VIDEO: Is the M1 Carbine Suitable for Home Defense?

For a lot of responsibly-armed citizens, carbines have proven themselves to be superb home defense options.

The M1 Carbine has been as central to American gun culture as stickers that loudly proclaim political opinions for decades now, and with its light weight and maneuverability it’s often sought after not only for its historical significance but for self-defense as well.

The .30 carbine is not an often-used cartridge — can we consider it a man-stopper?

Wide Open Spaces reports multiple accounts of enemies taking almost a dozen shots before going down which, if true, would give any home defender pause.

Fortunately for us, YouTuber mark3smle decided to put things to the test, and his results ought to calm down a few skeptics’ fears.

If you don’t have the time just now to see the results of the testing, allow me to assuage your fears. The carbine performed well, particularly with defense ammunition.

The FMJ cartridge had fantastic penetration, but displayed little enough stopping power to give credence to the veterans’ accounts.

It was a different game when Hornady Critical Defense FTX went into play. The bullet’s expansion was enough to inflict some serious damage on the ballistics gel block.

Could you neutralize a threat using either cartridge? Absolutely!

Is it likely a wiser investment to spend the extra cash on dedicated defense ammunition — packing the right kind of cartridge you’ll be just fine.

What do you think about this story? Please share this on Facebook and Twitter and let us know!