Aero Precision is well known for the wide variety of AR rifles and pistols they produce at a rather solid price point. For years, they produced various rifles, receiver sets, and more for the world of 5.56, 7.62, 300 Blackout, etc. It took until 2021 to get a PCC out of them. All that time resulted in the EPC, or Enhanced Pistol Caliber, being more than just your average PCC.
Notice the words Enhanced Pistol Caliber doesn’t designate carbine or rifle. That’s because the EPC can be an AR rifle or pistol. It’s up to the buyer or builder. You can purchase complete EPC rifles and pistols or just receiver sets and build your own. The EPC is whatever you want it to be!
Breaking Down the EPC
At its core, the EPC is an upper and lower receiver, and while that sounds decidedly average, the EPC is more than that. Aero Precision didn’t toss out a Glock compatible lower and say, ‘Good game.’ They worked to ensure their product was rock solid and innovative.
One of the more interesting features is the last round bolt hold-open device functional with Glock magazines. It’s placed in the upper receiver and resembles a hook.
The design is fascinating and works well. The bolt release sits on the lower receiver and is just like any other bolt release and lock on a standard AR-15. In practice, it works wonderfully and mimics standard AR ergonomics perfectly.
The proprietary magazine release is massive and places the magazine release button right where you’d find it on a standard AR-15. All the proprietary parts of the lower parts kit are included. It’s easy to engage, and your trigger finger naturally finds it. Magazines drop free without issue. The magazine well is flared, making it intuitive and fast to jam a stick magazine into place.
Aero Precision utilizes a simple blowback system, and while effective, it can be rough on guns. Aero’s lower parts kit uses reinforced trigger pins that will absorb the brutal beating blowback operation tosses out and works for years without issue.
Loading Up
I equipped the EPC with the new Vortex Sparc Solar red dot. Look for a review of that soon. I did a quick zero, and I was ready to drop lead on steel in no time at all. My 25 yard zero would carry me out to 100 yards with a little drop estimation. I started at 25 yards and moved to the 50-yard line and finally the 100-yard line.
At 25 yards, I started in the standing position and made my 4-inch gong spin around the beam over and over. The 6 and 8-inch gongs were mincemeat at this range, as you’d imagine. I moved back to 50 yards, and while I could peg the 4-inch gong, I needed to be in a supportive kneeling position, and it was not a guaranteed hit.
Those aforementioned 6 and 8-inch gongs rung and swung with ease. The Sparc’s red dot helped a good bit, as does the EPC’s crisp trigger. The gun easily lands headshots at this range, and even an amateur shooter can land accurate shots. My wife, who’s still rather new to the world of firearms, was hitting the 8-inch gong at 50 yards routinely. The EPC has become her very favorite rifle, and I might lose it if I’m not careful.
At the 100 Yard Line
One hundred yards with a 9mm rifle is about the max the little round can reach out to. Rounds are dropping between 10 and 15 inches at this range. I used an IPSC steel target and aimed at what I could see of the head. There was a little guesswork involved, and I used a supportive position, but once I started hearing dings, I didn’t stop hearing them.
Big targets help and are somewhat necessary. I think the EPC is nail-driving accurate, but the 9mm round isn’t super stable at this range. While the weapon can be used at 100 yards, it dominates within 50 yards.
Here I produced tight groups and felt an extreme degree of confidence with the EPC at 50 yards.
Wrangling The EPC
Blowback PCCs have a big weakness, and it’s in recoil. Blowback PCCs in 9mm can often feel quite similar to a 5.56 rifle in the recoil department. The EPC doesn’t escape this fate. Rearward recoil feels similar to a 5.56, but as a full-length carbine, the extra weight helps. I’ve also tossed one of the new VG6 PCC comps to help a bit.
Muzzle rise and concussion are pleasant and easily controlled. The longer barrel does wonders to reduce concussion and makes the gun very pleasant to shoot. Aero’s EPC makes it very easy for new shooters to feel comfortable behind a centerfire rifle. More experienced shooters can also enjoy a pleasant break from shooting standard rifles with the EPC and offers an affordable ammo alternative.
Down and Dirty
I brought a half dozen Glock 33 rounders and some KCI magazines, some Magpul mags, an ETS magazine, and an Amend2 magazine to the range in my range backpack. I brought such a wide variety of magazines because when something says it takes Glock mags, I want to ensure it takes all Glock mags.
I popped in one after another and fired drills, tested accuracy and the like, and did so without any issue from any magazines. The EPC functioned with each one without a fight, and everything from OEM to the cheap seats worked perfectly fine through the gun. The mags worked fine, engaged the LRBHO, and fed a greedy gun without complaint.
One of the strongest arguments for blowback systems is their simple and reliable nature. That’s on full display here. The gun eats and ejects every time I pull the trigger. A round of steel cased 9mm gave me a single issue. The round appeared to be seated too deeply into the case and didn’t feed.
The People’s PCC
The EPC from Aero Precision provides a great base to build the PCC you’ve always wanted. It’s accurate, easy shooting, reliable, and allows an AR enthusiast to build the gun they want, be it a rifle or pistol. My EPC might be large and in charge, but what would yours look like? Let us know below, and check out the EPC here .