What is the point of the 9mm carbine?

sometimes there is no "need".

Well; for number one Because you can...

Why have a 30-30 when you can get a 30-06... etc., etc.

Cheap ammo, may use same ammo as your pistol, and very controllable recoil. 9mm also gets quite a bit of velocity built up from the longer barrel.

You ever get a chance to play with an Uzi, and you may re-think that question !!

For a while, there was a school of thought in law enforcement circles that a department issued carbine that shared ammo and magazines with the dept issued pistol would be a good idea.

However, I dont understand the logic. I cant see any reason for it. Why not just use the pistol to begin with? If you're in a situation that requires the added range or power of a rifle, a 9mm carbine wont be adequate. If bad guys are wearing body armor, 9mm out of a carbine will not be any more effective than a 9mm pistol. You need a centerfire rifle caliber for that job.

heres what i have come up with: originally, they were designed to reduce (over)penetration of (relatively) primitive bullet technology. also they ease logistical burdens when you are already using a 9mm handguns, very low recoil, much improved terminal performance due to increased velocity when using appropriate ammo, and easier to shoot accuratly.

thats just a short list that came to me while i was reading. im sure there are a few more reasons.

in these days of frangible ammo, there isnt really anything that a 9mm can do that a 5.56 SBR couldnt do as well or better

In the last year I have changed my mind on the pistol caliber carbine, this is mostly due to the purchase of a couple sub 2000's.
I am this month forced to leave my handguns at home while I travel to NY. The Sub seems to be the perfect alternative with its compact package and although I can't have it loaded with me all the time it will be nice to have in the truck and motel compared to nothing. The interchangeability of the mags with a pistol is also a plus when in a permissive environment since I can certainly hit further with the carbine and while it doesn't replace the rifle it beats the handgun.

Check out the Kel-Tec Sub-2000 and think about it. Very compact, milk-jug accurate at 100 yards, and .357-like velocities from a 16" barrel. Not a rifle, but probably three times as efficient as a 9mm pistol out beyond 35 yards. A few of those in capable hands over at Mumbai (a fantasy, I know) would have been damned useful.

My M4gery is even better, but it doesn't fold in half and fit in a briefcase.

If you're in a situation that requires the added range or power of a rifle, a 9mm carbine wont be adequate.

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Power, probably. Range, not necessarily. Remember there is a difference between the effective distance of the cartridge and the practical effective distance of the shooter/weapon combination. As in, I can shoot a shoulder-fired ANYTHING a lot more accurately at long range than I can my pistol.

If bad guys are wearing body armor, 9mm out of a carbine will not be any more effective than a 9mm pistol. You need a centerfire rifle caliber for that job.

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I pretty much agree with this. Sure, headshots with a 9mm carbine are easier than headshots with a 9mm pistol, yadda yadda, but COM shots with a true rifle are easier than both of those, and probably more effective, too.

If you're looking at "combat effectiveness", the semi-auto pistol-caliber carbine fills a pretty small niche, mostly created by legalities and economics. However, not every gun exists for combat effectiveness. Some are just plain fun to shoot.

Mike

I want to buy one because they look cheap and fun to shoot, and I need a decent excuse.

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If that were the case every pistol would be a .40 glock

every bolt gun would be a 30-06

every semiauto would be an AR

and every shotgun would be a 12ga 870

excuses are for henpecked husbands and people with lots of credit card debt

I once asked the same question, and a friend of mine who is in the NAVY SEALS told me that 9 mm Carbine are designed for automatic fire in CQB situations, where combat rifles are meant to be used in a semi-auto mode. Full auto pistols are hard to control and have more wear on the frames than the carbines, and thus 9 mm carbines such as the Uzi and MP5s are designed to pump a lot of lead to an intended target without much recoil in short distances. Plus the added velocity and accuracy of a longer barreled weapon within 25 yards.

It's definitely a niche gun.

A suppressed, three-round burst, high capacity, compact 9mm carbine with a light and optic would make for one hell of a home defense rig.

I'm picking up my 9MM Masterpiece Arms Mac-11 clone carbine here in a week or two as soon as my X-Mas bonus arrives...

My reasons:
1) Shares Ammo with my pistol
2) Looks totally awesome
3) Perfect length for HD
4) Great for target shooting without super expensive ammo
5) Looks totally awesome
6) Cheaper than most other EBR's
7) Takes plenty of "tacticool" addons
8) Hearing my dad say "That's an assault rifle, why the @#$% would you need 30 round in one mag?" While keeping ammo cheap, gun price cheap, and still be an effective HD/Target gun.

The list could go on for a while...

But honestly, you really don't need a "reason"...

Thinking about buying one so the smaller in stature can have something more powerful than a .22,and not get the stuffing kicked out of them when they pull the trigger.
(my daughter)

The closest outdoor range to me is an hour away. The nearest indoor range is five minutes away, but only allows pistol calibers. A pistol caliber carbine fits a niche for those of us that are trapped in suburbia, but want a practice with a carbine.

I'm really wanting one of the Kel Tec 9mm Carbines. But if a Hi-Point comes along for the right price, it's mine.

If Keltec would make a 9mm carbine that takes CZ75 mags, I'd be all over that.

Some of the matches I shoot only allow pistol calibers. I can get practice time with a long gun that I can't do with a rifle.

Ammo (9mmP) that's 1/2 the price of 5.56 NATO is a bonus too.

That the Uzi looks evil isn't a consideration, really.

BSW

I've got an Olympic 9mm carbine that takes Glock mags. I love the thing.

I like the sub 2000 because it folds in half and can easily stowaway in a computer bag. None of my rifles can do that. 9mm carbines are fun plinkers that aren't too expensive to shoot and can match the mags (in some cases) and ammo of a side arm. I do agree for just about any other serious use i would rather have a rifle caliber weapon or shotgun.

One range near me has 100-yards as the longest range. Shooting targets on the backstop with a full scoped rifle gets, well, boring. Shooting them with a 9mm carbine is challenging again. Plus you can take it to the pistol range and have a blast.

How many ARs can fold up into a briefcase? Sub2K can do it!

suppressability

Cheap ammo, may use same ammo as your pistol, and very controllable recoil. 9mm also gets quite a bit of velocity built up from the longer barrel.

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And combined with the previous post, you can suppress it. And, as someone mentioned, you can even use the same magazines as a pistol that you might carry (the Olympic Arms 9mm carbine that uses Glock magazines, for example).

Shooting one of these at a range will make a quick convert out of a lot of people. Very easy to be much more accurate with a carbine than with a pistol. At least for your average shooter.