Vigilance Rifles, a company which product line primarily consists of large caliber (.50 BMG, .408 CheyTac, etc.) bolt action and semi-auto rifles, has entered the market of pistol caliber carbines by introducing a 9mm PCC called M20. The M20 is a straight blowback operated gun firing from a closed bolt and yes, fed from Glock mags. It is available in pistol (8″ barrel) and rifle/PCC (16″ barrel) configurations for the civilian market, as well as in a form of a select-fire submachine gun for military and LE customers. Let’s first watch a short video showing the full-auto version in action then see what features Vigilance Rifles M20 packs.

Vigilance Rifles M20

The receiver of Vigilance Rifles M20 is machined out of billet 6061-T6 aluminum and has a Cerakote finish. The receiver shape allows having a large square bolt and enough space left for the action to cycle within the dimensions of the receiver. The AR buffer tube, which the gun is shown equipped with in most of the pictures, has no mechanism inside it and is merely used for making the gun compatible with AR-15 stocks. The AR buffer tube is also mounted on an adapter that allows folding the stock.

Vigilance Rifles M20 with folded stock.

The M20 has a single piece receiver with a machine gun style hinged top lid. The latter can be opened in a matter of pressing a button providing access to the bolt and allowing to field strip the gun. There is also a safety mechanism built into the lid that blocks the firing pin when the lid is open making an accidental discharge impossible when disassembling or servicing the gun. The iron sights are built into the top lid. The Picatinny rail section mounted between the iron sights is low profile and doesn’t block the sight picture.

Vigilance Rifles M20 with the top cover open.

Another key feature of Vigilance Rifles M20 is the quick-change barrel design which makes it possible to easily swap barrels of different lengths or detach the barrel for ease of transportation. The barrel is retained by a large 2″ barrel nut and its disassembly is a toolless process. Currently, the M20 is offered with an exposed barrel as shown in the pictures (a signature design seen in many Vigilance Rifles firearms), however, the company does plan to make a handguard or rather a barrel nut extension in the future.

The M20 PCC utilizes a mil-spec AR-15 trigger mechanism and takes AR pistol grips that don’t have the rear beavertail extension. The non-reciprocating charging handle and the magazine release button are located on the left side of the gun. The bolt is made of chrome-moly steel with induction heat treatment in the wear areas. The firing pin is made of a nickel alloy steel. The fixed ejector doubles as a magazine stop. The gun also has a controlled feed extractor that engages the rim of the cartridge at the beginning of the feeding. The M20 is compatible with 9mm double-stack OEM Glock mags, Magpul PMAGs, and ProMag magazines.

Vigilance Rifles M20 pistol with a drum magazine.

The MSRP of Vigilance Rifles M20 PCC is $1699. This configuration includes a carbine length barrel with an installed muzzle brake, folding stock, Picatinny rail and one 10-round ProMag magazine. The pistol length barrel set is sold separately for $399. The M20 comes standard in Graphite Black Cerakote color, but you can order other colors for an additional $99. Vigilance Rifles M20 is made in the USA.

It’s always exciting to see a new firearm design. Despite having some parts borrowed from the AR-15, the M20 has a lot of interesting design solutions. In fact, the company has applied for 13 patents to protect some of the most unique design elements of this firearm. Tell us in the comments section what do you think about Vigilance Rifles M20.

Images by Vigilance Rifles, www.vigilancerifles.co