Carbine

It was held by the cheolheumja (철흠자, "iron tong-handle"), which allows a quick change of barrel for the next shot, and fired chasejeon (Korean: 차세전; Hanja: 次細箭; a contemporary type of standardized bolt) with a maximum fatal range of around 250 metres (820 ft).

Initially, Joseon considered the gun a failure due to its short effective range, but the chongtong quickly saw use after fielding to the frontier provinces starting in June 1437.

This made it an ideal choice for cowboys and explorers, as well as other inhabitants of the American West, who could carry a revolver and a carbine, both using the same ammunition.

[15] Other nations followed suit after World War I, when they learned that their traditional long-barreled rifles provided little benefit in the trenches and merely proved a hindrance to the soldiers.

A shorter weapon was more convenient when riding in a truck, armored personnel carrier, helicopter, or aircraft, and also when engaged in close-range combat.

Based on the combat experience of World War II, the criteria used for selecting infantry weapons began to change.

A less-powerful weapon would still produce casualties at the shorter ranges encountered in actual combat, and the reduced recoil would allow more shots to be fired in the short amount of time an enemy was visible.

The Germans had experimented with selective-fire carbines firing rifle cartridges during the early years of World War II.

A selective-fire weapon was developed to fire this shorter cartridge, eventually resulting in the Sturmgewehr 44, later translated as "assault rifle" (also frequently called "machine carbines" by Allied intelligence, a quite accurate assessment, in fact).

By the 1960s, after becoming involved in war in Vietnam, the U.S. did an abrupt about-face and decided to standardize on the intermediate 5.56×45mm round (based on the .223 Remington varmint cartridge) fired from the new, lightweight M16 rifle, leaving NATO to hurry and catch up.

In 1974, shortly after the introduction of the 5.56mm NATO, the USSR began to issue a new Kalashnikov variant, the AK-74, chambered in the small-bore 5.45×39mm cartridge, which was a standard 7.62×39mm necked down to take a smaller, lighter, faster bullet.

In 1995, the People's Republic of China adopted a new 5.8×42mm cartridge to match the modern trend in military ammunition, replacing the previous 7.62×39mm and 5.45×39mm round as standard.

In much modern tactical thinking, only a certain number of soldiers need to retain longer-range weapons, serving as designated marksmen.

Another factor is that with the increasing weight of technology, sighting systems, ballistic armor, etc., the only way to reduce the burden on the modern soldier was to equip them with a smaller, lighter weapon.

In spite of the short barrels of the new assault rifles, carbine variants like the 5.45×39mm AKS-74U and Colt Commando were being developed for use when mobility was essential and a submachine gun was not sufficiently powerful.

In 1994, the U.S. had adopted the M4 carbine, a derivative of the M16 family which fired the same 5.56mm cartridge but was lighter and shorter (in overall length and barrel length), resulting in marginally reduced range and power, although offering better mobility and lighter weight to offset the weight of equipment and armor that a modern soldier has to carry.

Compared to submachine guns, carbines have a greater effective range and are capable of penetrating helmets and body armor when used with armor-piercing ammunition.

[17] However, submachine guns are still used by military special forces and police SWAT teams for close quarters battle because they are "a pistol caliber weapon that's easy to control, and less likely to over-penetrate the target.

"[17] Also, carbines are harder to maneuver in tight encounters where superior range and stopping power at distance are not great considerations.

Firing the same ammunition as standard-issue rifles or pistols gives carbines the advantage of standardization over those personal defense weapons that require proprietary cartridges.

The modern usage of the term carbine covers much the same scope as it always had, namely lighter weapons (generally rifles) with barrels up to 20 inches (510 mm) in length.

Another example is the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 series chambered in either 9mm Parabellum or .40 S&W, which can be configured to accept Glock, Beretta, S&W, or SIG pistol magazines.

Many carbines have the ability to mount optics, lights and lasers to accessory rails, which make target acquisition and engagement much easier.

The longer barrel can offer increased velocity and, with it, greater energy and effective range due to the propellant having more time to burn.

The drawback is that one loses the primary benefits of a handgun, i.e. portability and concealability, resulting in a weapon almost the size of, but less accurate than, a long-gun, but not much more powerful than a pistol.

In order to be sold legally in many countries, the barrel must meet a minimum length (16 inches (410 mm) in the United States).

During the Apartheid era of South Africa and the Rhodesian Bush War/South African Border War, a semi-automatic-only pistol-calibre carbine based on submachine guns existed for civilian personal protection as land defence pistols (LDP).

[18] Known examples were the Bell & White 84,[19] BHS Rhogun, Cobra Mk1,[20] GM-16, Kommando LDP,[21] Northwood R-76,[22] Paramax, Sanna 77 and TS III.

Some handguns used to come from the factory with mounting lugs for a shoulder stock, notably including the "Broomhandle" Mauser C96, Luger P.08, and Browning Hi-Power.

A carbine manufactured under 26 in (660 mm) in length without a forward vertical grip will be a pistol and, state law notwithstanding, can be carried concealed without creating an unregistered Any Other Weapon.