Pistol Caliber Carbines? (.357 and 9mm)

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

perpster

Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2005
Messages
624
I have S&W revolvers and Glock semi-auto handguns in .38/.357 and 9mm calibers, respectively [I don't touch S&W semi-autos and Glock doesn't make revolvers].

I'm thinking of getting a Marlin 1894C (Winchester Model 94 Trails End??) to complement my S&W .38's and .357, and a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and/or other 9mm carbine to complement the Glock 9mm's.

Would be used for SHTF, suburban family/home defense, target and plinking.

Any thoughts on the pistol caliber carbine concept in general and these carbines in particular? One of my goals is to limit the different number of calibers of ammo to stock and to have ammo interoperability (to KISS). Thanks.

Perp
 
If there's anything close to a consensus on THR it's how great lever guns are in .357 and .44 magnum. The case volume of both lets you really stoke 'em up for rifles if you handload.

I've an 1894P Marlin (.44 mag) and love it. At or near the top of my list is another Marlin levergun in .357.
 
I've also heard that .357 is a great round in a carbine (I don't handload), but that 9mm sees very little extra performance in a longer tube.

I don't know if the 9mm camp guns are any better for the 9mm, but I like the fold-in-half stowability of the Kel-Tec 2000.
 
Another vote for a .357 levergun. My Marlin 1894C is a great little gun to shoot. Low recoil and deadly fast once you get the action loosened.
 
My 1894 in .357 is a great little carbine. The only thing I didn't like was the sights so I put on a XS ghost ring receiver sight with a .4" high post front sight (available from Brownells). Fast target acquisition and accurate.

For plinking / coyote I load a 125 JHP over 16.5 grains of 2400 with standard primers. I haven't cronoed it yet. A great shooter though.
 
i have keltec's, they are really super, i have the 40 glock version to complement my g22 and g23. if i were to start over i would probably get the same setup in nine instead of forty. the mags are MUCH cheaper, and you can get factory g18 mags to take advantage of the carbine, instead of the schearer mags and g22 mags.
pat
 
I'm all for the pistol caliber carbines. I have a 9mm AR and Ruger PC9. I love em both! They let you shoot at indoor ranges and 9mm makes for the cheapest centerfire ammo.
 
perpster said:
I have S&W revolvers and Glock semi-auto handguns in .38/.357 and 9mm calibers, respectively [I don't touch S&W semi-autos and Glock doesn't make revolvers].

I'm thinking of getting a Marlin 1894C (Winchester Model 94 Trails End??) to complement my S&W .38's and .357, and a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 and/or other 9mm carbine to complement the Glock 9mm's.

Would be used for SHTF, suburban family/home defense, target and plinking.

Any thoughts on the pistol caliber carbine concept in general and these carbines in particular? One of my goals is to limit the different number of calibers of ammo to stock and to have ammo interoperability (to KISS). Thanks.

Perp
Click to expand...

If you are big on interoperability you might want to consider a carbine that accepts your Glock magazines. The Kel-Tec Sub 2000 is one that comes to mind. I've never shot one, but being able to use the same magazine in your carbine and handgun is a big plus to my mind. One problem is because of the way it folds you are limited to using the iron sights, no aftermarket choices there. A quick look at prices shows it to be retailing in the $300-400 range.

I've heard good things about the Hi Point 995 carbine, the first one listed being the $199 retail price and the ability to mount an aftermarket sight. One major drawback to my mind it only takes Hi Point magazines, so you are limited to 10 rounds max, as I don't know of any aftermarket magazines for Hi Point.

In the .357/.38 realm I would suggest you look at the plethora of Model '92 lever-action rifle clones. I have a Puma Legacy '97 that I use for CAS, and it's a fine little rifle and affordable at $350. I mostly shoot .38 cowboy loads out of it, but it works with .357 also. It's a nice platform for the .357, but if you have to reload it will take alot longer than a magazine fed firearm. Of course it's a little less tactical looking, if that's a consideration.

Tex
 
Mags won't interchange w/ Glock, but he Beretta Storm is a dandy 9mm carbine. Mine takes M92 mags, and they are relatively cheap. I'd recommend the Marlin 1894 before of the Win 94, mainly because the M94 is a long action, relatively speaking, designed for .30-30 length cartridges. My belief is that the 94 is less reliable in pistol calibers.
 
I'm a gun junky and I particularly like pistol and revolver caliber carbines. I look on them as "augmented handguns", that is, they will do whatever your handgun will do but with more authority and ease of use. Perhaps more importantly, they are great fun to shoot.

I have a Marlin 1894 in 38/357 and another in 44spl/mag. Both are great guns and compliment my revolvers. You can buy or handload 357 rounds that are suitable for white tail out to about a hundred yards, if you provide good shot placement. The 44 can be loaded to hunt deer and black bear to a hundred yards easily. Both guns are liight and quick handling and you will love them.

I have a Keltec sub2k, a Marlin camp carbine and a HiPoint 995 in 9mm and a Marlin Camp carbine in 45acp. I love them all. The Marlins have been out of production for a while so I tend to baby them but the KT and the HiPoint are suitable for rough and tumble use. They are great plinkers, small game hunters, close in varminters and personal/house defense guns and are usable out to a hundred yards, more with +P. They will both handle +P+ ammo, FWIW. The Hipoint is accurate, the Keltec is Very accurate. Both are accessorizable. The KT is mag compatible with my P11 pistol and I have lots of hicap mags. The KT is perfect for a car trunk travel gun because it folds and will fit in my smallest briefcase.

Keltec and Ruger also make 40S&W carbines if you prefer that caliber.

Start with a 9mm and the 38/357 Marlin. But be warned, they are addictive.

Bill
 
Interoperability is one of the KISS keys in my view, so I think I'll go with the Kel-Tec 2000--interchangeable mags and ammo (sorry Bill & Stilleto, but this rules out +P+ ammo since it'll kaboom a Glock) and the Marlin 1894C.

I have never used optics and am pretty new to rifles, but I'd rather be proficient with iron sights and not reliant on breakable glass or dieable batteries. This is not meant to be snobby. It's just that I believe in entropy and want to train the way I'll be using if/when the time comes.

While neither 9mm or .38 special is a great manstopper or hunting round, I use both in +P and they can both stop an attack and in a pinch could put a bit of food on the table.

The way I see it, ammo for both 9mm & .38 is cheap and plentiful, and .357 is a great round to train with occasionally and have available for the most serious situations. Even though it is about as expensive as .308 or .30-06 rounds it is extremely versatile and be used in either the revolver or lever rifle. That makes it a solid close-in and intermediate distance round.

Are there any ammo limitations when stoking the leverguns? I see that there's a new ammo out designed for leverguns, but it's not available in .357. Are there ammo limitations I should be aware of with the leverguns?

In keeping with interoperability, I'd only want to use .357 rounds that could go in the revolver and the levergun--nothing to think about or go wrong when "under the gun" so to speak!

Thanks again to all.
 
Fox: I may be wrong but I recall when I surfed some cheap ammo places recently (cheaperthandirt; natchez) .357 ammo was around $0.22 per round, and 30.06 about $0.26 per round, give or take a few cents, for non-match grade stuff.

I've been a .38 and 9mm pistol shooter until recently, and was unpleasantly surprised at the cost of .357 rounds!

Perp
 
I have to correct myself--Aim Surplus has S&B .357 FMJ for $8.95 for box of 50, and $9.95 for box of 50 JHP from Aguila.

Both are new, not surplus or once-fired. I've never heard of Aguila ammo.
 
If you are big on interoperability you might want to consider a carbine that accepts your Glock magazines.
Click to expand...

Some Olympic style 9mm ARs will take Glock Magazines. Magazine interchangeability with an AR...what more could you ask for???
 
perpster said:
The way I see it, ammo for both 9mm & .38 is cheap and plentiful, and .357 is a great round to train with occasionally and have available for the most serious situations...

Are there any ammo limitations when stoking the leverguns? I see that there's a new ammo out designed for leverguns, but it's not available in .357. Are there ammo limitations I should be aware of with the leverguns?

In keeping with interoperability, I'd only want to use .357 rounds that could go in the revolver and the levergun--nothing to think about or go wrong when "under the gun" so to speak!

Thanks again to all.
Click to expand...

For the first thing, .38 is very cheap and good to practice with.

Hornady's LEVERevolution ammo is only available for rifle calibers, not pistol calibers. It's intented to give rifle rounds additional range, accuracy and punch by adding a polymer tip to the end of a hollowpointed round. This is a workaround for the old problem of having pointed bullets setting off centerfire primers in a tubular magazine that has made the use of spitzer-type bullets impossible in a tube magazine gun. These newer rounds are said to increase the range of the rifle rounds by as much as 50%.

For your stated applications, using a handgun round at shorter ranges, you'll want to go with a more conventional hollow-pointed round. That is if it will reliably feed in your carbine. If you want to be able to reach out past 100 yards then you might want to reconsider your choice of a pistol caliber carbine.

Tex
 
perpster said:
sorry Bill & Stilleto, but this rules out +P+ ammo since it'll kaboom a Glock)
Click to expand...

Not to condone this, but I have heard of lots of Hirtnberger (sp?) (its a +p+ round made for subguns I believe) being put through Glocks with no problem. Kabooms in Glock 9mms are pretty rare as the 9mm Glocks have quite a bit more case head support over the .40s.
 
The beauty of the .357/.38 rounds is that they're easy to load for. Reloading is very cost effective and comes out to about eight cents a round. I started reloading those calibers to keep my 1894C and S&W fed. My 1894C is a perfect companion to my S&W 520 and the both of them are two of my favorite firearms. Here's a pic:neener: .
c2942fcf.gif

Flip.

P.S. I also have a G19 and couldn't immagine trading my 1894C for a 9mm carbine.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
  • Locked
Pistol Caliber Carbines? (.357 and 9mm)
2 3
Replies
65
Views
8K
Glockman17366
G
.455_Hunter
  • Locked
What would you pay for an almost NIB Marlin Camp Carbine in 9mm?
Replies
8
Views
590
.455_Hunter
.455_Hunter
S
  • Locked
Still want a rifle/handgun combo
Replies
16
Views
874
451 Detonics
4
cluttonfred
  • Locked
Would you buy a conventional 9mm carbine?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
Packman
P
F
  • Locked
Pistol caliber carbines
2
Replies
30
Views
3K
nipprdog
nipprdog
Back
Top