Thoughts on the Practicality of Pistol Caliber Carbine?

[cajunautoxer]

I recently sold my Keltec and Hipernt. Both were fun but now I just carry my slabsided Yugo UF

[RECIT]

I recently sold my Keltec and Hipernt. Both were fun but now I just carry my slabsided Yugo UF

Not the best choice for the wife in the house though.

I think the CX4 is a very user friendly carbine that is simple to operate and non existent recoil when chambered in 9mm. I don't think an M4 is any harder to operate just a little heavier.

[Kiowa Scout]

Thanks RECIT, that was my thoughts too.

Has anyone ever shot the Calico Light Weapon Systems Liberty Carbine? It has either a 50 or 100 rd helical magazine and a bottom eject.

[RECIT]

Has anyone ever shot the Calico Light Weapon Systems Liberty Carbine? It has either a 50 or 100 rd helical magazine and a bottom eject.[/quote]

But boy do they look weird. I have handled one a few times and they just look so unconventional it makes me walk away. They sure do have a high capacity though.

[battalion74]

Just throwing this out there, some people like the idea of carrying a singular type round for both guns. It was done during the cowboy days too, lever action rifles and revolver pistols.
Personally I'd still carry my M4 in 5.56 and XD service in 9mm.

[Kiowa Scout]

Just throwing this out there, some people like the idea of carrying a singular type round for both guns. It was done during the cowboy days too, lever action rifles and revolver pistols.
Personally I'd still carry my M4 in 5.56 and XD service in 9mm.

The 5.56 is great but not what I want for my wife in our house. I really like the Beretta CX4 carbine. I have even thought about the HK USC in .45.

[battalion74]

Sorry, I wasn't saying that she should use a AR. Just another reason why some will only use a PCC and pistol, to carry the same ammo. Like the P90 and FN FiveSeven pistol.
But after reading this thread, I believe she would be better off with a PCC type. I do feel that the PCC's would be excellent at close range for men or women. Not just because of the extra velocity, but also because the pistol caliber rounds would have a better knock down power. Like some would use a 6.8SPC for the same reason at close range. It may not have the same velocity as 5.56, but unless their wearing body armor, its going to hurt.
On top of using the CX4, she could also have a Beretta pistol in the same caliber and use the same round and magazines. Can you imagine, using the same magazines in your pistol and rifle?

[Grog]

I've always thought a .45acp AR with a short (6-10") barrel and a suppressor would make a handy little housegun.

[Kiowa Scout]

I've always thought a .45acp AR with a short (6-10") barrel and a suppressor would make a handy little housegun.

Grog,
I agree. The only concern I have is the use of the suppressor. It's been discussed before that a supressor on a HD weapon could possibly give you grief in court. I really like the idea myself, for many reasons.
1.) Controllability
2.) Noise Reduction to handler
3.) Noise reduction for everyone else in house( my wife and 3 kids)


I have also thought about the HK USC. It's a sweet little .45 ACP carbine.

[karder]

Personally I like my shotguns for HD, but my brother-in-law has the CX4 in .45acp that he uses it as his "house gun" and has a red-dot sight mounted on it. It is very cool and a lot of fun to shoot and I sure would not mind owning one. While I cannot argue with the folks here who say that there are better carbine calibers, I see a great market for these pistol caliber carbines in a home defense role. .45 acp at 10-15 feet should be more than adequate to get someone out of your living room, and I think the ability to shoulder the weapon would have a lot of benefit in a high stress situation. There is also more real estate on that weapon for mounting flash lights and other accessories. As far as the H&K USC, that is all kinds of cool but the price is really high in comparison to the Beretta.

[Kiowa Scout]

I've always thought a .45acp AR with a short (6-10") barrel and a suppressor would make a handy little housegun.

............. As far as the H&K USC, that is all kinds of cool but the price is really high in comparison to the Beretta.

Yes, the HK USC is a bit pricey when compared to the Beretta CX4, but when compared to a AR-15 in .45 that has to go through the NFA paperwork to make it a SBR as well the addition of the suppressor and that NFA paperwork, it's not expensive at all.

Will the CX4 in .45 be as good, yes. However you cannot get the really high capacity magazines that are available for the other 2.



Thanks
Bryan

[Grog]

I've always thought a .45acp AR with a short (6-10") barrel and a suppressor would make a handy little housegun.

............. As far as the H&K USC, that is all kinds of cool but the price is really high in comparison to the Beretta.

Yes, the HK USC is a bit pricey when compared to the Beretta CX4, but when compared to a AR-15 in .45 that has to go through the NFA paperwork to make it a SBR as well the addition of the suppressor and that NFA paperwork, it's not expensive at all.

The best part of a SBR AR is the ability to use it with many uppers, instead of just being fixed to one caliber.


I'm not saying a double-Stamp AR is practical for more than 0.01% of the population, but if I had the money I sure would love it for fun and "real" use around the house.

Will the CX4 in .45 be as good, yes. However you cannot get the really high capacity magazines that are available for the other 2.

Come on, you know you only need one round from the ACP
<ducks from incoming 9mm fire >

[Kiowa Scout]

Come on, you know you only need one round from the ACP
<ducks from incoming 9mm fire >

You obviously have never visited Warrior Talk Forums, b/c they tell you that a .45 doesn't always do the job with just one round.

In all seriousness, I'm looking at the idea of getting a carbine in 9mm b/c currently that's what all my EDC weapons are chambered in. You know the K.I.S.S. method.

[duggy]

Pistol rounds speed up considerably and pack a lot more punch when shot from a 16" barrel.

Just as a quick reference, from the May 2010 American Rifleman is an article on Ruger 327 revolvers. At the end of the article is the usual 'Shooting Results (25 Yds.)" table. However this time there are two pistols so you get to see the difference in a 5.5" barrel on the Ruger Blackhawk and the 4.2" barrel on the GP100 for four different types of ammo. I'll just pick one type from the table as an example - American Eagle No. AE327 100-Gr JSP:

Vel at 10' and energy for the 5.5" = 1725 fps and 660 ft-lbs
Vel at 10' and energy for the 4.2" = 1580 fps and 554 ft-lbs

This just a 1.3" difference.

Maybe there a few of the CHLforum members that know how to access specific ballistic data for different barrel lengths.

I like the idea of a pistol carbine for home defense because they have more power than pistols in the same caliber, you can shoot them very precisely (even under pressure), have lots of shots in reserve with a large capacity mag, and you don't have to worry about shooting through multiple walls (like with a .223/5.56). And the CX4 is great choice.

[Pawpaw]

I wish I knew how to find some ballistic performance results for my carbine.

I recently got in on .30CalSolutions's group buy on SD ammo. I got some Speer Gold Dot 9mm 115gr +P+ to use in putting down coyotes. There is a distinct difference in the way they shoot, compared to 115gr FMJ.

The GD are quite "snappy" and have a noticeable difference on impact. In fact, I may have to put some moleskin on my stock because it keeps stinging my cheek. FMJ rounds don't do that.

All I know for sure is that I don't want to be on the business end of that carbine. BTW, my Hi-Point carbine handles +P+ just fine. It may be cheaply constructed, but it's amazingly well built.

I just wish I could improve the trigger.