ones not the old .32 but I knew a guy who used one of those and he had his pick of guns) and I liked it just fine. It suppressed well, solid aftermarket and I may have liked the brace more than the actual stock as it was wider. I sold it as I'm far more likely to use its 300 BLK replacement which I find superior but...it was a cool gun that never quit, suppressed well and was very accurate. If I had to run one that would likely be my choice.

I think B&T gets less love as they are expensive so less people have them. If this was a car question less people would talk about their Lambos and we'd hear a lot about mustangs. B&T makes a damn fine product though. I haven't shot one extensively but I shot whatever model the new army PCC is and it ran well and was fun. Its always fun to shoot other peoples stuff though.

I have a CX4 that has been stone reliable, accurate and easily accommodates lights and sights while staying pretty compact. I wouldn’t scoff at it for a defensive carbine.

I've got an original Ruger Police Carbine (now PC) in 9mm. It's more a plinker/fun gun for me, but I don't think I ever had a FTF with it. It's got an old UltraDot 1" red dot scope on it and quick hits on 6" plates are ridiculously easy at 50 yards.

Ruger PCC or a Scorpion are perfectly fine, if 9mm is your thing.

quote:

One thing I don't get is why the B&T TP9 doesn't get more of a mention in these discussions

KSGM you are usually one of the ones that tests everything in detail before commenting (and I really appreciate that on many of the other subjects we have discussed). Have you shot one? I am a B&T addict (treatment is not locally available so it continues) and literally its terrible, at least compared to the other good choices. Now if you sbr it, put a stock on it and thus get to use the vertical grip, solve the problems of mounting a suppressor you can get, figure out how to deal with the fragile mags, and the shi*** reload situation, the trigger and a few other issues then it might be better than than the worst of the other choices. But it will never be "best" unless you make the size your first and only criteria...

Still looking for my 1894 in .357...