You can buy a roller-delayed AR-style platform, chambered in 5.56. It will offer solid stopping power and be great for everything from plinking to competition.
Or you can buy a 9mm roller-delayed PCC, and there are more reasons than you probably expected that the performance of one will surprise you.
That being the case, here are some of the best reasons that a 9mm roller-delayed PCC is a great option for everything from defensive applications to high-volume target shooting.
It Has All the Stopping Power You Need
The 9mm is a great defensive cartridge, period. And that’s not opinion, that’s vetted by official FBI data. Pursuant to testing performed after the 1986 Miami Shootout, the FBI determined that 9mm offers considerable penetration and stopping power.
No, it is not as powerful as 10mm Auto or .45 ACP, but the truth is that much power is not always warranted, and it is considerably more powerful than alternatives like .380 Auto.
Suffice it to say the official stats are settled on this matter, and 9mm is a great cartridge for defensive applications.
Ammo Is Available
We’re only just recently coming out of a pretty bad ammo crunch. It’s still hard to get some cartridges, but by and large, 9mm Luger has not been too badly affected.
Much like 5.56 and 12 gauge target loads, 9mm ammo is more or less ubiquitous and there’s no respectable gun shop out there that doesn’t carry it.
Other niche cartridges might be hard to find but that is not the case for 9mm, which you should be able to find anywhere that sells ammo.
Ammo Is (Sort of) Cheap
In addition to high availability, 9mm Luger has remained relatively inexpensive as far as ammo is concerned.
This means that, among other things, if you do a lot of high-volume target shooting, 9mm is a great choice, even better than most other handgun cartridges.
There are lots of bulk deals out there and if you buy in large quantities, you can often engineer the price of 9mm down to nearly a quarter a round, which is downright cheap, relatively speaking.
Low Recoil
Regardless of action type, 9mm Luger produces very little recoil. Not to suggest it’s like .22LR, because it isn’t, but it produces less recoil than most other handgun cartridges, especially other common ones like .45 ACP and .40 S&W.
This element of performance is compounded when you get a roller-delayed PCC instead of an alternative like a model that utilizes direct blowback, which produces not just more recoil but more port pop.
You’ll be surprised by how smooth-shooting our 9mm roller-delayed PCCs are; this is one of their primary selling points.
Capacity
As far as a roller-delayed PCC is, we’ll also point out that rifle cartridges are larger, heavier, and bulkier than handgun cartridges, as a general rule.
In other words, a smaller magazine (associated with a PCC) will have a higher capacity than a comparable rifle-caliber magazine. Therefore a more compact PCC build will offer you higher firepower in terms of round count.
Fewer Concerns of Overpenetration
With a rifle caliber cartridge such as 5.56, which has a higher BC bullet and one that shoots much faster than 9mm, there are definitely concerns of overpenetration, especially indoors or at close ranges. It only gets worse when you go up from 5.56.
A 9mm bullet is wider and slower, so there are far fewer risks of overpenetration, even at close ranges, especially when you’re shooting appropriate defensive bullets.
Compact Profile
This advantage is specific to a roller-delayed PCC. The lack of a gas system eliminates the need for a buffer tube, creating a more compact, lighter profile, and being a PCC, it’s going to be shorter and lighter than a full-sized rifle anyway.
Roller-Delayed PCCs Are Reliable, Suppressor-Ready, and Low Maintenance
There are also a number of advantages associated with the roller-delayed action; one is that it is smooth-shooting and produces less recoil than some other action types, notably direct blowback.
Another is that roller-delayed blowback is renowned for its reliability when running suppressed. On top of that, the simplicity of the design of a roller-delayed blowback action means that many parts are tested and expected to last the life of the gun.
In fact, the only two parts on our roller-delayed PCCs that you should expect to wear out during the course of normal use are the extractor spring and recoil spring.
Experience the Difference of a Superior 9mm Roller-Delayed PCC
If you still need more reasons to consider a roller-delayed PCC over a larger, rifle-caliber platform, get in touch with us to learn more about our ZF-9. We’ll be more than happy to answer any questions you have before you buy.