Ruger PC-9 Range?

A

AdrenalineJunky

New member
Hey everyone, this is my first post. I bought a PC-9 yesterday and I want to know if it'll hit a 400 yard target. My friend has a .222 and a mini thirty, and they hit it no problem. Anyone know? Also, let me know what you think of it, it's the first rifle I've ever owned. Thanks.
pc9.gif
 
I have a PC9 also I like it but I have not personally used it past 100 yds.
I went to a police carbine school last year. there was one guy there with one everybody else had AR15s and Mini14s.
There was a little 200yd shooting It was very windy and while he was getting hits most of the time group size was about 16" from the prone whereas my Colt with a holosite was producing groups about 4".
You may hit a 400yd target out of luck but the PC9 is a 100-150yd rifle at most.
With a optic I think a PC9 could do much better as the sites on it are quite coarse.
 
The only 400 I'd talk about with the pc-9 is the $400 it costs!!

Having said that, I am looking for a used pc-4 to go with my Glock here in CA.

Bowser.
 
AJ, that's not a rifle, it's a carbine.

Aside from the sights, which are too coarse to shoot well at 400 yards, the cartridge is a handgun round.

Do you have a 9x19 handgun? Try this: buy or borrow a chronograph and comparison shoot the same ammo in both a handgun and your new carbine. The carbine will be faster, but not shockingly so.

Can you hit targets at 400 yards with your handgun? Typically a rifle gives about a 3x boost to accuracy. Can you hit targets at 133 yards with your handgun? The 9x19 round just was never intended to do such a thing.

Finally, at 400 yards, most any 9x19 round is going to be pretty tired. You have no power left. You might connect with a given target, but not to any effect. (Other than collecting a couple dollars in bets if you can really do it. Not a bad goal...)

Any pistol cartridge carbine is at it's best within pistol ranges. It's quicker to aim and hit than a handgun. At best, like G19 says, it's good for 100-150 yards at best.

It is a useful tool for defense and short to medium range. Don't try to make it something it is not.
 
Just a few additional comments:

You will get the most speed benefit in the 9mm carbine with bullets 124grains and below in weight. I have clocked 9mm Nato out of similar guns at about 1600fps.

Honestly, stick to 100 yards or less. Even if you could hit something at 400 yards, you would have to elevate the barrel quite a bit and 'rainbow' the round in like artillery.

Now, one of these guns with a reflex or optical sights inside 100 yards would be a deadly entry weapon, IMNHO.
 
Fellas, fellas...

The whole reason I'm here is because I'm fairly new to handguns/rifles, or carbines for those who burden themselves with such trivial issues(I'm sorry, I realize that it's not trivial). I got my first shotgun when I was 10. I started hunting pheasant and duck when I was 12. I know what a good shotty feels like, and when I bought my Win. 1300, there was absolutely no question that this was the right gun for me. That's pretty much how I felt about this gun. It felt right and I wanted something in 9mm or 45 to limit the type of ammunition I had to buy. I chose 9mm because it's cheaper to reload. My buddy runs the gun shop I bought it from, so I could have waited and shot the thing first, but I liked it so much I just bought it. My buddy had 10/22s, mini-14s, mini-30s, .308s, ect...in stock and all within the same relative price range, so I had plenty of options. I have no delusions regarding the purpose of this gun, which is to have fun. I wanted the pistol clip because I am contemplating buying a new 9mm, I like the ruger p95, so the decision seemed practical and was rather easy to make(at $450 I could afford to make a mistake). Having said that, I was still interested in knowing--by owners or users of the weapon--what the range of the carbine(check it out I got it right)is as well as its pros and cons. So...thanks for the serious answers...those of you who gave them. Also, can anyone suggest a site to get info. on optical sights?
 
I have a PC9GR, and so far you've received good information. The PC is a police carbine designed for urban environments and not for 400 yard shots. Its iron sights were designed for fast acquisition under stress rather than precision. I have a red dot attached to mine and 50 yard groups are good although by 100 yards the 3.5MOA dot is causing the groups to open up. It is a fun carbine, and I've put a light on mine and used it for night hunting for certain varmints in southern forests. (I wish it were a little lighter for carrying in person rather than a patrol car!) The brass catridge length is the factor which limits the improvement in velocity that can be obtained from a handloaded 9mm in a carbine. The .357mag has a lot of empty space in the case so the reloader can use slower powders that take more case room and substantially improve velocities over pistol barrels. The 9mm case is too short to use slower powders which require more case volume than available. I haven't shot mine pass 100 yards, so I can't say from experience for 100 to 400 yard distances. Most reloading manual ballistics will show the 9mm to have substantial drop as the bullet moves out to distances pass 100 yards--certainly a lot more than the carbine sights are designed to adjust for. All said though, if you accept its design limits, it is a fun gun and will go along with the P95 you want. Take care.
 
FWIW, at the range one day I saw some guys from Mag-Tech (? a custom firearms company) shooting an AR with 9mm upper with scope at 200 yards. I never got to see a target, but they were shooting at that distance.
 
I have a PC9 with a Leupold LG35 red dot sight on it. It seems to be reliable. The accuracy isn't the best, but I guess it is adequate for it's intended purpose. What did you have in mind shooting at 400 yards ? If you are just plinking, shooting at distant targets for the fun of it, then yes, you can do it. And it would be fun. You probably couldn't consistantly hit much at that range, but again, it is fun anyway. Instead of talking about it on the internet, just go out and do it. Where I shoot, we have a steel plate at 196 yards. It is about two feet square. I can hit it about half the time with a .22 lever action off hand. This doesn't mean you can hit anything at 400 with a 9mm carbine, but I bet you can. I would imagine that the dot in my sight would cover a car at that range making the whole thing more a matter of luck than anything else. The wind would be murder even if you can just barely feel it.
 
The 400 yards was a "just for the hell of it" question and in no way influences my decision to buy this gun. It's a nice gun and I'm sure I'll enjoy it. Thanks for all of your info.
 
For a "fun" gun and general purpose close up carbine...

It does just fine.

I have a personal problem with the 9x19 cartridge, but that isn't binding on you.

And if you get somewhere to practise, you will probably hit a 2x2 metal gong at an impressive distance. But like I said, don't try to make it something it's not.

Have fun. Another hundred years or so and you'll be dead.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top