A carbine love affair still aflame
A carbine is just about the prettiest rifle known to man, in my humble opinion. Carbines are like babies and puppies – they are all beautiful and I can’t keep my mitts off them. There happens to be no small debate as to which of the three smells best but I’d call it a tossup.
Sure, the short barrel lacks sufficient reach for long-distance work but I’m not talking about beanfield rifles. I’m talking about my love affair with carbines. The exact moment I fell head over heels for the choppy little rifle form remains unclear but I can always recall having my head turned by one, much in the way a pretty girl turns heads. I didn’t know much about either but I was interested in learning.
I’ll not attempt to list or debate all the rifle/caliber combinations out there. That would take up too much ink for a Sunday column. We’ll save that controversy for another day, and as you’ve read in past installments, I’ve already declared the venerable .308 to be the greatest all-around deer cartridge in the PA deer woods, bar none. That ought to swat the old hornet’s nest a good one.
Now that your panties are nicely bunched up, let’s get to it.
I’ll not take anything for granted, so if you’re unfamiliar with the term “carbine” you’re not alone. It’s a short, compact, light rifle. Call it a shrunken version of a full-sized rifle. The attraction to the carbine could stem from its fast-handling, lively nature. Good carbines point like a shotgun and they are great for snap shooting. They carry well, handle like a dream in close quarters and a balanced carbine feels alive in the shooter’s hands, the way a good grouse shotgun feels. Carbines often possess short actions and come in calibers to include, but not limited to, .243, 6mm, .308, 7mm-08, 6.5 Creedmor, .30-30, .35 Rem., and a host of short magnums, to name a few. Yes, there are others but there isn’t room for all of them. I came up with around 40-plus carbine offerings in addition to myriad pistol-caliber varieties.
The quintessential classic carbine, at least to this writer’s mind, was the bolt-action Mannlicher-Schoenauer. A Mannlicher rifle stock, named for its inventor, extending from the butt to the muzzle, runs the full length of the weapon. You can read more about the early 1903 design but much of my fascination begins at this juncture. The Mannlicher-Schoenauer is the standard by which I tend to judge all carbines. Its lines are sleek and elegant, making it look much more streamlined than its short girth should allow. I have ogled, hefted and pointed them, never allowing myself to purchase one. Deep exhale.
My love affair was cemented with the purchase of my own little Browning Micro Medallion back in the early 1990s, of course in .308. From that day there has been no other. She is my first, last and go-to choice. Always. In a crazy world where only one rifle was allowed, you guessed it.
Am I married to my little carbine? Til death do us part. Can I still look? Sure. Admittedly, there are others. But where to start? If I were to cluster all the attractive bolt-action carbines into a lot, I might start with the Remington 600 Mohawk. I passed on one at 14 years of age but opted for a full-size Ruger M77 chambered in .270, for my first rifle. Mistake. What could have been a high school sweetheart ended on the first date. If I’d only seen the Ruger Hawkeye carbine in time. I hold great admiration for the Remington Model 7. Same classic lines as my Browning. Kimber also makes some high-dollar, unique little rifles of the same ilk.
In the category of military carbines, excluding the Mannlicher-Schoenauer, there are several gems. The Lee-Enfield from Great Britain is blocky but unique, as is the 1891 Argentine Mauser. Fitted with an aftermarket scope mount and optic, these were truly great little hunting rifles. Many are still giving good service today.
In the category of never having dated one, I always admired the sleek lines of the Remington 760 Gamemaster pump carbine. Sort of like the homecoming queen, a bit out of my league. Slide actions just seemed cool to a young man of the deer woods.
To round things out, I’d be remiss in failing to mention the cowboy guns of yesteryear. Again, clustering for the sake of space, lever guns have always swooned me. Whether left over from my cowboy and indian days of youth or possibly stemming from their sheer utilitarian nature, I’ve always been captivated. A Winchester 94′ or a model 336 is just about as classic a deer gun as you can picture.
So where does all this talk of the pudgy little deer carbine take us? It encourages us to dream. To gather in all the possibilities that could have been and still could be. To make us yearn for one more deer hunt with that romantic old iron that we have held in high regard for a lifetime. Does it hurt to give a pal’s favorite carbine a cursory glance and pay homage to his good taste? Nah. Just keep it short.
Dave Bates writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at alphaomegashootingsolutions@gmail.com