The Greatest 9mm Carbines, Examined and Reviewed

I’m unsure when the primary 9mm carbine was assembled, however not lengthy after the cartridge debuted within the Luger pistol, folks acknowledged the advantages of working the cartridge by a shoulder-fired gun. Early 9mm carbines have been merely pistols with removable shares and appeared on Luger vaariants, C96 Mauser broomhandle pistols, and even early World Battle II pistols just like the Polish Radom VIS P35. That shortly led to growth of submachine gun platforms and the remaining is historical past.

The 9mm cartridge has been adopted in numerous carbines through the years, the development that is still robust as ever. Being that the time period “carbine” is usually outlined as “a firearm much like a light-weight rifle, however with a shorter barrel,” there are a variety of designs that fall inside this class. Usually although, 9mm carbines and different pistol caliber carbines (PCCs) are compact, blowback-operated, semi-automatic rifles or braced pistols. A 9mm carbine is among the most pleasurable firearms to shoot, they usually have quite a lot of sensible purposes.

What Is A 9mm Carbine Good For?

The early 9mm carbine was sometimes a combat-oriented weapon, they usually nonetheless excel in that software. They’re normally shorter and lighter than a rifle, with much less recoil and larger ammunition capability. They’ve been utilized in army and police employment for many years, however their usefulness stretches past these purposes.

Self Protection or Residence Protection

Given the widespread use of the 9mm carbine within the regulation enforcement and army arenas, it’s logical that they’d make sensible and efficient instruments for self protection. They’re sometimes extra correct, have greater ammunition capability, and are simpler for newer shooters to succeed in proficiency than with many handguns, shotguns or rifles. 

Lots of them are sufficiently small to comfortably use in tight areas and might be stowed safely and discreetly within the house or car, and with purpose-designed defensive 9mm ammunition, the chance of over penetration from rifle rounds such because the .223 or 5.56 is decreased.

Survival and Small-Sport Searching

The 9mm is a sluggish, short-range cartridge that isn’t usually appropriate for looking giant recreation, however in a 9mm carbine, it may be an efficient choice for a survival or bug-out gun, or for looking small recreation. Although bigger than small-game classics just like the .22 LR and .22 WMR, the 9mm might be fairly efficient and isn’t too damaging when utilizing acceptable ammunition. A bonus to utilizing a 9mm carbine as a truck, boat, or backpack gun is the relative affordability and abundance of 9mm ammo. One other plus is that almost all platforms can make the most of higher-capacity magazines. Together with .223/5.56 and .22 LR, the 9mm is among the greatest survival/prepper cartridges you may decide.

Leisure and Aggressive Taking pictures

The 9mm carbine is among the funnest platforms to shoot. Low recoil, muzzle blast, and cheap ammo all make it so. Solely the .22 LR can eclipse the 9mm carbine in the case of pure plinking and steel-plate-shooting delight. In reality, if you will get by a 30-round journal from a 9mm carbine with out cracking a smile, you most likely must be working in a basement on the IRS. 

Lately, pistol caliber carbine divisions in aggressive organizations resembling USPSA have change into wildly in style. Shooters develop and train the identical sensible capturing expertise as they’d with pistols. This reputation has impressed a slew of high-performance competition-oriented 9mm carbines too.

How We Chosen and Examined Every 9mm Carbine

It might be a monumental and impractical feat to check each 9mm carbine available on the market. And that may, frankly, go away a potential buyer extra befuddled by all of the out there choices. 

To provide you a peek into the world of the 9mm carbine, I chosen six completely different fashions, outfitted them with optics, suppressors, and different equipment, and shot the hell out of them. I examined their perform with a number of sorts and weights of widespread 9mm ammunition and examined their accuracy by recording and averaging 4 5-shot teams at 25 yards with Staccato Match 125gn 9mm ammo. For sensible capturing, I ran plate racks and different metal targets from 10 to 50 yards, noting each positives and negatives. There are numerous different wonderful 9mm carbines on the market, and as we get to guage extra of them, we’ll replace this story.

A few of Our Favourite 9mm Carbines: Opinions and Suggestions

If the proper 9mm carbine or PCC for you isn’t on this record, I’d guess that it will likely be one thing much like one in every of these fashions:

Greatest Total: Kalashnikov USA KP-9

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Key Options

• Model: AK variant
• Total size: 19.75 inches (folded), 28 inches (brace prolonged)
• Barrel size: 9.25 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, contains compensator
• Set off: 1 pound, 14 ounces (aftermarket ALG AK set off)
• Capability: 30+1 
• Folding brace/inventory appropriate
• Iron sights: Sure, AK-style
• Accuracy common: .931 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $1,200

Execs

• Reliable with all widespread varieties of ammunition
• Appropriate with many AK equipment and folding braces or shares (for registered short-barreled-rifles)
• Good accuracy
• Easy to take care of

Cons

• Costly magazines
• Doesn’t include brace

The KP-9 from Kalashnikov USA is the pistol model of the corporate’s KR-9 rifle — and an nearly precise semi-automatic copy of the Russian Vityaz submachine gun. Naked bones, this pistol is about $1,100 to $1,200, however is appropriate with triangle folding braces or shares (if you wish to register it as an SBR). It has a 9.25-inch barrel that comes with a real Vityaz-style compensator, nevertheless it’s threaded ½-28 making it appropriate with different widely-available muzzle gadgets and suppressors. I fitted my private SBR with a Silencerco three-lug mount. 

The KP-9 is a blowback-operated semi-auto that strips down equally to gas-driven AK rifles, besides that it doesn’t have a practical piston. It field-strips simply and isn’t terrified of a bit little bit of carbon fouling. The inventory set off is typical of the AK selection — stiff with a number of creep — and I changed mine with an ALG aftermarket set off. It has a polymer magwell riveted to the receiver, which mimics the real Vityaz and has held up properly over a number of years of use for me. A key function for reliability, the KP-9 has modified feed ramps to facilitate {smooth} loading of JHP and truncated bullets.

Arrange with a tax stamp and aftermarket goodies has actually elevated the attraction of my private KP-9, so it’s essential to do not forget that when evaluating the retail value with different 9mm carbines. Nevertheless, this has been an extremely reliable and insanely enjoyable gun. It’s probably the most correct that I’ve examined and pairs properly with a suppressor and subsonic ammo. 

Greatest Compact 9mm Carbine: Sig Sauer MPX Okay

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Key Options

• Model: Bufferless AR fashion
• Total size: 14.33 inches (folded), 22.25 inches (brace prolonged)
• Barrel size: 4.5 inches
• Muzzle: threaded M13.5x1mm, contains A2-style flash hider
• Set off: 4 kilos, 6 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 35+1 
• Folding brace included
• Iron sights: No
• Accuracy common: 1.366 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $2,219

Execs

• Compact
• Good set off
• AR-style receivers and controls
• Ambidextrous controls

Cons

• Barrel is sort of too brief
• Non-standard muzzle threads

Sig’s MPX Okay is among the coolest and most compact 9mm carbines you will see. They’ve quite a lot of iterations of the MPX, together with a longer-barreled competitors model, however the MPX Okay is a 9mm carbine that’s extra fitted to being a high-performance bug-out bag or truck gun. It’s received a brief 4.5-inch barrel that’s surrounded by an aluminum M-Lok handguard, and makes use of AR-style higher and decrease receivers. There’s no buffer tube on these, and the recoil springs are positioned under the charging deal with and above the bolt. Not like their 5.56mm carbines, the MPX is blowback operated and doesn’t use a fuel piston.

These are among the costlier pistol caliber carbines you should buy, however they’re prime quality and mine has been completely dependable. I set mine up with an Aimpoint ACRO crimson dot on a B&T riser, and it made this 9mm carbine straightforward to maneuver, intention, and shoot shortly out to 50 yards or so. It has a superb set off and {smooth} recoil impulse. For its compact measurement, it stunned me how shortly I may blast by a plate rack with out misses. 

Other than a hefty price ticket, the one downsides of the MPX Okay include its barrel. Most prominently, Sig makes use of an M13.5x1mm left-hand-thread for its muzzle, which tremendously limits the aftermarket equipment you need to use with it. Second, the barrel on the MPX Okay is sort of too brief to be safely dealt with with out a suppressor connected. This platform begs to be suppressed, nevertheless it’s not as handy with that thread sample. I put in a hand cease on the entrance of the handguard to stop unintended slippage, however as a registered SBR, a vertical grip may very well be put in, which might be higher. The braced pistol model of this platform could be very cool, however in the event you’re going to put money into an MPX, you’ll most likely wish to chunk the bullet and simply get your SBR tax stamp.

Greatest Worth 9mm Carbine: Ruger PC Charger

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Key Options

• Total size: 16.75 inches (folded), 25.25 inches (SB 1913 brace prolonged)
• Barrel size: 6.5 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, contains thread protector
• Set off: 4 kilos, 9 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 17+1 
• Folding brace/inventory appropriate (Picatinny rail)
• Iron sights: No
• Accuracy common: 2.242 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $650

Execs

• Reasonably priced and versatile
• Appropriate with Glock magazines
• One-turn takedown
• Dependable

Cons

• Set off has lengthy reset
• Doesn’t include brace

With regards to bang for the buck, it’s exhausting to beat Ruger’s PC Charger for a 9mm carbine — whether or not you wish to use it as a braced pistol or flip it into an SBR. Technically the pistol variant of Ruger’s in style PC Carbine, the PC charger is an reasonably priced, versatile, and dependable 9mm carbine. It doesn’t embrace a brace, however on the rear of the chassis is a piece of M1913 Picatinny rail that’s appropriate with a wide range of choices. This PCC resembles an up-sized 10/22 with much more options. The receiver sits in an aluminum chassis and encompasses a quick-detach takedown barrel and M-Lok handguard meeting.

The PC Charger comes set as much as settle for 17-round Ruger pistol magazines, however features a conversion equipment to make use of Glock and aftermarket Glock-style magazines — one thing you’ll wish to set up instantly. When evaluating all these pistol caliber carbines, I famous that with the Glock magazines, the PC Charger was the best to load — magazines float effortlessly up into the magwell, directed by its polymer edges. One factor I actually like about this 9mm carbine is that the bolt deal with might be put in on both aspect of the receiver, as can the journal catch button. 

Accuracy of the PC Charger isn’t nice, and the set off is so-so, with a protracted reset. The recoil impulse, although not exhausting, is a little more jumpy with this than a lot of the different PCCs I evaluated. My PC Charger is an SBR, so I put in a vertical fore grip, and it’s gleeful to shoot when paired with my Silencerco Osprey 2.0 suppressor.

PSA Soviet Arms AK-V Voodoo

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Key Options

• Model: AK variant
• Total size: 19.75 inches (folded), 28.25 inches (brace prolonged)
• Barrel size: 10.5 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, contains side-baffle brake
• Set off: 1 kilos, 13 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 35+1 
• Folding triangle brace included (Picatinny mounted)
• Iron sights: Sure, AK-style
• Accuracy common: .667 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $1,025

Execs

• Good workmanship and have set
• Appropriate with many AK equipment and mods
• Wonderful accuracy
• Reasonably priced magazines

Cons

• Doesn’t perform properly with some JHP and truncated bullets

One other extremely in style 9mm carbine is the AK-V 9mm from Palmetto State Armory. They provide a number of completely different variants, however I opted to check the Voodoo mannequin with brown/inexperienced laminated furnishings and a ventilated “cheese grater” fashion higher handguard. This braced pistol ships with a folding triangle brace, although because it encompasses a Picatinny mount, the gun is appropriate with others too. The place the Kalashnikov KP-9 strives for an genuine Vityaz look, the AK-V sports activities modernized traces on the mud cowl and a beefier magwell and paddle magazine launch. It’s properly executed.

Just like the KP-9, the AK-V operates very similar to an AK rifle however, because it’s recoil operated, it doesn’t have a fuel piston. The set off is fairly gentle with fairly a little bit of creep, nevertheless it’s higher than the manufacturing facility AK set off on the KP-9. The AK-V has a smooth-operating three-position security/selector, which is a nod to the real submachine gun, although these are semi-auto solely. 

One factor I recognize in regards to the AK-V is its use of CZ Scorpion sample magazines. Mags from PSA maintain 35 rounds and are fairly reasonably priced at round $17 apiece. Evaluate that to $45 apiece for Sig MPX mags. This gun was essentially the most correct PCC that I examined, and clustered pictures tightly at 25 yards. It’s {smooth} recoiling and permits quick goal transitions. My solely grievance is that the feed ramps, primarily based on an older design meant for ball ammo, didn’t work as properly with 147-grain truncated bullets and a few JHP bullets. I choose capturing 147-grain subsonics when utilizing a suppressor, in order that’s a problem. Total although, it’s a terrific worth for a 9mm carbine.

Springfield Armory Saint Victor 9mm Carbine

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Key Options

• Model: AR Variant
• Total size: 31.5 inches (inventory collapsed), 35 inches (inventory prolonged)
• Barrel size: 16 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, contains blast diverter
• Set off: 5 kilos, 4 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 32+1 
• Iron sights: flip-up peep and put up
• Accuracy common: .841 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $1,220

Execs

• Nice accuracy
• AR fashion works properly with aftermarket triggers and different mods
• Lengthy barrel and handguard are perfect for aggressive capturing
• Collapsible buttstock

Cons

• Journal is troublesome to load
• Heavy set off

The AR-style 9mm carbine was most famously launched by Colt in 1982 because the mannequin 635 submachine gun. It replicated the ergonomics, options, and dealing with of an AR carbine, however in a 9mm blowback-operated model. There are numerous variations right this moment, and I examined Springfield Armory’s Saint Victor — a 16-inch barreled carbine that encompasses a full-length M-Lok handguard and makes use of Colt-pattern 32-round magazines, which have been initially modified variations of the Uzi journal. These magazines are double-stack, manufactured from metal, and a bitch to load. However the one which got here with the rifle functioned completely.

With a 16-inch barrel, this mannequin is taken into account a protracted gun, so there’s no NFA tomfoolery essential to outfit it with no matter equipment you need. The barrel comes capped with a blast diverter, and is threaded ½-28 — although I used to be unable to get the blast diverter to interrupt free and stopped in need of utilizing a torch to persuade it. The muzzle is definitely recessed contained in the handguard too, so not all suppressors will match. It has an ambidextrous 45-degree security selector and pop-up iron sights, although it’s an ideal platform for a crimson dot. 

This can be a nice choice for short-range carbine purposes or competitors. The lengthy handguard offers the shooter ample management, and although the set off is heavy, it has a powerful reset and might be run very quick. An aftermarket drop-in set off would actually let this factor hum. This may be a wonderful PCC to begin a brand new shooter on and familiarize them with AR ergonomics too. 

Henry Homesteader 9mm Carbine

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Key Options

• Total size: 35.75 inches
• Barrel size: 16.37 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, contains thread protector
• Set off: 6 kilos, 10 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 5+1, 10+1, appropriate with different mags
• Iron sights: Peep rear, put up entrance
• Accuracy common: 1.974 inches (common of 5-shot teams at 50 yards)
• Worth: $714

Execs

• Conventional fashion
• Works with OEM Sig, Glock, and S&W magazines
• Good accuracy
• Nice coach for younger hunters

Cons

• Not a lot accent compatibility
• Recoil pad is unnecessarily plush

Borrowing from earlier testing and analysis we’ve completed, I needed to embrace the Henry Homesteader on this lineup. The 9mm carbine market is stuffed with tactical-looking choices, however some of us desire a extra classic-looking PCC. This semi-auto comes with wooden furnishings and the aura of a contemporary saddle gun. It encompasses a barrel-mounted rear peep and entrance put up, however you may simply mount a crimson dot or magnified optic atop the receiver.

This can be a handsome carbine that’s extra versatile than it might sound at first look. You may adapt it to make use of magazines from Glock, Sig, or Smith & Wesson, so it most likely pairs with a handgun you have already got. On the very least, you should have no bother discovering reasonably priced spare magazines. The muzzle is threaded for a suppressor and comes with a thread protector. Slightly can just like the Silencerco Omega 36M in brief configuration would pair completely with it.

If you wish to learn extra in-depth in regards to the Homesteader, capturing editor John B. Snow wrote this glowing evaluate, and the Outside Life check staff couldn’t put it down at our 2023 Gun Take a look at. I don’t suppose it is possible for you to to both.

CZ Scorpion Evo 3+ 16-inch 9mm Carbine

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Key Options

• Total size: 24.75 inches (inventory folded), 35 inches (inventory absolutely prolonged)
• Barrel size: 16 inches
• Muzzle: threaded ½-28, options fake suppressor with blast diverter
• Set off: 8 kilos, 5 ounces (measured)
• Capability: 20+1
• Iron sights: Rail-mounted sights, rear peep has 4 completely different aperture sizes
• Accuracy common: .854 inches (4 5-shot teams at 25 yards)
• Worth: $1,002

Execs

• Nice accuracy
• Ambidextrous controls
• Good accent compatibility
• Buttstock folds but additionally adjustable for size

Cons

• Folding inventory button could be very troublesome to press
• Very heavy set off
• Receiver and rails are polymer shell

The CZ Scorpion is one more iconic 9mm carbine that I used to be capable of get my arms on. Although the Evo 3+ and earlier iterations are mechanically dissimilar, many individuals incorrectly affiliate them with the unique .32 ACP Scorpion submachine weapons that got here round within the late Fifties. The Scorpion EVO 3 + carbine is a semi-automatic 9mm PCC that has good ergonomics in addition to some distinctive and fascinating options. It’s a modern-looking gun with a clamshell-type polymer receiver which homes the big bolt meeting and recoil spring. 

This gun encompasses a detachable set off pack and a variety of adjustability. You may alter the telescoping inventory for size, and the grip may even be moved ahead or backward to fine-tune set off attain. The rear sight is an adjustable peep that options 4 completely different aperture sizes the shooter can flip by. This 16-inch mannequin is legally a protracted gun, however made to appear like a shorter-barreled model with a suppressor connected. The fake suppressor slips over the barrel and has a blast diverter on the entrance. It appears to be like cool, however in the event you pull it to put in a suppressor, it turns right into a dork. Luckily, in the event you begin out with this carbine and file a type 1 to make it an SBR, you will get shorter aftermarket barrels to pair together with your favourite can — making it exponentially cooler. 

The Scorpion Evo 3+ was fairly correct and enjoyable to shoot, although it has a really heavy set off and typically uncomfortable hand shock by the pistol grip when firing. This 9mm carbine solely ships with one 20-round journal, nevertheless it’s appropriate with the beforehand talked about Palmetto AK-V mags. They often appear to work properly, however some don’t match as easily and I had points with truncated 147-grain bullets feeding within the Scorpion too. 

FAQ

Closing Ideas on the 9mm Carbine

Many hunters overlook the 9mm carbine, nevertheless it’s a kind of firearm that’s each insanely enjoyable and helpful. Whether or not you’re fascinated with one for self protection, enjoyable on the vary, competitors, or all the above, you’ve received a variety of nice choices.