Gun Of The Week: Ruger LC Carbine In .45 ACP

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time, we’re on the range with Ruger’s LC Carbine. Since its initial introductory chambering of 5.7x28, Ruger has expanded this platform into several calibers, and this particular version is chambered for one of our favorites: .45 ACP. Watch our video above to see this Ruger carbine in use on the range.

The “LC” part of the LC Carbine name stands for “Light Compact,” and that was certainly the goal when Ruger introduced its first LC Carbine as an alternative offering to its PC Carbine chambered for 9 mm Luger. The initial LC Carbine in 5.7x28 mm FN was lighter than the alternative PCC, weighing in at just under 6 lbs. Chambering the design for the big-bore .45 ACP has added a bit of weight to the platform, but despite the extra pound or so, there’s still a lot to like about the design in its latest guise.

To start with, .45 ACP-chambered carbines just aren’t that common, so it’s great that Ruger is providing options to an underserved market. Why would you want a .45 ACP-chambered carbine in the first place? One of the biggest benefits is that nearly every standard .45 ACP load you’ll find today is subsonic, so if you’ve got a .45-cal. suppressor, this platform is an ideal suppressor host. Of course, to accommodate suppressors, the muzzle is threaded and capped.

One of the best design elements of the Ruger LC Carbine in .45 ACP is that it accepts Glock-pattern magazines, as the grip is sized to accept double-stack magazines that fit the Glock 21. This means that flush-fit magazine capacity is 13 rounds of .45 ACP, and there are plenty of aftermarket extended magazines available, too, giving you plenty of options for feeding.

In terms of being compact, the Ruger LC Carbine has a few features going for it. Inside the receiver, Ruger incorporated a bolt-over-barrel design to reduce some of the overall length required to accommodate the bolt while maintaining the bolt weight required for the gun’s safe and reliable blowback operating system. Additionally, Ruger incorporated a folding buttstock on the design to reduce even more length for storage and transport, allowing the gun to shrink to just about 22” in length for compact carry. All AR-15-pattern stocks fit onto the folding tube, so you can add your favorite.

When it comes to effectively handling the LC Carbine, Ruger has a few bonuses in store. The handle for the non-reciprocating charging handle is located on the left side of the receiver from the factory, but this can be swapped over to the right side for lefties or for those who just prefer it there. The manual thumb safety is bilateral, and the push-button magazine release can be swapped to either side. The single-sided bolt-stop is the only single-sided control remaining, but that’s not much of an obstacle, as the bolt locks back on an empty magazine.

We appreciated the soft-shooting nature of the LC Carbine chambered in .45 ACP, as it provided more of a push than sharp recoil. There was plenty of room for optional extras, thanks to the M-Lok handguard surrounding the barrel, as well as the Picatinny rail located just under the receiver. The full-length Picatinny optics rail up top provided plenty of real estate for optics, and Ruger helpfully includes a decent set of flip-up open sights with its carbine. For fans of the .45 ACP cartridge, suppressor owners or those looking to send a bit more heavy metal downrange, the LC Carbine in .45 ACP looks like just the ticket.

Ruger LC Carbine .45 ACP Specifications
Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger, & Co., Inc.
Action Type: blowback-operated, semi-automatic, centerfire carbine
Chambering: .45 ACP
Barrel: 16.25" alloy steel, threaded 0.578x28 TPI
Receiver: aluminum alloy
Magazine: 13-round detachable box
Sights: flip-up, adjustable; post front, aperture rear
Stock: adjustable polymer; folding
Trigger: two-stage
Overall Length: 30.6" (extended)
Weight: 7 lbs., 2 ozs.
MSRP: $1,009