LONG GUN SELECTION

The Defensive Role of the Long Gun

Limitations of the Handgun

• Handguns offer advantages such as concealability, portability and maneuverability due to their relatively small sizes. Due to their relatively small sizes, handguns can only handle relatively small, less powerful cartridges.
• Handguns are best viewed as compromises, giving up power in exchange for the convenience of a smaller package. When you are armed in the event of trouble, such a compromise probably makes sense. When you expect trouble, you are better advised to be armed with something which doesn't sacrifice too much power.

Limitations of the Long Gun

• The ability to chamber a larger cartridge is not the entire equation of the long gun's ballistic superiority over the handgun. The barrel has to be proportionally longer to gain the advantage of that larger cartridge, hence the term "long gun" for rifles and shotguns.
• In tight quarters, the length of the long gun may not only make it difficult to maneuver safely, it may also make you more vulnerable to a "gun grab." Additionally, the greater weight of the long gun may be a disadvantage for some users, particularly when faced with prolonged carry.
• In many cases, the greater ballistic power of the long gun may also increase the likelihood of the projectile(s) exiting your intended target and posing a threat to innocents who may be downrange, such as on the other side of an interior wall.

Advantages of Long Guns

• I have already alluded to the potential ballistic advantage of a long gun. Generally, as projectiles encounter living tissue, there is a disproportionate rise in the damage caused as the velocities exceed 1,200 fps. Shotguns generally offer initial velocities between 1,200 and 1,500 feet per second (fps), combined with a lot of lead. Rifles generally offer less lead at much higher velocities. Pistol-caliber carbines usually offer a modest gain in velocity over that in a pistol-length barrel.
• Long guns frequently offer ergonomic advantages as well. Most people can hold a shoulder-stocked firearm, which has an additional point of support at the shoulder, more steadily than they can hold a handgun. Because the added support of the long gun is usually the most crucial component of its practical accuracy, many people find no disadvantage when they switch the long gun to the shoulder of their non-dominant side, as that leaves the dominant hand supporting most of the gun's weight. Such a switch is particularly useful if you have to fire from the non-dominant side of cover.

Thoughts on Shotguns

• The use of a shotgun as a defensive firearm can be paradoxical. The paradoxes involve power versus recoil, pellet spread, penetration issues and the availability of different types of ammunition.
• Those who favor the shotgun typically list the ability to cause massive wounding with a single press of the trigger as its foremost attribute. For many potential users, that power comes at the cost of excessive recoil.
  • Because of its longstanding use in law enforcement, the 12-gauge shotgun is normally regarded as the standard for anti-personnel use. (Shotgun gauge is determined by the diameter of a ball formed by equally dividing a pound of lead into that number of balls. Thus, 12 gauge is roughly the diameter of a lead ball weighing one-twelfth of a pound.)
  • While ensuring that the stock is of the correct length and using proper technique will reduce the felt recoil, the 12-gauge shotgun may still be more than some users want to handle. Among the options to further reduce recoil are the use of a gas-operated autoloader, a mechanical recoil absorber or lower-recoil "tactical" loads. Note that the latter may not function reliably in a gas-operated shotgun.
  • Introduced by Mexico's Águila Ammunition but now offered by others, "minishells" - sometimes marketed as "shortyshells" or "shorty shotshells" - take recoil reduction one step further. These 1¾" 12-gauge shells are offered in both buckshot and slug (see below) loadings:
    • Águila's buckshot load packs four #1 pellets over seven #4 pellets (see below for diameters and weights). Challenger's Shortyshell packs 14 #4 pellets. Federal's offers one Shorty Shotshell packing 15 #4 pellets and another with six 00 pellets designed to split in half on impact. All but the Federal #4 load are reported to shoot noticeably wide patterns by ten yards, limiting their suitability for actual defensive use.
    • Águila's slug load packs a 5/8-ounce Foster slug. Challenger offers both 5/8-ounce and 3/4-ounce slugs and Federal's version packs a 1-ounce slug. (For comparison a 7/8-ounce slug is commonly used in the smaller 20-gauge loadings and the most common weight for Foster slugs in 12 gauge is 1 ounce.) The heavier the slug, the greater the recoil.
    These minishells will certainly fire in single-shot and double-barreled shotguns. They will not cycle autoloaders. Being an inch shorter than the most common shells, they may not even feed reliably in all pump-action shotguns. They may fill a niche for those who've already committed to the 12-gauge shotgun for defense of home but may occasionally need to hand off that gun to a smaller-statured family member or roommate, with the above caveats about the issues in autoloaders and pump guns.
    • Mossberg's 590S guns are designed to cycle 1¾", 2¾" and 3" shells.
    • OPSol Texas makes a Mini-Clip adapter to help these minishells cycle in the older Mossberg 500, 590 and Maverick 88 12-gauge pump shotguns but, once installed, the gun is limited to those shells.
    • Defender Tactical offers a conversion kit that allows the older Mossberg models to function like the newer 590S.
  • A more reliable option for those who prefer to use a shotgun is the 20 gauge. While not as widely available and with fewer choices, there is still acceptable anti-personnel ammunition - particularly slugs - made in that chambering. The .410-bore shotgun – the only common chambering that is not designated in the gauge system but would be 68 gauge if it were – is intended for use on very small game and is not recommended for defensive use. The 28 and 16 gauges are niche chamberings for sporting use, whose ammunition is not commonly available, particularly in appropriate loads for defensive use.
  • A great many people have been misled to believe that a shotgun does not require aiming because it throws such a wide pattern of shot. If this were true, it would more likely be more of a liability than an asset in an area populated by humans. What happens with all the pellets that fly past their intended target?
    • Generally, the column of buckshot leaving an unmodified shotgun with a barrel in the 18" to 20" range - normally sold for this sort of use - will stay together for a little past one yard, after which it tends to spread approximately one inch per yard. This means that most shotguns will have trouble keeping all the pellets of a standard nine-pellet 00 buckshot load on a stationary, police silhouette target, faced squarely, past 15 yards.
      • Partly because 20-gauge buckshot loads have not benefited from the same advances in technology as some of their 12-gauge counterparts, it's a wise assumption not to expect them to keep all their pellets on stationary, police silhouette target past ten yards - realistic for same-room distances in most homes but not beyond that.
    • Because a person threatening your physical well being is not likely to be of uniform thickness, immobile, or even facing you squarely, it is a wiser assumption that you probably can't restrict all your pellets to your intended human target past seven yards, especially under stress. It should also be obvious by this point that the shotgun requires aiming.
    • People who are serious about using a buckshot-loaded shotgun as a defensive weapon may want to consider the Vang Comp System barrel modification or the Wad Wizard Choke Tube System, along with tactical loads (see below), to minimize pellet spread.
    • Worth noting are Federal's Tactical Buckshot loads. Out to about ten yards, the pellets remain inside the shot cup. Within that distance, this makes the round perform in flight like a slug, with the equivalent of fragmentation on impact. Naturally, at longer distances, they will still produce smaller patterns than even conventional tactical buckshot loads. Note that they are intended for use only in pump-action shotguns. Hornady offers similar technology, including in a Critical Defense load. (Most loads sold as tactical loads will not cycle many autoloading shotguns.)
    • Note that tactical buckshot loads often use hardened, plated pellets because they resist deformation, which can increase spread. Some tactical 12-gauge loads use only eight pellets, instead of the usual nine. On the other hand, magnum loads increase the number of pellets, increasing both recoil and spread, generally undesirable changes.
  • Many people have been persuaded to rely on birdshot loads for home defense, in order to reduce the risks of excessive penetration. I suspect that this is often viewed in terms of those pellets that miss the assailant not making it through the wallboard used for internal walls. The problem with this theory is that birdshot may not adequately penetrate a human target once the shot column starts to spread, beyond a couple of yards. Inside that two-yard range, an assailant has a good chance of grabbing and diverting the muzzle. For those who are persuaded of the advantage of multiple hits with a single press of the trigger, that leaves buckshot, for use before the assailant makes it into grappling range.
    • This time, let's look at buckshot in terms of penetration. Simply put, the larger the ball, the deeper it will go, due to its greater mass and momentum. For comparison, a 000 pellet, weighing about 70 gr. (100 to the pound), is roughly the same as the ball fired from Colt's blackpowder .36-caliber Navy revolvers.
    • Pellets of the 00 ("double aught") buckshot most commonly used in 12 gauge are .33 caliber and weigh about 54 gr. On the lower end of the common 12-gauge buckshot loads is #4, .24 caliber and about 21 gr. per pellet. Some people select #1, .30 caliber and 40 gr. per pellet, as a mid-range compromise.
    • Historically, the selection of buckshot loads in 20 gauge has been limited. Most American ammunition makers have offered standard-length 2¾" shells with 20 .25-caliber #3 pellets. Some manufacturers also offer a 24-pellet load of #4 (.24-caliber) buckshot. Magnum-length 3" shells can be purchased with either 18 or 20 .27-caliber pellets of #2 buckshot. With limited availability - and vulnerable to an import ban by mere executive order - the Russian-made Monarch brand offers a 2¾" load with nine pellets of #1 buckshot. Some time in 2024, Federal is expected to market a 20-gauge Personal Defense load with the same type of FliteControl shot cup used in their 12-gauge tactical buckshot loads, holding ten copper-plated #2 pellets.
    • Surprisingly, even the smaller, lighter buckshot may overpenetrate a human target at close range and, when it does, it typically has enough energy to cause injury to some behind the intended target. Thus, unless you are seriously concerned about assailants wearing especially tough or thick clothing, you may be better off with the smaller sizes, if you believe that buckshot is what you need.
  • Shotguns can also fire single projectiles known as slugs.
    • The three most common types of slugs are the traditional Foster "rifled" slug, the Brenneke and the sabot slug. The latter two penetrate much too deeply for most defensive applications and are best left to the hunters.
    • The Foster slug is basically a lead "can," open to the rear. There is some debate over the degree to which the ridges that look like reversed rifling impart spin to the slug. However, they are there primarily to allow easy compression in the event that someone fires the slug through a choked barrel, where the diameter is reduced at the muzzle.
    • While Foster slugs will often shoot through modern auto bodies, in ballistic gelatin, they have a tendency to flatten. As this occurs, pieces may break off the edges, spreading radially. In such testing, these slugs may show less penetration than buckshot. However, ballistic gelatin was developed to simulate pig muscle and a shot to the chest will probably traverse a lot more air-filled lung than a foot or more of muscle. Thus, unless a slug hits the spine, a shot to a human chest may well replicate the experience of many hunters of deer-size game and sail right out the other side.
    • At this time, in 12 gauge, in the Ranger law-enforcement line and the PDX1 Defender line, Winchester offers a segmenting slug. It is intended to remain intact when traversing hard barriers but to split into three segments - to increase wounding and to limit penetration - when it enters tissue. The theory is that it combines some of the features of a slug with some of the features of buckshot, reducing the need to carry more than one load.
  • One aspect of the shotgun which is often overlooked is the wad which follows the shot or the slug out of the barrel. At close range it can do damage, making me question those who claim that you can safely perform hostage-rescue shots with a buckshot-loaded shotgun at close range.
  • Don't bother with single-shots, side-by-sides or over-unders for defensive use if you have the choice. The added capacity and versatility of a pump or autoloading shotgun, both of which usually feed from a tube magazine below the barrel, are worth the money. Even shotguns are not 100% and you never know if more than one or two people may require your attention.

  Thoughts on "Non-Shotgun" Shotguns

  • Recall that one advantage of a long gun is that most people can hold a shoulder-stocked firearm, which has an additional point of support at the shoulder, more steadily than they can hold a handgun.
  • Since 1934, a shotgun with a barrel shorter than 18" or a total length shorter than 26" has been classified as a short-barreled shotgun (SBS) and must be registered under the costly and cumbersome provisions of the National Firearms Act (NFA) - if the state of residence even allows that.
  • Without going into the legal technicalities of the apparent loophole, in 2017, Mossberg introduced the Shockwave - a smoothbore firearm with a 14" barrel and a "birdshead" grip in place of a buttstock - that does not require NFA registration (although it may not be lawful to posses in some states). It is built on the pump action of Mossberg's 590 shotgun. Remington - now owned by RemArms - followed suit with a similar TAC-14, built on the 870 action.
  • These are not guns for novices. As discussed above, in 12 gauge the reduced-recoil "tactical" loads will likely be appreciated. As discussed above, the 20-gauge version is likely more pleasant to shoot. Some reports say that it's actually fun to shoot with the 12-gauge Águila "minishells" and the OPSol Texas Mini-Clip adapter.
  • As with a conventional shotgun, technique is crucial.
  
  
  

  The US Marshals Service Technique

  A few decades ago, the US Marshals Service began using a similar shotgun, based on Remington's 870 action, albeit typically with a shorter barrel. In the technique that they developed, the gun is raised to eye level, with the bead front sight viewed through the groove on the top of the receiver, as many instructors teach for a conventional shotgun firing buckshot or slugs. The elbow of the firing hand is raised to the horizontal or just above horizontal (3 o'clock or 2 o'clock for a right-handed shooter. The elbow of the support hand is pointed as far as practical toward the ground (6 o'clock or 7 o'clock for a right-handed shooter. When the slide is run forward, to chamber a round, the support hand continues to press forward while the firing hand pulls back, suspending the gun in isometric tension, as though trying to stretch a rolled towel.

  Thoughts on Rifles

  • The slug-loaded shotgun is sort of an impromptu rifle, without the rifling. Slug-loaded shotguns in combat reality, for most users, are good out to about 50 yards. Unless the slug hits heavy bone there is a good chance of the projectile exiting the original target, making slugs questionable for indoor use.
  • The true rifle provides added accuracy at distance that comes with rifling the bore, although an iron-sighted rifle, for most users under fire, is only practical to about 100 yards. The rifle may also provide a selection of bullet types to minimize overpenetration. Some studies have shown that a .223 bullet - particularly of 55 gr. or lighter - is actually less likely to penetrate house walls than a pistol round fired from a submachine gun or a carbine. Additionally, rifles - in the lighter calibers - often prove easier to handle than shotguns.
  • There is a common political mantra among the ostrich types that there is no legitimate civilian need for a rifle with a detachable twenty- or thirty-round magazine. I lived for years in a part of the country with a history of earthquakes, fires, mudslides and "civil disorders." If there is a civil or natural disaster of sufficient proportion where those who haven't bothered to stockpile food and water decide to take those means of survival from those who have, a scenario of defending your home from multiple, organized attackers is not unrealistic.
  • The optimal defensive rifle would fire from a detachable box magazine. This is most consistent with tactical reloads and malfunction clearance drills, although the first response to a long gun malfunction is generally to switch to the handgun. Try doing a tactical reload (before you have shot the gun dry) with an M1 (Garand) Rifle sometime!
  • There are a great many autoloading rifles and cartridges available in .223 Remington. Note that this is the civilian version of the NATO 5.56x45mm military cartridge. It is safe to fire commercial .223 ammunition in rifles marked as 5.56mm but it may not be safe to fire ammunition marked as 5.56mm in rifles marked as .223 and even some rifles marked as 5.56mm may actually have .223 chambers.
    
    

    .223 versus 5.56x45mm
    In this excellent article, Patrick Sweeney reviews how a .223 chamber differs from a 5.56mm chamber, what happens when you fire 5.56mm ammo in a .223 chamber, how to determine whether your rifle really has a 5.56mm chamber and how to ream it to those dimension if it doesn't.

    
    
  • While probably a poor choice for the monthly highpower rifle match, Kel-Tec offers a series of SU16 rifles in the .223 chambering. Of particular interest to those for those who can lawfully carry a long gun in a vehicle, where relatively secure storage space may be at a premium, is the SU16C. This model not only comes with a folding stock, it can be fired, in a pinch, with the stock still folded.
  • Will other calibers work? Certainly, so long as you take their potential for excessive penetration into account in planning your lanes of fire.
  • Low on funds? Need more penetration? Live somewhere that bans autoloading centerfire rifles with detachable magazines? An SKS may meet your needs. This is an autoloading carbine that fires the Soviet 7.62x39mm cartridge loaded into a non-detachable, integral magazine. The older Russian models even qualify as Curios & Relics. Two caveats:
    1. If yours comes with the fold-away bayonet, it's probably wiser to remove it, in case you and the gun end up before a jury.
    2. If you own any firearm that depends on inexpensive Russian ammunition, stock up a lifetime supply. All it takes is an Executive Order to shut down importation and 7.62x39mm ammunition is not yet offered that widely by American manufacturers.
  • The SKS may also fill a niche for those who can lawfully secure a long gun in a vehicle. Should the vehicle itself get stolen, the added replacement cost of the SKS would probably be lower than that for most of the alternatives.
  • Will a bolt-, pump- or lever-action rifle work as well? Hey, I'm the guy that says that the operator is more important than the equipment. Some equipment may just be easier to use. When there's trouble, the best gun is usually the one you've got.
    • There is a plethora of both new and used bolt-action rifles on the market, in all manner of chamberings. Some of them, with appropriate bullet selection, may be suitable for your defensive needs.
    • If you prefer commonality of operation with a pump-action shotgun, Remington's Model 7600 is still in production, offered in .270. .308 and .30-06. Combining the politically incorrect appearance of an AR-15 rifle with several of the useful features of its newer variants, Troy Industries offers a series of pump-action rifles chambered in .223, .300 Blackout and .308.
    • While the lever-action rifle is closely associated with the .30-30 cartridge, the Long Ranger, from Henry Repeating Arms, is worth a look, if you want to be able to use cartridges with pointed bullets. It is offered in .223, .243 and .308, with the .223 probably being the most suitable for home defense.

  Thoughts on Rifle Ammunition

  • There is probably a wider variety of rifles available than of handguns, with more specialization, for different applications. This may be true for rifle ammunition as well.
  • As noted earlier, rifle bullets generally travel much faster than handgun bullets. One implication of this is that a softpoint bullet (where the jacketing material stops short of the tip, leaving some exposed lead) is likely to expand at rifle velocities while the same design would probably fail to expand if fired from a handgun.
  • In spite of this, hollowpoint bullets (where there is a cavity in the tip of the bullet, to facilitate expansion) are still used in many rifle cartridges intended for hunting. However, there are different kinds of hunting and there are different bullets designed for use on different game.
  • For example, in the venerable .30-30 cartridge, Winchester - in addition to a 150 gr. softpoint load in that weight - has offered two different 150 gr. jacketed hollowpoint loads. The Super-X load is intended for thin-skinned game, such as antelope, while the Silvertip load is intended for heavier game, such as mule deer. Thus, the former is designed for less penetration than the latter. In most environments, that would make the former a better choice for home defense.
  • In general, when you select defensive ammunition for a rifle, unless you anticipate using the rifle in an environment where you would need to shoot through barriers, you will be better served to select ammunition intended for lighter game.
  • In addition to the concerns expressed on the Ammunition Selection page about bullet setback when the same cartridge is chambered repeatedly in an autoloading pistol, there is a related concern with some rifles. In some autoloading rifles, notably in the AR-15 family, when a round is chambered inertia from the forward movement of the bolt may allow the firing pin to make light contact with the primer. It is believed that if this happens repeatedly, the normally intact "cake" of priming compound may break up, possibly interfering with ignition. In general, limit the number of times any given cartridge is driven up the feed ramp into the chamber and inspect the primers for any sign of dimpling.

  Thoughts on Pistol-Caliber Carbines

  • Carbines are short rifles. They come in about as many varieties as longer rifles. Some are made to fire ammunition originally designed for handguns. The term "pistol-caliber carbine" usually refers to a semi-automatic carbine firing a round designed for a semi-automatic pistol.
  • Without getting into a major ballistic treatise, the cartridges for semi-automatic pistols are pretty efficient. There is usually only a small gain in velocity firing these cartridges from a 16" barrel.
  • In this type of carbine, the advantage is usually more an ergonomic than a ballistic one. Most people can place shots more accurately under stress with a shoulder weapon than with a handgun. Is there a family member who doesn't have the strength to handle a more powerful gun and isn't comfortable using a handgun for similar reasons? This may be an answer.
  • The availability of many pistol-caliber carbines was initially curtailed by the 1989 Bush executive order banning their importation, followed by the 1994-2004 federal ban on "assault weapons." Later, they tended to go out of fashion as American law enforcement shifted to .223 carbines. More recently, they have come back into popularity.
  • In addition to numerous pistol-caliber variants on the AR-15 platform,, a few worth noting, in no particular order, are Beretta's Cx4 Storm carbine, CZ's Scorpion EVO and Ruger's PC Carbine. The latter - available with a traditional forend or a free-floating handguard that facilitates mounting accessories - has an added attraction in that it readily separates into two components for storage, transport or discreet carry.
  • Kel-Tec's SUB2000 similarly bears mention. Rather separating into two components, it folds into a compact package for storage and transport. It is disabled in the folded position. Factoring in its relatively low price, it may be worth consideration for those who want to carry a long gun in a vehicle, where storage space may be at a premium.
  • Is political correctness a big factor in your neck of the woods? There are lever-action carbines in revolver calibers. While there are some good arguments for a .30-30 if you're restricted to this level of technology, revolver cartridges, particularly the Magnums, will show more of a velocity gain from a longer barrel than autoloader cartridges. The .357 Magnum, in particular, can deliver impressive velocity with low recoil with, the right load, coupled with a politically correct eight- or nine-round magazine on a 16" barreled carbine.
  • While they are no longer in production, there is one caveat: When the Winchester 94, originally designed around the .30-30 and related cartridges, was chambered for revolver cartridges such as the .357 and .44 Magnum and the .45 Colt, the cast "carrier," which lifts the cartridge from the level of the tubular magazine to the level of the barrel, required the removal of more metal than with the original calibers. This appears to make the part vulnerable to breakage, making the 94 a poor platform for the revolver cartridges.
  • The Winchester 92, on the other hand, was designed around older WCF revolver-length cartridges, making replicas of the 92 (such as those from Rossi, Chiappa or Citadel) or the Marlin 1894 - also designed around the WCF revolver-length cartridges - better choices in these chamberings. The Citadel Levtac 92 may appeal to those who want to mount lots of "bells and whistles" because, in addition to a Picatinny rail on top of the receiver, it is also fitted with an M-LOK handguard allowing the mounting of different accessories on different surfaces. At the time of this update, Ruger, who purchased the Marlin brand in the bankruptcy sale of the Remington Outdoor Company, has yet to reintroduce the Model 1894 Marlin guns.
    • Henry Repeating Arms offers the .357 Magnum chambering in their Big Boy series, along with .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. Compared to the Winchester and Marlin designs, however, their older guns have the disadvantage of requiring that the "inner magazine tube" be mostly or fully withdrawn from the front of the tubular magazine for loading. Thus, they are not as amenable a tactical reload - adding more rounds to a partially depleted magazine - if the fight is still imminent or in progress. In late 2020, Henry began adding a loading gate on many of their models. These include the Big Boy X models that are fitted with polymer stocks and polymer forends that include a short rail for mounting a pistol-size light.
  • Generally, as with a revolver, the Magnum models should be able to feed the slightly shorter, softer-recoiling Special loads, such as a .38 Special cartridge in a .357 Magnum gun, a.44 Special cartridge in a .44 Magnum gun and a .45 Colt cartridge in a .454 Casull gun.
  • The M1 Carbine is sort of a hybrid between the semi-automatic pistol-caliber carbines and ballistics comparable to a .357 Magnum revolver cartridge fired from a lever-action rifle or carbine. The cartridge is virtually a skinny cousin of the .357 and its 110 gr. bullet does about 1,890 fps out the muzzle. Even with shortened barrels and slightly reduced velocity, members of the NYPD Stakeout Unit got impressive results from the Winchester "hollow soft point" load (X30M1), when they were in the business of interrupting armed robberies.
  • The gun is light and very easy handling; recoil is minimal, making it friendly to small-statured users. The main thing it lacks is a mechanism to hold the bolt open after the last shot, so you need to keep some sort of count as to when it's time to reload. The standard magazine holds 15 rounds; I'd forgo the less common 30-rounders as they are not as reliable.
  • The M1 Carbine has been a controversial weapon in military service. Much of the dissatisfaction was related to attempts to use it as a battle rifle, when its original role had been as a personal-defense weapon for personnel who would not have the time to develop adequate skill with a pistol. Modern ammunition has made it an effective urban and home-defense carbine.
  • Probably the best all-around defensive choice among today's ammunition offerings is Hornady's Critical Defense load, in the original 110 gr. weight. Users seeking penetration through hard barriers may want to look into CorBon's DPX load, with its all-copper 100 gr. bullet.
  • Good M1 Carbines are great guns, particularly for small-statured users. Not all are good ones. Prices have been driven up by collectors. If you're looking for a "shooter," it doesn't matter that the barrel has the name of the importer lightly stamped on it. Original GI M1 Carbines are classified as curios and relics; that may be a legal advantage in some jurisdictions that limit ownership of autoloading firearms with detachable magazines.
  • Over the years, companies that refurbished GI Carbines and different makers of commercial Carbines - with varying degrees of use of GI parts and adherence to military specifications (Mil-Spec) - have come and gone. Reliability of their guns has varied - sometimes even with generations of production - but has generally been the best among those closest to Mil-Spec. It may be worth some online research before investing in an aftermarket Carbine.

  Thoughts on Rifle-Caliber Pistols

  • I place this on the Long Gun Selection page rather than on the Handgun Selection page as these are not the sort of pistols that would be carried discreetly in a holster. For decades, there have been single-shot pistols chambered for rifle cartridges but these have been intended primarily for hunting. This discussion will focus on autoloading pistols, chambered for intermediate-power rifle cartridges, most commonly offered on the AR platform, which will be the primary focus of this discussion.
  • When these guns hit the market, they were regarded by some as novelty items. However, others perceived a niche for them as a package more powerful than a conventional handgun than could be more easily deployed from the passenger compartment or trunk of a vehicle than a conventional long gun, particularly if the user did not wish to go through (or whose state of residence did not allow) the National Firearms Act (NFA) registration process for a short-barreled rifle (SBR). Also, some states ban the carry of a loaded rifle or shotgun inside the passenger compartment of a vehicle.
  • The ergonomic practicality of these guns was somewhat improved with the advent of "stabilizing braces" that allow the user to use the non-gun hand to "clamp" the brace to the wrist or lower forearm of the gun hand. These braces mount readily on the buffer tube that projects to the rear of the receiver of an AR-pattern or similar gun. On Janury 13, 2023, DOJ/ATF realesed the final rule, containing six factors that allow any pistol mounted with a stabilizing brace that obviously allows firing from the shoulder to be treated as a short-barreled rifle, requiring registration under the provisions of the National Firearms Act.
  • That leaves the questions of ballistic practicality and reliability. With barrels that typically run within 3 inches either side of 9 inches, there is a substantial drop in velocity even for the small-caliber bullet of the .223/5.56mm cartridge, whose wounding capability is dependent on high velocity. Then there's the question of reliability with such a short gas tube - already an issue with the military M4 and its 14.5" barrel.
  • On top of that, the shorter barrel correspondingly increases the muzzle blast from a cartridge that already produces a very sharp crack, even from the original 20" barrel of the M16.
    • If you're already committed to one of these guns chambered in .223/5.56mm, Hornady has introduced a load tailored for short-barreled (10.5 to 11.5") rifles. Among Horandy's claims for this 75 gr.-bullet load is a "dramatically reduced sound signature." If it is successful in the marketplace, expect other manufacturers to follow suit.
  • These issues have led some proponents of the concept to advocate the use of an intermediate-power .30-caliber cartridge, such as the 7.62x39mm or the newer .300 AAC Blackout. I'm under the impression that noise reduction proceeds stepwise from the 7.62x39mm, to the supersonic .300 Blackout loads to the subsonic Blackout loads. I have one report of a supersonic .300 Blackout load from an 8" having a muzzle report on the order of that of a 9x19mm or a .40 S&W pistol.
  • Note that, at these reduced velocities, bullet selection for the intended role is crucial. At this time, it may be unrealistic to expect expansion from hollowpoint bullets from commercially available subsonic .300 Blackout loads at these reduced velocities.
  • To sum up, while these guns may be easier than a stocked rifle to deploy from the passenger compartment of a vehicle, the tremendous muzzle blast seems to argue strongly against firing them inside the cramped quarters of a vehicle. To my knowledge, the jury is still out on the effectiveness of the rifle cartridges for which they can be chambered when fired from such short barrels. If you really feel compelled to use this type of gun, the Galil Ace - available with or without a stabilizing brace and in three chamberings (not including the .300 Blackout) - may be the best of the breed, largely because it does not use the gas system of the AR platform. Still, most users may be better served with a 9x19mm pistol and a round using all-copper or bonded hollowpoints.
  
  

  A Warning About the .300 Blackout Cartridge

  The .300 Blackout cartridge is basically a .223 case with the neck "blown out" to accept a .30-caliber bullet and the shoulder pushed back to position the bullet in proper relationship to the powder charge. As such, some .300 Blackout rounds may chamber in a .223/5.56mm chamber, with catastrophic results when the trigger is pressed. Naturally, .300 Blackout rounds load into the same .223/5.56mm magazines as that smaller-caliber round. If you choose to get involved with this cartridge and also use the smaller-caliber load, as a minimum safety precaution, use recognizably different magazines for each caliber. This could take the form of color-coding, 20-round versus 30-round magazines, magazines with steel tubes versus magazines with polymer tubes, etc. And make sure to inspect every round before inserting it into the magazine.

  Don't Leave Rounds Chambered in Long Guns!

  Safeties on most long guns only block the trigger from moving. Unlike modern handguns, most long guns have no equivalent of a firing pin safety or hammer block. While some designs - mostly for military rifles - will block the hammer or the striker, it is best to assume that those are exceptions. This means that most long guns with a cartridge in the chamber can discharge if dropped, even if they're "on safe." Further, when the bolt of rifles in the AR-15/M16 family is driven forward to chamber a round, the firing pin usually makes light contact with the primer. If the same round is chambered repeatedly, as in routinely charging and clearing the chamber, the "cake" of priming compound may crumble, keeping the round from firing when needed.

  
  

  LONG GUN FUNCTION ANIMATIONS
  Remington 870 Pump-Action Shotgun Remington 700 Bolt-Action Rifle Henry .22 LR Lever-Action Rifle AR-15/M16 Rifle Kalashnikov "AK-47" Rifle

  
  
  

  The Defensive Firearms Tripod

  • If you recall my priorities for the defensive use of firearms, the five priorities can be condensed into three categories: mind set, skills and equipment.
  • Equipment is the lowest on the list. When you choose it, don't settle for the training that comes in the box!
  
  
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  copyright © 1998-2024 by Stephen P. Wenger
  
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