Olympic PCR-9GL / PCR-40GL
I'm very, very interested in pistol caliber carbines that match pistols. If the rifle and pistol share a magazine too, that's an order of magnitude better. Kim du Toit planted this obsession with matched rifles and pistols in my mind a long time ago. Until recently my options were the Marlin Camp Carbines, the Ruger PC series and the Beretta CX4 Storm. I don't like the looks of the Camp Carbine and I'd prefer a higher capacity, the Ruger rifles are
fucking ugly even though the PC9 matches my pistol (P95), and the Beretta CX4s, while interesting, are pretty scarce due to high demand. I might buy one in 40 S&W someday to match a Beretta 96 Brigadier, but that's probably not going to happen until 2006 anyway.
Inside the AR-15 family and ignoring Colt, Olympic Arms makes pistol caliber uppers in 9mm, 40 S&W, 10mm, and 45 ACP, but they are designed to be mated with regular AR-15 lowers and use expensive modified Uzi or Sten mags, which retail at about 65 bucks a pop. They made a 30 Carbine upper for a while (I believe it's out of production now) which utilized a magwell block on a specially modified lower and accepted M1 Carbine magazines, but no pistol matched it (I don't count the Ruger SA revolver). Rock River Arms makes a 9mm upper that uses a magwell block and modified Uzi mags (a lot more simple than the OlyArms version), which is what I was looking at when I found the new PCR-9GL.
The PCR-9GL/40GL is an innovation by Olympic Arms that is based on a specially designed lower receiver with a magwell that only accepts Glock magazines. I was instantly taken by the desire to own one. Common pistol calibers, accepts popular pistol mags with capacities up to 33 in 9mm and 29 in 40 S&W supported by the AR-15 aftermarket? What a fucking brilliant idea! I'll say that I'm not that into Glock pistols, and only two models caught my eye previously (the Glock 20 in 10mm and the 36 in 45 ACP), but I would buy a Glock 17 or 22 to go with this rifle any day. It's unfortunate that they don't offer it in 10mm or 45 ACP, but I'll be willing to bet that by next year consumer pressure will push them into producing the lower that accepts those size magazines. I'd take the Glock 20/10mm CAR-15 over any other combination of pistol/carbine any day of the week and twice on sunday, but if they don't come around the 40 S&W will have to suffice.
In case you didn't catch it, this is easily the most exciting development in the market for me in a very long time. I want one so bad it hurts; the only thing I would like better is a lower that accepts Tanfoglio Witness magazines and a manufacturer out there somewhere to make high capacity (20-25 round) mags for the Witness (in 10mm!). In 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45 ACP this carbine is in my opinion the non-shotgun paragon of home defense. In 10mm, I'd not use it for home defense but in a CQB/urban combat situation I'd take it over anything else, MP5 included.
