I have hunted pigs with pistols, so less power than a pistol caliber carbine. Close enough to the animal they die... at a distance analogous to self defense range, that is. Too far away, higher probability of missing.
Shoot one with a rifle caliber, they die quicker. And if they don’t die quickly after being shot with a rifle, they can’t get along very far with their eyeballs hanging out and large amounts of muscle gone.
Sorry to be so graphic, but that’s how it is.
On the flip side, if you fire a rifle caliber out of a shorter barrel inside of an enclosed space, you won’t be hearing much for a while and the room fills up with smoke. You must also consider flash and maneuverability.
Now fire a pistol cartridge out of a carbine, the smoke, flash and noise will be less than that of a handgun.
Some will write things about penetrating interior walls, I’ve got news... for the most part, they all penetrate normal interior construction.
How do I know this you say? I’ve tried it all out. I had a large shooting area for several years and I tried it all out. You can read on the Internet all day, but if you don’t test things out you will won’t fully know what the different configurations do.
My opinion: inside the house I’d want a pistol, or PCC. Outside of the house, I’d want a rifle caliber. I see outside self defense scenarios as rare, because I most likely would never have a rifle around when I need a gun.