I’m looking for a red dot and a light to attach to the base model PC carbine. The reason I want these for the rifle is for home defense. My hand strength makes me uncomfortable with my Glock 43X or any other handgun.
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I have an EFLX mounted On my S&W and a Romeo5 on my CX4. Happy with both!
EDIT…Just to clarify the EFLX is on a picatinny rail mou t for the sight
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I would start with Ruger to ensure compatibility. Let us know what you decide.
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Greetings Eric. Nice choice on the Ruger PC. It is a sweet shooting little carbine. I don’t own one personally, but I have spent some time with one on loan from a friend. Sweet shooting carbine, indeed.
Lights and red dots for this one are mostly going to be a question of price mostly because you don’t need anything built to take the recoil of a higher caliber/heavier recoil weapon.
The 9mm PCC I own, er..excuse me…OWNED…please refer to the unfortunate stripper/mudslide incident in Bora-Bora…WAS a KelTek Sub2000.
The red dot I have is an older model of a Vortex Crossfire CFRD1. While in battery, the red dot is on a QD mount on the upper rail. When stowed in the folded position, I move the red dot to the lower rail. I haven’t had any issues with the sight being off with swapping it back and forth.
On the lower rail I have a green laser one of my kids picked up from Amazon. Not sure of the brand or model, but it’s a bad a**ed little laser. Again, I have not had any issues with it being off due to its questionable heritage.
I do not have a flashlight on my PCC.
Just like the weapon itself being something you need to feel comfortable about, all your attachments need to have the same comfort factor. You want them to work every time, but you don’t need to take out a loan to get there.
Good hunting.
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Hey Eric,
Could you share a bit more on which Ruger PC Carbine you have, that will help with any recommendations that are provided. For example the Model 19100 has a synthetic setup with a picatinny rail, while the Model 19115 has a picatinny rail and MLOK shroud for the barrel, finally the Model 19122 has a collapsible stock and pistole style grip in addition to an MLOK shroud. Of course there are other models available on the website, but these are the main types that I have seen.
Just to clarify, I own both the Model 19115 and Model 19121 (American flag).
As I am a fan of Vortex Optics, I would recommend a few different models depending on what you are looking for. If you do not want any magnification, then I would suggest the following red dots in order of most to least expensive:
Defender XL Red or Green dot option $399.99
Defender ST Enclosed Solar Micro Red Dot $379.99
SPARC Solar Red Dot $279.99
SPARC AR Red Dot $199.99
Depending on what you are looking for will depend on what you would purchase. Just to clarify, I have experience with all of these optics.
The Defender XL option comes in a variety of colors and MOA dot sizes that include 3 MOA for the green dot, and 2, 5 and 8 MOA for the red dot. It has a larger viewing window and is typically used in shooting competitions, but can be ideal for short range home defense engagements. The larger MOA dot will help you get on target quicker, but if you prefer the smaller dot, you can be more precise at distant.
Defender ST Enclosed Solar Micro Dot is quickly becoming one of my favorite optics to mess with. It has a 35,000 hour battery life, and estimated 150,000 hour battery life with solar. The red dot sizes are 3 MOA for the center dot, 32 MOA for the circle, and they can be changed from either a singular (middle dot), circle dot, or both middle and circle dot. This one would be ideal for indoor and outdoor usage, much like the Defender XL, but the viewing window is a bit smaller. Additionally, the current rumor is that they will eventually come out with a green dot version, but that has not been confirmed yet.
The SPARC Solar and AR are basically the same red dots with one having a longer battery life due to the “solar” option. They can be mounted on a picatinny rail and the SPARC Solar has an additional mount that raises it slightly above the rail and both come in 2 MOA. Years ago, I used these optics on my patrol rifle and never had an issue with them.
All of these optics have served me well for my intended purposes, and are ones I would highly recommend. Unfortunately, I have limited experience with RMR and Holosun type optics, so I cannot provide to much detail on these at the moment. However, I have used RMR red dots on my duty weapon and did not have issues with it.
Regarding weapon lights, I have extensive use with Streamlight and few other brands. For weapon lights it depends on what you want to do. Would you prefer an option with a paddle switch that requires activation where the light is mounted, or something that can have a wire run to your hand positioning for ease of use?
Some options I have used are the Streamlight TLR 1, Olight Odin, and the Streamlight PROTAC® RAIL MOUNT HL-X LONG GUN LIGHT.
Personally, I prefer the TLR 1, but the Protac variant served me well. I really enjoyed the remote switch on the Protac and additional mounting options it comes with.
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