2 New Guns: a Ruger PC9 carbine, and a Mossberg 930 SPX

[The Annoyed Man]

PSA was selling them for $399 shipped a few weeks ago. If you can wait, a good deal can be had.

That’s pretty hard to beat.

BTW, the shotgun is gorgeous.

[The Annoyed Man]

Here’s a quick pic of both guns, taken on the fly, as it were:

[JRG]

Very nice guns! I'd like to have both of them.

Joe

[The Annoyed Man]

I shot the Ruger today for the first time, just to get a feel for it. I shot a combination of 115 grain ball, and 147 grain subsonic ball - both suppressed and unsuppressed. It was at an indoor range, and I shot targets at 15, 20, and 25 yards.

Conditions weren’t ideal, as the lighting could have been brighter, and I had a little trouble picking up a clean sight picture. I believe that the OEM iron sights would have given me less trouble outdoors. Also, I shot without any kind of rifle rest, so I was a little wobbly today. Those are my excuses, and I’m sticking to them.

Although I struggled with the available light, the position of the stock relative to the sights was about perfect. The ghost ring rear really does draw the eye in to the front sight...I just had trouble picking out the front sight against the background. I didn’t bring a ruler, but the best groups were a guesstimated 1”-1.5” for 5 rounds at 25 yards. I’m sure I could do better under better conditions.

The trigger was fairly crisp and not too heavy. Recoil consisted of a small bump against the shoulder… less than an AR15, but more than a .22.

With the suppressor mounted (a Rugged Obsidian45, with a fixed spacer replacing the spring on the piston), groups seemed to improve a little bit over unsurpassed fire, and recoil was noticeably diminished when suppressed. Although I was unable to test the theory due to range rules and the presence of other shooters, I’d wager that it would have been totally hearing-safe with the subsonic ammo.

I shot about 75 rounds with 3 malfunctions toward the end, consisting of a spent case jammed in the ejection port, with a live round chambered. To clear, I locked the bolt back, dropped the magazine, released the bolt forward to capture the chambered round with the extractor, and reinserted the mag. All three stoppages occurred with the 33 round Glock factory fun-stick. The other magazine I was using was a 17-round Magpul unit, and it ran just fine. I THINK the stoppages happened because I was supporting the weight of the rifle on the end of the stick magazine. The magazines aren’t an extremely tight fit, and there’s a little bit of room for some wiggle if lateral pressure is applied against the magazine body. The shorter magazine wasn’t affected because the gun's weight wasn’t resting on the mag. I’ve seen a couple of reviews where the reviewer experienced the same kind of malfunctions, with the 33 round mags only.

Also, by the time the jams happened, the gun was getting pretty dirty inside from the suppressor, and an alternative theory is that the stoppages were due to a filthy gun. But I get the sense that the gun would run like a top from now until Kingdom come, using 17 round mags and less time with the suppressor mounted.

For my next outing, I’ll have a Primary Arms RDS mounted to the rail, and I expect that I’ll have an easier time aiming. All in all though, it was a lot of fun to shoot, and I’m very happy with my purchase. Although the Ruger is heavier, it reminds me very much of shooting my M1 carbine, and that M1 always puts a smile on my face.

[JRG]

Great report. It is always fun to get to the range to shoot a new gun, or even an old one.

Joe

[Bitter Clinger]

I have found the same issue with the factory Glock 33 round mags when running them in a Glock clamped inside of a micro-Roni. I think that the longer magazines tend to rock just slightly but enough to cause a misfeed.

I have actually seen the same thing with 30 round Magpul 5.56 magazines in a 7.5" bbl AR pistol and so I have standardized on twenty rounders for that small gun.

For reliability reasons I feel its better to stick with shorter mags and simply practice combat reloads. YMMV.

[The Annoyed Man]

I have found the same issue with the factory Glock 33 round mags when running them in a Glock clamped inside of a micro-Roni. I think that the longer magazines tend to rock just slightly but enough to cause a misfeed.

I have actually seen the same thing with 30 round Magpul 5.56 magazines in a 7.5" bbl AR pistol and so I have standardized on twenty rounders for that small gun.

For reliability reasons I feel its better to stick with shorter mags and simply practice combat reloads. YMMV.

Yeah, I agree. The stick mags work just fine in my pistols, but I'll likely stick to G17 Mags for the carbine going forward. It makes it much handier anyway.

[Tex1961]

I have found the same issue with the factory Glock 33 round mags when running them in a Glock clamped inside of a micro-Roni. I think that the longer magazines tend to rock just slightly but enough to cause a misfeed.

I have actually seen the same thing with 30 round Magpul 5.56 magazines in a 7.5" bbl AR pistol and so I have standardized on twenty rounders for that small gun.

For reliability reasons I feel its better to stick with shorter mags and simply practice combat reloads. YMMV.

Yeah, I agree. The stick mags work just fine in my pistols, but I'll likely stick to G17 Mags for the carbine going forward. It makes it much handier anyway.

You should get a Glock Drum Mag... Now that's a range day.....

[The Annoyed Man]

I have found the same issue with the factory Glock 33 round mags when running them in a Glock clamped inside of a micro-Roni. I think that the longer magazines tend to rock just slightly but enough to cause a misfeed.

I have actually seen the same thing with 30 round Magpul 5.56 magazines in a 7.5" bbl AR pistol and so I have standardized on twenty rounders for that small gun.

For reliability reasons I feel its better to stick with shorter mags and simply practice combat reloads. YMMV.

Yeah, I agree. The stick mags work just fine in my pistols, but I'll likely stick to G17 Mags for the carbine going forward. It makes it much handier anyway.

You should get a Glock Drum Mag... Now that's a range day.....

So far, I’ve resisted the temptation to buy drum mags for my ARs or my AK. I probably won’t get one for my Glocks or the PC9. Too heavy, and I don’t mind changing smaller capacity magazines.

[SQLGeek]

Good report. Sounds like I made a good move in going with G17 mags instead of the 33 rounders for my carbine. I'm hoping to take mine out this weekend but we will see.

[bblhd672]

I have found the same issue with the factory Glock 33 round mags when running them in a Glock clamped inside of a micro-Roni. I think that the longer magazines tend to rock just slightly but enough to cause a misfeed.

I have actually seen the same thing with 30 round Magpul 5.56 magazines in a 7.5" bbl AR pistol and so I have standardized on twenty rounders for that small gun.

For reliability reasons I feel its better to stick with shorter mags and simply practice combat reloads. YMMV.

Yeah, I agree. The stick mags work just fine in my pistols, but I'll likely stick to G17 Mags for the carbine going forward. It makes it much handier anyway.

I haven’t experienced any issues with my 33 sticks, but never rested the PCC on it either. The biggest problem I have with the 33 rounders is how much ammo I go through shooting the PCC, so much fun.

[bblhd672]

I actually just now ordered the takedown carrying case from the Ruger website.

I received Ruger PCC Takedown Case today. Somewhat disappointing that none of the magazine slots accommodate 33 round magazines.
May require taking a razor blade to open up the bottom on two or three of the slots

[The Annoyed Man]

I actually just now ordered the takedown carrying case from the Ruger website.

I received Ruger PCC Takedown Case today. Somewhat disappointing that none of the magazine slots accommodate 33 round magazines.
May require taking a razor blade to open up the bottom on two or three of the slots

Mine came in while I was still in the hospital, and frankly, I just haven’t had the energy yet to tackle sorting it all out.

[bblhd672]

I actually just now ordered the takedown carrying case from the Ruger website.

I received Ruger PCC Takedown Case today. Somewhat disappointing that none of the magazine slots accommodate 33 round magazines.
May require taking a razor blade to open up the bottom on two or three of the slots

Mine came in while I was still in the hospital, and frankly, I just haven’t had the energy yet to tackle sorting it all out.

Hope you regain shooting strength soon! I've also added a charging handle on the left side, a magazine funnel and extended magazine release to my PCC.

[The Annoyed Man]

I actually just now ordered the takedown carrying case from the Ruger website.

I received Ruger PCC Takedown Case today. Somewhat disappointing that none of the magazine slots accommodate 33 round magazines.
May require taking a razor blade to open up the bottom on two or three of the slots

Mine came in while I was still in the hospital, and frankly, I just haven’t had the energy yet to tackle sorting it all out.

Hope you regain shooting strength soon! I've also added a charging handle on the left side, a magazine funnel and extended magazine release to my PCC.

Where did you find the mag funnel and extended mag release?