Carbine

For other uses, see Carbine (disambiguation). Not to be confused with Carbyne, Carbene, or Carabiner.
An M4 carbine, a common AR-15–style carbine. The M4 is the shorter, lighter carbine variant of the M16 rifle.

A carbine (/ˈkɑːrbiːn/ KAR-been or /ˈkɑːrbaɪn/ KAR-byn)[1] is a long gun that has a barrel shortened from its original length.[2] Most modern carbines are rifles that are compact versions of a longer rifle or are rifles chambered for less powerful cartridges.

The smaller size and lighter weight of carbines make them easier to handle.[3] They are typically issued to high-mobility troops such as special operations soldiers and paratroopers, as well as to mounted, artillery, logistics, or other non-infantry personnel whose roles do not require full-sized rifles, although there is a growing tendency for carbines to be issued to front-line soldiers to offset the increasing weight of other issued equipment. An example of this is the M4 carbine, the standard issue carbine of the United States Armed Forces.

  1. ^ "Carbine". Dictionary.com. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
  2. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Carbine". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. ^ "Lightweight compact rifle".