How Effective are Pistol Caliber Carbines? (article)

In my case, the appeal of a handgun-calibered levergun is to use the same ammunition as the gun on my belt in the wilds, not to replace a regular hunting rifle.
One load, one carry type, one cartridge belt, etc.

A good buddy used a .357 Mag Marlin as his deer gun, was quite happy with the weight & power in brushy terrain.

I'm seriously exploring the Beretta 9mm carbine as a very compact close-in car & travel option.

There are times & places for these carbines, WITH the right bullet AND the right application.

The .44 Mag Marlin can improve ballistic performance significantly with the same load I carry in a .44 Mag revolver on the ATV, for instance, and extend its practical range if needed.

The .357 Mag Marlin can boost handgun velocities by 500 FPS without breaking a sweat.
Denis
 
Pistol caliber carbine is a good idea that keeps getting better.

Very polite... hunting weapon of choice around the dairy farm where my short barreled .308 would be bad manners, ditto for defense scenarios where you don't want to fire the shot heard around the world.... more usable range than a hand cannon... kiddie level recoil.... easy to grow back into as you get older and the weight of your "real rifle" just spoils a nice walk in the woods.... fun to play with at the range while waiting for your real rifle to cool down.... and more trigger time at the range makes YOU more effective... try it you'll like it...
 
As a critique of your article, the only real error I see is that while you praised the Rem 180gr .357 and mentioned its penetration, you failed to state the velocity, which you did for the other loads you mention.

Saying that the 180 velocity was impressive is fine, but if you list velocities for other loads, and not that one, one has to wonder, why not?

Pistol caliber carbines are a very good choice for a number of things. I gave my Father-in-law a Marlin .357 Mag carbine, and he loved it. He wasn't a gun person, but he loved that little carbine, because it gave him a .357 he could carry in his camper, all over, without the legal hassles of a handgun in many jurisdictions.

I do wonder why, when ever anyone mentions "pistol caliber carbines" they never include .22LR in that group.
 
1522 FPS 5-shot average 15 feet from the muzzle on that 180 Rem load through the Marlin. :)
Filled in the hole.
Denis
 
As a guy who owns a S&W 4" 66 and a Marlin 1894c (plus a single shot reamed to .357 Maximum), I found the article interesting, and I may have to look into those 180gr. hollow points.

I agree that a .357 carbine isn't really ideal for any purpose (except cowboy action shooting). With hot .357 loads, it can serve as a short range deer rifle. With mild loads, it can take small game without blowing it up. And, in the right hands, it could certainly be effective for home defense.

My main use for mine though is just recreational plinking. I can reload cast lead bullets for not much more than the cost of CCI 22lr mini-mags, and the 158gr. bullets knock things around a bit more than 36-40gr .22 ammo.
 
Wasn't the 22lr originally for...rifles?
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Its all how you look at it, I suppose. One doesn't hear people say "rifle caliber pistols" when they talk of .22s or the .32-20, .38-40, or .44-40, all originally designed for rifles, and then (often shortly after) adapted to handguns by Colt and S&W.

Pistol caliber carbines fall mostly into one of two categories. Classic lever guns, and semi autos (classic and modern).

You get the greatest practical utility from the lever guns, due to their calibers generally benefitting more from carbine length barrels (.357 & .44, etc)

The smaller (shorter) rounds for auto pistols do always get something from a carbine length barrel, although sometimes its less than you expect. The extra velocity, even if just a little, and the improved ability to aim a carbine extends the useful range of those rounds too.


This is one of my pistol caliber carbines. It's not really practical, but it is fun, and impressive! And, I can hit the 200yd gong with it, too! :D
 
pistol calibers

i know for a fact a 45 acp in a 16 in. barrel will destroy cinder blocks and the same round from a 4 in. barrel will bounce off. made that mistake on my block wall.
 
It would be interesting so see how much of an effect powder choice changes this with handloads.

I suspect a upper end load with a slower powder, like say Longshot would benefit more from a longer barrel than a fast powder like Bullseye.
 
As a critique of your article, the only real error I see is that while you praised the Rem 180gr .357 and mentioned its penetration, you failed to state the velocity, which you did for the other loads you mention
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Good point. Thank you.
 
Well, I have chronographed the 45 Colt with various handloads from two barrel lengths: 4-3/4" Vaquero and 24" Marlin. I didn't have a carbine to test, but this will give you a general idea of what to expect.
Using 255 grain cast bullets with fast burning powders like Red Dot or Titegroup, I only gained about 100 fps in the rifle. Midrange powders likeHS-7 would gain around 200 fps. The slow burners like IMR 4227 would gain a solid 300 fps or so.
 
There's single shots, double barrels, levers, bolts, semi auto, and even pump guns. Can't forget revolving too. I'd really like a pump action but a cheap one is insanely priced. The Rossi Circuit Judge is an overlooked gun I think. It's a great range toy and a good close range deer hunter. The Savage 24 could come with an upper .357 barrel. H&R made semi and full auto .45 ACP rifles.
 
pistol caliber carbines

I have several in (1 in 357, 2 in 45Colt, and 3 in 44 Mag) I love the concept, to me it makes sence. And of course I have pistols in the same calibers.

I notice a definate increase in velosities in all calibers and I prefer the 44 mag
in a carbine over the 30-30 in brush as well a ranges under 125 yds.

I find them accurate, reliable, and versital. I wish Ruger or someone would come out with a after-market magazine that would hold 10 rounds of 44 mag for the Ruger Deerfield.

The 357 mag carbines are great for eliminating large varmits (raccoons, cyotes, bobcats and ferral dogs) very effective.

pistol caliber carbines are effective and versital, accurate, and reliable and capable of taking deer out to 125 yards or so.

a very good concept

J.Budd
 
My Ruger Carbine with a full-house load of 25 grains of H110 pushing a 240gr bullet chronographs at 1820 fps, that's 1765 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. About 30 cents a round with reloads, and you can reload a straight-walled pistol case a lot of times.

Don't usually go that hot though, but even 24 grains gets me 1720 fps and 1576 ft-lbs.

But in a home defense situation I think my ears would hurt almost as much as the BG. :p
 
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