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NEW FIREARMS & ACCESSORIES

We make every attempt to only preview new products when they are actually available on the market. This spares consumers from wasting time trying to locate an item to buy when it hasn't yet left the prototype phase. Please note that during SHOT Show (January of each year) manufacturers often announce new items that are several months from stores: we still announce these despite not being immediately available for purchase.

why pistol caliber carbines do make sense

4/4/2017

 
Picture
High Tower's bullpup stock promises to render the PCC a great choice for the majority of us Lazyboy pro's.
I’m a big big fan of the TFB so after reading a lengthy argument thereon entitled “Frankly, Pistol Caliber Carbines Don’t Make a Lot of Sense – Here’s Why”, I feel compelled to pitch my two cents into the fray and stand between the author and the pitchfork-bearing PCC owners clamoring for a lynching.

As writers on any topic we have to be careful not to impact peoples choices or livelihoods and in penning about guns I think it crucial to be conscious of striking a balance when I have a strong opinion on a given matter. Now I don’t think Nathaniel F’s article (well written and founded on experience and research) is going to put anyone out of business but there are a number of companies heavily invested in the building (or accessorizing) of PCC format weapons. The AFD has a minuscule readership compared to the TFB so our opinions probably go largely unnoticed, but I still worry about the consequences of what I write. Even if a negative review deters 10 buyers, that’s a lot of money for a manufacturer. I used to work in the film industry and it wasn’t until I’d completed my first production that I realized EVERY film ever made, no matter how terrible, is deserving of credit for the effort alone. Film critics are often oblivious to this fact because they lack hands-on experience and only ever watch films from the comfort of a private screening room, reclining in luxurious armchairs, supping beverages and chowing down on buttered corn. But a scathing review can be devastating for a budding director and I’ve seen young filmmakers go to drink and drugs after the fact. Similar is true of the firearms (or any manufacturing) industry; the time, money, ingenuity, familial sacrifice et al entailed in setting up shop is beyond the imagination of most of us so with this in mind we at the AFD tend to look for praiseworthy products (or that component worthy of praise in a product) and let disparaging opinions go unwritten. 

So yes, I DO feel there’s a VERY strong argument for PCC’s, either of the dedicated weapon, rifle-down or pistol-up variety ESPECIALLY for the majority of gun owners who are simply that: owners. They have neither the time, resources nor fervor for shooting but simply like having a gun around the house for peace of mind. 

Allow me to bullet my personal ruminations on this matter (inclusive of PCC SBR’s):
  • If PCC’s don’t make sense, why do so many elite forces and first responders around the world use them (MP5, CZ Scorpion, B&T etc). Because they’re easy to deploy and highly effective at short range. Note this definition of the new B&T USW: https://www.bt-ag.ch/shop/eng/bt-usw/bt-universal-service-weapon--usw-a1-kal-9-x-19-bt-430001
  • I already have hearing damage from a lifetime of shooting sans hearing protection - the .223, 5.56 and .308 rounds are very harsh on the drums - for me it’s actually painful to use them and if I were in a home defense or doomsday scenario I know I wouldn’t be putting on ear protection before defending my family. A shotgun is also deafening indoors or out.
  • AR’s (including AR’s adapted for pistol calibers) are not really beginner weapons nor good for people who are too busy to practice or lack the passion to learn. They are simply a bad choice for the huge contingent of non-expert unenthusiastic firearm owners looking for home security because they are easily fumbled and cumbersome UNLESS we acquire the requisite muscle memory. Stress makes us all thumbs anyway but add remembering how to actuate a weapon and meantime the perp will have shot homeowner and family. 
  • 9mm is cheaper than any rifle round and in a doomsday situ possibly the most readily available. (Having said that, post apocalypse I’ll likely come across a cadaver or two with a Glock 9mm or an AR and the relevant ammo, so I can take my pick.)
  • I feel the 45ACP is the optimum home defense round as it has great short range effectiveness, limited wall penetrating capability (neighbors and family are less likely to succumb as I spray the joint) and low recoil from a PCC. 
  • Stress will make any pistol hard to shoot straight but a PCC has inherent pointability. I have to remember that lining up sights would fall second to staring-at-threat-and-squeezing-trigger.
  • For range day fun and shooting targets out to 50 yards, pistols and PCC’s offer me maximum funnery. Which is more inherently accurate? With three points of contact, a carbine is exponentially more likely to make hits both at the range AND under stress.
  • In a doomsday scenario in which I have taken the bugout option, long distance accuracy is moot. The word for the day will be evade, evade, evade and making long distance shots is only going to direct a missed target and everyone else toward my location. The way to survive will be to stay well hidden at all times and only resort to using my firearm when a potential threat literally stands on my foot as I hide unseen in the shrub. In which case, point blank range will be my distance and I’ll just keep firing ’til they’re down. 

Clearly Nathaniel is an expert but most of us genuinely aren’t. Despite all the firearm options, articles, expert advice, classes, training courses, youtube videos and the gamut of other things to enlighten us, most of us are not nor will ever be experts or marksmen because we don’t have the time or money to be anything more than armchair enthusiasts: for us Lazyboy pro’s, the simplest gun to operate is the one to reach for in the heat of a terrible moment (hence the success of the Glock by the way) where you’ll just be squeezing the trigger repeatedly until the threat is neutralized. In the end I totally agree with his last paragraph that there is a window of opportunity for someone wishing to make PCC’s and i think they will be one of the largest selling firearm formats once manufacturers figure that out. So, someone should take Nathaniel’s suggestion as a business cue: the market awaits. AW
Nathaniel F link
4/19/2017 09:35:05 pm

Hello AFD,

First off, thank you for reading and commenting about my article about pistol caliber carbines. Discussion of this sort is always appreciated.

I am not against people using PCCs for home defense. I think the arguments for them do not make much sense, but if someone wants to use one for that purpose then I don't see a problem with that. This isn't a "that'll get you killed in da streetz!" sort of argument.

My objections to the arguments for PCCs can be summed up as "neither fish nor fowl". If I may, I'd like to re-address some of the points you bring up. I'll try to be holistic in my approach here, since I want to add to the conversation instead of just chucking out counter-arguments to specific statements.

Oh, and before I begin, a minor objection: I don't think I am a gun expert. I am a guy on the internet who writes well enough to get paid for it. Grant Cunningham (whom I disagree with) is an expert, for example. He has years more experience than I do and a lot more time training people. Now, granted, I think I'm more right and he's not as right on this particular issue, but anyone watching this debate from the outside should be absolutely clear on who the real experts are. Grant's an expert, I'm just a guy who likes to think he pays attention in the classroom.

Anyway, I have recently gotten into hot water with my readers on two separate issues: PCCs, and bullpups. I bring up the latter because I think these two discussions have a lot of similarities that make it hard to have a completely objective back-and-forth. The irony is that while the differences PCCs and RCCs and pistols (and bullpups and conventionals and SBRs) couldn't be more empirical, the way those differences are interpreted and weighed by people is highly subjective. Let's take the way PCCs are presented:

-They offer the shootability of a rifle
-They offer the affordability of the pistol
-They have low recoil and low muzzle flash and blast
-Easier to train with than a handgun

All aces, right? However, I can emphasize these differently and present an entirely different picture:

-Larger and heavier than a pistol, much more difficult to shoot with one hand
-Not as powerful as the rifle
-Blast and flash aren't that important
-You should be training anyway

Depending on which aspects I downplay or play up, I can make the PCC look ideal or like utter garbage. So how do we achieve clarity? I think we do this by grounding ourselves in reality, and I would highly encourage anyone at home to do this for their particular situation (even if that means you decide a PCC is for you). Here's what my situation looks like:

I am defending a small house. If it is invaded, I will barricade myself in one of the rooms and call the police. I may have to do this when I am home alone. I live with others, and that means it's highly likely that any "invasion" is really someone else coming home irresponsibly late, but there have been exceptions. If I go to investigate, I need to have a gun but also to not look like Rambo. It is a definite positive to be able to use my other hand freely to either call 911 or do something else.

So in that scenario, my choice is obvious: I need a pistol. The rifle is pretty much just for playing roof koreans in a worst case scenario, and if that's the case a PCC is probably not the right answer.

Before I wrote the PCC article, I brainstormed a bunch of different situations like the one above, and considered whether I thought the advantages and disadvantages of the PCC fit any of those roles. I found vanishingly few where they did. Obviously, another person running the same exercise may come to different conclusions, and that's fine. Buy what you want and what you think will work well. There are 300 million people in the US, which means I cannot possibly provide advice that fits all of them. Having said that, I think a lot of the arguments for the PCC are red herrings (and I got into detail as to why in the article). The most compelling one, as I mentioned, was noise, but even that is a bit of a stretch. Home defense weapons are very rarely ever fired, and practice is not done indoors without muffs, usually. ARs certainly are loud indoors (no denying that!), but I am a little skeptical that's such a huge downside, especially when compared to how incredibly flexible an AR-15 is compared to a PCC.

Anyway, I'm getting off track now. Most of this can be read in the article, and I think anyone interested should read both and decide for themselves.

Oh, one final note: I am not sure I am damaging anyone's business this way. I suppose, sure, that someone might read the article and decide not to buy a PCC, but that is ultimately up to them. I think most people make up their mind first and then go to the Internet to find things that reinforce what they've already decided. So I doubt I've shunted away a wave of potential PCC buyers with what I've written. Maybe. I dunno.

Anyway, a good discussion all around, and thanks for yo

AW@AFD
4/22/2017 02:39:41 pm

Hey Nathaniel, I appreciate you keeping this conversation alive - and in such a gentlemanly, constructive way - I think it's a good one! As you say it really all boils down to what light we view any particular firearm in, and from person to person that varies depending on our tastes, experiences, strengths and limitations. Personally I've always been fond of the PCC (from it's earliest lever-action iteration right up to the modern configurations) largely for their shootability and gentle learning curve. I've also known a few good folks who've bought into the AR buying frenzy only to end up with a rifle they probably shouldn't even be handling: with no proper practice and sometimes even the wrong ammo they were quite likely more of a danger to themselves and their families then any potential threat. But when introduced to a well-considered PCC, the light went on, that anxious AR-induced frown turned to a smile and suddenly there was authentic cognizance for owning a gun. I think in the end PCC's can provide a large segment of the gun-buying public with a user-friendly platform, and like you I hope someone sees that market opportunity soon (i.e. the simplicity of a Glock rolled into the shootability of an SBR...hmmm...perhaps a dedicated bullpup?!). Thanks again for commenting and I look forward to future debates from our respective sides of the firearm fence. AW


Comments are closed.

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    Previews and reviews on newly available items are written-up by our team as quickly as we can find them. Please let us know if we've missed something debuting on the market. As a firearm enthusiast or an AFD listed company you are welcome to submit a blog entry about a new product. You may also submit a firearm related commentary, idea or nostalgic musing: we like things celebratory of American ingenuity and manufacturing. All entries are subject to editing and/or fact-checking.

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  • Home
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