Best Pistol Caliber Carbines for Home Defense

By: Steve Moses

Spoiler Alert: I am unable to declare with certainty as to what the best pistol-caliber carbines are. The reason is that there are so many  manufacturers with various models out there that there is no way I can evaluate each one. Any attempt on my part to do otherwise would do a disservice to the reader. I will say that when it comes to home defense, I rely on one of my two pistol-caliber carbines while my AR-15s in 5.56mm/.223 caliber stay in the gun safe.

The reason that a pistol-caliber carbine chambered in a low-energy handgun caliber like 9mm is preferred for use inside a home over the much more powerful 5.56mm/.223 is its reduced muzzle blast, concussion, and report. Granted, in the heat of battle we may (or may not) experience auditory exclusion that has little to no effect on us at the time, but that doesn’t mean it won’t damage our hearing (or that of other family members). While the decibel levels generated by both may be similar, I can say from personal experience that without ear protection in a room the concussion of the AR-15 was definitely more painful than that of a 9mm pistol.

Why not put a suppressor on a carbine chambered in 5.56mm/223?  I find that the overall increase in length to my carbine makes it even more difficult to hold with one hand at horizontal position and fire in the event I need to while using my support hand to control another  family member, use a handheld flashlight (I don’t do searches with a weapon-mounted light), open a door,  or use my cell phone. 

And what about over-penetration issues with either calibers? I am not sure when it comes to sheetrock and wooden walls  that there is much of a difference between many modern 5.56mm/.223 and 9mm defensive bullets.  Precisely placing bullets in critical anatomical areas with the objective of causing a motivated violent criminal attacker to stop doing what they were doing as quickly as possible is the best way to ensure that we don’t injure or kill others inside, or even outside, of the home or temporary residence. There are highly frangible 5.56mm/.223 rounds designed for shooting small game like woodchucks, foxes, and coyotes that may break up after penetrating sheetrock or wooden walls, but those rounds often perform poorly when shooting larger mammals like deer and wild pigs as well as for defensive purposes. 

If I could only select one pistol-caliber carbine for self-defense it would be in 9mm caliber that is based upon the AR9 platform that uses inexpensive Glock magazines equipped with a reliable red dot optic sight and a quality white light mounted to the forend. The reason that I like Glock (or Magpul) magazines is that  not only are they are affordable, but available with capacities of  10, 15, 17, 22, and even 33 rounds. This can come in handy if I find myself in a state that regulates magazine capacity. There are a number of manufacturers offering AR9 carbines and pistols with braces, and my personal firearms were made by Christensen Arms and Aero Precision.  Other manufacturers of quality pistol-caliber carbines include, but are not limited to, Daniel Defense, Maxim Defense, and JP Enterprises.

Other viable options include non-AR9 semiautomatic pistol-caliber carbines in a variety of formats from Ruger, Smith & Wesson, Beretta, and Henry, as well as lever-action carbines chambered in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .45 Long Colt made by Chiappa, Henry, Ruger/Marlin, Smith & Wesson, and Rossi. I have a Rossi R92 in stainless steel with a 16-inch barrel in .45 Long Colt, and after some judicious tuning it is now one of my favorite home defense carbines. Not only does it lack the inaccurate “assault rifle” stigma assigned to it by much of the media,  but to the best of my knowledge it is legal for possession in every state. Western history buffs are well aware that prior to the introduction of the .30-30 Winchester smokeless round many Old West cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws used pistol-caliber carbines and rifles chambered in .44-40 Winchester.

Armed homeowners should not forget about .22LR pistol-caliber carbines as made by Ruger, Marlin, and Smith and Wesson. I believe that if the only defensive firearm that I could convince my wife to use if home intruders were in the act of breaking into my home was a semi-automatic .22 LR carbine like a Ruger 10/22 or a Smith and Wesson M&P 15-22 and a ten to twenty-five round magazine of high-quality CCI or Federal ammunition then her chances of successfully driving them away improved dramatically. A .22 LR carbine makes perfect sense for concealed carriers who would like to make sure that other responsible adults in their home who are not firearm enthusiasts have the means to defend themselves and other family members in their absence. It is not uncommon for persons who previously disliked guns in general to find themselves actually enjoy shooting these little carbines. Would a larger caliber firearm be likely more effective? Yes, but the overwhelming majority (but not all) of home intruders are not willing to get shot with any firearm, and multiple rounds directed to the upper part of the chest or head of a violent criminal home intruder with the intent and ability to harm or kill others can physically render them incapable of continuing their attack. I have personally seen a 600-pound steer drop in its tracks so hard the ground shook when shot in the forehead with a .22 LR round. 

Perhaps a  better question for the armed homeowner than what is the best pistol-caliber carbine might be what is the best pistol-caliber carbine  for them. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that a  gunowner  who has trained under a highly proficient firearms instructor with any one of the carbines that I mentioned in this article has gone a long ways towards increasing the odds that they will survive a deadly force encounter in their home or temporary residence.