thoughts on semi auto pistol carbines

brybenn

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southern ontario
Now I'm a fan of case colors and figured wood but I have a desire for a pistol carbine semi auto. So far I've come across only 3 that spark interest. Just right carbine in 9 or 45. Thereon defense in 9 mm and tnw areo
Of the 3 which is best for reliability and accuracy?
Are there any others worth looking at? I'd prefer non restricted but if there's something special I'd consider a restricted
I'm not looking for a traditional ar
 
I had a JR in 9mm for a couple of years, and liked it. Good accuracy, excellent reliability, no issues at all...but for me, the ultimate PCC is the Beretta. I had it before I got the JR, and still have it now, while the JR is long gone.
 
I've owned only the TNW ASR. It functioned perfectly. I didn't like its ergonomics, and the chambering of a pistol caliber became a novelty that quickly wore off.
 
I have owned pistol calibre carbines which I considered to be low build quality for what I paid for them and the novelty wore off really, really fast. I did not like the TNW, JR or the Keltec sub2k gen 2. Sold those fast. Buy something with better build quality and your experience changes. Not believing the hype about the CX4, I bought the restricted version because it was $250 less than the non-restricted, just to try out. It was like night and day. I wasn't crazy about the looks but was impressed enough to buy another in non restricted to bring into the woods for small game, camping and plinking. To me, it made a lot of sense because my rifle calibers are expensive and half of my handguns are in 9mm. Oh... and my son is a lefty and the CX4 is fully ambi. Only other PCC that comes close is the Marlin Camp carbine but good like trying to find one of those. It took me 3 years and when I got it, I was very happy with it but still prefer the CX4.
 
I have a JRC in .45 ACP.

I runs like a swiss watch with factory ammo and shoots cloverleafs at 25 meters; 100 yard groups are an honest 4 MOA.

JRC says not to shoot cast in it, but I do anyway. I think they don't recommend it as it's micro-groove. The accuracy is less, say 1" at 25 meters at 4" at 50 meters, but still great for plinking and killing small game at reasonable ranges.

Got a Destroyer carbine in 9mm Largo too; great as a bird and bunny gun that can slay coyotes out to 100 meters easily too.

I went from thinking pistol caliber carbines were about the stupidest thing out there, to loving them, to be honest.
 
I own the TNW and the JR-Takedown version , both 9mm.
If I had to pick one of the two, would be the Aero takedown. Why?
-Much lighter, smaller and handier
-Super Simple takedown for maintenance -No Allen screws like the JR ( seriously WTF were they thinking )
-Accuracy was about equal, slight edge to the JR
 
TD or Beretta CX-4, though I have only owned the former. Accurate and reliable (just don't over lube). Easy to find Glock mags and some shared AR furniture are a plus and Thureon stands behind their product 110%. Best out of the box AR trigger i have ever felt.
 
hk usc conversion. or straight up usc
x2, best quality option out there currently in 45. rumors of a new 9mm NR version from HK have come out recently as well.

Friend had the JRC in 45, after numerous complaints and the dealer who sold it offering no solution other than blaming the ammunition even though the same failures were present with over a dozen types it was sold for peanuts.
 
Beretta CX Storm non-restricted first and then the ASR Survival Rifle are the two that I have owned and enjoyed them both.
But, black is not my game and they have gone to new homes.
CX Storm has last round bolt hold open on last round and super quick take down.
ASR no bolt hold open last round and a little more entailed to take the trigger group out for cleaning and even more attention to detail to flip right/left eject of spent shells...
Tight Groups,
Rob
 
Happy with TD 45 carbine. One malfunction in a 1000 + rounds through it. I didn't seat the mag properly.

Good customer service. My extractor started to break and sent me a new one.
 
I have a TNW (9mm). I like it a lot

With my hand-loads, I'm getting 1.5" groups (10 rounds) at 50 meters. Best factory ammo in it so far has been American Eagle 147 grain. I have a Vortex Strikefire mounted on it.
So far (400 rounds) it's been very reliable. no FTF's, only 1 failure to extract.
 
For the semi autos I'm impressed with the CX4

I do need some stock spacers, though, which I cannot find in Canada and are a restricted item in the US, so apparently have to be ordered from an outfit that will do the export paperwork (all of which I could find are, of course, out of stock)
 
It's difficult to beat the design detail and build quality of Beretta. I researched all of the pistol-calibers carbines you listed in the OP and ended up going with none of them but with the CX4 instead. There's a thread about it on these forums that will give you a lot more info and assessments, range reports, etc.

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For the semi autos I'm impressed with the CX4

I do need some stock spacers, though, which I cannot find in Canada and are a restricted item in the US, so apparently have to be ordered from an outfit that will do the export paperwork (all of which I could find are, of course, out of stock)

Not really: I ordered mine from Brownell's, no issues of paperwork at all. Had them within a week.
 
Not really: I ordered mine from Brownell's, no issues of paperwork at all. Had them within a week.

They're out of stock - I had checked before.

Then there's the problem that my Brownells orders are always over $400 when I go to buy one part from them :(

I'm going to have a look at it over the holidays and see if I can make my own spacers from some scrap mahogany I have and a coping saw
 
I'd have to say, based on shooting both the Beretta CX-4and the Kel-tec Sub2K Gen 2, that the Beretta is the more refined and better firearm from a shooting standpoint, especially stock.
The Sub 2K Gen2 is really handy with it's ability to fold in two and fit anywhere...but it's 9 pound trigger and stiff action out of the box just didn't work for me. After wet sanding the bolt and carrier, it cocks smoothly and with a lot less effort. I replaced the AR front sight post with a Trijicon night sight, giving it low light ability, and my gunsmith re-cut the sear and lightened the spring, so my Sub 2K now has a nice sub-4 pound trigger pull. The lighter trigger helps with shooting accurately, and the smooth action is miles ahead of stock. I like it a lot now...
 
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