PSA AR pistol or Ruger PCC?

Which would you prefer for a 'truck gun'?


  • Total voters
    23

JT

Chair Wrangler
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
Benefactor
Vendor
Life Member
Supporting Member
Multi-Factor Enabled
Joined
Mar 4, 2018
Messages
6,025
Location
Wilson NC
Rating - 100%
40   0   0
I was looking at PSA's offerings in the AR pistol and got to thinking whether I would prefer one over my Ruger PC9 for a 'truck gun' where size is a critical factor. (Yes, I know that there's a fundamental difference in OAL unless the PC9 is taken down, which affects time to bring to bear, but play along.)

I'd also very much appreciate specific comments as to why you would select one over the other.

And go.
 
Last edited:
I've got both and enjoy each one but for a truck gun I voted the AR pistol. More compact and is covered by your CHP since it's a pistol where as the rifle legally can't be concealed and within your reach.

ETA: If you want to stick with the 9mm to share caliber and possibly mags with your sidearm you could always go with an AR9 pistol also.
 
Last edited:
I have both as well. I'd vote AR pistol for the reasons already covered.
 
simply for the choices of barrel length and almost unlimited aftermarket and repair parts, AR9 every time. I'll revisit when Ruger decides to make a Charger version of the PC9
 
Last edited:
I voted AR pistol. PCC's are fun, and I have enjoyed shooting them. But I have yet to really see much advantage over an AR pistol in 5.56 other than perhaps ammo being interchangeable. Maybe a bit of recoil/blast reduction.
 
I voted AR pistol. PCC's are fun, and I have enjoyed shooting them. But I have yet to really see much advantage over an AR pistol in 5.56 other than perhaps ammo being interchangeable. Maybe a bit of recoil/blast reduction.
Awwww you know you want to pile on the scorpion bandwagon.
 
Awwww you know you want to pile on the scorpion bandwagon.

Oh, no doubt, they are absolutely freaking awesome. But for a gun that will rattle around in the back of a truck/car/whatever, I think a beater AR pistol is the way to go. The Scorpion is for when you are going to be shooting high class bad guys, not regular street urchins.
 
Oh, no doubt, they are absolutely freaking awesome. But for a gun that will rattle around in the back of a truck/car/whatever, I think a beater AR pistol is the way to go. The Scorpion is for when you are going to be shooting high class bad guys, not regular street urchins.
That Scorpion trigger is so bad though. D: I tried one out the other day and the trigger pull was so creepy it needed a restraining order.
 
Change the “or” to “and” in your title and problem solved! Just remember, you need to arm your vehicle passengers as well!!! :D
 
Change the “or” to “and” in your title and problem solved! Just remember, you need to arm your vehicle passengers as well!!! :D
You're assuming that I allow passengers. And that I trust them with a loaded firearm. :D
 
OBTW
"CZ Scorpion" was not listed as an option. Focus, people! :D
 
Pap M92 with a folding SB tactical brace ;)

raw_hg3089n-bfta-sba3_6179.jpg
 
Last edited:
.......never been a fan of rifle cartridges with really short barrels .
 
You're assuming that I allow passengers. And that I trust them with a loaded firearm. :D

Then one is a primary truck gun and the other a backup truck gun!


Or you can dual wield...


My point is still the same...buy both and then there’s no dilemma over having to choose! ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: JT
I know this is the question you didn't ask, but IMO it's worth consideration.....

.300 Blackout AR pistol.

From shorter barrels it does not suffer as much from reduced velocity as does 5.56. This leads to improved barrier blind ballistics. This is your truck gun. Chances are in the remote possibility you have to use it for it's intended purpose there may be another vehicle being used as cover/concealment by the bad guy.
 
IMG_20190606_134750.jpg

More often than not I find myself with the .300 along for the ride, but both are setup very similarly and I would prefer either over a 9mm carbine.
 
I know this is the question you didn't ask, but IMO it's worth consideration.....

.300 Blackout AR pistol.

From shorter barrels it does not suffer as much from reduced velocity as does 5.56. This leads to improved barrier blind ballistics. This is your truck gun. Chances are in the remote possibility you have to use it for it's intended purpose there may be another vehicle being used as cover/concealment by the bad guy.

Ill piggy back on this, and it really isn't all that far out of line with the original question, just swap the .223 PSA kit with a .300AAC kid and boom.

I love my 5.56 pistol, but the thump from the .300 is very satisfying. The .223/5.56 is more "fun" because its cheaper to shoot (I don't reload .300AAC). But if given the choice of the two for a sub 100-200 yard engagement I would go with the big beefy .300 AAC bullets.
 
I The .223/5.56 is more "fun" because its cheaper to shoot (I don't reload .300AAC). But if given the choice of the two for a sub 100-200 yard engagement I would go with the big beefy .300 AAC bullets.

That is exactly why I set those two pistols up so similarly. In fact before I robbed it to go on another gun, the 5.56 had the same dual illuminated RMR instead of the dual illuminated Reflex II. Even with the different optic style though the reticle and thus sight picture are the same. A 12.9MOA triangle sitting level with the top of the fixed FSP.

I can practice with the 5.56 all day long for cheap and send enough lead downrange with the .300 to make sure it functions and holds zero and to keep adjusted to the different recoil/blast characteristics.
 
Last edited:
That is exactly why I set those two pistols up so similarly. In fact before I robbed it to go on another gun, the 5.56 had the same dual illuminated RMR instead of the dual illuminated Reflex II. Even with the different optic style though the reticle and thus sight picture are the same. A 12.9MOA triangle sitting level with the top of the fixed FSP.

I can practice with the 5.56 all day long for cheap and send enough lead downrange with the .300 to make sure it functions and holds zero and to keep adjusted to the different recoil/blast characteristics.

hah...I have a very similar set up. .3ooAAC is fun because of how easy it is to just slap on a different upper and carry on.
 
That Scorpion trigger is so bad though. D: I tried one out the other day and the trigger pull was so creepy it needed a restraining order.


You can make the CZ Scorpion trigger very nice for $6-$8, there is a spring kit that reduces the pull by half if not a tad more, I added a forward set straight trigger bow to my daughters Scorpion pistol and the trigger is roughly 5lbs with zero take up or slop and the reset rivals some of the cheaper AR triggers, of course it’s not on par with a Hiperfire or Geissele but the people that have stock CZ triggers who have shot my daughters are honestly blown away by how good it is.

With all that said, I too would go with an AR pistol simply because the cost of getting one set up exactly how you want it is by far the least expensive option, you can catch the build kits ridiculously cheap or if your not into building them, PSA has tons of sales on complete uppers and lowers pretty much weekly, if you don’t see exactly what you want today, just wait a week and it will go on sale at some point.

My daughter loves her Scorpion pistol and she opted for it over a 9mm AR pistol, she wanted a 5.56 AR pistol but the blast was just too much for her, she liked the fireballs well enough though lol, she then shot a 9mm AR pistol and said that is what she wanted, until she shot a CZ Scorpion pistol and fell in love with it, once I worked on the trigger it turned into her “never sell” gun, it really is fun to shoot but I personally lost interest in it after a few range trips, don’t get me wrong I still take it out and burn through 200-300 rounds in a range session and I can shoot the center out of targets from 5 to 100 yards with it, but I like my .300blk AR pistol far better, the wife and daughter also love shooting the 300blk since it has a little more thump.

I guess you could put me in the camp of folks that say 300blk pistol for a truck gun, grab a similar 5.56 upper for range blasting, better yet build 2 AR pistols!!!! lmao

If I don’t end up selling my 7 1/2” PSA AR pistol I’ll add a Law Tactical folding kit to it and make it even smaller so it’s easier to stick in a backpack or bag, a 7 1/2” barrel and an SB3 brace is already stupid handy but being able to fold the stock will make it even more handy imo.
 
Last edited:
I have both, went with the AR pistol (not the brand you mentioned but another oddball that's even smaller). The ruger is way more fun IMHO, but the legality of the pistol is what won me over. All those 'pistol in a lock box' discussions around CCW and whatnot for non-SHTF scenarios is nice coverage.

Just make sure you have at least an 8" barrel (from that ballistics thread) otherwise your average 223/556 won't make it over that magical 2200 fps number and you'll be shooting a really loud handgun instead of a really loud handgun producing rifle-ish ballistics.
 
I have both, went with the AR pistol (not the brand you mentioned but another oddball that's even smaller). The ruger is way more fun IMHO, but the legality of the pistol is what won me over. All those 'pistol in a lock box' discussions around CCW and whatnot for non-SHTF scenarios is nice coverage.

Just make sure you have at least an 8" barrel (from that ballistics thread) otherwise your average 223/556 won't make it over that magical 2200 fps number and you'll be shooting a really loud handgun instead of a really loud handgun producing rifle-ish ballistics.
Follow-up, @Jayne -- 8.5" or 10.5" barrel ... or does it even matter?
 
Follow-up, @Jayne -- 8.5" or 10.5" barrel ... or does it even matter?

There are a bunch of charts out there showing tests that have been done. The 2200fps thing came from the Lucky Gunner video where they talked to the... uh... Federal? guys about ballistics who said that projectiles over 2200fps damage tissue beyond it's elastic limit and that's what makes rifles (typically) more effective. I just said 8" because it's the lowest I've seen that's just over that speed limit with the lighter 55gr stuff based on the data I've looked at. Figure a little wiggle room to compensate for load/temp/yada yada. I've not chronoed these myself so I'm assuming the guys doing the work aren't just making it up.

223-barrel-length-velocity-umc-55-grain-26-to-6-inches.png
 
  • Like
Reactions: JT
Back
Top Bottom