Things that make you go HUM on a rainy day.

Does a cartridges optimal performance determine what label applies to barrel length?

I.E.:
A 24 inch barreled bolt action .223 Remington is called a rifle.
A 20 inch barreled bolt action .223 Remington is called a carbine.
A 20 inch barreled 5.56 AR is called a rifle.
A 16 inch barreled 5.56 AR is called a carbine.
(And I called an 11 inch barreled 5.56 full auto "Cecilia") LOL.

So what gives with the rifle/carbine labels when the potential for both the .223 Remington and 5.56 are basically identical?

 

To me, and probably me only, any rifle with a barrel of 18" or less is a carbine.
Wonder if your Cecilia is related to our "Door Greeter". As in, "Hon do know that truck coming up the drive?" "No, but I've got the Door Greeter with me."

 

Even at 18 inches, isn't a 16 inch AK called a rifle?

 

It is, and I can't honestly answer your question. To me the AK is a carbine length rifle. One of the many reasons that it has been so well received the world over.
I've never quite understood why Mikhail and his bosses went with that length especially the stock/length of pull. The average Russian is what, 5'7-5'9 maybe? I know I'm 5'10 and the AK seems tiny to me.

 

Carbine apparently isn't determined by barrel length, but by an ambiguous weight called "light", which explains the confusion. I'd always thought it was any rifle with a barrel shorter than 20".

carbine
[kahr-been, -bahyn]
noun
1.a light, gas-operated semiautomatic rifle.
2.(formerly) a short rifle used in the cavalry.

 

It is a "light" or shortened version of a full sized rifle of the same type. In the musket days, the term fusil applied (based on smaller civilian guns). Hence, some British units being called Fusiliers, generally being units that had a primary job other than line infantry...kinda like an M1 carbine idea.

 

Full sized rifle had 24-26" barrels? Plus the "carbines" from winchester encompassed both a comfortable size for horseback use and a buttstock style that was more conducive to shouldering from the saddle.

 

I think that falls under definition number 2: a short rifle used in the cavalry.

Personally to me any small lightweight rifle qualifies.

 

I guess one man's carbine is another man's bazooka...

 

Here the waters get muddy, This is considered a Carbine by the U.S. Army! Barrel length is 26 1/2 inches, and is actually more accurate then the full length rifle of 31 inches!

 

The US Army is wrong-what's new about that?

 

I personally always considered a Carbine as any thing under 24 inches, and usually having a lighter build then a "Normal" rifle!
I don't believe there is any one standard to base any of this off of, but.......
One of the sweetest, slickest, and FASTEST Carbines ever made! MK-4 SMLE Jungle Carbine.

 

No.....no.....a bazooka carbine is a LAW rocket launcher!!!

 

While he may have been wrong, an old gunny sergeant said a rile had a bayonet and a carbine didn't, when I was in basic. Worked for the M1, Springfields, etc that we had.

 

I call bubblegum

 

Not to punch holes in the that Gunny's idea, but almost every fighting rifle ( Even Carbines) ever made had provisions for fixing a bayonet!

 

Right or wrong, a few weeks into basic I sure as He** didn't try to correct him.