Ruger LC10 19037 10mm Auto

Defined as a “lightweight, short-barreled variation of an existing rifle model,” the carbine was first employed by cavalry. Fighting in a very confined area, they needed something much shorter than an infantry rifle. Shorter barrels affect muzzle velocity negatively, as did the recoil on the shoulders with a standard cartridge in a trimmed down rifle — sometimes to the point where different ammo had to be loaded for the carbines. Still, the newer versions were shorter, lighter, easier to manipulate and carry on horseback.

Now we’re seeing a completely different class of carbines in which barrels are lengthened, thus making them more powerful, easier to control, and shoot accurately. This new class is starting with pistols instead of battle rifles, adding a shoulder stock, plenty of real estate for a fore end and a light, if desired, as well as providing for the easy mounting of an optic. Stretching the barrels from 4 or 5 inches out to 16 (or just a hair more) often yields a higher muzzle velocity and greatly approved energy delivered from what is still a very compact firearm. We think most will agree that a good Marlin Model 94 in 357 Magnum or 44 Magnum constitutes a serious defensive firearm.

We wanted to know if the same thing would happen with lighter, pistol-caliber carbines. We’ve recorded some longer-barreled 9mms that demonstrated very little velocity increase. Recoil was almost nonexistent, and they were easier to shoot accurately at distance, but we weren’t impressed enough with the hitting power to carry those out into the woods. Could a pistol cartridge that packed a bit more powder and worked at a higher pressure be a solution? We wanted to find out and grabbed a selection of 10mm carbines for you, including Ruger’s new rifle chambered in 10mm Auto, the LC10 carbine with a 16.25-inch barrel. It ships complete with a side-charging handle, lots of real estate for mounting optics, and is compatible with extended Glock-type magazines with a street price around $800 (No. 19307). It’s sad, but that sounds reasonably inexpensive these days — until you compare it to the Hi-Point 1095. Also with a Picatinny rail, iron sight, and adjustable buttstock, the street price on this semi-auto 10mm is around $350. The next selection in this test group is the Aero Survival Rifle from TNW Firearms. Much more reminiscent of an AR-15 — and some of the parts in the buffer system are compatible — the ASR is actually a blowback-operated take-down rifle originally designed as a survival tool for bush pilots. Street prices run as low as $575. Last we tested the latest model from Just Right Carbines. Sporting a 16.25-inch barrel, as do the other rifles in our test, the Just Right Carbine offers some additional versatility that can make this rifle very easy to operate for left-handers. It is also in the sub-$700 range.

Bearing in mind the anticipated use of these carbines, we mounted one of the Holosun AEMS enclosed red-dot sights (Brownells.com, $400). We shot multiple weights of ammunition to look for energy improvements versus a pistol. That selection included Hornady 155-grain XTPs, Federal 180-grain VHPs (Versatile Hollow Point designed to “Train & Protect”), along with the Doubletap 200-grain Controlled Expansion JHPs. We used a SIG P320 XTen for the pistol baseline velocities, all of which were measured by a new Garmin Xero C1 Pro Chronograph (MidwayUSA.com, $600).

Part of our stated goal was to find out if the longer barrels on these carbines developed more velocity and, therefore, more energy, than the same rounds launched from a 5-inch pistol barrel. The increases, as hoped, were substantial. The average for the Hornady 155-grain loads generated 1380 fps from the SIG Sauer X10 pistol and averaged 1669 fps from the carbines. That’s a 21% increase in velocity and an almost 35% increase in muzzle energy. The Federal 180-grain loads showed an 18% velocity increase and 39% energy increase, while the Doubletap 200-grainers yielded 11% and 23%. Some of these loads were pushing 1000 foot pounds of energy — not too shabby from a pistol cartridge. Here’s what we thought of the rifles individually.

Ruger LC10 19037 10mm Auto

$800

Gun Tests grade: A- [our pick]

Not Ruger’s first camp carbine but, we think, easily the best. The LC10 sits well in the hand, is compact to store, and is well designed for the left- or right-handed shooter.

The Ruger PC (pistol caliber) carbine dates back to the mid-90s and reminds us of a 9mm or 40 S&W version of a 10-22. A couple of years ago, Ruger decided to revisit the concept and designed a lightweight carbine chambered in 5.7x28mm. Weighing in at less than 6 pounds and utilizing magazines from the Ruger-57 pistol, the LC57 has been a big part of the renaissance of the 5.7x28mm cartridge. It is a delightful little round that punches far above its weight class and does so with very little recoil. One of the knocks on that caliber has been the availability of ammunition, but when Ruger hit the market with its carbine, manufacturers picked up the pace, providing us with a much better selection today. Last fall, Ruger announced that they were scaling up the LC57 to a version worthy of the 10mm cartridge, and we contacted them immediately.

Their latest iteration of the light, compact carbine adds more than a pound in weight to contain the pressures the more-powerful 10mm cartridge generates and to dampen recoil a bit. Most of that weight is in the bolt — one that uses a system we don’t see all that often. Described as a “bolt over barrel,” the design is resembles that used by the famous Uzi submachine gun. Also known as a telescoping bolt, the system wraps part of the bolt around the barrel in front of the breech, supplying sufficient mass for a blowback action while allowing a shorter overall length. The LC10 bolt is a two-piece unit, one piece of which is located to the rear of the bolt and a second piece is fitted to a slot in the first, that extends forward around the barrel. The result is a carbine with a 16.25-inch barrel and a folded length of a mere 22.5 inches. That barrel measures about 0.750 inch in diameter at the muzzle, which is threaded at a 0.578×28 pitch. A thread protector was provided.

We felt that Ruger did a really good job of packing in the design features. As mentioned, the LC10 comes with a folding adjustable stock that mounts to a Picatinny rail on the rear of the receiver. Removable, the stock can also be replaced with a variety of aftermarket stocks. Please note that while the buttstock can be removed, it must be removed to allow the barrel to be cleaned from the breech end. Otherwise, it must be cleaned from the muzzle. Back-up polymer sights are included, a front post and a rear peep. These clamp to the Picatinny rail on top of the receiver, fold down, and are available at the touch of a button. The pic rail runs the length of the top of the receiver, extending to the M-Lok fore end, which offers seven sets of slots for your accessories. There is even a pic rail on the lower receiver just in front of the trigger guard. There are QD slots located at the rear of the lower receiver and on both sides of the buttstock.

The receiver is designed with controls that should work well for left- or right-handers. The operating handle arrived in a slot on the left side of the receiver, but it can easily be reconfigured to the right side. The thumb safety is ambidextrous, and bolt releases are located on both sides. The magazine release is reversible. Finding it difficult to reach with a less-than-long right thumb, we relocated it to the right side and found that we bumped the mag catch and released it occasionally when we shot right-handed. It was a simple process to move it back.

As with the Hi-Point, the Ruger LC10 feeds via a magazine inserted through the pistol grip. The grip on the LC10 has been nicely flared and beveled to aid in faster mag changes. The grip surface has been stippled with a moderately aggressive pattern that assured a good grip. The trigger utilizes a blade safety allowing, theoretically, a lighter required compression. We were a bit disappointed when our trigger measured 4.8 pounds, along with some creep. 

Our Team Said: The LC10 averaged slightly larger than 2-inch groups, many of which were caused by the dislike it had for the Doubletap 200 loads. Both of the lighter loads shot smaller than 2 inches. The LC10 fed and shot everything, no problem — even the ETS Group magazines. 

We tested at American Shooting Centers (AmericanShootingCenters.com) in west Houston. We used a Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph (Garmin.com, $600) to determine muzzle velocities. We shot the rifles using a Caldwell TackDriver Pro (Brownells 100-027-023, $49), further supported by a large rear bag, heavy from Tab Gear(TabGear.com, $34). We calculated averages from five-shot groups fired at 50 yards. 

Written and photographed by Joe Woolley, using evaluations from Gun Tests Team members. GT