Is the M1 Carbine a swell home defense gun?

[Cocked & Locked]

Is the M1 Carbine a swell home defense gun?

Loaded with JHP's I would think very much so. Plus if equipped accordingly, one can use it for a letter opener.


1942 Inland Div., GM

 

[DMK]

"...more from the realm of the pistol than from..." Nope. It's a 300 yard carbine round. Has nothing whatever to do with handguns of any kind.

The M1 Carbine is the Rodney Dangerfield of long guns.

Some folks say that it's a useless, weak round. "kind of like a .22 on steroids" was what one thread post said back in 2003. "Can't shoot through a Chinese overcoat". "Use a real rifle", maybe an AK or SKS. Don't use a rifle for home defense, use a handgun.

Then there's the argument on the other side of the coin: It's too powerful. It will shoot through walls. "If you fire at a bad guy, miss and that bullet goes through your wall or window and hits somebody half a mile away".

I think the truth is somewhere between, but compromise doesn't make for good drama in the Interweb forums.

Even pistol rounds shoot through walls. If a bullet can't make it through a glass window or a few inches of sheetrock, it's not powerful enough for self defense IMO. Shoot your favorite 9mm or 45ACP handgun at your wall and see if it doesn't go through.

Benefits over the handgun: The M1 Carbine has the added advantage of a longer sight radius, it is secured to the body at three points instead of one, and the weight and secure hold allow faster follow up shots. There is also a higher probability of your shots hitting your intended target than there is with a handgun.

Drawbacks compared to the handgun: Size. That means you likley won't have it on you all the time (but how many carry a handgun on body in their own home?). It's longer than a deployed handgun, so it would be slightly more unwieldy to use than a handgun inside a building.

Drawbacks when compared to a rifle: For home defense/personal defense within 50 yards? I can't think of any, unless your attacker is wearing body armor or attacking you with a motor vehicle.

 

[U.S.SFC_RET]

You need confidence with whatever firearm you are wanting to use. Your selection depends on safety, dependability and ease of use. Not only for you but for the wifey as well.
I absolutely love that carbine and its my #1 choice, here's why.
1. Its short, light and goes through doors.
2. This one is very dependable and eats remington hollowpoints beautifully.
3. High magazine capacity.
4. Ease of shooting and recoil.
5. Serves as home defence and property. See signature below.
6. Confidence factor rates very high with this weapon. It is a weapon because it is designed to kill.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

You can do a LOT worse than an M1 carbine for home defense and general defense. You can even put a bayo on it! The advantages have been outlined above, and it's certainly quite lethal in the right hands. I would never volunteer to get shot with one. It's probably in the top 4 or 5 choices of long arm types for home defense.

 

[MCgunner]

I'd want no rifle caliber for defense in the house or an apartment, over-penetration. But, the carbine is a pistol round regardless of what it was designed to be shot in, truth be told. In a Blackhawk, it ain't got the whop of a .357 Magnum and a .357 Magnum in a rifle, well...... But, for home defense, it's light and handy and might just be dandy...my rhyme for the day. I'd shoot hollow points, of course.

 

[jad0110]

but how many carry a handgun on body in their own home?).

DMK,

I do ... I've got my 5" 1911 45 ACP riding in an IWB holster and my S&W 642 doing BUG duty in a pocket holster as I type this. But, I've been out and about today, so I just leave the 1911 in place. Usually, it's just the 642 around the house. I live in a safe neighborhood, but bad stuff happens to good people on a daily basis. 'Course, if it hits the fan, I'll be making tracks to my safe (if safe to do so) to retrieve my Mossberg 590A loaded with 00 buck.

As you said it youself...

Benefits over the handgun: The M1 Carbine has the added advantage of a longer sight radius, it is secured to the body at three points instead of one, and the weight and secure hold allow faster follow up shots. There is also a higher probability of your shots hitting your intended target than there is with a handgun.

The best medicine for overpenetration is to hit what you are aiming at. As others have said, pistol rounds can blow through many walls too. Especially something like 7.62 x 25 or 9mm ball. For most people, a longarm of some type increases the likelihood of putting lead on badguy in a high stress situation.

For HD, I think an M1 would be dandy, if it is reliable and you are confident with it. Same goes for an AR, .30-30 levergun, shotgun, etc. I prefer a 12 gauge loaded with buckshot myself.

 

[MCgunner]

but how many carry a handgun on body in their own home?).

I do, too. I carry 24/7, my 9mm KT in my pocket. It's no harder to carry than not carrying, so I have it with me ALL the time, everywhere. That's why I got a carry permit, so I could carry everywhere. I take it out to clean it once in a while, 'bout the only time it's not ready for prime time. Now, in bed at night, my shotgun is by my side and my .38 is in the drawer of my night stand. The door is locked, safe room strategy. Come through that door and you get a face full of number 3 buck.

 

[bogie]

Well, it strikes me as the perfect zombie defense rifle.

Not too big, not too heavy, light recoil, decent terminal ballistics.

Only problem is that they're now hard to get ammo for - you pretty much just need to buy a lot of brass, and reload.

If someone would build a new model in 9mm, that would be just so cool.

What's the head size on .30M1?

(looked it up...

0.360"...

And ballistics, in carbine-length barrels, look remarkably similar to light-bullet .357 loads...

Hornady maxes a 110 grainer at 2000 from the M1, and a 125 grainer at 1950 from the .357 carbine... I'd probably give the nod to the .357, due to large bullet cross section, and greater availability of well-constructed hollowpoints. Plus, you can load 180 grainers if you like... That is IMPRESSIVE.

Case-head-size-wise, the .32ACP is the right size, and could be fun, but at the same time, not a lot of power, and one would need to get seriously into handloading, with limited component availability (same problem as the M1). If the bolt can be opened up a little, 9mm would probably be the optimum choice.

 

[jaholder1971]

The only drawback to the M1 carbine is lack of good ammunition.

You've got ball, softnose and Winchester's Hollow soft nose, which acts like softnose. From my experience with my carbine the softnosed bullets either don't open and overpenetrate or they fragment, the jackets come off and the lead core overpenetrates.

Someone needs to make a tough, reliable little bullet that will open up reliably in soft tissue without fragmenting to pieces at carbine velocities. That will bring the carbine into it's own.

 

[jrfoxx]

I'll agree that M1 carbine would likely be a great HD gun. I'm amazed at how light and handy it is, and 15rds is pretty decent capacity.Ammo does seem to be an issue though. Speer needs to make Gold Dots for relaoding, and/or somebody needs to make a Gold Dot load commercially for it. IMHO, that would go a LONG way to making me consider my M1 for my HD gun.

 

[mnw42]

Zombie... brains!!!!!!!!

Cor-bon makes a 100 gr DPX at around 2,000 fps and I've got two 15 rd sticks ready to go just in case. Right now my M1 is apart on the bench for cleaning so my Winchester is next to the bead. It is nice to live in a house made out of cinder block and to have no immediate neighbors.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Yep the little shooter is nice for the home defense, or self defense

The ones who would pick a 9 mm or some other pistol round are only kidding I'd hope (carbines of pistol rounds) Some are as good or better, but the M1 carbine has a history that is really sort of cool.

 

[Mattole]

Dern right it would make a great home defense gun. But I would definately recommend ammo like the CorBon DPX to try to minimize overpenetration, if thin walls and nearby neighbors are a reality for you.

For those who say the M1 carbine is underpowered, I want to relate this: a few days ago I went out into the woodlot in back of my house (no neighbors around for a long long way) and shot fro 30 yards at a Douglas fir tree that was about 12-14" diameter (it was a tree that I will be cutting for firewood so I didn't feel too badly about it). Anyway, I shot 7 rounds at a knot in the tree at chest level, and all of them blew completely through the tree and into the dirt bank in back of it. I think in a self defense situation the carbine would do just fine...

 

[Harley Quinn]

Mattole,
I have heard stories where Marines and Army shot the heck out of trees to expend ammo in days of old. So much so they fell some

The same now I hear, shooting through block houses and trees On purpose or accidently, the bullet does not know nor has it a memory

Scary for sure. Responsible ownership is essential.

I was shooting a hand gun 30 cal Ruger years and years ago, I was on a pistol range. The range master came out and told me to shoot it on the rifle range, the Ruger was pretty new then and he had not seen one.

http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aastruger30bh.htm

In 1968 or so I believe, they were new on the mkt and noisy

 

[brlau]

...unless your attacker is wearing body armor...

This was posted by Dr. Gary Roberts on Tactical Forums years ago:

The best ammunition choice for the M1 Carbine is the Remington 110 gr JSP (R30CAR)—at an average velocity of 1864 f/s, it expands to .54” to .58” and penetrates 13” to 16” whether in bare gelatin, through automobile windshields, or Level IIIa body armor. This is as good as the best .223’s. M1 carbines have a poor reputation when using GI ball ammo, but good expanding bullets offer a stunning leap in incapacitation potential and should cause us to rethink the M1 carbine as a law enforcement patrol rifle. It is easy to shoot, inexpensive, and is well accepted by the public.
The Winchester 110 gr JSP works reasonably well, but has a bit smaller permanent wound channel compared to the Remington load. By the way, the Federal 110 gr JSP carbine bullet acts just like ball without any expansion. Hornady 90 gr JHP-XTP bullets offered insufficient penetration when fired from the carbine.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Better than your average pistol caliber carbine, not as good as an AR15 though.

 

[Doug S]

Although, I have other first line defensive firearms, I keep a GI M1 Carbine handy as backup. I wouldn't hesitate to use one for self defense, if need be.

 

[arthurcw]

My only problem with using it as a HD gun is the likelihood it will have to spend months away from home all alone and scared in a police locker should I need to use it.

I love all my guns, but I love my milsurps more. It’s hard to imagine my little Inland shivering in the dark. Makes me sad. I’ll stick to guns that have less sentimental value to me.

 

[david_the_greek]

Coming up to a situation where I'm moving to well kept neighborhood in a sea of slums and trouble makers (its for school, not much choice). The neighbors on the block are all top notch people who watch out for each other, the basement windows have bars and their is an alarm system (though that will likely not connect to a service when I move in. Thinking about what to take, this rifle came to mind. I'd love to bring my tacticool AR and 1911, since they are my most effective weapons (in my hands at least and of my collection). Heaven forbid I have to use the rifle or stand someone down with it, I wouldn't want my AR being taken away for x months or perhaps someone seeing it, running away, and getting the bright idea to try to steal it when I'm away.

 

[106rr]

The noise issue is valid. If you have an infant in the house a gunfight could damage the kids hearing permanently. Many people have families to consider. It is never an issue outdoors but inside a bunker it certainly is. There is no reason to damage your own hearing in a gunfight if you can avoid it and still defend your family.
The 30 carbine Sp has been tested in gelatin. Rem/Win wil penetrate 12 to 18 inches and expand at least to .65 to .72 caliber. Search Tactical Forums for details. The canned heat loads are made with Speer Gold Dot bullets I think.
It is a great HD weapon in California and excellent anywhere else.

 

[Kosh75287]

I guess the counter question to "Is the .30 M1 carbine a swell home defense gun?" Is "Compared to what?"

I'd certainly rather have it over any .22 (I don't care HOW wonderfully accurate your favorite rimfire is, said accuracy was obtained with nobody threatening you). I'd prefer it over a single shot shotgun, even a large one. I'd prefer it over any pocket pistol, and quite a few of the less powerful "major caliber" defensive pistols (say, .38 special and 9x19, and lesser rounds). If it was loaded with expanding point projectiles, this helps, as long as feeding doesn't suffer, but I'd still rather have a .45 Auto, a .45 Colt, or a .357mag(If one could find a RELIABLE .30 M1, converted to .357, I'd have to consider that favorably). I have a Rossi M1892 in .45 Colt that has done many tours of duty as a burglar chaser. I think THIS would be MY first choice if I was simply forced to use a shoulder-fired piece for it.

After all is said and done, the confidence that the defender has in his weapon, and the mindset with which he reacts when the emergency is upon him will often outweigh a whole host of other factors. A well-practiced light sleeper who's thought out what he(she) intends to do and practiced it and is armed with a .32 auto PPK is probably better armed than one who plops a 12gauge riot gun next to the bed and never gives the matter another thought.
....something about a man named Cooper and the combat mindset....

 

[david_the_greek]

With the paratrooper folding stock, what are the dimensions? Granted the gun itself isn't too large to begin with, a folding stock would make this quite compact for close quarter maneuvering. They are kind of pricey and I'm not sure if you'd have to register as a pistol based on overall length, but a neat concept. Always liked the look of the paratrooper carbines.

 

[Daniel Foster]

For home defense, I would probly use a pistol first, just because of the small, more maneuverable size. My fave is the Glock 23, which is .40 cal. Pow'r ball ammo is the best I have found. This will put anyone down, especially when their magazines hold 13 rounds.

The next best would be an M1 carbine with soft points. I love my Auto Ordnance, sweet carbine!

I think anything bigger than this would be overkill

 

[For Freedom]

This is my home defense weapon:



It's loaded with 110 gr TAP. This round should do less than 11" in ballistic gelatin.

I'm not concerned at all about the noise, but I do keep electronic ear muffs right next to it.

The tritium front sight is nice.

 

[Realbigo]

I set a commercial carbine up as a HD rfor my mother when I moved out, and she lives in an all brick neighborhood but I do worry about over penetration, even w/ the 110grain SP's. Oh and for the light, I used a genaric Maglite w/ the led bulb, muffler clamped to a wood cradle carved to put on a bore line w/ the barrel