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What do FReepers think of 9mm carbines as a mid-power varmint rifle? My requirements are relatively cheap ammo, typical range is < 100 yards (usually 50 yards or less, really), only moderate penetration, with stopping power similar to a .357 handgun / somewhere between a .22lr hollow point and a 12 ga. deer slug. More...

America loves an outlaw. Some outlaws simply need to find their calling, and David Marshall Williams is such a man. A convicted murderer of a sheriff's deputy, no less, he turned his prison experience into a tale of personal redemption and revolutionized the field of semi-automatic firearms for over a century. Williams was one of a whopping 12 children born to James Claude Williams, a wealthy and highly influential landowner in Cumberland County, North Carolina. His early life is pure Americana: Expelled from school in eighth grade, he apprenticed underneath a blacksmith. Finding this life lacking in adventure, he lied...

So we’re finding ourselves once more with a whole lotta new gun owners. And that evil black rifle-the AR-15- won’t stay on the shelves long enough to pick up any dust. While having one and knowing how to use one are two very different things, knowing how to use one and actually knowing how to set up a purpose-built weapon is another animal entirely. Here’s the bottom line up front: what are you planning on doing? A so-called home defense weapon is worlds apart from what I’m discussing here. ‘Home defense’ implies that I’m back on my heels, in my...

Meet the 5 Deadliest Pistol Caliber Rifles To Ever Fire a Shot Kel-Tec’s offering differs in having a specific talent: folding down for compact storage. By rotating the barrel upwards and back, the Sub-2000 essentially folds over onto itself for an overall length of just sixteen inches and a height of seven inches. Once in the compact configuration, the carbine can be secured that way with a built-in lock and key system. The explosion of interest in the modern sporting rifle, as well as the natural pace of industry innovation, has driven the firearms industry to field semi-automatic rifles in...

Photo: NRA MuseumWhat’s even more American than turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie these days? An Italian gun, that’s what. The only known surviving firearm that crossed the wild Atlantic aboard the good ship Mayflower, settled with the pilgrims at Plymouth Colony and ultimately helped the first colonists not only survive, but prosper. Meet the Mayflower Gun. Affectionately dubbed the Mayflower Gun and thought of as an American icon, the gun is actually an Italian-made wheel-lock carbine. This single-shot musket was originally chambered in .50 caliber rifle, though ages of heavy use have worn away the majority of the rifling. Given...

Now that we have a pro-gun President, do you think he will repatriate all the firearms out there that Obama didn't let in? I understand that there are boat loads of WWII weapons discovered since the fall of the Soviet Union and the merging of East Germany with Germany. At least that is my impression. And that Clinton and Obama have made it illegal for people to return these guns to America for sale. Am I completely out of touch with this or are there thousands and thousands of Garands, carbines and 1911s overseas that Trump could allow for sale...

Marine Corps leaders have made the long-awaited proposal to adopt the M4 carbine as the standard Marine infantry rifle. The recommendation wouldn’t completely phase out the currently-standard M16, but it would push the archetypal rifle into a support role. This follows in the Army’s footsteps, which began the transition to M4s more than 20 years ago. The M4 is in use with the Marines for select roles and is issued to officers as well.

In the January issue of The Atlantic, retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales slammed the United States Army’s M-4 carbine, and called for an entirely new weapon in the hands of the modern American soldier. Scales describes the 2008 Battle of Wanat—when the Taliban attacked a forward outpost defended by American troops—and his own experiences in Vietnam with faulty M-16 rifles.

A competing rifle outperformed the Army’s favored M4A1 carbine in key firings during a competition last year before the service abruptly called off the tests and stuck with its gun, according to a new confidential report. The report also says the Army changed the ammunition midstream to a round “tailored” for the M4A1 rifle. It quoted competing companies as saying the switch was unfair because they did not have enough time to fire the new ammo and redesign their rifles before the tests began. Exactly how the eight challengers — and the M4 — performed in a shootout to replace...

The Korea Times is reporting that while it has will allow 86,000 historical M1 Garand rifles to be imported from South Korea, the Obama administration continues to block the importation of some 600,000 M1 Carbines because "they come with a magazine that can carry multiple rounds." From the article: Washington has agreed to allow the importation of M1 Garand rifles from Seoul, reversing its earlier decision to ban the shipping of the weapon used by South Korean and U.S. soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, a senior defense official said Wednesday. "The U.S. government approved the imports of some 86,000...

I need a little research help. I am looking for info about companies that ‘rehab’ or refurbish small weapons for the military. Most interested in rehab of Colt M4 and Bushmaster M4. Large scale projects under contracts Who’s doing it. What specs. Costs or bids per unit.

I've been intrigued by the Appleseed Project and I would like to take part in some of their shooting events, as well as other recreational shooting events. Most events require 400-500 rounds for weekend participation. The ammo for my current rifles would cost nearly a dollar per round. I've done some checking at Cheaper than Dirt and ammo for .223 rifles would be only $250 or so, a much more manageable cost. I would like to get FReeper recommendations for fun-to-shoot rifles in the .223/5.56 that would be suitable for the Appleseed Project and practical for training purposes. Also, does...

Looking for advice on M4 alternatives

Capt. John Raguso keeps threatening to send us a review of Kel Tec’s smokin’ SUB-2000 9mm carbine. Today, Hi-Point Carbines drops the news that their long awaited .45 ACP rifle is ready to rock and roll. These handgun-caliber carbine may be gaining favor over the venerable 12-gauge as the weapon of choice for hom defense. And for good reason. In fact, here are four. . . 1. Less recoil than a shotgun While home defense shotguns put an awful lot of lead downrange with a single trigger squeeze, shooters pay the price with a big ole’ wallop to their shoulder....

Video of Hickok45 shooting, showing, & discussing the history of this handy little piece of history. Not a bad 15 min video if you're a fan of the M1 carbine or a military firearm enthusiast.

I so love my wife, she's awesome, and for my birthday, she bought me a Bushmaster ORC with a scope. A Baraska 3X9X50mm Scope. It's looks good on the carbine! But I've never heard of Baraska scopes, I'm gonna google it and see what I can find! Has anyone else heard of them? If I can be honest, I wanted to ask all you Freepers if a Baraska scope, is a good scope! I have no idea, never heard of it! It's kinda large on the rifle, but I was wondering if I should take it off, return it, put...

There is much talk lately about the shortcomings of the M16 series, so I was particularly interested to see how it was performing in Iraq. ItÂ’s popular today, in some circles, to deride this weapons family for its direct gas method of operation. Some claim itÂ’s not reliable enough for military use, especially in the dust and sand of Iraq. Plus many still scorn its small-caliber, high-velocity 5.56mm round. ItÂ’s common to hear people say the terminal performance of this cartridge, especially in its standard military 62 grain M855 loading, is inadequate. So I was interested to see not only...

Has anyone shot the Auto-ordinance M1 carbine? I want a shooter more than a collector’s item and a grand for a Fulton Armory rebuild is a little much. Shopping around most of the decent GI carbine I’ve seen run around the same price as a new one. I’ve read mixed reviews of other Auto-ordinance products before they were taken over by Khar and none on the carbine. I would like to know about accuracy, reliability, and GI parts interchangeability.

Photos By Ichiro NagataPull the pin and the Kel-Tec SU-16 easily breaks in half for storage or packing New is the keyword of the firearms industry. Prowl around the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show, and you’ll notice every booth features a banner or placard heralding that company’s “new” offerings. Often the basic design has been around for years if not decades, and what’s new turns out to be only a different finish, a longer or shorter barrel, an additional chambering, etc. But what you see here does, I think, justify the title of “new.” The Kel-Tec SU-16 is a...