Ruger Police Carbine
Encyclopedia
The Ruger Carbine, or the ruger police carbine, is a pistol
caliber carbine
designed as a companion to the Ruger
P Series pistols. As of 2007, Ruger has discontinued production citing low demand. It is a semi-automatic
carbine using a blowback
action. The Carbine uses the same ammunition and magazines as the Ruger P Series 9mm and .40 S&W
caliber pistols.
Both the PC9 (the 9mm version) and the PC4 (.40 S&W) are patterned after the highly successful Ruger 10/22
carbine. The Carbine is intended as a shoulder weapon for police use, although it is available for sale to civilians as well. The intent is that an officer will carry a Ruger P Series pistol as a sidearm, and keep a Carbine available (for example, in his/her patrol vehicle) as a shoulder weapon if needed. Since the carbine has a 16 inches (406.4 mm) barrel, it provides more power with the same ammunition used by the 4 inches (101.6 mm) barreled pistol (see internal ballistics
). The carbine also provides additional accuracy and range over the pistol.
The Carbine has some unique design features. The action is a simple blowback
design, which requires a fairly massive bolt to handle the pressure of 9mm and .40 S&W. To prevent the gun from being too unbalanced by the large bolt, the bolt consists of two parts; the main body of the bolt is fairly light and located in the receiver, while the other part is just a weight located under the forend of the carbine. These two parts are held together by strong, rigid steel bars. The combined mass serves to hold the breech safely closed during firing, while keeping the center of gravity forward, so the gun handles well. Another unique feature is the bolt lock. Since blowback guns of these calibers require heavy bolts, the inertia of dropping the gun can cause the bolt to come partially open, rendering the gun unfirable until the bolt is manually closed all the way. To prevent this, the Carbine uses a lock that locks the bolt securely closed so that a fall will not dislodge it. A slight pressure on the trigger or on the bolt handle, however, will disengage the bolt so that it can move for firing or clearing the action.
In addition to caliber, the Carbine also comes with a choice in sights
. The standard model uses notch and post sights, while the GR models are equipped with ghost ring sights. The ghost ring sights cost more, but they are generally considered better for defensive purposes, as they allow faster sighting under poor lighting conditions plus a longer sight radius for greater potential accuracy. The Carbine also has Ruger style scope bases built into the receiver, allowing optical sights to be easily and securely mounted.
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
caliber carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
designed as a companion to the Ruger
Sturm, Ruger
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Incorporated is a Southport, Connecticut-based firearm manufacturing company, better known by the shortened name Ruger. Sturm, Ruger produces bolt-action, semi-automatic, full-automatic, and single-shot rifles, shotguns, semi-automatic pistols, and single- and double-action...
P Series pistols. As of 2007, Ruger has discontinued production citing low demand. It is a semi-automatic
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
carbine using a blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
action. The Carbine uses the same ammunition and magazines as the Ruger P Series 9mm and .40 S&W
.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by major American firearms manufacturers Winchester and Smith & Wesson. The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the FBI's reduced velocity 10mm cartridge which could...
caliber pistols.
Both the PC9 (the 9mm version) and the PC4 (.40 S&W) are patterned after the highly successful Ruger 10/22
Ruger 10/22
The Ruger 10/22 is a semi-automatic rimfire rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It has a removable 10-round rotary magazine which allows the magazine to fit flush with the bottom of the stock. Higher capacity magazines are also available...
carbine. The Carbine is intended as a shoulder weapon for police use, although it is available for sale to civilians as well. The intent is that an officer will carry a Ruger P Series pistol as a sidearm, and keep a Carbine available (for example, in his/her patrol vehicle) as a shoulder weapon if needed. Since the carbine has a 16 inches (406.4 mm) barrel, it provides more power with the same ammunition used by the 4 inches (101.6 mm) barreled pistol (see internal ballistics
Internal ballistics
Internal ballistics, a subfield of ballistics, is the study of a projectile's behavior from the time its propellant's igniter is initiated until it exits the gun barrel...
). The carbine also provides additional accuracy and range over the pistol.
The Carbine has some unique design features. The action is a simple blowback
Blowback (arms)
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gases created by the ignition of the propellant charge....
design, which requires a fairly massive bolt to handle the pressure of 9mm and .40 S&W. To prevent the gun from being too unbalanced by the large bolt, the bolt consists of two parts; the main body of the bolt is fairly light and located in the receiver, while the other part is just a weight located under the forend of the carbine. These two parts are held together by strong, rigid steel bars. The combined mass serves to hold the breech safely closed during firing, while keeping the center of gravity forward, so the gun handles well. Another unique feature is the bolt lock. Since blowback guns of these calibers require heavy bolts, the inertia of dropping the gun can cause the bolt to come partially open, rendering the gun unfirable until the bolt is manually closed all the way. To prevent this, the Carbine uses a lock that locks the bolt securely closed so that a fall will not dislodge it. A slight pressure on the trigger or on the bolt handle, however, will disengage the bolt so that it can move for firing or clearing the action.
In addition to caliber, the Carbine also comes with a choice in sights
Sight (device)
A sight is a device used to assist aligning or aim weapons, surveying instruments, or other items by eye. Sights can be a simple set or system of markers that have to be aligned together as well as aligned with the target...
. The standard model uses notch and post sights, while the GR models are equipped with ghost ring sights. The ghost ring sights cost more, but they are generally considered better for defensive purposes, as they allow faster sighting under poor lighting conditions plus a longer sight radius for greater potential accuracy. The Carbine also has Ruger style scope bases built into the receiver, allowing optical sights to be easily and securely mounted.
Specifications
| Caliber: | 9 mm Luger or .40 S&W |
| Capacity: | 15 rounds for 9 × 19 or 11 rounds for .40 S&W |
| Finish: | Blued |
| Stock/Grip: | Black synthetic |
| Barrel Length: | 16" (413 mm) |
| Rear Sight: | Adjustable open or ghost ring |
| Groove: | 6 |
| Twist: | 1:10" RH (9 × 19) 1:16" RH (.40 S&W) |
| Overall Length: | 34" (873 mm) |
| Weight: | 6 lb 6 oz (2.9 kg) |
| Other Features: | Cross Bolt Safety / Bolt Lock / Firing Pin Block |