Springfield’s “Cowboy” Guns? A Modern Carbine-Pistol Combo

By Robert A. Sadowski

Practical and simple is the best way to describe a rifle and handgun combo that shares the same chambering. But the place you have to potentially compromise is in selecting what that chambering is.

Sure, you can have an AR-15 rifle and pistol feeding from the same magazine and chewing through the same 5.56 cartridges, but an AR pistol is not practical for concealed or open carry. That means the pistol needs to be smaller and chambered in — you guessed it — a pistol cartridge.

So, why would you choose to have a rifle chambered in a pistol cartridge? Is it worth it? In my opinion, the convenience of having a pistol and rifle use the same ammo is hard to overstate — and a good match is the SAINT Victor 9mm carbine and the Prodigy 9mm pistol. In fact, it’s a darn good match.

The Why

Back when blackpowder was funneled down the barrel muzzle, followed by a patch and ball, both patriots and mountain men knew a single-shot rifle and a single-shot pistol that took the same size ball was not only convenient but downright required. It made perfect sense to mold bullets in one size and use them in either gun, whether it was battling Red Coats or hunting grizzly bear.

Old West cowboys perfected the concept, with their revolvers and lever-action rifles sharing ammo. They needed to carry their sole possessions and work tools on horseback, which made the decision to use the same ammunition in a rifle and a pistol a smart one.

Convenience stores back then were called general stores, and they were few and far between. It wasn’t a simple thing to run out and buy boxes of ammo when your rifle ran out of cartridges. They used the cartridges in their belt to top off their rifle and their pistol. That made the difference when providing meat or engaging with folks that were intent on taking what was rightfully theirs.

There’s plenty of ammunition until there isn’t, and that is a good reason to pair up a pistol and rifle in the same caliber. You could run out of 5.56mm and your AR-15 is downgraded to a stick. Shoot one cartridge out of two guns, and that stockpile of one type of ammo becomes more valuable and versatile to you.

Disadvantage or Advantage?

The first thing many shooters think about pistol caliber carbines is a lack of power compared to a rifle caliber. A 55-gr. 5.56 NATO round has a muzzle velocity of about 3,250 fps. Let’s face it, a 115-gr. 9mm round has a lot less velocity at 1,500 fps. But put the pistol caliber carbine into context. It will most likely be used in a defensive situation. You probably won’t have shots out to 75 or 100 yards. A pistol carbine distance is a close to medium distance firearm — basically spitting distance out to 50 yards. (Ed. Note: Want to see Beyond Seclusion push a SAINT Victor 9mm out hundreds of yards? Then click here.)

On the plus side is the fact 9mm carbines have less muzzle blast and flash than a 5.56 NATO rifle, which is a boon for new shooters. Recoil is less with a 9mm carbine, so users can more easily manage follow-up shots. A handgun is convenient, but a 9mm carbine is a lot easier to shoot well because you have more points of contact with a rifle than a pistol. A rifle is also steadier to shoot more accurately.

An AR like the SAINT Victor in 9mm is also an inexpensive training alternative to running your SAINT Victor chambered in 5.56 NATO, because 9mm ammo is cheap compared to 5.56x45mm NATO rifle ammo — basically about half the cost in my experience.

On the plus side for some is the fact a 9mm carbine is a lot easier to suppress compared to a 5.56 NATO, too.

With any round coming out of a rifle, be aware of over-penetration when used as a home defense tool. Use an FMJ 9mm load, and that bullet will possibly over-penetrate; use a hollow point, and that bullet could be dramatically slowed down upon impact. Also, know what is behind your walls. Out of a 16” rifle barrel, the 9mm will gain about 10 percent more speed and energy than when the same round is fired out of a pistol barrel.

Running Federal American Eagle 115-gr. FMJs ammo through the 5” Prodigy, velocity was 1,140 fps during my testing. Through the SAINT Victor 9mm, it was 1258 fps. Remington HTP defense ammo loaded with a 147-gr. JHP had a muzzle velocity of 920 fps in the Prodigy, and 1,010 fps in the SAINT Victor. Some Hornady Custom loaded with a 124-gr. XTP JHP bullet had a 1,100 fps muzzle velocity through the Prodigy, and 1,221 fps through the SAINT Victor. The longer barrel of the Victor clearly gives velocity a bump-up. It goes without saying, when pairing up a handgun and carbine, make sure the ammo they are sharing functions reliably and provides good accuracy.

A Cheaper Training Tool

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not selling off my 5.56 NATO and other rifle-caliber ARs and replacing them with 9mm guns. We all have different calibers for different situations, and the 9mm has a place in your AR line-up. I appreciate 9mm AR carbines because they help me train longer at less cost, and a 9mm carbine is also a lot of fun to shoot because of reduced recoil and muzzle blast.

If I had to get out of Dodge and have precious little cargo space, one rifle and one pistol that share the same caliber is a mighty good choice for me. How about you?

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