So one of my coworkers just got a Ruger LC Carbine in 10mm. I look at it and ask why?

Yes, it’s kinda’ cool but just looking at it from a practical standpoint, I don’t get it. Roughly same size and price as a 16” barreled AR and the AR has a whole lot more muzzle energy. His reasoning was bear protection while camping. My thinking is that’s the job for short barreled lever action in .45-70 or a 12ga shotgun. Then there’s the 10mm thing. Yes, I do love 10mm in a handgun but in this I wonder, why? Too expensive to plink and it’s not going to have the advantages suppressed that a subsonic 9mm would.

So what am I missing?

No comment on the 10mm part
But, I want a PCC partly for something different to my ARs.
It'll be a 9mm, with the Kuna being the frontrunner.

The best reasoning I've heard is arming someone who is recoil adverse and not very proficient. They can run a relatively fun gun to shoot in practice without alot of recoil and bark, especially suppressed.

That leads them to actually reach for it if trouble kicks in the front window.

Now for bear medicine? 10mm ok but I like the 45-70 idea for an intended bear gun for someone who is good with the concept of shooting.

I have 9mm AR. Helps with AR type shooting practice and a heck of lot cheaper to feed.
Also great when introducing AR shooting to people that have never shot an AR before. I have had people that thought ARs (think 5.56/.223) were evil and wouldn't shoot one. But if I get them the 9mm a couple of them ease up on the AR hate. A .22lr AR would probably do the same but I don't have one.

quote:

The best reasoning I've heard is arming someone who is recoil adverse and not very proficient. They can run a relatively fun gun to shoot in practice without alot of recoil and bark, especially suppressed.

I agree this is the most practical real-world application for a semi-auto PCC chambered in common service calibers. I also agree with the OP...a 10mm carbine for bear defense makes zero sense.

Personally, I like my 9mm AR for training. Mine uses endomags and a standard lower, so all of the controls and magazine manipulations are identical to my .223 guns. But I can shoot cheaper 9mm ammo, shoot it on the indoor range where we can't shoot rifle rounds, and shoot close-range (15-yard) steel targets without damaging them. And it's fun as heck.

But I'll keep my 45-70 or 12ga 870 for bears.

If we expand the definition of PCC to include leverguns chambered in magnum pistol calibers, those do make some sense. .357 and .44 Mag really wake up out of a rifle-length barrel, and have some real-world hunting and possibly even critter-defense applications.

I got the DOE just because it's just so damn cool.

That S&W folding one (discussed at length elsewhere) looks vaguely intriguing. The Ruger LC carbine has an odd choice of calibers: 10mm, .45 ACP and 5.7x28, but not 9mm. I suppose there's the PC for that. I have several handguns, a shotgun and an AR, but there is at present, for me , no defense scenario where the extra power of the 5.56 is very useful (i.e., not overkill), so the idea of a PCC has been floating about in my head for a while.

For me, its about distance accuracy while using the same ammo as my handgun.
Same reasoning from ancient history with the Winchester lever and Colt SAA in 44-40.

I could see the idea of sharing ammo with a handgun. There can be the fun factor.

The 10mm has a lot of power, for a semi-auto pistol, but it’s not magical. I get the more shot thing, maybe with a little less weight. I myself would rather a big bore revolver, with higher test hardcast.

Another route to go is the very best ammo for the 40 S&W you already own, maybe some bear spray too.

I’m not really smitten by the need to own a 10mm in just about any configuration.

I've always viewed "sharing ammo" as a terrible idea, all your eggs in one basket. Run out of or lose your ammo for one, lose it for both. Two is none.


9mm is cheap centerfire fun in a carbine.
I don't get the attraction to the 10mm in a carbine.

Not sure I get the attraction for most people in a pistol either.

(I'll make a strange contradictory statement that while I own 3 10mm's, I'm not a particular fan nor overly enamored with the cartridge)

You can get some decent ballistic improvements from PCCs, but still not rifle ballistics. I see a benefit to PCCs that share pistol mags, I’m a sucker for that. Doubt I’ll ever be in a situation where that factor comes into play, but I still like it.

I will admit, I bought the Henry ‘Homesteader’ not long ago. My version takes Glock magazines, 9mm of course.

It shoots well, and is a lot of fun. It’s a tad heavy for what it is. It feels similar to a heavier 10/22, with a little more power.

Part of the deal is also that I’m partial to the Henry company. If I see something they make that catches my eye, I’ll try to support. I also have one of their 45-70’s that’s been fine.

I was under the impression that 10mm pistols have become more popular in bear country. Replacing many revolvers in 44, 454 etc? Using Buffalo Bore etc of course.

I think there is much appeal to many for being able to shoot for the enjoyment of just shooting without spending a fortune on ammo. Being able to practice more as a result is an added bonus. Reduced recoil is a big plus also. Plinking with a .22 has similar appeal.

There are some great offering in the PCC category. Fantastic actually and pretty cheap. Big fan. But in 10mm, naugh. That's in the novelty category, imho.

a compact PCC has advantages over a handgun or a carbine imo. The 16" PCC"s is where, id agree... more of a head scratcher. it loses most of its advantages over a carbine when its almost as large and heavy as one...
A PCC, from my understanding, is something like the B&T TP9 or ...PSA doesn't mess it up, their x9/57. Anything significantly larger then that is, a choice outside of function/form. The DOE 9mm IS so damn cool

I think a 300 BLK AR pistol is better than a 10MM PCC. Neither are cheap to shoot. PCC really shines with cheap low recoiling 9MM with inexperienced shooters.

I don’t think 16” PCCs are a good comparisons to ARs. I think the better justification for a PCC is in the 5-8” barrel lengths. Although there are very short 5.56 guns, you give up a lot of velocity and gain a lot of blast with a very short barrel. In addition to a short barrel, most PCCs have folding stocks/braces, which aren’t common on ARs, unless you get something like a LAW folder, so you can end up with quite a compact PCC.

I think a SP10A3 with a folder is a better comparison to an AR, unless you really need the range advantage of 5.56.

They can be smaller and lighter than a comparable SBR AR-15. They also get more effective with the barrel size that is longer than a pistol, while the AR gets less effective and MUCH louder as the barrel gets below 11-12 inches. A 5-8" barrel AR would not be very effective or fun to shoot. ARs can only get so small/short before they start to gain too many downsides.

Higher capacity and easier to aim than a pistol, less recoil. They suppress better and are cheaper to feed than a shorty AR.

Plus, they are just fun as hell.

Fun as hell, very easy and pleasant to shoot suppressed. Worth going through the SBR process for IMO.