In Part 1, I covered some basic firearm concepts and the venerable .22 Long Rifle cartridge. Here, I plan to cover the pistol-caliber carbine more broadly.
Often abbreviated to PCC, this class of rifles is chambered to fire pistol cartridges, as the name suggests. Compared to pistols, they offer the advantage of a more stable platform, a longer barrel generating a higher bullet velocity, and a longer sight radius for iron sights. All of this contributes to greater potential accuracy. For more information on the more common rounds, see my posts about revolvers and semi-automatics.
Why consider a PCC?
The primary advantage to a pistol-caliber carbine is ammunition commonality with a sidearm. To the best of my knowledge, the original (or at least first successful) pistol-caliber carbines went the other way around. Technically, the .44 Henry Rimfire was first used in the Henry rifle before the development of compatible revolvers like the Smith & Wesson Model 3. Does that mean revolvers are actually carbine-caliber handguns? Regardless, military scouts and civilian pioneers alike immediately saw the benefit of consolidating logistics with shared ammunition and rapid-fire repeating arms in an era of single-shot rifles and muzzle-loading muskets.
Modern revolvers and lever-action or pump-action rifles still make a superb pairing today. .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum rifles are quite capable for hunting deer-sized game at moderate range and are no slouch for self-defense. The .22 Long Rifle is purported to be the preferred round of poachers who want to make minimal noise, too.
Many semi-automatic PCCs pair with popular semi-automatic pistols. The Beretta Cx4 Storm can share magazines with their Model 92FS, for example, and many carbines are designed to be compatible with Glock magazines.
The Marlin Camp Carbine used the same magazine as the Colt M1911 service pistol.
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Civilian ownership of submachine guns is also difficult even in the US, so semi-automatic-only versions of such firearms are popular as well. There are compromises, though. These typically have proprietary magazines and may not have the best triggers since they are adapted from designs intended for automatic fire.
Finally, the lower recoil from pistol rounds is easier for novices to manage compared to even the intermediate cartridges used by military assault rifles and modern civilian sporting rifles.
Selected models
Conversion kits allow an AR15 to fire pistol calibers like 9mm with a new upper receiver, bolt, and either new magazines or a magazine well adapter for pistol magazines. Conversion to .22LR can even be achieved with just a new bolt and magazine to make practice less expensive.
An extreme budget option is the Hi-Point 995. Ergonomics are abysmal. The simple blowback mechanism results in a heavy rifle. The trigger makes a Glock feel like a competition 1911 in comparison. However, I have put a few dozen rounds through one, and it is surprisingly accurate. It can also share its magazine with the Hi-Point C9 pistol, although I believe the reverse is not possible due to differing grip lengths. The mags also seem susceptible to damaged feed lips which can ruin reliability. In short, Hi-Point is cheap crap... but it works in all the ways that really matter.
Another budget option which may benefit backpackers is the KelTec Sub2000. It folds into a compact package, and models are available that accept Glock magazines, or with adapters for a variety of magazines from other popular manufacturers. I have not fired one, and KelTec has a reputation for brilliant ideas that are not always executed well. This seems to be one of their better-received products, but I would need some range time and more research before I could personally recommend this model.
Marlin, Henry, and Winchester all make excellent lever-action rifles in various revolver calibers. Reproductions are also available from Italian companies like Uberti and Chiappa for historical reenactment and hunting alike. Marlin has an advantage if you intend to mount optics due to its side-eject mechanism. All of these benefit from a similar slender profile and are very comfortable to shoot.
While less common, pump-action carbines are also available. I once had a chance to fire one in .44 Magnum, but it was long ago, and I can't recall the make or model. It's a simple mechanism with little to go wrong, though. I wouldn't steer anyone away if they like that style.
Revolving carbines are extremely uncommon, but some did exist historically, and the Rossi Circuit Judge (pictured below) is one example in current production. In a rifle, a cylinder is a bulky chunk of metal offering relatively low capacity compared to an under-barrel tube magazine and that cylinder gap is uncomfortably close to your support arm. This model specifically does compensate a bit by firing both .45 Colt cartridges and .410 shotshells. I wouldn't recommend it personally, but your mileage may vary.
Is a PCC right for you?
This post only scratches the surface of the models available, and only you can determine which long guns best fit your needs. Everything is a tradeoff.
In general, a PCC is adequate for medium game or personal defense out to 100 yards, give or take, depending on your skill. I'm sure there are people who can ring a coffee can with every shot much further out than that, and pistol rounds can be lethal at surprising distances, but remember, these are lobbing a relatively slow, not-especially-aerodynamic projectiles. Just remember that long-range shooting benefits from faster bullets with aerodynamic shapes and high cross-sectional density. This means larger cases and bulkier actions, resulting in heavier ammunition, so this tradeoff may be worthwhile to you.
For a survival situation, a PCC can offer a relatively compact rifle and relatively light ammunition with decent performance within its effective range. If paired with a sidearm, it has the benefit of simpler ammunition logistics, but the handicap of being tied to that one option. If you standardized on 9mm, and it is suddenly unavailable, you're simply out of luck, whereas other rifle or shotgun ammunition may be available.
