PCC = Pistol Caliber Carbine. This typically refers to the modern styles of small carbines, like AR pistol variants, and similar, chambered in pistol cartridges, often accepting pistol magazines.
PDW = Personal Defense Weapon. This term seems quite broad, but it typically refers to some kind of stocked or braced weapon that is small, yet bigger and more capable than a handgun. Some pistol caliber carbines fit within the PDW classification.
Short barreled PCCs and PDWs are common choices as backpack guns. Similarly, short-barreled rifles or braced pistols in rifle calibers are also common options for backpack guns.
The overall intention of such guns is to provide significantly more capability than a handgun to the person carrying it, hidden from common observation, in a sling bag or backpack. While such a weapon seems more and more applicable to personal defense with the increase in mass killer attacks, there are a number of problems that come along with it.
Will the individual carry it routinely? Have you put the deployment of such a gun from a bag on the timer? It is far slower than drawing a handgun from your waistband, far too slow for anti-robbery or other more likely criminal assault. Further, as has been witnessed in several real events, holding a long gun during an active killer incident is a good way to get shot by responding police officers. Therefore, carrying a bag gun in public is problematic.
However, what about the role of the PCC and PDW in home defense? There is a legitimate role in this capacity, as a small shoulder mounted gun in the confines of the home may make good sense. If not suppressed, pistol caliber weapons also have less blast than do rifles, which may be advantageous. But, an argument that many will make is, why limit yourself to the far weaker cartridge if in the home where legit rifles or shotguns can be staged for deployment? A shotgun, stoked with buckshot, is far more decisive, as is a rifle chambered in 556 or 300 Blackout. The PDW concept is a compromise that seems to fit between the rifle and the handgun, but it is not even a close replacement for either.
I think the PDW concept is just the latest cool thing, and while hardly useless, I am not sure that it is particularly useful either. The armed citizen should carry a good handgun and keep a good fighting rifle and/or shotgun at the ready in the home. Other firearms seem to be solutions looking for a problem. Just one guy’s opinion that seems contrary to the present trend.
Reflex Handgun 
I purchased a PCC about 4 years ago. I shot it once and it hasn’t left my safe since. As you say, it lives somewhere in between a handgun, and a rifle, but it’s certainly not a replacement for either. I wouldn’t use it for home defense, because it would be very cumbersome clearing rooms with such a long firearm. I think a handgun is far more suitable for this purpose. I also wouldn’t use it for perimeter defense because I think a rifle with a proper cartridge is a much better choice. The only thing I can ever imagine using it for is in some imagined SHTF scenario where I need a rifle and have a run out of ammo but still have 9mm left. This is obviously highly unlikely. Perhaps I should sell my PCC, and use the proceeds to buy extra rifle ammo. Great article.
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