Does anyone have an Extar EP9 that they would like to share their experiences about?

[Flat45]

Thinking about picking up an Extar EP9. Please tell me the good and the bad, especially the bad... On the surface seems like a solid little auto.

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[Lazyfaire]

I bought the EP9 and it is a fun gun. Not perfect but definitely a good range gun. But when the EP9carbines came out I bought one of those because I have had an over-the-barrel suppressor that had no host for it. I'll be keeping the carbine (16") but eventually selling the EP9. Got other shorties.

Ektar has a very good reputation. They run and run with few if any malfunctions. Comes in 9 & 45. I think they do have a 10mm, or at least they were talking about it.

 

[Flat45]

I bought the EP9 and it is a fun gun. Not perfect but definitely a good range gun. But when the EP9carbines came out I bought one of those because I have had an over-the-barrel suppressor that had no host for it. I'll be keeping the carbine (16") but eventually selling the EP9. Got other shorties.

Ektar has a very good reputation. They run and run with few if any malfunctions. Comes in 9 & 45. I think they do have a 10mm, or at least they were talking about it.

Awesome thanks for sharing.

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Thinking about picking up an Extar EP9. Please tell me the good and the bad, especially the bad... On the surface seems like a solid little auto.

Good is its inexpensive and drop dead reliable. Bad is it's snappy and has a violent recoil (lots of twang and vibration from the buffer as well as strong recoil and muzzle rise). Also brace cannot be folded meaning you always have a bigger gun compared to other PCCs/PDWs.

I would suggest spending more and get a mke mp5 clone if you can afford it at $1000. The recoil is so smooth it's really nice to shoot. Or Stribog at $650? Stribog is more accurate than mp5 due to the trigger. Also both mp5 and Stribog have no buffer which means you can shoot with the brace/stock folded Fe in a vehicle.

In terms of smoothness and recoil I would say mp5 reg size = 10/10, mp5k = 9/10, Stribog (not the roller delayed one) = 6.5/10, extar = 2.5/10

Stribog $650 (has hb industries brake and stock (sbr) that didn't come with it)

Mke Mp5 clone $1000 (handguard changed)

Mke mp5k clone $1000 ((sbr) foregrip and stock added)

 

[Flat45]

Good is its inexpensive and drop dead reliable. Bad is it's snappy and has a kind of a violent recoil (lots of twang and vibration front the buffer). I would suggest spending more and get a mke mp5 clone if you can afford it at $1000. The recoil is so smooth it's really nice to shoot. Or Stribog at $650? Stribog is more accurate than mp5 due to the trigger. Also both mp5 and Stribog have no buffer which means you can shoot with the brace/stock folded Fe in a vehicle.

In terms of smoothness and recoil I woidl say mp5 reg size = 10/10, mp5k = 9/10, Stribog = 7/10, extar = 3/10

Stribog $650 (has hb industries brake and stock (sbr) that didn't come with it)
View attachment 1874976
Mke Mp5 clone $1000 (handguard changed)
View attachment 1874978
Mke mp5k clone $1000 ((sbr) foregrip and stock added)
View attachment 1874977

Thanks for sharing. How is the trigger on the EP9?

 

[ilikegunspdx]

Thanks for sharing. How is the trigger on the EP9?

It's been a couple years since I had it so I don't really recall. Seems like maybe it felt like standard ar mil spec trigger but I really don't recall.

 

[BillM]

I've had one for a few years.
Pro-- It's been 100% reliable. Light and handy. It's a pistol--so pistol rules apply to
carry and loaded. Makes a handy little truck gun. Cheap, and takes common mags.

Con--Recoil is a bit harsh. (on the list to look into--maybe a heavier buffer?)
Stock trigger components are plastic, and pull is neither smooth nor light. I replaced
it with a CMC 9mm drop-in.
Front handguard on mine is proprietary, held on by a couple of screws. Kind
of an odd setup, but no problems so far. I did put a short Magpul angled foregrip
on it.
The bottom of the magazine opening is not standard dimensions. No problem
with stick magazines, but my Magpul 50 rd PCC drum won't latch in.

 

[Flat45]

Thanks, this is great info.

 

[Springer08]

While I have a lot less rounds through mine, I have no reason to doubt that it could make 20k without a problem. Sometimes you get something really good for not a lot of money.

 

[Flat45]

While I have a lot less rounds through mine, I have no reason to doubt that it could make 20k without a problem. Sometimes you get something really good for not a lot of money.

Reliability is my number one... not to say that these other bits of information arent important. But, The reliability in such a simple 9mm AR pistol has caught my interest. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I have one of the first 400 of their original EP9 ever sold, serial number in the 300's, and it is still going. The main advantages of Extar are weight and ease of use. Everyone in my family from 13 to 83 can pick it up an get hits on a pie plate at 20 yards with the circle-dot I attached.

 

[Flat45]

I have one of the first 400 of their original EP9 ever sold, serial number in the 300's, and it is still going. The main advantages of Extar are weight and ease of use. Everyone in my family from 13 to 83 can pick it up an get hits on a pie plate at 20 yards with the circle-dot I attached.

Thats amazing for such a simple gun. How many rounds do you think you have thru it? Any parts wearing out yet? Thx for sharing

 

[Pete F]

I would have never gone out of my way to buy one or similar, but I won the EP9 from a NWFA contest.

It now goes with me for every shoot. That should tell you all you need to know.

It is a fun gun to shoot, trigger is fine, mine had trouble with Glock 33 magazines - won't drop free and hard to seat, but PMag 27 rounders work great. Recoil hasn't been an issue with me. It has shot 3 - 4 hundred rounds without any failure.

 

[Flat45]

I would have never gone out of my way to buy one or similar, but I won the EP9 from a NWFA contest.

It now goes with me for every shoot. That should tell you all you need to know.

It is a fun gun to shoot, trigger is fine, mine had trouble with Glock 33 magazines - won't drop free and hard to seat, but PMag 27 rounders work great. Recoil hasn't been an issue with me. It has shot 3 - 4 hundred rounds without any failure.

Awesome! Thx

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

I usually load five Glock fun sticks with 30 rounds each before heading out to the range. It is easier to divide three boxes of ammo that way and five sticks fit in the carry bag I purchased from Extar.

 

[Ben B.]

I've had one about 4 years now. The trigger is probably 6#, clean and crisp with an obnoxiously loud and tactile reset. It's perfectly fine but I'm a spoiled beach and wanted a 3# trigger. This gun is supposed to take any milspec AR trigger. I had a Rise Armament cassette-type trigger bought on clearance as a spare a year or 2 ago. Not mil spec. Tried that anyway, it wouldn't work, tolerance issues AFAIK. I hassled the OEM plastic trigger group back into place. That was a PITA to get the pins back in. The trigger is good enough that I likely won't spend money on it. But I think about it occasionally.

Running great. My youngest son used it for a few matches 3 years ago and once he had 2-3 jams, IDK what type. I loaded it up with 3 mags after that match and it was 100% for me. I've plinked with it and let buddies mess with it and it's been 100%.

Used it as a prop gun with a can to schwack 2 "sentries" (8" falling steel disks) at start on an IDPA stage and it was flawless for the ~25 shooters, 2 different times.

Sumbeach eats ammo fast when you're passing it around, I can tell you that.

It wears a Rex Silentium MG7K can. It's fine, about like a pneumatic nail gun, I guess.

Download 1-2 rds in the long stick mags to make closed-bolt mag changes easy.

An AR-height red dot is too high, IMHO. Low mount to rail works well.

Instructions say "It ain't an AR, do not use wet lube, leave it the F alone!" That might be a paraphrase.

It's as ugly as a dirty butt, runs great, accuracy is acceptable, recoil is unremarkable to me. It is a soul-less piece of black plastic with only redeeming features as described. And it is almost dirt cheap.

I like it.

 

[Flat45]

I've had one about 4 years now. The trigger is probably 6#, clean and crisp with an obnoxiously loud and tactile reset. It's perfectly fine but I'm a spoiled beach and wanted a 3# trigger. This gun is supposed to take any milspec AR trigger. I had a Rise Armament cassette-type trigger bought on clearance as a spare a year or 2 ago. Not mil spec. Tried that anyway, it wouldn't work, tolerance issues AFAIK. I hassled the OEM plastic trigger group back into place. That was a PITA to get the pins back in. The trigger is good enough that I likely won't spend money on it. But I think about it occasionally.

Running great. My youngest son used it for a few matches 3 years ago and once he had 2-3 jams, IDK what type. I loaded it up with 3 mags after that match and it was 100% for me. I've plinked with it and let buddies mess with it and it's been 100%.

Used it as a prop gun with a can to schwack 2 "sentries" (8" falling steel disks) at start on an IDPA stage and it was flawless for the ~25 shooters, 2 different times.

Sumbubblegum eats ammo fast when you're passing it around, I can tell you that.

Download 1-2 rds in the long stick mags to make closed-bolt mag changes easy.

An AR-height red dot is too high, IMHO. Low mount to rail works well.

Instructions say "It ain't an AR, do not use wet lube, leave it the F alone!" That might be a paraphrase.

View attachment 1878968

Thanks, Ben!