Hi I'm jcoyoung's friend that has the Ruger PC9 carbine rifle. I knew he was going to find a way to get me to start posting and he has.
I purchased the PC9 last year and I am very satisfied with the gun. One nice feature about it is that most indoor ranges will let you shoot it when you explain it is a 9mm.
The gun is a little heavy, but there is no recoil. The first time I shot the gun was at an indoor range (73 ft) and I grouped 15 shots within 2 inches.
(I am no marksman either)
You can buy high capacity magazines. I have been told that it is not illegal, but I can't guarantee it is legal. As Jason said the magazines fit into my P95 as well. I think these are the same magazines as the P89 because that is what they were listed under in the catalog.
Disassembly and cleaning is a little work. You need to insert a punch into a hole to retain a spring. The reassembly it a little awkward, but overall it think it is easy to do.
I have only shot store bought ammo from the gun and occasionally I've noticed the cases look like they have seen too much pressure. It may be necessary to reload your ammo if you want to prolong the life of the gun. I have purchased the equipment and will be doing that myself very soon.
I have hit paper targets at 100 yds. with the gun and I have hit milk jugs at 50 yds. The sights are adjustable for windage and elevation. If you want to mount a scope on it you will have to buy Ruger rings. They have some dovetail configuration to attach rings to the gun.
I don't know if your manual will be the same as mine, but in the exploded view of all the parts they show a washer between the stock and the barrel. They eliminated that piece. I called Ruger and they told me it was eliminated from the design.
I hope this helps and I hope you like the gun as much as I do.
[This message has been edited by stubell (edited January 30, 2000).]