A Cautionary Magazine Tale for the Ruger PCC	May 2022
Bruce Rogers
The pistol caliber carbine has become more popular than ever recently, with Ruger's new version leading the pack. One of the attractive features of these guns is their acceptance of standard handgun magazines. In the case of the Ruger PCC, multiple magazine types are accommodated by a replaceable magwell adapter. Adapters are included for Glock and two types or Ruger mags. The key difference between the Ruger PCC and the handguns these magazines were designed for is the insertion depth. When inserted into the grip of a handgun, standard capacity magazines are fully enveloped and bottom out with the base plate against the frame of the gun. It's essentially impossible to insert the magazine too far. The Ruger PCC magwell however is not long enough to cover the magazine, which sticks out the bottom when inserted fully, and relies on engagement of the retaining latch to stop it in the right position. The common practice for inserting a magazine into a pistol is to “slap” it home fairly aggressively to make sure it's fully seated; even more so when under the timer in a competition or when clearing a mis-feed. When this is done to a PCC, the magazine can easily be forced past the latch and over-inserted. The ejector tab on these guns is part of the magwell adapter and can be bent upward contacting the bolt. This results in failure to eject, stovepipe jams, bolt jamming, and difficulty ejecting the magazine. The problem can occur with either Glock or Ruger magazines. Ruger is aware of the issue and will issue a replacement magwell adapter on request if one is damaged in this way, but it doesn't prevent the problem from happening again. The real cure is to train yourself NOT to slap the magazine into the gun. The right procedure is to insert it gently until the latch is felt to engage, and pull down to verify it's solidly retained. © Honeywell Sportsman Club. All rights reserved.

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