SAR 18#6

PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES:
NOT ANOTHER AR-15
By David Lake
Since the advent of repeating arms
and cased ammunition, the goal and
purpose of small arms manufacturers
has been to improve and even specialize
those weapons. Shoulder fired arms
have to be divided into specific categories,
ranging in size and power from the
highly compact PDW, up to the robust
anti-materiel rifle. In between these extremes
you’ll find submachine guns, carbines,
assault rifles, light machine guns,
heavy machine guns, shotguns, launchers,
and sniper rifles. Each represents a
unique field of study, development, and
application. Military and law enforcement
will have access to, and a purpose
for, all of the above weapon types. The
civilian consumer will generally have
less choice; whether collector, competitor,
hobbyist, or hunter. The vast majority
of guns lining the retail shelves today
can be described with only two letters:
AR. The overwhelming array of variants
and versions of the AR-15 dominate our
current gun market. The simple fact is
that the AR-15 is so versatile it can be
adapted to fill almost any role. As the
gun-buying public supports the industry
focused on the AR-15, we continue to
see growing specialization and development
for that platform. It would seem
that the development and marketing of
other weapon types is given less attention
by most manufacturers of arms. It
would seem that a well-developed carbine
dedicated to firing a pistol cartridge
does not command as much attention in
the retail market.
We should discuss the small arms
arsenal of the two world wars. In World
War One, scattered among the Mausers
and Springfields and Carcanos, and
Enfields and Hotchkiss and Maxims and
Vickers of the day, there were the M15
Villar-Perosa, and the MP18 Bergmann.
They were short, light (by comparison to
the infantry rifles of the day) and fired
pistol cartridges at the rate of a machine
gun from very high-capacity magazines.
In World War II we still see the presence
of high-powered infantry rifles; but now,
well developed on all fronts is the submachine
gun. It is important to grasp this
point that based on the lessons of World
War One; every country that would be
involved in the Second World War would
develop and field a pistol caliber shoulder
fired small arm. Government and
military bodies had learned that battle
engagements were typically happening
at close to intermediate ranges. The infantry
rifle’s size and power and potential
to hit the horizon were proven unnecessary
in most situations. The battlefield
would eventually adopt a lighter, smaller
rifle that could sustain automatic fire
and hold 30 to 40 rounds and hit a mansized
target up to 150 yards away. To
properly illustrate the proliferation of the
pistol caliber carbine, here’s the short
list of sub-guns from WWII: Thompson,
M3 Grease Gun, Reising, Beretta
1918, Moschetto 38, Sten, Sterling,
Lanchester, Owen, PPD-34, PPD-38,
PPD-40, PPS-42, PPS-43, PPSH-41,
UD-M42, LAD, Nambu type 100, Suomi,
MAS 38, Ribeyrolle, Danuvia, Orita, Bechowiec,
Blyskawica, Volks MP3008,
MP28, MP34, Erma MP35, MP35 Bergmann,
MP38, MP40, and MP41 etc.,
just to get the list started. Consider
that 24 years prior to the start of WWII,
only 2 submachine guns saw their start
in World War 1. We need not argue in
support of the efficacy and practicality
of the SMG. History speaks well to that
effect, by the marked proliferation of this
class of weapon.
The world’s militaries would eventually
adopt the “assault rifle,” which
1
Right:
1. 50 yards with 124 grain remanufactured bulk ammunition from the Thureon.
2. 50 yards with 124 grain remanufactured bulk ammunition from the TNW.
3. 50 yards with 147 grain FMJ from the Thureon.
4. 50 yards with 147 grain FMJ from the TNW.
SAR Vol. 18, No. 6 84 Nov., Dec. 2014