[1badmagnum]

have been handloading /shooting handguns for the last year and love the sport.looking to buy my first carbine,looking specifically at the hk usc as it fits my price range.would like an ar-15 or 50 bmg but cannot afford these high priced firearms.any other carbines in the $1000-$1500 range,that you guys could reccommend?

 

[Fernando Coelho]

There are some good choices out there for a carbine sized rifle. The DPMS version of an AR-15 carbine (Panther Bull Sweet Sixteen) is one. Armalite makes a carbine length rifle in .308 (AR-10A4) and in .223 (M15-A4). I believe Stoner does as well. There are some good choices out there. It all depends on what your end goal is for the usage of the carbine.

 

[1badmagnum]

hunting,plinking,and just for the satisfaction of making my own shiny bullets lol.
my buddy has 60 acres out in the country with a huge mound of dirt and bales of hay as target rests.
We just like to blow stuff up.
we use water jugs, or cheap tin targets to see how deep we can get our bullets to penetrate.
wet phone books works well too.
we are both reloaders and like to shoot at least a few times a week.

 

[Munch]

have been handloading /shooting handguns for the last year and love the sport.looking to buy my first carbine,looking specifically at the hk usc as it fits my price range.would like an ar-15 or 50 bmg but cannot afford these high priced firearms.any other carbines in the $1000-$1500 range,that you guys could reccommend?

1badmagnum,

Check out DSA's website.

http://www.dsarms.com

They have have a pretty impressive lineup of rifles chambered in .308 and they are in the upper end of your price range.

 

[1badmagnum]

wow nice link.can I order all the parts and build my own rifle that would be sweet?
any other websites that have tips on building custom guns?
wow new hobby lol.!

 

[Jbar4Ranch]

Since when is an AR15 not in the $1000-$1500 range?? Lots of 'em out there under $1000.
I've got a friend who bought a used AR50 only a year ago for $1500. The original buyer had only put 28 rounds through it and wanted some other new toy. 'tain't exactly a carbine, but it is a fifty!
When I hear "carbine", a single shot .45-70 comes to mind...

 

[Fortyfied]

If you're looking for custom semi-auto carbines check out http://www.tromix.com/ while you're looking around.

 

[Munenn]

Thanks for a very interesting link, Fortyfied. There is some really unusual and interesting stuff going on there.

1badmagnum- what do you want this carbine for? If you want a light, concealable carbine, and can do with a pistol cartridge, how about the new folding Kel-tec Sub2000? The new ones (unlike the previous model, which had some major quality control problems) are supposed to be good guns. That is, if you can beleive the magazine reviews, anyway. The 2 new ones I've seen looked to be good, and it gives you a carbine that can fit into a backpack or suitcase. This means you can transport it pretty much anywhere without scareing the straights or challenging the whackos. Of course, a handgun is better, but what about out of state where you can't legally carry?
You could spend most of your budget on ammo.

Another good carbine is the old M-1. Numrichs is selling .22 Johnson conversion barrels, factory .30 carbine mags still work (or at least as good as they did in .30 carbine), and RCBS has the dies. You get a light, handy rifle that puts out a 40 gr. .223 bullet at over 2,100 fps. It's a near perfect survival/woods rifle then, and with a bit of thought in bullet selection it makes a handy self-defense rifle.
There's also nothing wrong with the original .30 carbine, although it has to have a bottom-rung "Gee-Whiz" factor.

What's important to you?

 

[blowsomethingup]

tried out the little 9mm kel tek,got home and my wife says what happened to you???
my shoulder had a huge black and blue markings which eventually turned some other nasty colors.
my saiga has less rec :? oil.

 

[Munenn]

Kel-Tec Sub 2000 Carbine

My 9mm Kel-Tec arrived 2 weeks ago. It doesn't seem to have a problematic recoil, although I ran 50 rounds of Triton Quick Shock ( at least +p) through it and it did have a slightly sharper recoil than the 115 grain PMC ball that preceeded it.

The carbine is having some nasty feeding issues, though. Even with the factory supplied 10 rounder, it jams about 3-4 times per mag. It's marginally better with my old Smith 20 rounders, and occasionally empties a full one of those without complaint. I suspect Kel-Tec may have accidently slipped in a .40 cal. type recoil spring by mistake. We'll see. I just sent them an email about the problem, and I'll see what they have to say.

Also, the accessories their website http://www.kel-tec.com/ lists is wildly optimistic. Neither the flashlight nor the spare mag holder exist yet, and they told me that the flashlight never will due to "problems with the supplier". Also, the short handguard requires some whitteling to fit.

If they fix the feeding problem, it'll be a neat little backpack/hotel room gun. Untill then, though, it'll stay in the safe with my other non-feeding P.O.S. rifles.

 

[Jag45Colt]

I heard "carbine" and the first thing I think is get an M-1 Carbine, or a little .357 Levergun, but no, I'm not of the mindset that the media portrays all gunowners to be of, when they hear gun they think M-16. I hear gun I think .30-06 Winchester, or colt 1911. well if you want an auto, try a Ruger "assult weapon" a ranch rifle to be exact, they go for about $350 for a used one to $575 for a new one, but the aren't as accurate as a AR-15, but they can be dragged through Iraq and back with out a hitch, they're a tough little carbine.

 

[Guest]

Hey Munenn, what do you base your statement of bottom rung "Gee whiz" factor on, concerning the M1 Carbine? Why not consider a firearm designed as a light, handy short rifle instead of those .22s and handgun cartridge types? Maybe a 110 grain bullet traveling at 2000 fps is too much for you? Personally, I'll take a USGI M1 Carbine over any of those you listed, and they keep going up in value, making all the others look like poor cousins.
Watch out for those .308 or larger "Carbines" as the recoil is brutal. You can't absorb recoil of a high-power round without weight, much like handguns that keep getting smaller but harder to shoot. I have a Remington 788 in .308 that's a tack driver, but I had to put a compensator and shotgun pad on it to keep the bruising down (18 inch barrel). The reason they designed the .30 Carbine round for 2000 fps was to hold down the recoil as well as the weight, around five pounds. If you try to shoot a high-power round like the .308 from a five pound rifle, it's going to hurt, alot! Nothing wrong with a 110 grain bullet going out at 2000 fps, good to about 200 yards in a five pound rifle.

 

[BadgerDan]

Go with a Bushmaster or Rock River M4gery! for under a grand!

 

[varoadking]

Guess I got lucky - my KelTec SUB2000 has worked like a champ, my short handguard and other accessories fit perfectly, and that nasty 9mm round has yet to leave a bruise on my shoulder. :lol:

Very accurate out to 75-100 yards. Great value for the $249.99 I paid for mine.

 

[Sunray]

"...would like an ar-15 or 50 bmg but cannot afford these high priced firearms..." An AR-15 isn't a carbine. It's a battle rifle copy. A .50BMG is a heavy machine gun round. Not a rifle. And at $6 plus a shot...
Buy the M-1 carbine. Mixmaster USGI or Plainfield only for a reasonable price. $300 to $500, depending on where you are. There ain't nothing like an M-1 Carbine. Forget the BS you've heard about the ammo. Handloads fix that. More fun to shoot than is legal in some places. Trust me.