Tombstone 9mm Carbine

Let’s start with the gut-level reaction each of us experiences upon first seeing the Tombstone 9mm Luger carbine from Patriot Ordnance Factory. First impressions are the strongest because they are based on our fondest prejudices and biases and the Tombstone carbine brings those to the surface for all to witness in the viewer’s response.

Like remarkable artworks, the Tombstone immediately evokes an emotional reaction from the viewer. Showing the Tombstone to other shooters, my unofficial polling resulted in afficionados of traditional lever-action rifles usually reacting with puzzlement, and the curmudgeonly tending to offer, “That just ain’t right.” Others, however, especially younger millennial shooters and those who enjoy action-shooting sports or rapid-fire plinking, typically reacted with, “Cool – let’s shoot it!” One new shooter said, “It looks like a machine gun.” Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course, but more important to firearms is function, reliability and accuracy adequate to the intended task. A dash of “Cool!” doesn’t hurt, either.

The first-ever lever-action 9mm carbine, the Tombstone presents a decidedly “steampunk” appearance, a juxtaposition of old and new technologies. Even among non-shooters, that underlever is recognizable and iconographic of the American Old West, while the rest of the carbine visually exudes modern “tactical.” The unusual carbine would have looked at home on the set of the sci-fi series Firefly.

That old-and-new steampunk impression becomes reality in the details, as several of the new carbine’s features both tap into the past and make use of existing parts found on contemporary firearms. The Tombstone’s buttstock is a Magpul SGA designed for the Remington 870 shotgun that features a spacer system for modifying the length of pull to suit individual owners. Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) elected to go with its own proprietary 10- and 20-round detachable magazines that also fit its USA Phoenix 9mm pistol, which allows the use of the AR-15 magazine release, and XS Ghost Ring sights are mounted on the upper Picatinny rail at the factory.

Getting to the heart of POF’s concept, the lever is slightly oversize, but not as exaggerated as on traditional “large loop” leverguns, and lever throw accomplishes full cock when it reaches vertical on the downstroke. Just before fully closing, the lever “cams over” to snap firmly against the pistol grip; unlike many traditional leverguns, there is no disabling safety catch that the lever must depress to fire the carbine, nor is there a lever latch needed to prevent the lever from drooping. Because it lacks a lever safety catch, when shooting the carbine the lever must be completely closed to prevent a possible out-of-battery firing and all the attendant bad things that can happen in that scenario. The lever’s cam-over assures it is fully closed and the bolt is fully in battery when the shooter naturally grasps the pistol grip and lever.

As safety mechanisms, the manual trigger-block safety is augmented by a half-cock position for the hammer. In the hammer-down position, the hammer rests against the firing pin. A blow to the hammer, such as if the carbine is dropped, could fire a chambered cartridge, so, as with traditional single-action revolvers, one should only lower the hammer on an empty chamber. A small lever on the left side of the receiver engages the AR-15-style magazine release to permit operation from that side, making the magazine release ambidextrous. The safety can be oriented to work in either direction, requiring only two T-10 Torx drivers to accomplish the task, and the hammer spur extension is reversible, as well, making the carbine’s controls fully configurable to right- and left-handed shooters. The rear XS Ghost Sight is “estimate adjustable” for windage and elevation, utilizing a small hex wrench to unlock the set screws and moving the sight by hand left or right, and turning the threaded stem to move the aperture up or down.

Integral to the handguard, the 7-inch Picatinny rail for mounting optics attaches to the receiver with two Torx head screws. One screw under the handguard, slanting backward at about 45 degrees, is the third handguard-receiver attachment point. With additional short Picatinny rails at the front on top and bottom, and M-LOK slots on left, right and bottom, the owner has wide latitude in mounting sight, optic, light, laser and other options. POF mounted its own dual-port muzzle brake to the 16.5-inch fluted, free-floated barrel; the ½x28 threading is suitable for suppressors.

Handguard, hammer extension, receiver and side plates do not attract a magnet, but all other parts aside from the buttstock do, indicating steel construction. The bolt assembly is reminiscent of that on the Winchester Model 1873 rifle, with its long firing pin jutting well rearward. Also akin to the ’73, the two receiver side plates are easily removed to access the inside to remove the firing pin and bolt for cleaning. Removing the side plates shows the toggle action of the lever and bolt are clearly based on that of the ’73 Winchester. The Tombstone is in essence, the Model 1873 updated to the twenty-first century.

POF designed the Tombstone for ease of maintenance. All fasteners are T-10, T-15 or T-20 Torx head, and the owner’s manual has disassembly instructions, clear photos and an “exploded view” schematic. The only part of the carbine not discussed in the manual is the hammer-trigger action area, which the factory apparently doesn’t want the non-expert mucking about.

Like nearly every firearms manufacturer, POF warrants the Tombstone to utilize only factory ammunition. The Tombstone can digest 9mm +P, but not 9mm +P+ ammunition. Because Arizona is still the land of the free, the Tombstone shipped with a 20-round magazine; a 10-round magazine accompanies carbines shipped to restrictive states on the fringes of the Union. Additional magazines are available directly from POF for $28.80. The magazine’s smooth polymer body, feed lips and follower don’t abuse the fingers, even when topping off the last few rounds, but a thumb-saving magazine loader is included anyway. Like the Tombstone, POF designed its proprietary magazines to be easily disassembled for cleaning.

At the range, the Tombstone handles almost like it is helium-filled. Without a magazine installed, the balance point is at the back of the magazine well. The empty weight was 5.5 pounds; a magazine full of 20 115-grain full metal jackets brought the weight up to 6.2 pounds. A full magazine will drop completely clear of the carbine when depressing the magazine release, but with 17 or fewer rounds in the magazine, it has to be manually withdrawn. Not a big deal but, given the Tombstone’s play on “tactical” and for anyone considering it for self-defense, perhaps worth mentioning.

The lever throw is shorter than on rifles chambered for full-size rifle cartridges, but not as short as some 22 Long Rifle leverguns, which is to be expected, given the 9mm Luger’s cartridge length. The throw appears to require just under 8 pounds of force for cocking the hammer. The inside edges of the lever are beveled slightly, offering a bit of comfort for extended plinking sessions. The trigger break is at a consistent 3 pounds without overtravel but has a tiny bit of creep that isn’t noticeable in rapid-fire shooting.

Manufactured and intended for a 12-gauge shotgun, the Magpul SGA stock’s rubber recoil pad is not needed for absorbing 9mm recoil, but its non-slick surface provides a positive hold on the shoulder. The length of pull without any additional spacers installed was 12.75 inches.

Accuracy is what I would expect from basic iron sights and run-of-the-mill 115-grain 9mm Luger factory fodder, the Tombstone grouped about 3 inches at 25 yards and twice that at 50 yards. From the box, shots were centered but struck about a foot low at 25 yards. Running the rear sight aperture to its fullest height brought impacts up to the point of hold. With that sight setting, however, shots struck about a foot low again at 50 yards. Despite including the iron sights, POF clearly intends the Tombstone to be mounted with an optic, either a red dot or a low-magnification scope.

There were a few stoppages at first when chambering the last one or two rounds from the magazine, the cartridge failing to chamber because the case head did not rise squarely into the bolt face, a glitch typically attributed to the magazine rather than the firearm. Other than that, the action ran smoothly from the outset, the carbine performing best when operating the lever smartly, as when shooting rapid-fire. Even doing so, the ejection tossed fired cases only a few inches away from the carbine to land in an easily recoverable pile.

POF offers us two clues that Tombstone carbines in other chamberings may be on the horizon. First is the marketing language, which says the carbine is “Initially offered in 9mm.” The second is the receiver stampings, one of which reads, “CALIBER: MULTI.” Because of its availability, affordability and popularity as a pistol cartridge, starting with a 9mm Luger is a wise choice by POF.

“At the end of the day we racked our brains asking the purpose of this gun, and found there’s not necessarily a target audience,” said POF Vice President of Sales and Marketing Jeremy Selting. “Really, it’s for the person who’s got the money and wants something fun to shoot and have something cool to show to his buddies.” Indeed, one shooter at the range shrugged at the price and opined, “Well, you can drive a Rolls Royce or you can drive a Toyota.” On the practical side, however, Jeremy said his son and his neighbor’s daughter each bagged a javelina with the Tombstone, at 82 yards and 56 yards, respectively.

Though it does have an arguable self-defense application, we have far better choices in firearms for that role. The same applies to hunting, so the Tombstone, for most, is pretty much a 9mm plinker. The Tombstone will appeal to shooters desiring a “camp carbine” for plinking and small game, and for self-defense in those places where a semiautomatic is prohibited or tightly restricted. Where overpenetration is a factor, as in urban settings, its 9mm Luger chambering is an advantage over certain centerfire rifle cartridges.

Forgive me if the reaction of the levergun traditionalist/purists who don’t accept the Tombstone prompt me to wax a bit philosophical here. Patriot Ordnance Factory is delving into innovation with its Tombstone carbine, not just in the carbine’s steampunk mechanization, but in gun owners’ sensibilities and preconceptions about lever-action firearms - and we all know that, historically, innovation is often at first not well-received. But without innovation, we’d still be using sharpened sticks to hunt prey animals and dying of old age at 25. We can never be sure where innovation leads: consider here that the long-dead lever-action Vulcanic pistol predates the ultimately-ubiquitous lever-action rifle. Rejecting the Tombstone because, “It just ain’t right” is to dismiss the reality of history.

POF’s Tombstone carbine also represents the business risk of technological innovation in firearms. That risk has been inherent in the field since long before Beretta first contracted to make arquebus barrels for the Doge of Venice nearly 500 years ago when the crossbow was king. The risk paid off for Beretta, still the oldest extant manufacturer on the planet. POF is taking some risk now in its Tombstone, and the design is such that it can expand into chambering other cartridges if the risk proves successful, or drop it, if not. The ultimate outcome may well be determined by the newest generation of not-curmudgeonly shooters.