The term “pistol caliber carbine” (PCC) refers to a short rifle chambered in a cartridge usually seen in pistols. So why not take a pistol, add a longer barrel and stock, and call it a job well done? That’s what the Extar EP9 Carbine is. On the market now at an affordable price, this PCC should be familiar to many shooters because of its family history.

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Look closely, and you’ll see the Extar EP9 Carbine is really not that shockingly new. It’s based on the old EP9 large-format pistol. For years, Extar has been selling the EP9 as pistol for those who want maximum firepower in a compact package. Chambered in 9x19mm, the EP9 really looked like a sawed-off rifle anyway. It made sense to make it into a full-sized package.

Looks a lot like the old EP9 pistol. Now that pistol braces have become a problem, it made sense to add a stock to this platform and just turn it into a rifle. (Extar)

Here’s what you get with the new carbine configuration: Barrel length stretches to 16.25 inches, with 1/2×28 thread at the muzzle. With the gun in ready-to-shoot configuration, the overall length is 35 inches. Collapse the extendable stock, and that length shrinks to 31.25 inches. Even though this is a rifle, not a large-format pistol, it’s still not bulky.

The rifle’s handguard stretches forward eight inches, giving you lots of room to get a grip or add a grip under the barrel. The Picatinny rail stretches far enough forward that a set of backup flip-up irons would be doable.

At 5 pounds 2 ounces, the EP 9 Carbine is heavier than its pistol counterpart, but not that much heavier. The bolt and barrel come with a black nitride finish. The charging handle pokes out of the left-hand side of the receiver, and the fire control is mounted on the same side, above the handguard. No doubt some shooters will have thoughts as to whether or not that configuration works for them, as the safety cannot be switched to the right-hand side and neither can the charging handle.

Glock-style mags are the name of the game, which will be good news to anyone who has them stockpiled. (Extar)

The Extar EP9 Carbine uses Glock-style magazines as you’d expect, since Extar themselves sells mags built to this pattern with a hold-open feature. As such, you can stuff a double-stack G19 or G17 mag in here, holding as much as 33 rounds of pew-pew power.

New, but familiar

Overall, it should function very much like the old pistol version we tested here. However, you may be happy to hear the Extar EP9 Carbine didn’t just get a stock and longer barrel attached, with no thought to reliability. Extar says the designers re-tuned the internals to match the changed configuration, with added weight on the bolt to enhance reliability and soften recoil.

Asking price? $499 right now, and you can order straight from the Extar website.