PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES

I love carbines!  Historically, a carbine is the short version of a standard length battle rifle.  I had a Mosin carbine and loved it.  It was simply a shorter version of a standard Mosin Nagant.  Carbines were originally designed for use by cavalry or other troops for which the standard rifles were just too unwieldy.  Over the course of the 20th century the carbine length rifle became the standard, as faster burning powders became the norm and the usefulness of the shorter length became apparent.

The pistol caliber carbine is yet another development.  Basically, it combines the advantages of a rifle, (stability, sight radius, extra velocity), but uses pistol cartridges.  Those cartridges have range limitations, however.  They simply are not designed for long range shooting, even with a longer barrel increasing initial velocity.

Probably the most famous of the carbines is the M1 carbine of US military fame.




Developed by Winchester and manufactured by just about anyone with a machine tool, the carbine became a favorite of anyone for whom the M1 Garand was too big and heavy and the 1911 pistol was too hard to hit with.  It fired the .30 carbine cartridge, which is no slouch by pistol standards, but leaves something to be desired in comparison to the 30-06 used in other US rifles of the time.  It did everything a carbine should do.  It was light, easy to carry, and had minimal recoil.  Some troops who encountered it said it was underpowered, like an overgrown .22.  The most damning testimony came during the Korean war.  Supposedly heavily clothed Chinese soldiers were getting up and dusting themselves off after being shot with carbines.  I don't know if those are just stories or if it's true, but the fact is that .30 carbine does not penetrate like a 30-06.  Today's AR-15 M4 carbine is just as short and light as the old M1 and packs more punch with it's 5.56mm ammo.

Lately the trend in the civilian market has gone more toward light rifles that are chambered in 9mm or 40.  The high point carbines as well as the Kel Tec sub 2000,Beretta's px4 carbine, and many others have become somewhat popular.  In this day of the $500 AR, it would seem silly to pay that much or more for a carbine that packs less punch, but that is not the point.  The whole point of these carbines is to shoot inexpensive pistol ammo at shorter range targets and have lots of fun doing it.  And for that purpose, they are great.  I only wish some of them were a little less expensive.