Best round for a pistol caliber carbine?

[CCCLVII]

I am ready to make a new gun purchase soon. I have many guns but at the moment no pistol caliber carbines. I would like for it to double as a hunting rifle. I hunt in Indiana frequently.

It should also be a fun plinking gun.

[Alabama Shooter]

I guess the .50AE would qualify as the "best".

[Strafer Gott]

A 94 AE Winchester in .44 magnum is obtainable. It actually makes a pretty reasonable white tail gun.

[Alabama Shooter]

Yep, no way you will a .50AE carbine in todays market at affordable prices.

[hodaka]

.45 Colt - One of the Italian reproductions

[SIGSHR]

I would choose 44 Magnum-best slection of guns and factory ammunition.

[Alabama Shooter]

The other advantage to the .44 Mag would be ammo availability and ease of reload.

[elDiabloLoco]

"".45 Colt - One of the Italian reproductions""

Was looking today at some of the lever actions, trying to decide which I'd like best.

Anyone ever play with a Rossi in .38/.357?

That ammo is (normally) fairly common. I'd really rather a carbine in 9mm, but those had become scarce before the recent panic. The one I wanted seemed to be like Unicorn horns, a figment of someone's imagination used to entice the gullible into hunting them.

Any comments/reviews appreciated.

[tahunua001]

it's a tossup really, it all depends on your personal tastes and budget.
I have a 9mm AR15, the most fun semi auto I have and has the cheapest ammo.

I have a bolt action 45ACP, it's a conversion kit job and it fires but has serious ejection issues so it has little advantage over a break action. more expensive ammo, not a huge increase in FTLBs over 9mm but is strangely more quiet or at least comparable to 9mm. still working on a good sight setup so I can't vouch for accuracy at any range but I would wager that for hunting it would have to be restricted to muzzle loader ranges.

I have a marlin 44 mag that is a beast. I didn't even want it, I wanted a 357 but it's pre cerberus and the guy was asking half of what it was worth so I decided to risk it. Now I will never give this bad boy up. anymore the ammo isn't that expensive and I reload for it anyway which I think puts it below 9mm factory prices. the energy is decent enough to make a good deer rifle out to 150 yards and the very first shot I took with it vaporized a chipmunk at 20 yards... probably the moment that i decided that I would never give it up .

if I had to pick just one I would have to decide whether I wanted a lever action or a semi auto, if I wanted a semi... I'd go with the 9mm, if I wanted a lever... 44 mag.

[Big Steve]

Beretta makes a cool little 9MM auto carbine. If you want a cheap little carbine Hi-Point makes one for a couple hundred.

http://www.berettausa.com/shop-by-de...ines/tactical/

[bedlamite]

For hunting in Indiana, I'd get either a lever gun in 454 Casull or an AR in 458 SOCOM.

If you don't reload and want to plink, scale it back to 44mag.

[bobn]

9mm in a auto, 357 or 32/20 in a lever. 45 and 44 usually have varying bore diameter, throat and chamber sizes. it becomes difficult to get an accurate load without lots of effort. bobn

[tahunua001]

For hunting in Indiana, I'd get either a lever gun in 454 Casull or an AR in 458 SOCOM.

you expecting to run into a few polar bears and rinocerous in IA? those are large shoulder crushing rounds, neither are what I would call pistol calibers.

[bedlamite]

tahunua001, The OP said Indiana, not Iowa. Either way, It's farm country. The longer effective range is useful and neither have unreasonable recoil from a rifle while still being legal. Your recommendation of 9mm, while great for plinking, is somewhere between silly and worthless when the OP said it has to double as a hunting rifle. Oh, and 9mm is illegal too.

[tahunua001]

bedlamite, Idaho has a lot of open farmland too, yet I have managed to get within archery range of deer plenty of times, close shots are doable especially for a seasoned hunter, not that I am one. also 458 socom was designed for rifles, not pistols, therefor it has no place in a discussion about pistol caliber carbines.

I'm sorry, I didn't readup on indiana hunting law, I suspected the OP would be familiar enough with local regs that I shouldn't have to. also your link don't work.

I merely was stating all of the PISTOL CALIBER carbines that I have experience with and my take on them. all are capable of killing deer given the proper ranges.

[littleking]

In my mind... .375 winchester...

2000fps with a 220 gr lead point straight out kicks the **** out of white tails.

I shoot it out of a 15" encore barrel, hits them like a light switch and down they go.

I've named her gertrude






stick a 24" 375 barrel on there and you'd have nothing but sweetness

[Deja vu]

I am partial to the 357 magnum. I have taken many an Idaho mule deer with it and a 158 grain bullet. Make sure you take your time and dont push it.

A 45Colt or a 44 Mag would be a good bet too, especially if you reload.

I am not 100% sure why the semi-auto Pistol caliber carbines dont gain near as much velocity as the revolver caliber carbines. Though a 10mm Carbine would work pretty well in my book.

I was looking at the regs. How can a 458 socom be ok but a 45-70 or 30-30 not be? Are they thinking the 458 socom is a pistol caliber?

Never mind I found the answer. It is the length of the brass.

[Water-Man]

I shoot a Rossi .357mag and have taken deer with it.

Used 158gr. and 180gr. bullets. Kept my distance under 75 yds..

[Mobuck]

The one you have the most ammo for. My only purpose for a "pistol caliber carbine" is as a companion for a handgun. Two semiauto carbines use the same ammo and mags as their handgun counterpart. Two lever carbines match revolvers for ammo.

[darkgael]

Anyone ever play with a Rossi in .38/.357

I have had one for a couple of decades. Great little gun. I was going to recommend it....and still do.
It may not be suitable for Midwest hunting (never been there to hunt) but for our PA woods, it is a handy little item. I load it nowadays with Hornady's Leverevolution bullets at 140 grains at about 1800fps.
Pete

[littleking]

what about range, the 375 is they key in terms of range, 150yds is a chip shot with my pistol, 250 should be a chip shot in a carbine, and still PLENTY of energy downrange for massive destruction.

where-as the 357 falls short, the 44 has the BC of a brick (still a fan though) and same with the 10mm

me being in Ohio, near Indiana; we have plenty of flat ground with many distance opportunities. Why not equip yourself for them with the 375?

[L_Killkenny]

This is possibly the best example of "there is no best". All of the available cartridges have advantages and disadvantages and will get the job done within the uses of lever action, pistol caliber carbines. None are long range, some have more power, some are less expensive, all will get the job intended done.

Personally I like the .357M in such platforms. If I need more power and/or range than it gives me, I need a rifle cartridge.

[Alabama Shooter]

I would be concerned about 45 Colt performance on large game. I would not think of it as 100% reliable at range. 44 Magnum would be worry free for the most part with proper ammo selection.

[darkgael]

Best pistol caliber carbine?

.375 winchester

Pistol caliber (cartridge)?
Pete

[littleking]

yup, 357 or larger, straight walled