UTAS UT912 PCC range test
Typically associated with the production of low price shotguns, turkish weapon manufacturers enter the popular and prolific market of PCCs with this UTAS UT912, a carbine which is surprising in more than one way.
UTAS UT912 PCC range test
The UT912 is provided with a polymer case with precut foam for short or long magazines, a box of cartridges and optical sights.
We usually associate turkish arms manufacturers with low price tag 12 gauge shotguns, not with rifled long guns. This is the first surprising aspect of the UTAS UT912, a turkish made, AR15-pattern PCC.
The second surprising aspect of the UT912 is immediately visible as soon as you open the cardboard box it is shipped into: instead of a second cardboard container, you get a well made polymer case with precut foam for the gun, instruction manual, two magazines and room for an ammo box and an optical sight.
The third aspect is the instruction manual itself, well written, very clear and well made.
We have another surprise when we handle the gun: without knowing it’s turkish, you’d think it’s something made in the USA or Germany (the icons on the safety are of clear H&K derivation).
The finish is very good, with clean, neat laser etched markings. The bolt latch has a large, easily operated tab.
The receiver's picatinny rail continues on the indexed handguard. The handguard indexing causes a "pause" in the rail, though.
The UT912 is blowback operated. The bolt is massive, as it often happens in this case, and signifcantly contributes to recoil impulse.
Finish is excellent: nicely finished surfaces with no tool markings and a deep, homogeneous black anodization. Even more, good finish is not just on the outside: the inner workings of the UT912 have a very good finish as well.
The markings are also of high quality, imprinted in the receiver by a deep, clean laser etching.
The picatinny rail continues from the receiver into the handguard that it’s indexed into the receiver itself.
The handguard also sports a QD cup on the bottom which, together with the twin QD cups in the stock, allows the attachment of a two-point sling (or single point if you use just the ones in the stock). While I’m no fan of QD sling attachments, I have to admit that for range use they are very practical.
Controls are standard AR-15, right hand only: both the magazine latch and bolt release have wide, easily operated pads, the magazine latch protected by a massive fence.
The UT912's finish is very good on the inside as well as the outside.
The handguard is provided with quad picatinny rails. A QD cup is on the bottom forward end. The muzzle has a birdcage flash hider.
The collapsible stock has twin QD cups, paired with the one at the bottom forward end of the handguard.
But enough with the looks and technics: let’s cut to the chase and see how it handles and shoots.
The UT912 is well balanced, if a bit heavier than one would expect from a 12” barrel carbine.
The quad picatinny rails on the handguard offer a lot of accessory real estate but add quite some mass to the forward portion of the firearm.
A lighter, M-Lok handguard would be welcome, leaving the same flexibility in accessory mounting but with a lot less unnecessary mass added to the gun.
Like most of its counterparts, the UT912 is fed by standard Glock magazines and two turkish manufactured ones are provided with the gun.
The flared magazine well eases fast magazine changes.
The UT912 is very compact, accurate and easy and fun to shoot.
A 10 shot rapid fire string at 15 meters. Blowback action notwithstanding the UT912 is stable and has good rhythm.
Not only they work well, but I’ve swapped the UTAS magazines for my gen. 3 Glock 19 magazines and both the turkish magazines in my Glock and the Glock magazines in the UT912 worked perfectly, even if I didn’t shoot enough to perform a proper reliability test.
The magwell flaring helps in fast magazine changes.
I then performed a quick accuracy test and a couple of rapid fire and target swap tests with a Mepro 21 reflex sight on the gun.
The blowback mechanism of the UT912, with its heavy reciprocating masses, makes recoil not much different from that of a .223 gas carbine, but the PCC is overall quite stable.
Accuracy is very good: 10 shots at 25 meters grouped within a closed fist.
The target transition test yelded very good results as well, with fast, accurate switch between targets and a single, wild flier caused by shooter’s haste.
Again, the slight nose-heavy attitude of the UT912 can be felt in fast target transitions, but maybe this is just my bias, being accustomed to the much more centered balance of the Steyr AUG.
A rapid fire string on a plate at 15 meters yelded an unexpected very good grouping: as mentioned, being a blowback system you can’t expect from the UT912 the softair-like reactions of a gas 9mm carbine.
Blowback system notwithstanding, good finish on the inside and a good balance between bolt mass and recoil spring weight allow the gun to move with a very regular rhythm.
With a modicum of familiarity with the little carbine you can just aim the first shot and all the others will follow it in the same spot.
10 shot group, aimed fire at 25 meters from the bench.
8 shots, fast target swap at 10 meters. The one wild flier at top left on the right target is due to shooter's fault.
The UT912 is a very well-made carbine and the price reflects this, being significantly higher than what we’d expect from a turkish firearm (quality comes at a price and there’s no escaping that) but the UTAS UT912 comes anyway at a lower price than most other AR15 based PCCs, offering a lot of features, excellent accuracy and great shootability.
The gun in the pictures has been provided by Armeria Casabella in Casatenovo (LC)