Fx-9, PC9, JR9mm

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NathanMc

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Hey All

looking to purchase my first PCC. I am flip flopping hard between the 3. From reading the interwebs and watching video reviews below is what I have concluded. Please add any valuable insight if you have any. Obviously stocking issues can impact this purchase as I want to do it within the week and across the board these are mostly sold out.

Fx-9: Seems to be regarded as the most "fun" to shoot. But I also see the most feed jams and issues with this one in the reviews. Not in the habit of buying unreliable guns and don't want to go down that road on my first PCC.

Ruger PC9: seems to be the most reliable from video reviews. Ruger and glock mags is a plus. Looks to be the most available and available in stock of the 3.

JR 9mm: didn't find as much info on this one as the others. Everything i did find was positive though

Started out wanting the Ruger, couldn't find stock so that made me start looking into others. now I'm flip flopping in my head daily.....
Will be just doing plinking and set up will be bipod and red dot.
let me hear the ups and downs if you have any input.
thank you
 
there are very few firearms i regret selling. the only one i can say i do regret selling is the fx9. for me, it was extremely reliable and a whole lot of fun
 
Too often I read people blindly blaming PCCs for being unreliable. Now understand majority of those 9mm PCCs are blowback mechanisms.

Think of all the variables. Ammo, mags, muzzle devices, etc.
If it functions fine for you OOTB, right on. If not, you have to understand how the mechanism operate to tweak it for you. (IE 2 persons shooting different ammo gr might require 2 different buffer weights)

Also bear in mind it's a mechanical device. It requires a break-in period.


A buddy of mine had bought a TNW ASR (soooo often bashed on here for being unreliable). It would shoot great until he decided to install a muzzle brake.
 
I have the PC9 - it is a beast. Even after taking apart, it keeps zero. Uses a variety of different ammo and different weights. Pretty accurate. With the adjustable stock and the aluminum handguard it looks pretty cool (at least to me, even though others have said it looks like a 10/22 with cosmetic enhancements), though it is a tad barrel heavy. I have shot almost 4000 rounds through it. No jams, though two duds but that is the ammo. The last round bolt hold open is iffy with the Glock magwell. With the Ruger SR9/S9 one it works every time, but I ain't buying a bunch of Ruger mags just for that to work.

I just bought the FX9 over the weekend so look forward to getting it. I heard the jam stories too, but seemingly that affects earlier versions and filing off some part of the bolt seems to fix ejection issues (which apparently FO has committed in 2019 to fix going forward, so presumably newer models should be good). Supposed to be as close to AR feel as you can still get. Apparently charging handle has been improved over the years.

JR Carbine - I don't own it, never shot it but did handle it in the store. I don't like the charging handle operation to flip up, which reminds me of...

Keltech Sub 2000 - I own this in .40 and it is a great little rifle that folds, is light, but the built in sights are terrible (and if you were to put on an optic you will need to get an offset flip out mount, so you can still fold the gun). Takes Glock mags. Will want to replace buttpad as there is none - so for .40, you feel it (also due to weight of gun) Also the charging handle is very stiff and I don't like the kinds like this that pull back and then up into a notch...kind of like...

TNW ASR - I have this one in 9mm - not crazy about charging handle operation. Have had jams, and am told due to generic spring (that is supposed to support multiple calibers). Can take it apart by unscrewing barrel. Takes Glock mags.

Kriss Vector 18.6" NR - I have this in 9mm and it's a great gun, awesome built in flip sights. But kind of heavy and bulky. Takes Glock mags. Not a fan of the elephant trunk barrel shroud or whatever that is. If you want something different that looks like something from Starship Troopers this may appeal. Lots of rail space. Pretty reliable and accurate. Does not work with +P ammo.
 
I have the standard ruger pc carbine. I put some mcarbo parts in it, I really like it. Very simple, reliable and well built .

I havent laid hands on an fx 9 but I can see the ergonomics and bolt release button look sweet.

I handled a kriss vector at cabelas, I really don’t like the charging handle linkage, and it is super heavy to charge it. Plus the long barrel shroud to make it non restricted is ugly.

My buddy had a jr carbine, he didn’t like it. From what I can tell it is one of the earlier pcc guns and was more simplistic ? Might be ok.
 
I've had two FX9s. Both took replacing the buffer and buffer spring to be reliable.

Sold both and kept a PC Carbine. Ergonomics aren't as good as the FX9, but we're talking about 1/4-1/2 second difference on reloads.

Can't really figure out exactly why I prefer the PC, but I do.

YMMV.
 
A lot of DSSMatch.com competitors have switched over to PCCs following the OIC. As such, I've seen a lot of them in competitive venues. As stated, they are ALL blowback firearms and foul terribly. They WILL fail if they are not thoroughly cleaned after each training session or competitions. Here are my observations:

-the FX9 was adopted early and many of the "high-speed" guys went to them first. Having the controls laid out most similar to an AR was a key reason. They've been largely reliable and are quite accurate. Many of them have been tweaked with delrin spacers, flatwire springs and heavy PCC buffers to smooth out the action. The stock charge handle is tiny, and the "Enhanced" one is hardly better. There is a CGN user making an expensive but excellent aftermarket CH which closely resembles an ATXS Raptor. They can be a little picky with mags as the BHO doesn't always work with some Glock mags. It seems as though they benefit from a little tweaking, but are capable of running very well in competition.

-many adopted the Ruger PC9, largely due to it's availability since the OIC. Some are the standard version; most are the 6 position (AR stock) version. They run very well, with the exception of the extractors: the stock ones are MIM and tend to chip, leading to failure. The M*CARBO steel extractor is an excellent upgrade that solves this. The crossbolt safety is a PAIN to witness when you are the Safety Officer!! The MLOK railed versions are quite barrel heavy. Overall they are a solid choice.

-a few guys have ponied up for the Kriss Vectors. They are very accurate and seem to run well. All the ones I've seen are 9mm.

-Not a SINGLE Sub-2000 has survived an entire match. I wanted one before I saw first hand how poorly they handle adverse conditions.

-I've not seen a JRC or TNW ASR at the matches despite several hundred entries. Not sure why...
 
I've had two of the 3.
FX9: best ergonomics, most AR-ish if the 3 in terms of manual of arms. Easy takedown.
Mine was a jamming POS until I replaced the buffer and spring with much heavier components. I'd get 2+ jams/double feeds/stovepipes per mag, no matter what mag was being used. The super light buffer it comes with beats the #### out if the rifle, and feels more like a 223. Making it hard to take quick follow up shots. After the buffer upgrade it was pretty reliable. The triggertech FX9 trigger works well in them, but I've read that not all trigger upgrades are safe. The LRBHO rarely worked with genuine glock mags, and the stock charging handle is tiny and crap. The enhanced charging handle is expensive, and barely better. But the rifle is well balanced, and could be a good comp gun with some buffer upgrades.

JRC: bombproof reliability. Thousands and thousands of rounds, not a single failure of any form in mine. More accurate than the FX9 out to 50y, worked fine with a regular triggertech adjustable AR15 trigger. My biggest complaint is the quad handrail. It's big, heavy, ugly, uncomfortable, and ugly. Replace ASAP. Ergonomically it's not all that AR-ish other than the safety. Doesn't have a LRBHO feature, and takes tools to takedown and clean. Luckily they're reliable, so it's not something I worry about at the range. In terms of recoil, the JRC is like velvet, so smooth that its easy to get accurate fast follow up.

Have only held a PC9, it seemed well built but more front heavy than the PCCs I've owned. Buddy has had zero issues with his so far but MCarbo makes upgrades for some apparent weak areas with the gun.

If I was going to get back into a PCC I'd probably pick the Ruger out of the three. It doesn't look super scary, so it may survive the next ban, they're apparently accurate, by all accounts pretty reliable, and they're the least expensive of the three. Perhaps most importantly they're the easiest to find in stock. My $0.03.
 
shoot_to_kill said:
I handled a kriss vector at cabelas, I really don’t like the charging handle linkage, and it is super heavy to charge it. .
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This is a good point - I generally don't like the two-stage charging handles that almost work as a sort of lever and pull (my X95 is like that too). You are right - the Kriss' handle doesn't instill a sense of solid confidence.
 
No mention of the hi point 995ts ? Is it because of the 5 round thing? Put close to 1500 aluminum cased rounds through it and still haven’t cleaned it yet besides the barrel after every use. Click and bang every time. Very reliable and cheap at the time I bought them. Just got a fx9 coming now so don’t know any difference yet but will always respect the hi point.
 
Anyone have any feedback on the long term reliability of the 9mm True North Arms upper for the WK / MCR? Adriel the Hunting Gear Guy seems to have liked it in his initial review, but would not have had it for long yet.

Adriel the Hunting Gear Guy said:
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I had a Ruger PCC a few years back and didn't like it. It was a personal thing as it went bang every time... just felt barrel heavy to me, like it was not balanced.

Recently bought a JR Carbine and am pretty happy with the way it shoots, altho I am having an issue with it not extracting live rounds when I need to show clear at shooting competitions. A new extractor is on the way courtesy of JR Carbine so hopefully that will solve the issue. And, it doesn't have a hold open on last round either, which is an inconvenience.
 
@NathanMc. Congrats on your choice of the PC9. I think you will quite enjoy it. Do come back and report on your experience with it after shooting it for a bit.
 
SamMalone said:
I had a Ruger PCC a few years back and didn't like it. It was a personal thing as it went bang every time... just felt barrel heavy to me, like it was not balanced.

Recently bought a JR Carbine and am pretty happy with the way it shoots, altho I am having an issue with it not extracting live rounds when I need to show clear at shooting competitions. A new extractor is on the way courtesy of JR Carbine so hopefully that will solve the issue. And, it doesn't have a hold open on last round either, which is an inconvenience.
Click to expand...

It is true - the PCC's heavier barrel is noticeable. Some people say they don't notice, but I agree, there isn't that balanced feel and weight ergonomics. That being said, I will say this - if I ever had to deal with the zombie apocalypse at my door and there was only one gun I could take out that is non-restricted, for purely for its history reliability, it would be the Ruger PCC / PC9 hands down (at least for me).
 
I pick it up tomorrow. (stupid wife ruining my pick up plans yesterday)... Thinking of pairing it with a Holosun 503G reddot. I have a bit of astigmatism and I have heard this is one of the better sights for that. I looked through the 403b and it looked like fireworks going off :(. I have checked out a few of the vortex sights in the 300.00 range and had no issues with those. Anyone have any real life experience with the good ole blurry red dot and advice on a good one to counter it? With local shops very limited on stock this will most likely be a online order and i wont be able to test it personally before i buy.
 
All 3 are great in many regards... how i see it:

Ruger PCC9 if u want utility AND OR conventional layout

FX9 if you want AR ergos and looks

JRC if you wanted the FX9, but would really like ambi ejection or for some reason caliber conversion kits ....
 
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