Extar EP9 Pistol Caliber Carbine: T...

That is the subsequent article in a sequence on Truck Weapons, or the firearms you may wish to hold close by in case of an emergency (or zombie invasion, whichever comes first). This all began when Tom R. posted an article concerning the new Springfield Kuna. Not like many articles and movies concerning the compact sub gun (ehem, “large-format pistol”), he framed the weapon as a truck gun. That concept led me down a rabbit gap exploring what constitutes a truck gun, why somebody may want one, and the completely different functions accessible. Somebody dwelling within the nation versus somebody in suburbia has completely different wants.

The first article on this sequence lined a Ruger American in 300 BLK, maybe the proper truck gun for rural environments or city sniping. Since then, I’ve lined a Mossberg 590,  a Flux Defense Raider X, a Rossi R95 in 30/30, and a Hi-Point 995P. Just like the Hello-Level article, I needed to once more concentrate on the price range finish of the spectrum and focus on an merchandise that just about everybody can afford. This time, I chosen a extra standard pistol-caliber carbine (pistol)—however with a twist.

A truck gun—a minimum of in my thoughts—refers to any weapon saved in your automobile for defensive, searching, or survival functions. These firearms possess key traits, together with versatility, compactness, and lethality. After all, this definition is considerably ambiguous, with many variables to debate.

**Authorized Warning** If you’re occupied with pursuing this idea, I might be remiss if I didn’t warn you to examine native legal guidelines in regards to the transport of weapons in autos, notably lengthy weapons and NFA objects. States with hid carry or constitutional carry are likely to favor handguns. Issues can get spicy when lengthy weapons and different scary objects are loaded in autos.

Extar?

Once I first heard of Extar, I assumed they have been a Turkish firm attempting to promote their cheap weapons on the American market. Boy, was I mistaken. (In my protection, Extar does sound like a Turkish firm.) Actually, Extar is an Arizona-based firearms producer. Their founder, a lifelong engineer and injection mildew specialist, started working within the firearms trade in 1995 by growing and launching the world’s first molded-polymer rifle-caliber receivers. Spectacular.

Operation

Earlier than going over the construct like in earlier articles, I needed to debate what makes this specific PCC distinctive (oh, and sure, it does take Glock Mags)—that aforementioned twist.

The EP-9 operates by direct blowback. It is a very rudimentary system that produces a pointy recoil impulse. However after I shot the EP-9, I used to be stunned. The impulse was delicate in comparison with different direct-blowback PCCs—or any PCC. The EP-9 is a special case. It could be the softest capturing direct blowback PCC I’ve shot but.

Extar achieved this by modifying the present direct blowback system with a “Recoil Damping System.” Many of the recoil skilled when capturing a PCC outcomes from the bolt hanging the top of the receiver extension. Often, most of these weapons use a light-weight bolt and a skinny urethane washer, or a delicate tip, to successfully take up the shock. Extar counters the drawbacks of direct blowback by including extra mass to the bolt and incorporating a singular damping system to assist gradual the bolt’s momentum.

Rationalization

Exar explains it finest:

“We now have a thick, conical, versatile damper with area behind it to satisfy the touring bolt mass. This damper acts as a diaphragm to soak up and gradual the bolt’s motion, and it flexes into the empty area behind it. This acts as a correct shock absorber by offering resistance towards the motion of the bolt and slowing it down by motion (like suspension does).”

In actual time, the operation feels a bit sluggish. It’s laborious to explain, however it’s one thing one should expertise. The closest instance is like capturing a roller-delayed system, the place there’s a slight pause that permits strain to drop, slowing the bolt. That’s the best praise I can provide to a PCC. If it shoots and seems like a roller-delayed blowback gun, then it should be good. And for a gun that prices underneath 500 bucks, that’s much more spectacular.

Spec Listing & Construct

Now for the construct checklist. This was a normal construct. Nothing too unique. The construct consisted of an optic, sling, gentle, hand cease, and upgraded pistol grip.

• Vortex Crossfire Red Dot: The EP9 doesn’t include manufacturing facility sights, only a flattop. So, an optic is required. For this, I put in a Vortex Crossfire pink dot in tan. It’s reasonably priced, rugged, and simple to make use of—good for fast goal acquisition underneath stress, and it matches the budget-friendly nature of this truck gun construct.

• Inforce WML: No defensive firearm is full with out a gentle. Enter the Inforce WML, mounted on the highest pic rail. It’s easy to function with an built-in angled strain pad and provides a number of modes, together with momentary, constant-on, and strobe. That is the place I want the EP9 had a full-length high rail. This might make the sunshine simpler to govern with my assist hand thumb.
• Hand Stop: Since this can be a pistol with a brace, I can’t add a vertical grip. However I nonetheless needed one thing that might help manipulation and function a brace towards a barrier. These are cheap and normally manufactured from aluminum. I can’t recall what mannequin I’m utilizing within the construct, however I’ve linked the same one from Arisaka.
• Magpul K2 Pistol Grip: There’s nothing unsuitable with the manufacturing facility grip. Nonetheless, I choose the texture and grip angle of the Magpul K2. I sometimes change this out on any AR-style rifle.
• Edgar Sherman Design ESD Sling + BCM M-LOK QD Mount: To complete it off, a light-weight sling was added from Edgar Sherman Designs. It connects to the rear sling slot on the brace and a Magpul QD pic mount positioned simply ahead of the optic. It is probably not unconventional, nevertheless it’s useful.

How is the EP9 as a Truck Gun?

As soon as arrange, the EP9 dealt with drills easily with minimal points. Sadly, the climate wasn’t nice, so I didn’t get to snap any photographs (I’m sorry, I’m not risking my new digicam). The “recoil dampening” blowback operation proved to be nice and simple to regulate. Coupled with the pink dot sight and sling hooked up, transitions have been seamless, and fast follow-up photographs have been straightforward. It remained dependable throughout prolonged classes with each FMJ and defensive rounds—actually spectacular efficiency for an reasonably priced gun.

That stated, this makes a superb truck gun for any scenario. It’s light-weight, makes use of a standard journal and ammo combo, and provides loads of flexibility for constructing a bugout bag.

Last Ideas

For $449.00 to $549.00 (relying on the brace), this can be a nice deal. The gun ships with 4 Glock-style mags, a delicate case, and a single-point sling—it’s a stable package deal. For these in search of a dependable firearm to maintain behind the seat, this setup is a powerful alternative. Whereas not flashy, it will get the job performed and does it effectively.

Cory Ross

Cory Ross is at the moment a author for OutdoorHub who has chosen to not write a brief bio presently.