In Case You Forgot Why We Love The Carbine

[rcathey]

Price probably has a lot to do with it. These days a cheap AR is only $400. I see even commercial carbines going for $500 or so at auction.

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[imarangemaster]

Price probably has a lot to do with it. These days a cheap AR is only $400. I see even commercial carbines going for $500 or so at auction.

That is a very good point. Even in Commiefornia where ARs are evil, there is a proliferation of inexpensive "featureless" ARs and fixed mag types. When I was a cop in the 80s, I carried either an M1 Carbine or a Mini-14 as trunk weapon. AR15s were much more expensive, and seldom seen. Even in the 90s, I continued with M1 Carbines and Mini-14s, as ARs were still rare. I got a Colt SP1 AR-15 Carbine in 1987, but did not like carrying it, because it was so expensive. If I got in an officer involved shooting with it, I didn't want to chance loosing the Colt. In 1990, when I registered it under the original AW registration, I knew I would not be able to get another one, so it stayed in the safe.

Now, especially in Commiefornia, M1 Carbines, being naturally "featureless," semi auto, magazine fed rifles, bring premium prices. $700 for a Universal is not uncommon.

[INLAND44]

All the pistol calibers are fine but with the small .30 Carbine you get magnum pistol power (or greater - 1990 FPS and 950 ft lbs) plus higher magazine capacity. I was going to try to make the AR but just didn't. You would use a 16" .300 BLK barrel, a .300BLK upper or a whole .300BLK rifle. An insert would have to be made for the chamber. The .223/.300BLK bolt would be used. The hard part would be creating a magazine. My idea was cutting the top off an AR mag and fitting a carbine mag inside it. It would be easier if you could do without the bolt hold-open. Anyway, there would be a few minor details like which buffer and spring to use, but I think the average hobbyist could pull this off.

[Bubba-7]

To be honest, I was getting a little bored of my .30 carbine. I was looking to "up grade" to a new AR piston gun. I was looking at the Sig 516 or 716. I read on the Sig forum, one guy with a 716 sent it back to the factory three times to get it to function 50 to 70 straight. So why pay $ 1,700 for a problem. Reading the Sig forum, the 516 was not much better.
They said the piston did keep the bolt carrier cleaner less cleaning but you had to clean the value at the piston. Why bother. I guess I am stuck with my old carbine.

[INLAND44]

I don't know about the SIGs but maybe you should get a Colt. I've never had any big problem with any AR including the ones I put together. Possibly a key to happiness with the AR platform is knowledge and experience in trouble-shooting them. Most problems are typical and have known solutions. Sometimes a little prep before shooting one for the first time like clean/lube and manually cycle it about 100 times can make a world of difference. It could be good to buy a known good one from somebody you know.

[floydthecat]

Some manufacturer actually made an “AR style” rifle chambered in 30-carbine I believe. I’d have to go dig that up I guess to prove it. AR’s are abundant just about everywhere at fire-sale prices. If one does not prefer a Colt, he can own a PSA for under $400. I have had very good luck with their 5.56 and 9mm carbines.

I found the info: Iver Johnson produced an AR prototype chambered in 30-carbine around 1984-1986. Olympic arms did so in 2004.

[browningautorifle]

Olympic made a few.

Some manufacturer actually made an “AR style” rifle chambered in 30-carbine I believe.

He told you right there...back some two or three decades I think. Just the uppers (?) and I think there was a magazine housing block used so you could use Carbine mags.

[Sunray]

"...110gr jacketed HP bullet..." With IMR4227 (using what just happens to be the current max load of it) that bullet will make a grapefruit sized hole in a ground hog. Wouldn't think twice about using it for deer(if our idiot government hadn't declared the Carbine to be evil, long ago.). Even though Speer markets it as a varmint bullet now. All that out of a 6 pound rifle that carries nicely for a guy using a map and/or a radio.

[imarangemaster]

About three years ago, we moved temporarily to a place in the mountains with few neighbors and Coyote problems ( and 150=200 yard shots). I switched from a carbine as my HD weapon to a Mini-14. This caused me to venture into the world of Minis. I added a Mini-30 to my Mini-14. I really like Minis, The Mini-14 is an M1 Carbine with a stiffy, and the Mini-30 is an M1 Carbine on Viagra. I load for both.

Last year I ended up selling my M1 Carbine, a white bag Inland with almost black parkerizing. Well, fast forward to now, in June we are moving back to our house that is closer to town, houses on half acres lots. My three times rebuilt shoulder wont tolerate shotguns, and the 5.56 and 7,62x39 of my Minis is too much for HD here (plus no coyote that need whacking). I decided to sell/trade the Mini-14 to fund acquiring another M1 Carbine. I have a 5.56 AR15 (Colt 6420 clone), so I don't need two 5.56. This will give me M1 Carbine, AR15, and Mini-30.

I have no doubt of the carbine's lethality at appropriate ranges. My dad fought with an M1 Carbine on Iwo Jima, and he came back in one piece. While he never talked of combat, he did say he loved the carbine and it never failed him, not even the night of the big Banzai charge. His brothers also used M1 carbines elsewhere in the Pacific. I carried a M1 Carbine as an LEO trunk weapon, and also used it to drop a 200 pond Blacktail deer at 97 yards with a single heart/lung shot.

I briefly had a Ruger PC9 carbine, but it was a range toy. It would not do anything that an M1 Carbine would do better as an HD weapon. The PC9 was a couple pounds heavier than an M1!

[TDH]

Mini 14 in .30 carbine

HighPoint carbine in .30 carbine

First one that builds it I buy it Ruger or High Point