Marlin Camp v. Beretta CX4

[MMcfpd]

Another pistol-caliber carbine question here that I didn’t catch in a search.

Fairly new to shooting, I’ve acquired a couple of pistols since I moved into a “frontier” neighborhood a year ago. They are both .45s (Kimber 1911 and Springfield XD45) and I’ve been thinking about getting a companion carbine.

That would be a semi-auto .45 ACP carbine, and I’ve learned of the following: Marlin Camp Carbine, HK USC .45 ACP Carbine, Thompson SMG, Reising Model 60 SMG, Beretta Cx4 Storm Carbine, Featherusa RAV-45 and a Mech Tech conversion kit.

Of those, the Marlin seemed to be the best combination of utility, reported owner satisfaction and cost. So, I’ve been shopping around the last several weeks, and I’ve noticed that, while 9mm Camp Carbines are abundant and relatively cheap (+/-$300), the .45s are much less readily available and their asked for price range is overlapping that of the Beretta CX4 Storm.

Given almost equal pricing for the two, which would you choose between the Marlin and the Beretta?

Also, are there any other semi-auto .45 ACP carbine alternatives I’ve missed?

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Welcome to THR.

I have a Camp 45 and I've shot a friend's CX-4 in 9mm. I much prefer the Marlin. The CX-4's trigger was absolutely terrible. The CX-4's primary advantage IMO is that as a current production gun, spare parts will be easier to obtain if needed.

There have been several good threads here on THR about the Marlin Camp Carbines. Do a search and you'll turn up a lot of info.

 

[Starter52]

I have a Marlin Camp Carbine in .45 ACP and it's a fun gun to shoot. It set me back $500 LNIB last winter. Good sights and a comfortable wood stock. Reliability is 100% and accuracy is fine.

I also have a Beretta Storm in 9mm. I found the stock to be too short and had to add an extra spacer. I also added a red dot sight. The trigger pull was terrible at first, but after hundreds of rounds is now just "mushy". 100% reliable with all types of 9mm ammo. The boys love it. They shoot up 3-4 boxes of 9x19 every time we take it to the range.

If I had to choose just one, I'd choose the Marlin.

 

[X-Rap]

What if any pistol mag is interchangeable with the 9mm Marlin? My dad just bought one and is looking for spares.

 

[rbernie]

The Marlin's plastic trigger guard won't survive a hard fall. It's fun at the range, but it is NOT a robust platform in general. The Beretta looks to be far more robust, if you have a hankering to carry it afield.

The nice thing about the Marlin 45ACP is that it uses 1911 pattern magazines. The downside to that is that the single stack mags are limited in useable capacity to about 10 rounds.

What if any pistol mag is interchangeable with the 9mm Marlin? My dad just bought one and is looking for spares.

I seem to recall that the Marlin 9mm used S&W 59 magazines..

 

[swingset]

Beretta all the way.

Lighter, handier, more adaptable.

And, that horrible trigger is quite easy to fix.

 

[NateG]

rbernie, you're correct. It's the S&W 59 series (5900, etc.) magazines that work. It's a great gun. The Beretta's not bad by any stretch of the imagination, either, though I've only gotten to shoot a magazine or two through it. The only problem I've had is if you shoot offhand with your left hand (I'm righthanded) under the magazine, it leads to some funky jams. So, I don't do that, and there's no problem.

 

[one-shot-one]

$0.02

never had a camp carb but marlin makes great guns.
when i started lookingat 45 carbines, i looked at the marlin the mectech conv., and beretta
went with the beretta and do not regret it. i put a eotech site on it and like it.
p.s. before they start ignore those that will be here shortly to tell you not to own a pistol caliber carb.

 

[MMcfpd]

Thanks for the input. After looking around this board a bit, I wasn't expecting a unanimous response.

Perusing what's been posted about the Beretta reveals many gripes about the squishy trigger. swingset posted that there is any easy fix for that - what might that be?

 

[swingset]

Trigger job. The Storm is kind of a crappy factory trigger but improves with use. With some very simple file and polish work it's quite a decent trigger.

Tactical Excellence does trigger jobs on the Storm if you're not handy with hand tools, tho.

I recall the Camp-9 I shot had a rough trigger too, but otherwise was a nice gun. I simply prefer the lighter, more easy to customize Beretta.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

I Have Both

I have the Marlin Camp 9 and the CX4 9mm.

Unhappily, with the never-ending-remodel-from-hell I haven't had enough range time to test them both.

The Marlin is the one I've put some miles on.

This one came equipped with "ballistic intuition" and just knows what I'm trying to hit.

If the bleedin' weather clears a bit, I have a date to get some decent miles on the CX4 as well.

I'll tell you, though, that if I run into another Camp 9 at the price I paid for mine, I won't even hesitate.

Marlin, if you have anyone monitoring this board, bring back the Camp Carbine series of rifles. Please?

 

[Navy_Guns]

My brother has a CX4 in .40 S&W - it's (mostly) fun to shoot but the joint in the butt stock between the hard and soft plastic panels always grabs our facial hair and pulls some out. Ouch!

I get a kick out of seeing them carry the CX4 on Battlestar Galactica on the Sci-Fi network...