Review of Ruger’s New LC Carbine in .45 ACP

The Ruger LC Carbine makes a great long gun option to pair with your favorite handgun in 45 ACP.

Today the .45 ACP cartridge, and the handgun that made it famous, is seeing a resurgence of interest with American shooters. 1911 handguns remain hugely popular, and while 9mm models sell well, the traditional .45 ACP model is still a favorite. So, why not a .45 ACP carbine to pair with your favorite similarly chambered handgun? It has long been popular to have a long gun that fires the same ammunition as your sidearm.

Many American sportsman, hunters and adventurers since the 19th Century, especially in the old West went down this road. The Model 1873 Winchester and Colt “Peacemaker” was a very popular pair in the 19th Century. Plus, hitting with a long gun is substantially easier than a handgun, especially at distance. There are a number of practical logistical advantages to needing only one type of ammunition for both long gun and pistol. With the continued popularity of 1911 pistols it only made sense for Ruger to design and introduce their popular LC Carbine in .45 ACP.

Ruger LC Carbine

Let’s take a quick look at this modern .45 ACP carbine. Starting at the muzzle you will note it is threaded and comes with a muzzle nut fitted. Thread pitch is .578×28 TPI. So, you can replace the factory muzzle nut with a muzzle brake or flash suppressor. The LC Carbine’s barrel is 16.2 inches. For corrosion resistance the barrel is nitride treated. Surrounding the barrel is a CNC-milled M-LOK handguard. This is Type III hard-coat anodized aluminum and it features M-LOK slots on seven sides. The handguard is an improvement over the original design introduced on the 5.7x28mm model. M-LOK slots allow easy mounting of accessories. Running the full length of the top of the carbine is a MIL STD 1913 “Picatinny” rail. This full-length rail makes mounting optics or iron sights a snap.

The receiver is a blocky piece and the design utilizes an over-hanging bolt to reduce the overall length. This is similar in concept to the well-known UZI submachine gun. Also like the UZI, the magazine well is located in the grip for easy “hand to hand” reloading. The non-reciprocating charging handle comes from the factory on the left side, but it can be reversed to the right side if the owner so chooses. The controls are similar to the Ruger-5.7 pistol and include ambidextrous manual safety levers.

Ruger chose to feed their new LC Carbine using a Glock pattern magazine. My review sample came with one 13-round polymer magazine. When I tested the original 5.7x28mm model it’s magazine did not eject cleanly, but had to be pulled free from my review carbine. Examining this new model in .45 ACP though revealed it ejected its magazine cleanly with the push of a button. While it ships with a 13-round magazine, factory or aftermarket Glock magazines of greater capacity may be utilized.

Internally the design utilizes Ruger’s familiar Secure Action fire-control system, like the Ruger-5.7 pistol. This features a protected internal hammer with a bladed-safety trigger design. A pre-cocked double-action design, the hammer is partially cocked by the slide, but pulling the trigger brings it back slightly to full-cock before releasing it. Trigger pull on this design had some sponginess in its initial take-up and a fairly heavy break. Reset is distinct but a bit long.

At the rear of the receiver is a MIL STD 1913 rail section onto which a side-folding buttstock attaches. This multi-position collapsible stock provides a length of pull running from 12.2 to 14.2 inches. The design is reversible and standard AR-pattern stocks will fit onto the Ruger’s tube. The stock features a rubber pad to keep the butt from sliding around on your shoulder as well as multiple sling mounting points. If you prefer a different folding stock, the LC Carbine will accept aftermarket stocks which attach to a MIL STD 1913 Picatinny rail. So, there are plenty of options available such as from Midwest Industries.

The LC Carbine comes with Ruger’s Rapid Deploy flip-up polymer sights. These consist of a protected front post adjustable for elevation and a protected rear aperture adjustable for windage. If you prefer, you can mount a red dot, magnified optic, Night Vision or Thermal unit. The LC Carbine comes with one Glock-
pattern 13-round pistol magazine, M-LOK QD sling socket and hex wrenches for disassembly. Weight comes in at 7.1 pounds and overall length with the stock folded is only 22.5 inches. With the stock unfolded but fully collapsed the overall length measures 28.7 inches.

Range Report

Accuracy testing was conducted from off a bag on my bench. I would expect most who buy an LC Carbine will outfit it with some type of red dot sight, so I added an Aimpoint T1 red dot in a 1.93-inch height mount. A quick zero on a steel silhouette, and I got to work. Testing was then conducted at 100 yards with four five-shot groups fired with each load and velocity measured using a LabRadar Doppler chronograph.

On the right side of the receiver forward of the trigger is a round button which acts as a bolt release. This is very well-placed allowing easy operation with the trigger finger. The mag release is on the right side of the pistolgrip and easy to manipulate. The charging handle does not require a great deal of force to operate and the carbine is comfortable to shoot. The trigger is a bit mushy and heavier than I’d prefer. While certainly serviceable, it is my only gripe.

Best accuracy was a virtual tie between Black Hills Ammunition’s 135-grain Honeybadger and Speer’s 200-grain +P Gold Dot G2. Both of these loads averaged 3.5 inches at 100 yards. The 135-grain Honeybadger was zipping along with an average muzzle velocity of 1,461 fps while the heavier 200-grain Speer Gold Dot G2 averaged 1,240 fps

After Action Report

The carbine is comfortable in the hands, the stock adjusts easily and it’s quick to fold. The pistol-like controls are straight-forward to understand and employ. It’s an easy design to reload and to get back into action. Practical accuracy is very good for a Pistol Caliber Carbine. It proved capable of making rapid multiple hits at the distances you would envision employing it at in a realistic personal protection scenario.