Pistol & Carbine Caliber Combos - The Perfect Pair

Pistol and Carbine Caliber Combos - The Perfect Pair

As a long term effort, I have "attempted" to keep the number of owned calibers to a minimum and resisted adding 45, 10MM, .40, etc, as well as a bunch of different centerfire rifle calibers.  Up until recently those calibers was pretty much .357 Magnum and of course .22LR and in centerfire rifle only one caliber, the venerable .308.

Most of us have a .22 pistol and rifle, which I think everyone would agree; is a mighty handy combination for ammo sharing.  Pistol caliber carbines that share ammo with your pistol and preferably the same magazine add a lot of versatility, can push the usable accurate shooting distance of pistol calibers out to their maximum effective ranges... most in the 100-200 yard range.  Most people don't know that pistol calibers are pretty snappy out of a carbine length barrel and can make for some fun plinking and quieter hunting. Additionally calibers from 9mm and up have been effectively used for taking up to deer sized game for years at sub-100 yard ranges.  Having a pistol and carbine that share the same ammo means the convenience of only having to carry one caliber when heading out.

My pistol & carbine combo started with the 357 Magnum chambering.  The 357 selection also has a unique versatile function to be a normal pistol and rifle caliber in super hot 357 Magnum loads that can take larger game.  As a plus out of a rifle they zip out of the longer tube even faster.  On the other spectrum it can shoot the cheaper .38 special load which can hotly loaded or be down-loaded all they way down to super light subsonic Gallery loads for taking small game and rodents more silently than my .22.

Over the years this resulting in owning a number of short to long barreled 357 magnums in a variety of formats and of course my gorgeous Henry 357 Magnum Big Boy lever action rifle  Put any one of my pistols with the Henry rifle and you have an outstanding single caliber combo that is versatile enough for anything from mouse to deer and plenty of cheap fun to shoot.  This combo has always put a big smile on my face and has always been the big hit with friends when we head to the range.


Like many I own a Glock 19 - 9mm pistol as a general carry gun, but I wanted that same versitility I have with my 357 in the 9mm format as well.  Not to mention defensive and survival benefits, this combo would be a great handy little hiking/camping/plinking/hunting combination.  The 9MM may not have extreme flexibility of the 357/.38 special but the 9MM is a hot little cartridge ranging from hot +P velocities nearly matching the 357's energy at 100 yards and is available in quieter sub-sonic rounds as well.

The problem is you really don't see a lot of 9mm carbines out there.  Berreta, Highpoint, and Keltec are the few options. If Henry made a 9mm lever action I would buy it in a heartbeat, I was left toying around with the idea of one of those $1000 AR conversions, but that seemed ridiculous. The most obvious choice becomes the Keltec Sub2000 which offers a folded compact length of only 16".  The most obvious advantage is that there is a model that directly accepts Glock 19 magazines. Again this combo provides a very handy combo that allows ready magazines to easily swap from pistol to rifle quickly... handy indeed.  The Keltec Sub2000 also offer other models that fit a variety of pistol magazines and also in .40 caliber options all for under $400.  Another advantage of the Keltec Sub2000 is that it folds and can be locked in folded position for storage and transport and weights only around 4lbs.

One of the things I probably like the most about having a carbine and pistol combo is that when I head to the range, I can grab a couple boxes of 9MM, 357 or 38 special and I am ready to go and of course it makes reloading a lot easier only having to worry about one caliber.

For most purposes of fun, hunting, and defense, a caliber sharing pistol and carbine combo can offer the shooter less ammo stocking headaches, easier and lighter recoiling shooting, and still offer plenty of versatility.

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