The attractive prices of bulk 9mm ammo might have you wondering if there’s more you can do with it, besides plinking at the range, or defensive carry with a handgun.
There is, and the chief avenue for that is to build (or buy) a pistol-caliber carbine, also known as a PCC.
Basically, a pistol-caliber carbine is a short rifle platform that’s chambered in a handgun cartridge instead of a rifle cartridge. So whereas most AR-style carbines are chambered in .223 or 5.56, a PCC would instead be chambered in a handgun cartridge, like 9mm.
Many of them use blowback actions but some also use gas systems, and they’re compact and lightweight, among other potential advantages that will be covered here.
They’re Surprisingly Accurate
Handgun cartridges are not going to win any awards for long-range shooting or for accuracy, but don’t write them off entirely either.
Out to 100 yards or so, a PCC can be fairly accurate and most shooters can hit their targets at this range, even with open sights. Throw a red dot sight on there and you could be competitive with a PCC beyond 100 yards.
They Produce Very Little Recoil
If you thought .223 and 5.56 were light-kicking, wait till you shoot a 9mm PCC. There’s virtually no recoil at all, which makes them perfect for recoil-sensitive shooters.
Here’s another tip to keep recoil down even more; get a suppressor or a compensator for your pistol-caliber carbine and you’ll fare even better. On top of that you’ll be able to make fast, accurate follow up shots with such little muzzle flip.
The Same Ammo As Your Sidearm
Another great thing about a pistol caliber carbine is the general convenience. You could even run the same ammo in your sidearm that you run in your PCC.
That also means you could theoretically swap ammo between them, so as long as you have at least one loaded mag, you’ll never be completely out.
Lower-Cost Shooting
Not that 5.56 and .223 are particularly expensive, but other chamberings common in AR-style rifles definitely are - but not compared to 9mm and most other handgun cartridges.
Building or buying a PCC instead of a carbine in a rifle-chambering means you can keep shooting costs down, plinking or competing much more cost-effectively than you’d otherwise be able to.
Now, buy some 9mm bulk ammo to keep down the per-unit cost and you can save even more.
Lighter Weight Mags That Take Up Less Space
Pretty much across the board, PCC magazines are going to be more compact, easier to pack, and considerably lighter than rifle magazines, even when loaded. Let’s face it, ammo is heavy, and anything you can do to keep the weight down serves to your benefit.
Not to mention the fact you’ll physically have more space for 9mm mags than you would for 5.56 mags, or any other rifle caliber mag.
Potentially Better for Defensive Applications
Now, to be clear, rifle calibers like .223 and 5.56 produce more stopping power than 9mm, but there’s a tradeoff. They’re spitzer bullets and they shoot a lot faster. This produces an overpenetration risk and not that much advantage in terms of stopping power.
Heavy, slow, handgun-caliber bullets are designed for close-range performance, and to deliver energy rapidly, especially with a ballistically superior hollow point bullet. That actually might give PCCs the edge over rifles for close-quarters defensive engagements, all else being equal.
Pistol-Caliber Carbines Are Compact and Easy Handling
Lastly, pistol-caliber carbines are naturally more compact than their rifle-sized counterparts and generally lighter, too. This makes them easier-handling and easier to carry, and gives them another advantage in close-quarters engagements.
If you’re not doing long-range shooting and don’t need the firepower of a rifle cartridge, a PCC might very well be a viable option.
A Bit More Power Than a Handgun
Because pistol-caliber carbines naturally have slightly longer barrels than handguns, they extract a bit more muzzle velocity from the cartridge with which they’re paired, and thereby more power.
It isn’t a big boost, but a few extra inches of barrel will equate to a few more FPS at the muzzle, and that counts for something. It won’t completely revolutionize a cartridge like 9mm, but it will extract just a little more power from it.
Stock Up on Bulk 9mm Ammo Here
In order to realize one of the advantages of PCCs mentioned here - cost - it will behoove you to buy 9mm bulk ammo, as the more you purchase in quantity, the more you will save per-round.
Shop our collection of bulk ammo and check our police trade-in specials so you never miss a deal. Then buy some of your favorite 9mm in bulk so that your ammo cans are stocked for range day.