Applicability of pistol training to carbine use?

[Johnny Rico]

New guy here. I've actually been lurking for a while, but I finally signed up. A little background is probably in order. I'm an Everyman -- non-military, non-LEO. I've always liked firearms, but I've only been a gunowner for the past few years. I'm a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment, although at times it seems that I'm part of an endangered species in my left-leaning state. Guns represent different things to me. They are a political statement, a means of defending myself and my family, as well as hobby and a source of enjoyment.

I have a couple of ARs in the stable. Thanks to the information I learned from this site, I avoided many of the mistakes that neophyte AR owners usually make. My first AR was a BCM/LMT mixmaster carbine. I have since added a Noveske Light Recce and just recently picked up a KAC SR-15 upper to pair with the LMT lower. That's it for a while, I'm not a collector and a couple of good rifles is all I need.

I know that a primary focus of this site is to educate AR owners on the importance of training and learning to properly use the AR platform for serious purposes. I fully agree with that philosophy. But despite the fact that rifles are inherently more effective than pistols, my own personal circumstances dictate that my 1911s take primacy over the ARs.

As a result I have decided to prioritize my training in favor of the pistol. I am planning to take a Louis Awerbuck course later this year. My question is this -- gunhandling aside, how much of the training that you get from pistol classes is applicable to the use of the carbine? I'm curious about how much crossover there is between fighting with a pistol and fighting with a carbine.

I hope this long winded intro makes sense. I appreciate any help you guys can give an average Joe trying to figure out the best way to protect himself and his family. Thanks in advance.

[jenrick]

Shooting a pistol well requires good trigger control and the ability to maintain sight alignment. Shooting a rifle well requires at most average trigger control and the ability to maintain sight alignment.

Normally if you can run a pistol good and hard, a carbine is a piece of cake.

-Jenrick

[J8127]

I've heard many top level Instructors say things along the lines of, "If you can shoot a pistol well you can probably shoot a rifle well."

You can't replace the manual of arms muscle memory, but the fundamentals are hardest to apply to a handgun, so mastering the fundamentals on a handgun sets you up for success with every other platform.

[Littlelebowski]

No doubt that pistol training's the bedrock. I'd schedule a basic pistol class, an advanced, and a basic carbine class. Vickers also does combo three day classes.

[GermanSynergy]

No doubt that pistol training's the bedrock. I'd schedule a basic pistol class, an advanced, and a basic carbine class. Vickers also does combo three day classes.

Concur & welcome aboard.

[rob_s]

Picking a nit, but I'd say that pistol proficiency carries over pretty well to carbine, but less so to rifle, where "carbine" is defined as something like a 16" barrel AR and "rifle" is defined as something intended for longer ranges.

IMO for anyone not paid to carry a rifle, the handgun needs to be where the focus lies in terms of defensive use because (given a CWP) that's what you're more likely to have on you when you need it.

I have seen several competent shooters make a very seamless move from the handgun to the carbine with a pretty short learning curve on manipulations.

[YVK]

I know that this goes against general opinion, but I've not found much of carry-over from pistol to carbine. Yep, carbine is more forgiving in regards to trigger control, but there is more to shooting - both pistol and carbine - than trigger control, with entirely different host of challenges for each weapon system.

People try to link some cause-effect connection between pistol proficiency and carbine proficiency; to me it is not a causative but associative relationship. Learning how to shoot pistol well is a demanding task, and those who spend time and resources mastering one weapon system are more likely to put efforts on training with other weapon systems.

[Magsz]

I know that this goes against general opinion, but I've not found much of carry-over from pistol to carbine. Yep, carbine is more forgiving in regards to trigger control, but there is more to shooting - both pistol and carbine - than trigger control, with entirely different host of challenges for each weapon system.

People try to link some cause-effect connection between pistol proficiency and carbine proficiency; to me it is not a causative but associative relationship. Learning how to shoot pistol well is a demanding task, and those who spend time and resources mastering one weapon system are more likely to put efforts on training with other weapon systems.

This is a great post and i agree with it 100%.

I always like to say that there is a difference between shooting and actually being able to run a weapon system.

Anyone can post up on target, pop off a shot and hit where they want to.

The difference between someone that is trained well and has a good grasp of the fundamentals really becomes apparent when you're asked to perform on command with say an elevated heart rate in a compromised position.

Ultimately it comes down to the type of person behind the sights. Are they a critical, analytic thinker that is willing to solve problems or are they merely a trigger mashing, loud sound loving goon?

[Shawn.L]

My first Carbine course (after spending time and energy training and practicing pistol) I remarked " Damn! I thought this was supposed to be easier !"
The main problem for me was actually learning to get an intuitive response to mechanical offset and my hold over with the carbine. For the most part at pistol ranges one puts their sights where they want the bullet and sends it. With a carbine that sight to impact point relationship changes , sometimes dramatically, at short ranges especially. It meant I needed to think about aiming in a way I hadnt before.

Otherwise I find skills that complement one another from both disciplines , and plenty of learning that is much broader in spectrum than either.

[Failure2Stop]

The general concepts of marksmanship and fighting will have cross-over, but as pointed out by others, there are different aspects of focus for both platforms.