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Thread: Your caliber preference for a pistol caliber carbine

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    ghh3rd's Avatar
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    Your caliber preference for a pistol caliber carbine

    As a reloader using cast bullets, which caliber of blowback design pistol caliber carbine would/did you choose, and why.

    Regards

    Randy
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    Boolit Buddy Tom_in_AZ's Avatar
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    Your caliber preference for a pistol caliber carbine

    Ruger pc9/9mm

    Easy to cast a variety of weights, shoots great. Cheap brass, doesn’t use a lot of powder. With cast and bullseye, can load very cheap. Fun gun to shoot and can be had for $499.


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  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master popper's Avatar
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    10mm. Only one that makes any sense.
    Whatever!

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
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    I am interested to know why popper. Better ballistics?
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  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy Tom_in_AZ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ghh3rd View Post
    I am interested to know why popper. Better ballistics?
    Much more powerful. Also, more expensive to shoot. And I only know of hi point and aero 10mm carbines. In my opinion, the Ruger is better than both. The 9mm out of a 16” barrel is no slouch.


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    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    I think if limited to a blowback design, .45 ACP makes the most sense.
    Last edited by Outpost75; 09-24-2018 at 08:57 PM.
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    Boolit Master brewer12345's Avatar
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    IMO, the case for a pistol caliber carbine is more power than in a handgun and the ability to share ammo with a pistol you already own. So I would say a carbine choice should be made based heavily on the pistol you already have and like. For me this was a lever rather than a blowback action, but I plan to get my hands on a 1911 at some point and it is quite possible that I add a simple carbine in the same caliber.

    Some cartridges don't seem to get much lift from a longer barrel, though. .357 mag gets a whole heck of a lot. My hazy recollection is that 45 ACP only gets a modest bump, for example.
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    IMO a PCC is either to get a lightweight close range rifle, like the aforementioned .357/.44 magnums, or to give you the same capability as the pistol with the advantage of a stock and better sighting options, like the HiPoint and Keltecs. I prefer to shoot quiet, so .45 or 9mm is the flavor on order. I'd be happy with .380 as well, but they're unpopular. If you're not playing short barrels, then .45 makes sense. If you are, and are playing quiet, I think 9mm is a no brainier. If you're not worried about quiet or short barrels, HiPoint has their new 10mm carbine, and High Tower has a new bullpup stock that doesn't look half bad.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master FISH4BUGS's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ghh3rd View Post
    As a reloader using cast bullets, which caliber of blowback design pistol caliber carbine would/did you choose, and why.
    9mm hands down. Mainly because 1) I have a 6 cavity Hensley & Gibbs #331. 2) I already have 9mm sub machine guns 3) cheap and plentiful components to shoot 4) loaded up to max it is a solid performer 5) I already have a number of 9mm pistols anyway 6) The Star sizer eats them like candy 7) ....well....just because
    Collector and shooter of guns and other items that require a tax stamp, Lead and brass scrounger. Never too much brass, lead or components in inventory! Always looking to win beauty contests with my reloads.

  10. #10
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    I have a 10 PCC and I like it allot... But I shoot more 40 so my choice is a 40 S&W.

    But choices are good so I occasionally pull out the Marlin Camp Carbine in 45 and enjoy that too!

    CW
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  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    I went with the Rock River 9 mm for a PCC mainly for quality and selection of different capacity mags for USPSA & IDPA matches.

    I shoot 9 mm and have several different cast bullets (115 gr to 158 gr) with Hi-Tek coating which works great in the 16 " PCC.

    If I get another PCC it would be in .45 ACP just for the fun of it.

  12. #12
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    I like 45 acp and 10mm, both shoot great in pcc with cast bullets. I went with DI (gas operated) AR and not blowback because of the need in blowback to run a heavy buffer spring and extra heavy buffer (which = recoil) especially in 10mm, although there are some companies doing blowback 10mm I don't think 10mm is good for a blowback gun. Also with the 45 acp I can safely run 45 Super thru it for extra power over the 45 acp. My lower is a Glock mag lower and can use same mags and ammo in both.

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    I got a Stern Defense barrel, bolt and mag well adapter to stick in an AR15 upper and lower. It's straight blowback and you can get the mag adapter for Glock and M&P mags. Mine's in 9mm, because that's mostly what I shoot, and using my 155 ELCO boolits it's a pretty solid weapon. An added bonus is the Stern Defense barrels come with the throat reamed so they are cast friendly right out of the box, and if you already have an AR15, all you really need to do is set up an upper for the PCC and you can swap out between .223 and pistol caliber in like 2 minutes.

  14. #14
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    I have a quarter circle 10 AR pistol in 45ACP. I love it. Runs cast with no problems. Feeds everything I put in it. But I'm a big fan of 45ACP. So I might be a little biased.

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    Your caliber preference for a pistol caliber carbine

    Quote Originally Posted by asmith80 View Post
    I got a Stern Defense barrel, bolt and mag well adapter to stick in an AR15 upper and lower....
    Same here. Only thing you have to get used to is the mag release location. I don’t shoot ARs enough to find it an issue.



    I thought this was a different thread that I’d already posted in. What I really want is the setup above but in 10mm. I’ve been wondering if you could use 357 Sig w/ their 40cal bolt. But I have a feeling that like 10mm a blowback design would not work.
    Last edited by dragon813gt; 06-19-2018 at 11:50 AM.

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    Your first post says "blow back". The largest blow back pistol I've heard of is the High Point 9mm. Or are you asking about semi-auto?
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  17. #17
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    Yes, I was referring to Hi Point. I thought that all of their carbines were blowback design.
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  18. #18
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    I have Hipoint carbines in 9mm, .40sw and .45acp. .40 was first, dropped a 60$ Red Dot on it and loved it. Wife loved it, but wanted one that "bumped her shoulder less". Enter the first 9mm (had 2, both used, let a shooting buddy rob me of one)

    9mm is good, more accurate IMO than the .40. Easy to shoot, added Red Dot soon as it arrived.
    I like the 20 round Red Ball Mag's for the 9mm. Only extended mag I've heard of for Hipoint that gets their seal of approval.

    Last was the .45acp and I wanted it just because. Turns out I may like it the best of all of them. But it does have the better Truglo 2x Red Dot sight which I think helps a fair amount.

    I have shot it more accurately at twice the distance that I have shot the 9mm.

    It recoils a bit more, but not sharp, does not hurt. More shotgun like. Shoves ya a little.

    If Hipoint ever did carbines in Rimmed cartridges I would probably have to have .357, .44mag .45colt.
    Thankfully they don't, yet.

    I love pistol caliber carbines. Easy on the ears, easy on the shoulder, cheap to shoot with home cast bullets and moderate loads of Red Dot. I don't much think you can go wrong on any of them.

    Fun guns to shoot, good for home defense. And you just can't run a mag through one without that big grin on your face. That's my story, I'm sticking to it. YMMV.

  19. #19
    Boolit Master
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    Red Dot to get a bit more benefit from the longer barrel?
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  20. #20
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    Red Dot because

    A it works.
    B moderate loads 4-7 grains perform very well. Plus are very accurate.
    As compared to a rifle load of slow powder at 50+ grains.

    C Red Dot is my go-to powder for most things. Not my SKS's favorite, but everything else likes it.

    D Red Dot in pistol caliber carbines can also be used in pistols. So I can work up one load in most cases. Crank out 3-500 rounds of it. Have a 100 round box with the carbine and another with the pistol and 300 rounds on the ammo table. (Full ammo table helps me sleep well at night)

    E Red Dot burns fairly quick, probably is done in the first third of the barrel. So having a short carbine barrel does not effect the Red Dot significantly as it might with a slower powder.

    F Red Dot double charge in pistol cases is pretty obvious. If it isn't spilling onto the floor it is for sure not leaving a lot of room for a boolit.

    G Red Dot/Promo is one of the cheapest powders which is readily available. Promo more so than Red Dot.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check