Best .45 cal carbine

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trkkshotbry

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Hello all. I'm new to the sight but with a wife and three kids I've been away from the gun sports scene for about 10 years now. I'm thinking I want a light handy carbine in. 45 but I don't know what the best bang for my Buck would be in the under a grand category.
chime in with your opinions and reasons and eventually ill post up my decision.
I figure my NEEDS will be fairly well covered with my 1911, semi auto Browning 12 gauge, a .308 semi auto rifle and a carbine in pistol caliber. 45. This way I don't have to stock more than 4 calibers of ammo.
Looking forward to getting to know you all and thanks for your input.

Bryan aka trkkshot.
 
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Bamashooter

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I like Hi-Point carbines. Mine is very accurate, very reliable, very good price, and it has a lifetime no questions asked warranty. The down side is no high capacity magazines. I countered that with several low capacity magazines. :)
 
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Hansam

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Stressfire

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Can't really go wrong with the Hi-Point. They aren't pretty, they are cheap, the trigger sucks, but they are tough and they go bang just about every time you squeeze the trigger.

If it turns out that you don't like it, you are out maybe $250 tops and can easily sell it away. The lifetime warranty is a nice touch as well

"Best" is rather subjective. Beretta CX4 are considerably more expensive and much nicer to look at and also made by an older and more established company, but I couldn't say that you would be getting more bang for your buck.
 
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themalicious0ne

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I remember a while back I found one of those barretta's for $600 they are pretty common now around $900, search around, if I could find one for $600 NIB again I wouldnt hesitate, especially because you could probably sell it for around to just under than that.
 
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moxie

New member
Bryan,
A couple things to keep in mind. First, .45 ammo is expensive. It's about triple the cost of 9mm. So practice and plinking are going to be expensive. Second, most .45 carbines available today are expensive and not necessarily the most reliable guns around. As noted above, the Hi-Point "goes bang just about every time you pull the trigger." Not exactly what I want in a defense gun. The Olympic Arms upper looks interesting. Don't know how reliable it is. But notice mags are $45.44 dollars each. Ouch! And I don't know how reliable they might be.
If you can find an affordable 9mm carbine that would be the way to go, but I don't know of a real good option being produced right now.
If you really need/want a carbine the best option, IMO, is an M-4 style AR-15 in 5.56/.223. Can be had in the $700 price range, although supplies are tight right now. They are as reliable as a carbine can get. Mags work and are cheap. Ammo is available and cheap. One more caliber won't hurt. And, the .223/5.56 round gives you amazing flexibility you can't get with .45 or 9mm.
 
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trkkshotbry

New member
thanks

@ Modish : Your opinion is noted and I'm thinking about switching up to a 9mm carbine like the one from High Point because as you pointed out 9mm ammo is cheaper and high cap mags are available for the carbine I'm considering. I'm not really a fan of the. 223 round for a cpl reasons best summed up as "hopped up .22". Nor am I a fan of gas impingement systems in general. With that said I still want a pistol caliber carbine with high cap mags available for anything inside 50yards. Beyond that I have a .30-30 or a .308 to play with.
 
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moxie

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"Hopped up .22." Good one.

Typically 50% more mass, 55 gr. vs. 36. gr. bullet. (Just an "average" comparison.)

Going 3200 fps vs. 1200 fps.

Yielding 1250 ft. lb. vs. 115 ft. lb.

Hopped up indeed!

High capacity mags don't really exist for the .45ACP in carbine form. I don't think there are any mags that hold more than 15 rounds for the 9mm Hi-Point either. Most Glocks hold more than that.

Take a look at used Marlin Camp 9s. They might be your best bet.
 
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buckhorn

New member
camp carbine

To the best of my recollection, Marlin started the camp carbine with a 9MM, then went to .45 auto. I don't remember what clips it used but they were commercially available auto clips.
 
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g.willikers

New member
The Marlin Camp 9mm used the older S&W high capacity pistol mags.
Can't remember which one, though.
When they come up for sale, they are usually about half the price of the Camp .45 carbine.
 
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Rampant_Colt

New member
Another vote for Marlin CC.

The Uzi .45 isn't too bad except magazines are hard to find and ridiculously expensive.

Thompson M1921 is pretty cool

Best is very subjective


The Marlin Camp 9 uses S&W 39/59 series MAGAZINES



Bamashooter said:
I like Hi-Point carbines.
Click to expand...
Hi-Point and "best" can never be used in the same sentence or breath..
 
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arch308

New member
I used to have a Hi Point 45 carbine. It always went bang but the accuracy was rather poor and the trigger was horrible. If I held a 6" group at 50 yds it was a miracle, even with a scope.
I sold the piece of junk and wouldn't recommend one. JMHO
 
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Edward429451

Moderator
I didn't see any mags for that 45acp AR upper. My friend has a Beretta Storm in 45 and I can't recommend it. It only holds 8 rounds and has a horrible trigger. I can do good with it out to 50 yds but who wants a pistol cal carbine with a mag cap so low, and 100% plastic to boot.

Why wont someone come out with a big bore carbine line? Hi-cap, 45 WinMag, 50 AE! I'd buy two.
 
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44 AMP

Staff
The problem with .45ACP carbines...

Is that they are pretty much a niche market. There aren't very many designs currently in production, and of those, most are semi auto "copies" of military SMGs (although often with a longer barrel to meet legal requirements).

"Inexpensive" and .45 carbines don't usually go together. The High Point is the cheapest I know of, and while it doesn't look great, they are reported to work. High Point has a reputation of standing behind their guns, so that is a plus. If it doesn't work, they fix it, or get you another one.

The Marlins are cute little guns, pretty light, and look like a scaled up Marlin .22, except for the protruding plastic mag well. IIRC, the .45 came first, then the 9mm, but both are out of print. Saw a couple at my local gun shop a couple months back. I felt they were hidiously overpriced, but then, I remember them going for $250 new, and I think everything is overpriced.;)

I have heard the drawback to the Marlins is that there is a plastic buffer inside that wears out, and if not replaced, can lead to the rear of the receiver cracking. Can't say its true, and won't say its not, but there's been talk.....

Thompson M1921 is pretty cool
Click to expand...
yes, it is. And so is the M1928. But they are submachine guns, and getting one legally is a hassle, plus they are going for about $20,000 and some twice that.

The 1927A1, however is semi auto, and much, much cheaper, but still not a "cheap" plinker at MSRP of over $1K.
DSCF0314.jpg

here's mine.:D

and they are tremendously HEAVY, too!
 
D

dcobler

New member
Kel Tec Sub 2000

I have a KelTec Sub 2K in 9mm and its pretty handy. You buy the model you want based on the magazines it takes.

Since they make one that can handle full size glock magazines, you can pick up some of the hi-cap glock magazines for a decent price and have a neat little package that folds up.


http://keltecweapons.com/our-guns/rifles/sub-2000/
 
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themalicious0ne

New member
Well a .45 carbine that sounds good for what you are looking for is the Kriss Super V. not cheap. It takes glock mags and has extensions to 33 rounds. It is a new design with minimal recoil. It's pretty and could be what you are looking for as far as everything you want minus 2 things. It is expensive, around $1800 for the standard 16" barrel. It also is new to the market which means that it is not exactly proven yet, especially with this new, "recoil reducing" design.
 
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buckhorn

New member
.45 carbine

Ruger used to make the "Deerslayer" carbine in .44 mag. I wonder if they would also function with . 44 special, as that approximates .45 territory. I don't know, just asking? Gas operated-probably not. But if you loaded down a .44mag just a bit?
 
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