Not quite. Submachine guns fire pistol catridges, battle rifles fire full power catridges and assault rifles fire intermediate power catridges, such as the 5.56X45, 5.45x39 and 7.62x39 (and the old 7.92Kurtz that the Original Assault Rifle fired) The M-2 Carbine is something of a special case, since it's catridge is less powerfull than some pistol catridges, and slightly more than others, but is not a pistol catridge per se, although derived from one. Whatever an M-2 is, it's a hoot to shoot.