Still not sold on pistol caliber carbine

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  • BOWTIE72

    Plinker
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    Aug 6, 2018
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    Not sure if this should go in long guns or pistols but I am just still not sold on the pistol caliber carbine and all the hype surrounding the trend. I have fired the keltec and the high point, and was not really impressed. Improved accuracy over a pistol, but still a pistol round. I completely respect a full auto sub machine gun like mp5, ump45, mpx etc. but why buy a semi auto? Why buy especially for the high prices? Maybe someone with more experience can explain the pou better.
     

    mcapo

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    East of Hoosier45 - West of T-dogg
    I will give the inexperienced perspective. I don't have one but I can tell you why I am shopping them right now in a nutshell.

    Flexibility of use and a high "fun factor" with low costs and low recoil for all kinds of shooters coupled with the ability to shoot inexpensively at a competitions, indoor range or outdoor range along with ease of suppression for range/HD uses.

    My list varies between the CZ Scoprion, Sig MPX and the RRA Competition R9.

    :popcorn:
     
    Last edited:

    Ggreen

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    You've shot probably 2 of the worst pcc's in the game. They are reliable, blah blah... the keltec is like a shooting a 9mm 2x4, the hipoint is ok, but it's far from what I would suggest as a baseline for pcc judgements. Shoot some of the other offerings before making a judgement.
     

    223 Gunner

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    I have owned a couple Uzi's and a Rock River 9mm AR. They have been long gone for awhile now.
    In a home defense situation, I prefer a handgun, if I'm using a long gun, then it needs to be a rifle caliber. So for me a 16in barreled AR would be my choice.
    AR's have a very low recoil impulse, that most people can handle.
    My wife and adult children all know how to use and shoot a variety of weapons, if I were shot and injured or killed, they could continue the fight.
     

    Beowulf

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    After spending a large amount of time with the MP5 platform, I'm pretty sold on their utility. Granted, I generally shoot mine full auto now since I have a registered sear, but even before that, I owned a semi-auto MP5 SBR. It's a very compact and accurate platform and with it's 8.9" barrel and good quality 9mm, you can be in spitting distance of .357 mag (pistol) type ballistics out of it, with 30 rounds in a mag. The same applies for the new Gideon UMP 9 pistols (or you can move up to .40 S&W or .45 ACP) and I'm pretty sure the same applies to the Sig MPX and probably the CZ Scorpion (I've never shot one though).

    With the current slew of braces out there, you can do all that, while still keeping it as a pistol, with no fancy Federal permission slip and no restrictions on moving across state lines. Pretty handy.

    Plus, unlike 5.56, it will suppress very easily with a relatively inexpensive aluminum can and it's a heck of a lot cheaper to fire than a .300 BLK (especially in subsonic).

    Unless you are some sort of high speed/low drag beard operator somewhere in a sandbox, I think the PCC still has a pretty good place in anyone's gun safe.

    But agree with the poster above. The two PCCs you mentioned are possibly some of the worst examples.
     

    BehindBlueI's

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    Cameramonkey

    www.thechosen.tv
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    for the record my two favorite long guns are my M1 Garand and my AR-9. Both are incredibly fun. The former for the cool factor, the latter for cost factor.

    Choose a better PCC and try again. They are great. (though not a 100% direct replacement for a true carbine or rifle.)
     

    foszoe

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    I believe in having a pistol carbine for every caliber I own in a hand gun.

    Still haven't got the .357 though.
     

    K_W

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    I own a Sub2000 for travel; it avoids the silly handgun requirements of some states while being easier to travel with, especially around family, than a rifle.
     

    KJQ6945

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    I completely respect a full auto sub machine gun like mp5, ump45, mpx etc. but why buy a semi auto? Why buy especially for the high prices? Maybe someone with more experience can explain the pou better.

    To address this one point, the MP5 is the only one you listed that you can get as a transferable. The UMP and the MPX both came about after 1986. I have all three as semi auto SBRs. They are an absolute blast to shoot, even in semi auto.
     

    two70

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    I'd suggest giving a better PCC a try on reactive targets, say a PX4 on steel, before giving up on them completely. If that doesn't put a smile on your face then you can permanently scratch them off of your want list(in which case you might also be a soulless ginger in desperate need of a new hobby :laugh:). Really though, different strokes for different folks. For practical purposes I'm not sure I see the benefit of a full auto sub-machine gun over a semi auto PCC for the average gun owner. For pure fun or tactical assaults, sure.
     

    dung

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    Feb 9, 2017
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    They looked like fun at the last steel challenge I went to. I would love to get a scorpion, but for the price I figured a decent AR15 would be a better choice for me.
     

    Ggreen

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    Sep 19, 2016
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    I'd suggest giving a better PCC a try on reactive targets, say a PX4 on steel, before giving up on them completely. If that doesn't put a smile on your face then you can permanently scratch them off of your want list(in which case you might also be a soulless ginger in desperate need of a new hobby :laugh:). Really though, different strokes for different folks. For practical purposes I'm not sure I see the benefit of a full auto sub-machine gun over a semi auto PCC for the average gun owner. For pure fun or tactical assaults, sure.

    My cx4 is a blast. It's not the fastest shooting, but it is an honest carbine that runs all the time without hiccups.

    They looked like fun at the last steel challenge I went to. I would love to get a scorpion, but for the price I figured a decent AR15 would be a better choice for me.

    They are a lot of fun in steel challenge. I've only shot mine at two sanctioned events and went from unclassified to b class in PCCI. They take more practice than you would think, but they are much easier to learn than just about any of the pistol classes.
     

    IndyTom

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    My son's Scorpion is very fun to shoot and difficult not to shoot quickly. It makes me want to pick up an X95 in 9mm...or maybe another Scorpion that would be mine.
     
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