Si vis pacem, para bellum (Latin for “If you seek peace, prepare for war”)
The new PC Charger was just one of many guns that were going to get their debut at the 2020 NRA convention, but we know what happened to that.
American gunmakers have flocked to 9mm Luger cartridge to amazing levels over the past 35 years, and the surge in soccer moms with handgun carry permits has led the way to making the 9mm the most prolific cartridge today.
Originally coined the “9mm Parabellum,” creator Georg Luger had his sights set on landing military contracts for his employer DWM for his new Model 1900 Parabellum pistol back in 1902. It took old Georg about a decade of rejections by major military arms buyers before things finally clicked with DWM’s P08 “Luger.” The cartridge has become so prolific today that its common moniker as simply “9 mil” has become as generic as Coke and Kleenex.
Heard the word “Parabellum” lately? Yep, John Wick III. If you haven’t brushed up on your Latin lately, Si vis pacem, para bellum has been around a while. Translated “If you seek peace, prepare for war” was DWM’s company motto back when the German company promoted Georg Luger out of their accounting department to design and sell guns. Naming guns and bullets “Parabellum” was a branding label much as “It’s the Real Thing” was Coca-Cola’s back in the 1970s.
If you’ve stayed with me this far you’re probably wondering where I’m going with all this trivia about “parabellum.” In light of recent events it doesn’t take much imagination to tweak that mindset to “If you want security, be prepared to fight.” A few weeks of Covid-19 craziness now seems pretty tame compared to riots and murders and mayhem. When people start taping 30-round AR mags together before making their weekly Target runs… well, it kind of speaks for itself. Just having a pistol might not be enough.
If you’re ready to get your parabellum on, then it’s time to start thinking about a PDW. A couple of pistol-caliber carbines — eh-hem, pistol-caliber pistols that look like carbines with pistol braces attached—that need serious consideration are Sig Sauer’s PDX-7 and Ruger’s PC Charger. Stick around for a head-to-head comparison of the two.
Ruger’s PC Charger
The new PC Charger was just one of many guns that were going to get their debut at the 2020 NRA convention, but we know what happened to that. I got my hands on a PC Charger a few weeks before it was announced to the public and have run it hard on the range since.
I became a quick fan of Big Red’s PC Carbine in 9mm a couple of years ago, and liked it so much that I bought the gun I tested for one of Athlon Outdoors’ magazines. It’s a common companion on the farm, and gets a frequent ride on the tractor to thin out the rats and rattlesnakes during hay cutting season. What’s not to like about the same action in a shorter, lighter package afforded by the PC Charger?
Like its predecessor, the PC Charger comes from the factory with a couple of magazine well inserts to run Ruger’s SR-Series magazines or Glock magazines. You can also order a Ruger American Pistol mag well insert at ShopRuger.com. The first thing I did when I took the PC Charger from the box was swap inserts to run Glock magazines. I carry a G19 P80/Rival Arms clone gun almost daily, so outfitting the new Ruger to run compatible magazines made perfect sense. A buddy gave me a couple of 30-round off-brand Glock-compatible stick magazines and they work just fine in the new Ruger, too.
Older Glock magazines that feature only one magazine latch slot may still be used with the PC Charger, but the magazine release button must remain on the left side of the pistol as shipped from the factory. The magazine release button should not be reversed when using this type of magazine as the magazine will not properly lock into the magazine well. Early versions of Glock-brand magazines with a “U” shaped notch at the rear of the magazine feed lips will not function in the PC Charger.
This rig features a glass-filled polymer chassis system that accepts standard AR grips. Even better, its integrated rear 7075-T6 aluminum Picatinny rear-facing rail allows for the mounting of Picatinny-style rail brace mounts. It begged for an SB Tactical folding brace, so I added one pronto. The chassis system features a flared magwell for improved magazine reloading capabilities as well as integrated rear-mounted QD cups for sling attachment.
The Charger’s CNC-milled handguard is Type III hard-coat anodized aluminum, and incorporates a takedown block and features Magpul M-LOK-compatible slots at the 3, 6, and 9 o’clock positions for easy mounting of M-LOK-compatible rails and accessories. The 6 o’clock position of the CNC-milled handguard wears a factory-installed handstop for secure hand placement.
Easy takedown enables quick separation of the barrel/forend assembly from the action for ease of transportation and storage. Takedown is as simple as locking the bolt back after verifying that the pistol is unloaded, pushing a recessed lever, twisting the subassemblies and pulling them apart. This rig has no problem holding zero after takedown, either.
Its dead blow action features a custom tungsten dead blow weight that shortens bolt travel and reduces felt recoil and muzzle rise. The bolt is machined from heat treated, chrome-moly steel to ensure strength, structural integrity and durability. The receiver is machined from aerospace grade 7075-T6 aluminum billet, is Type III hard-coat anodized and includes an integrated Picatinny-style rail. One thing to note is the receiver-mounted, Picatinny-style rail is designed to accommodate most optics and optic mounts intended for use with Picatinny/ MIL-STD 1913 rails. However, due to reduced clearance between the top of the receiver and the bottom of the optics rail, optics and optic mounts that extend more than 0.275-inch below the top of the rail may not fit the PC Charger.
If you are familiar with a 10/22 trigger you won’t get any surprises with the feel of the PC Charger’s. The test gun’s trigger had a smidge of creep and overtravel, and it broke at 4 ½ pounds.
The charging handle and magazine release are both reversible. I kept the charging handle on the right side to prevent interference with the SB Tactical brace when folded.
A chrome-moly steel barrel is cold hammer-forged with, and the heavy-contour barrel provides consistent accuracy as we’ll cover in a bit. The muzzle is threaded ½-28 TPI, which is fairly standard for 9mm pistol barrels. It’s right-hand threaded, so a suppressor will unscrew after a long range session if not tightened thoroughly. It comes from the factory with a muzzle protector.
This pistol comes with one SR-Series pistol magazine and hex wrenches for disassembly of the pistol, and charging handle removal.
Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger Inc.
Model: PC Charger
Caliber: 9MM LUGER
Handguard: M-LOK Attachment Slots
Capacity: 17 (Ruger SR-Series magazine supplied)
Weight: 5 lbs., 15 ounces (w/ accessory brace)
Barrel Length: 6.50″
Overall Length: 16.50″
Stock Option: Takedown
Sights: None
Barrel Feature: Threaded 1/2″-28
Barrel Material: Alloy Steel
Barrel Finish: Blued
Grooves: 6
Receiver Material: Aluminum Alloy
Receiver Finish: Type III Hard-Coat Anodized
Twist: 1:10″ RH
Suggested Retail: $799
SIG MPX K
Sig’s MPX K achieves a high standard of quality of build and innovation. The MPX K offers a closed-bolt, short-stroke gas piston system that is ultra-reliable and durable. As with all MPX, the K variant is modular, allowing for multiple handguard and barrel length choices, and is suppressor ready.
Beginning 2019, the K now features the SIG PCB folding brace, which allows the K to fold into an ultra-compact size and be operable in the folded position. The K also features an updated M-Lok handguard, and additional accessory rails in multiple lengths are offered for suppressor coverage.
Finally, the K is upgraded with the ultra-smooth, ultra-fast single-stage Timney trigger. Co-designed by Timney and SIG, this trigger offers the Timney reliability shooters expect from the punishment a sub-gun weapon delivers.
The Sig MPX series has evolved quite a bit since its initial introduction. Magazine design has been tweaked a couple of times, as well as the barrel retaining system. The bolt and bolt carrier have seen design changes at least twice, and barrel gas ports have been offered in multiple sizes. The MPX K’s firing pin setup and recoil springs are on their third generation of designs, too. Seems like Sig has the K figured out, since the gun tested for this article has more than 1,200 rounds and took the abuse like a champ.
Other specs for the K include a 4 ½-inch cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:10-inch twist. The muzzle is left-hand threaded M13.5 x 1 mm.
CALIBER: 9mm Luger
BARREL LENGTH: 4.5 in
MAG: MPX 30-round polymer (1)
ACTION TYPE: Semi-Auto
STOCK TYPE: PCB
BARREL MATERIAL: Cold Hammer Forged Carbon Steel
THREADS: M13.5 x 1 mm
TRIGGER TYPE: TIMNEY Single Stage
TWIST RATE: 1:10
FOREND TYPE: Alloy Key Mod
GRIP TYPE: Polymer
RECEIVER FINISH: Hard Coat Anodized
OVERALL LENGTH: 22.25 in
OVERALL WIDTH: 2.4 in
HEIGHT: 8 in
ACCESSORY RAIL: KeyMod
WEIGHT: 4 lbs., 15 ounces
MSRP: $2162
Head-to-Head
Once the vital statistics and features are covered, what’s left? Well, the Ruger PC Charger is a pound heavier than Sig’s MPX K when you attach a folding SB Tactical brace to make things as even as possible. With braces folded, the Ruger is only a smidge longer than the Sig. The MPX K uses proprietary 30-round magazines, while the PC Charger offers a few options. I replaced the SR-Series mag well block before testing with the supplied Glock magazine block so I could run G17/G19 magazines.
Fired across an Oehler 35P chronograph set up at 10 feet, the Ruger’s 2-inch longer barrel boosted velocities between 23 and 64 fps with some loads, while the Sig posted higher velocities with others.
Accuracy was comparable between the two pistol-caliber carbines, too. At 25 yards, multiple 5-shot groups from either gun produced tight clusters. The way these guns were set up with optics for a large portion of shooting was with a pair of Trijicon Ascent 0x-4x variable scopes. Different shooters will have different opinions on which optic to mount on their own PCC weapons, but I have a long-time preference for a more traditional crosshair scope. Set to zero magnification I can acquire targets quicker with both eyes open, and the option to raise magnification to 4 power really helps with precise shot placement throughout these weapons’ usable ranges.
Suppressors were attached to both weapons: The Sig got an AAC Ti-Rant, while the Ruger got a SilencerCo Osprey. From a looks standpoint, the Osprey’s profile matched well with the profile of the PC Charger’s handguard. A longer optional handguard would be a good upgrade to cover as much of the can as possible. The accompanying chart reflects both guns performance with cans attached.
The most glaring handling difference between the PC Charger and the Sig MPX K was switching back and forth from Sig’s fire control lever (AR-style) and the Ruger PC Charger’s cross-bolt safety that is located in the rear of the trigger guard. Either one works fine, so that’s a matter of personal preference.
Both of these weapons ran a wide variety of factory loads, with each one only producing two “stove pipes” over the course of running more than 1,200 rounds through either gun.
From a performance standpoint, these guns ran neck-and-neck throughout this brief trial. The PC Charger’s MSRP is $799, while the MPX K’s suggested retail is $2,162. At this writing, the few retailers who have them in stock are getting top dollar. Add the SB Tactical FS1913 aluminum strut folding brace, like I did, to the Ruger will raise the cost about $250. It all comes down to whether or not you are willing to pay twice as much for a gas piston, rotating lock-up action vs. a blowback action. I avoided picking between the two by buying them both. I have a feeling I’ll stay pretty busy on a progressive reloading machine this summer to keep them both fed.
PERFORMANCE: SIG MPXK vs. Ruger PC Charger
| Ammo | SIG | Ruger | SIG | Ruger |
| Velocity | Velocity | Accuracy | Accuracy | |
| Hornady 115-gr. XTP | 1,110 | 1,174 | 0.820 | 0.686 |
| Hornady 124-gr. Flex Loc +P | 1,173 | 1,200 | 0.847 | 0.227 |
| Federal 135-gr. Hydra Shok | 1,043 | 1,085 | 1.310 | 0.663 |
| Federal 124-gr. Syntech | 1,062 | 1,139 | 1.515 | 1.804 |
| Federal 147-gr. Syntech Match | 991 | 1,022 | 1.444 | 1.645 |
| Federal 147-gr. FMJ Am. Eagle | 1,019 | 1,032 | 1.963 | 2.127 |
| Black Hills 124-gr. JHP | 1,133 | 1,219 | 0.590 | 0.724 |
| Black Hills 100-gr. Honey Badger | 1,218 | 1,284 | 0.726 | 0.822 |
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