Quote:
Originally Posted by gnadfly
Can you explain the difference between a carbine and a rifle?
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a carbine is a rifle, but not all rifles are carbines.
primary difference is usually a function of overall length (OAL) due to the needs of the solider, with carbines being shorter than traditional rifles.
The oldest carbine muskets were meant for cavalry, as they didn't want something as big, heavy, and cumbersome.
An older modern equivalent would be the M1 Garand vs the M1/M1A1/M2 Carbine:
The M1 Garand is much heavier and shoots a much more powerful .30-06 cartridge. The M1 Carbine shoots the smaller, but still capable .30 Carbine cartridge. The 3rd rifle, the M1A1 Carbine is a paratrooper model of the M1 designed with a folding stock to make it smaller to handle/maneuver/deploy.
.30-06 vs .30 Carbine:
Today's equivalent would be the M16 vs the M4 Carbine:
The modern utility lies in the fact that soldiers are more vehicle-deployed as opposed to marching in, so they need something that won't eat up a lot of room in a vehicle. Also, a smaller profile helps in urban environments where spacing might be tight, and you don't want to get tangled up on a doorway.
One of the more common compromises to this are "bullpup" rifles, where the action is placed behind the trigger as opposed to above it. Despite the spacegun looking appearance this helps cut down the overall length of the rifle, but helps maintain a longer barrel length, which allows rifle cartridges maintain their designed speed and power.
Here's an example of a Israeli Tavor, a type of bullpup, next to an AR15. They have the same barrel length:
A brief introduction to federal firearms laws
