what is a carbine?

[kanata67]

I've been curious about tis for a while... what exactly makes a carbine different from a rifle? I always thought a carbine was a rifle that fired pistol ammo... like the hi-point 9mm for instance, or a thompson. Then I picked up a walther p22 which fires rifle bullets but is a pistol. I've heard people refer to ar's here as both rifles and carbines even though the ammo is the same 223.

[VBshooter]

The "short" answer is a carbine is a shorter version of a longer rifle... AR15 rifle =20" barrel, M4 = same basic weapon except a 16" barrel.
Lighter weight and length being 2 of the considerations for a carbine making it easier to carry and more manuverable in tighter places.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbine

[davasmith]

+1 on the head!

[kanata67]

so any rifle can become a carbine with the use of a hack saw?

[Diomed]

so any rifle can become a carbine with the use of a hack saw?

I guess you could look at it that way. Though the result may not shoot straight, or even work.

The term doesn't mean what it meant a century ago, or two centuries ago.

[Afrikaner82]

I carbine is a shortened weapon that is supposed to be used as an intermediate weapon between a pistol and rifle.

More power full than a pistol, with longer range but not as powerful as a rifle and with less range than rifle.

It could be chambered in pistol or rifle ammo.

[dorminWS]

so any rifle can become a carbine with the use of a hack saw?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Most likely it would just become a f***ed up rifle.

[Drewsifer]

The "short" answer is a carbine is a shorter version of a longer rifle... AR15 rifle =20" barrel, M4 = same basic weapon except a 16" barrel.
Lighter weight and length being 2 of the considerations for a carbine making it easier to carry and more manuverable in tighter places.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbine

Not to be pedantic, but a true M4 has a 14.5" barrel. Civilian M4gerys have a 16". But I agree with everything else!

[gunderwood]

It could be chambered in pistol or rifle ammo.

It's interesting trying to say what is a rifle cartridge and what is a pistol cartridge in many cases. You could say that which it is most commonly chambered is correct, but the reality is that we cross chamber lots of things. It only matters because of stupid legislators trying to ban or restrict certain ammo sales.