An Option to Consider

Shelley Rae has an interesting write-up of pistol carbines as home defense guns.

I must say its an option that is often chided by people who might chose a more effective or convenient gun. I like Pistols for HD just because they’re maneuverable and you can keep them hidden, like say answering the door to an unknown, but non-threatening caller, without any awkward explanation to the neighbor looking to borrow an egg on why you have a long-arm slung.

Some prefer shotguns for their amazing close-range stopping power. There’s a lot to be said about something that can deliver that much lead on target quickly.

others prefer carbines, often in 5.56x45mm for its ballistics, and certainly with the correct ammo less risk of overpenetration than you might think.

Still I must say pistol carbines have a certain thing going for them. Most of them eat from ample magazines, and many of the new ones on the market share magazines with common pistols (which is AWESOME if your pistol will eat from the same hopper as your carbine), they have extremely low recoil, and all the inherent accuracy of a long-gun. Certainly I wouldn’t recommend a shotgun to a recoil sensitive person, and I know people where even a 5.56×45 gives them a bit more boot than they prefer. Meanwhile a pistol carbine will kick less from a lighter package. Also an interesting side note, if you shoot sub-sonic ammo, they’re also quite quiet. You still really should wear ears on the firing line, but in the close confines of your home you’ll have that added benefit of shooting a suppressed pistol or carbine, which when you look at the reality of permanent hearing damage of say touching off a rifle or shotgun inside, that’s a monster plus.

The only thing you really lose is maneuverability of a handgun (tho technically you gain a bit of muzzle energy from that same pistol ammo, tho the end result is mostly academic) and the stopping power of a rifle or a shotgun. But if you say have a Sub-2000 eating from say a 33 round Glock 18 Magazine you can make up for this with quick follow-ups.

Certainly something to consider.

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0 Responses to An Option to Consider

  1. Erin Palette says:

    Funny you should bring this up. Weerd, as I’ve been thinking much the same thing lately. The only problem is that I don’t like Hi-Points, Beretta Storms are too damn expensive, and I can’t seem to *find* a Sub 2k for sale anywhere (which is what I wanted in the first place.)

    If any readers have a Sub 2k for sale (preferably in 9mm Glock), then hit me up at erin dot palette at gmail dot com.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Good luck with that. Besides their QC issues (tho I haven’t heard many complaints about the Sub2000 as opposed to other guns by them) it seems that supply chain and distribution is a major Kel-Tec issue.

      Good choice on the 9mm Glock, especially if you have a 9mm that will pair with it!

  2. Dave_H says:

    The thing I think is worthwhile about them is that they have pretty much the same newbie friendly thing going for them that a .22 caliber has. Take someone who has never shot before, put a pistol caliber carbine in their hands, give them some rudimentary instructions and off they go. They’re putting rounds down range rapidly and effectively. That isn’t a unique characteristic, but another thing that they have is the fact you can take them to ranges limited to pistol calibers. Depending on where you live, you might have a bit of a drive on your hands to get to a decent rifle range. Lots of folks count pistol caliber long guns as being obsolete and that is probably correct. They are still useful for practice and home defense.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Yep, also with goal-oriented people (not to be sexist but most of the women I’ve taken shooting are super-interested in groups and proficiency, not-so-much on cool-factor, power and recoil that some of them men are interested in…again just a generalization not a rule) REALLY like light-kicking carbines. They can put 200 rounds down range with boring accuracy and almost zero fatigue. Couple in cheap prices of 9mm ammo you could turn a n00b into a person who spends a lot of time at the range perfecting their skills….which is NEVER a bad thing!

    • …another thing that they have is the fact you can take them to ranges limited to pistol calibers.

      This is, hands down, the best reason for a non-disabled person to buy a pistol-caliber carbine. Long arms are great for home defense even in weaker cartridges because they’re so much easier to learn to shoot accurately than pistols, but outdoor rifle ranges often don’t exist in urban and suburban areas (where more than three quarters of Americans live, don’t forget).

      In the very near future I’ll be buying my first centerfire rifle, and it’s going to be a .357 for exactly this reason. Locally, there are no affordable options for shooting full-powered long arms. Even our public WMA shotgun range (which requires a hunting license to use) is birdshot only.

  3. Riley says:

    I just saw those at the Fort Worth gun show this past weekend. They were low 300 in price. I hadn’t seen them before so I was kinda hesitant to get one with cash being kina tight right now and not knowing anything about them. However, after doing some research I think they would make an awesome truck gun. Folded up they wouldn’t take up much room toss in a bag and it is something you could take pretty much anywhere unnoticed in the event of an emergency.

    • Weerd Beard says:

      Get one for 9mm Glock mags (They make them for both Glock and Sig mags) and toss in a few 33 round G18 mags with some good JHP ammo, and that will get you out of an awful lot of trouble for such a small, light package, and for short money.

      • Riley says:

        Exactly. When I saw them at the show I was like hey how cool is that. It folds up and all, if it ran worth a crap that would be a good bug out / truck gun. Small, easily concealable, and then a coup0le of days later when I found out you could get them in Glock config, 33 rd 9mm was just what I was thinking. I don’t have a 9mm, or even a Glock, but I would be willing to step into both for that price and for that purpose. Plus, I bet it would be fun to plink with down at the range. I see where it has options for rails and stuff, but if you are using it for an emergency gun, I hate to load ti down with rails and red dots and crap….

        • That Guy says:

          I have one of the Sub2000 carbines that shares magazines with my G22 and G27. I have a brief case that holds all 3 of them along with holsters, a 30 round magazine, and a pile of other mags.

          It is a good ‘travel kit’. Plus, the Sub2000 is a hoot to shoot.

    • As a New jersey inmate, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that them newfangled folding carbines are also fantastic for subverting gun control. NJ has a de-facto ban on carrying handguns, but never thought to ban carrying rifles. Now that you can fit one in a messenger bag…

      • Rivrdog says:

        Yes you CAN fit it into a messenger bag, provided that the bag has the diagonal (internal) dimension of at least 17″. If you get a bag for a large laptop, it will. If you keep a mag in it though, it will have to be a 15-rounder, since that 33-rounder will make the dimensions too large for your messenger bag.

  4. Blackhawk101 says:

    http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y7/Merkatrig/_MG_8641.jpg

    My son with one of the home defense carbines- HK UMP SBR with Gemtech UMP suppressor. It has a surefire light on it, EOTech holo sight and Lasermax green laser. Loaded with 25 rounds fo 230gr Gold Dots. My wife runs this weapon as she finds her AR a little too heavy. Recoil is extremely light even firing full on 230 gr.

    I run my suppressed 10.5″ AR loaded with 55gr TAP.

  5. That Guy says:

    I am an unabashed fan of pistol caliber carbines. I have several, and use several of them as home defense guns. They are cheap to shoot, low recoil, lower noise, and have decent performance on target.

    I love my AR, but if it gets to the point that I am emptying a magazine down the stairs, it will probably be from my UZI.

  6. TomcatTCH says:

    Thereā€™s something nice about a suppressed, hearing safe carbine using subsonic ammo.

    I call it ā€œBeing able to hear when the police show upā€.
    It also means being able to hear for the rest of ones life.

    Even suppressed, 5.56 is fairly loud.

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