VIRTUES OF THE PISTOL-CALIBER CARBINE

The first thing most Americans think of when asked about defensive firearms is the handgun. Which makes sense. Some are concerned about the need to defend themselves while out in public, others only while at home, and more than a few are concerned about both. No question about it, if I can only have one firearm it is going to be a handgun because I obviously can’t carry a long gun around in public without running into legal and social roadblocks. However, I definitely want to have a long gun at home for scenarios in which possessing a handgun only may put me at a serious disadvantage. Natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and Helene are often followed by roaming groups of looters as well as others taking advantage of the opportunity to commit criminal acts unimpeded. The very presence of a semi-automatic carbine like an AR-15 or even an AR-9 pistol-caliber carbine has likely a significantly greater chance of de-motivating a small group of criminals than a handgun. The same is also true of civil unrest (please consider reading MINNEHAHA BURNING by Firearms Trainers Association member Mike Treat).

Other reasons that my AR-15 is residing in the gun safe while my Aero Precision AR-9 is on night-watch duty include the following:

• Even though an AR-15, AR-10, or an AK-47 has greater range and terminal ballistics than a 9mm pistol-caliber carbine the distances that an encounter is likely to take place is largely dictated by the criminal offender(s) and in most instances is at relatively short distances well within the useful range of pistol-caliber carbines.
• The pistol-caliber carbine is much easier to shoot accurately than a handgun and, with modern day ammunition such as the CCI Gold Dot, Federal HST, and Hornaday Critical Duty, a very capable defensive weapon in the hands of an armed homeowner who knows how to shoot it and keep it up and running.
• The muzzle blast and report of an AR-15 or similar intermediate or high-power rifle inside of a house in response to a home invasion is something that needs to be taken into consideration. I have been in a shoot-house in which I fired a single round from my AR-15 with my ear protection partially dislodged. It is one of the main reasons that I am a Miracle Ear hearing aid client today. I am not saying the report from a pistol-caliber carbine will not damage the shooter’s hearing, but I do think that damage should be less. And the same is true for any of my family members that might be present around me.
• A properly set-up pistol-caliber carbine is fun to shoot, and as such other family members who are not necessarily firearms enthusiasts often find shooting them to be enjoyable, most especially on reactive steel targets. Armed homeowners willing to train under Firearms Trainers Association members should be encouraged to bring their adult and older teen-age family members to a class even it requires a 50% discount to make it happen. Such training may pay major dividends someday if one of our students is not home when a criminal offender decides to break into the residence and threaten their family members. While I hope the day never comes when my home is set upon and I have to worry about more than one point of ingress, knowing that I can hand my wife a pistol-caliber carbine that she knows how to use and direct her to cover my six not only makes a home invasion less likely to succeed but also empowers her at a time in which her stress level is likely peaking.
• I can shoot my pistol-caliber carbine at almost any indoor range at which I can shoot my pistol. The reason for this is a number of indoor ranges ban the use of intermediate and high-power rifles because of the potential for damage to the range. Some outdoor ranges also ban them because of the distances errant rifle rounds can travel.
• As I write this, one round of PMC full metal jacket 115-grain training ammunition is about $0.30 per round, and one round of PMC full metal jacket 55-grain training ammunition is about $0.50 per round. That means that I can shoot 60 rounds of 9mm ammunition for the about the same cost as 40 rounds of 5.56mm or .223 ammunition. I don’t think of this as an incentive to shoot more, but as a means of getting more out of a training session in which I shoot meaningful drills designed to make me a better shooter.

In summary, it might make good sense for firearms trainers to be aware of the virtues (and shortcomings as well) of the pistol-caliber carbine even though it is not a fit for their business model. There may come a time when a student, family member, or friend asks us for our opinion as to what might be the best firearm to address a specific need when that firearm may not be a handgun.

This article is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice. This information represents the experience of leading firearms and self-defense instructors and is designed to help armed defenders and concealed carriers make smarter, more well-informed use of force decisions. Every self-defense scenario is unique, and each defender is responsible for their own decisions.