Carbine

A carbine is a type of long gun with a shorter barrel than a regular rifle. This makes it lighter and easier to carry, which is useful in many situations. Most modern carbines are smaller versions of longer rifles or are made to use less powerful cartridges.

Because they are smaller, carbines are often used by soldiers who need to move quickly, such as special operations soldiers and paratroopers. They are also used by soldiers who ride horses, work with artillery, or have jobs that don’t need a full-sized rifle. Today, more front-line soldiers are using carbines because the extra gear they carry is very heavy.

One well-known example is the M4 carbine, which is the standard carbine used by the United States Armed Forces. Its shorter barrel and lighter weight make it a practical choice for many different roles in the military.

Etymology

The word "carbine" comes from the first people who used these guns — cavalry soldiers called "carabiniers". The term started from the French word carabine. We do not know exactly where this word came from. Some ideas suggest it might be linked to an old war tool, while others think it may relate to an old Latin word. There is also a less likely idea that it could come from a word for a gravedigger, which is connected to the scarab beetle.

History

Carbine arquebus and musket

Carabines were made for people on horses. In the 1500s, soldiers started using guns, so horse soldiers wanted guns too. But it was hard to reload guns while riding. Some horse soldiers used short guns called carbines, but they were still hard to use on horses. Soldiers who got off their horses often used regular guns, but sometimes they liked shorter guns that were easier to carry.

Carabines were smaller and lighter than regular guns, but they weren’t as accurate or powerful. During wars like the Napoleonic Wars, soldiers on horses with carbines mostly switched to using swords or became foot soldiers. Carbines were useful for support troops or artillery workers who needed a gun but didn’t want to carry a big one all the time.

Carbine rifle

When newer guns replaced old-style guns in the mid-1800s, shorter versions called carbines were made too. These were often different from regular rifles and sometimes used different bullets, which caused problems.

A famous carbine from the American Civil War was the Spencer carbine. It was one of the first guns that could fire many times without reloading. It had a tube on the back that held extra bullets.

In the late 1800s, many countries made shorter versions of their long rifles. A well-known example is the Winchester carbine, which was popular with cowboys and explorers in the American West because it used the same bullets as a revolver.

The Lee–Enfield cavalry carbine, a shorter version of the British Army’s regular rifle, was introduced in 1896 but didn’t become the main gun for horse soldiers until 1903.

World Wars

In late 1918, France made a special short gun called the Chauchat-Ribeyrolles for people in tanks. It had a short barrel and a pistol-like grip.

After World War I, many armies started using shorter rifles instead of long ones because long rifles were hard to carry in trenches and didn’t help much. Examples include the Russian Model 1891 rifle, which was shortened several times, and the German Gewehr 98 rifle, which became the Kar98k carbine.

During World War II, the U.S. made the M1 carbine, which was much shorter and lighter than the M1 Garand rifle. It was meant for troops who didn’t need a big rifle but needed something stronger than a pistol. The M1 carbine was a different design and used smaller bullets, not the same as the M1 Garand.

The United Kingdom made a “jungle carbine” version of their Lee–Enfield rifle during World War II. It had a shorter barrel and was made to be lighter. It was used after the war in places like the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Post World War II

After World War II, shorter guns became more useful because soldiers often fought in tight spaces like cities and forests. Most fights happened at short distances, so soldiers didn’t need very powerful rifles. Shorter guns were easier to carry, lighter, and could fire more shots quickly.

Germany created a new type of gun called the Sturmgewehr 44, which was the world’s first assault rifle. It used a smaller bullet and could fire many shots in a row. After the war, the Soviet Union made the AK-47, which became very popular around the world.

The United States later switched to the M16 rifle, which used an even smaller bullet. This made the rifle lighter and easier to carry. Many countries followed suit and started using similar guns.

In the 1970s, the Soviet Union introduced the AK-74, which used a tiny bullet. China also made new bullets to keep up with these changes.

Today, many soldiers carry lighter, shorter guns for fighting up close. Some soldiers still use longer guns for better accuracy, but most carry smaller weapons that are easier to handle in tight spaces and when moving in vehicles.

Modern history

Contemporary military forces

The Steyr AUG carbine has a shorter barrel than the regular Steyr AUG rifle. In 1994, the U.S. adopted the M4 carbine. It is a lighter and shorter version of the M16 rifle. It fires the same 5.56mm cartridge but is easier to carry.

Some armies are now giving more powerful rifles to certain soldiers, like marksmen. This is because the shorter barrel of a carbine can reduce the bullet's speed and effectiveness. To fix this, the U.S. Army adopted the M7 rifle in 2023. This rifle uses a more powerful cartridge that works well from both short and long barrels. The U.S. Marine Corps kept their longer M16A4 rifles for many years but later approved the M4 carbine for front-line Marines in 2015. Carbines are used by Marines who need more mobility, like vehicle operators or squad leaders.

Special forces

Special forces need weapons that are powerful and easy to carry during fast operations. While pistols are light, they don’t have enough power or range. Submachine guns can fire in different modes but aren’t accurate or powerful enough at longer distances. Carbines are popular with special forces because they are lightweight, hold many bullets, can fire in different modes, and have better range and penetration than submachine guns. This makes them ideal for the quick, decisive operations that special forces perform.

Usage

Carabines are smaller and lighter than regular rifles. This makes them easier to use in tight spaces, like in cities or inside vehicles. However, carbines are not as accurate as regular rifles over long distances and do not shoot as far.

Carabines can shoot farther than submachine guns and can go through helmets and body armor with special bullets. But submachine guns are used by special military and police teams for very close fighting because they are easier to control. Carbines are also easier to use because they use the same bullets as standard rifles or pistol s.

Today, carbines are usually lighter rifles with barrels up to 20 inches long. Rifles with barrels longer than 20 inches are not usually called carbines, unless they have a special name. Some rifles, like the AK series, have barrels shorter than 20 inches but are still called rifles because they were designed that way from the start. Modern carbines can use bullets from small pistol rounds to powerful rifle rounds, except for very strong high-velocity magnum cartridges.

Pistol-caliber carbines

The typical carbine is the pistol-caliber carbine. These first appeared when metallic cartridges became common. They were made to work with popular revolvers, using the same bullet but giving more speed and accuracy. These were used by cowboys, lawmen, and others in the Old West. A classic example is a Winchester lever-action carbine with a Colt Single Action Army revolver in .44-40 or .38–40.

During the 20th century, this idea continued with newer and stronger cartridges, like Winchester and Marlin lever action carbines chambered in .38 Special/.357 Magnum and .44 Special/.44 Magnum.

Today, examples include the Ruger PC carbine, which uses the same magazine as Ruger pistols of the same caliber. The Ruger Model 44 and Ruger Deerfield carbine are both carbines in .44 Magnum. The Beretta Cx4 Storm works with many Beretta pistols and matches the Beretta Px4 Storm. The Hi-Point 995TS is a popular and reliable choice in the United States, sharing magazines with the Hi-Point C-9 pistol. The Kel-Tec SUB-2000 can use magazines from Glock, Beretta, S&W, or SIG pistols and can fold in half.

The main benefit of a carbine over a pistol with the same ammunition is better control. Shooting from the shoulder, with a longer sight line and three points of contact, makes it easier to aim and shoot accurately. Many carbines can have optics, lights, and lasers attached to help see and hit targets.

The longer barrel can make the bullet go faster and farther because the gunpowder has more time to burn. However, some speed may be lost if the gunpowder burns before the bullet leaves the barrel. Because they are longer, pistol-caliber carbines may have fewer legal rules than handguns in some places. Compared to carbines with stronger rifle cartridges, pistol-caliber carbines do not get as much extra power from the longer barrel. The downside is that they lose the main good point of a handgun, which is their small size and easy carrying, making them almost as big as a long gun but not much stronger than a pistol.

Also made are semi-automatic versions of select-fire submachine guns, such as the FN PS90, HK USC, Spectre M4, KRISS Vector, Thompson carbine, CZ Scorpion S1 carbine, and the Uzi carbine. To be sold legally in many countries, the barrel must be a certain length (16 inches or 410 mm in the United States). So the original submachine gun gets a longer barrel and is made into a semi-automatic firearm, turning it into a carbine.

Legal issues

United States

In the United States, there are special rules for some guns. Under the National Firearms Act, a gun with a barrel shorter than 16 inches or an overall length shorter than 26 inches is called a short-barreled rifle. Owning one of these without registering it can lead to legal trouble.

Some guns, like older collector's items, are not covered by these rules. Changing a pistol to look more like a rifle can also change how it is classified under the law. It's important to know the rules to stay within the law when dealing with these types of guns.