Greetings to all. I've long been a handgun shooter of all shapes and sizes. A while back I got a craving to try out the rifle world.

I looked around and decided AR was the way to go, hands down. I have a few weeks to research exactly what I want (purchased a firearm right before Labor Day and must wait 30 days before I'm able to make another purchase).

Mostly wanted to say hi. I have one remedial question I could not find an answer to through numerous google searches and the like:

What is the difference between a rifle and a carbine? (Remember folks, I'm coming completely from the handgun world.)
Thanks in advance!

carbine has 16" barrel

but a gun with a 16" can be considered a rifle
but a gun with a 18" barrel cannot be called a carbine

why do you have to wait 30days to buy a new firearm?  state law?

if you're in CA you cannot buy an AR15 anymore.

But with an ar15 lower, and 20" and a 16" uppers you can have both. Is this a great county or what?
Oh, welcome to the site.  Don't forget you will need about a hundred mags, so better hock the car and dog and buy mags. You have to own no less then 20 mags before anyone will sell you any ammo.LOL

[wave]

I like the Carbine myself, 16".

MM419

A carbine is a type of rifle with a short barrel.  However, it’s not always used as a precise term.

Traditionally, a carbine is a short-barreled version of a specific rifle model.  In the military, carbines were often issued to Cavalry troops, while full length rifles were issued to Infantry troops.

A glaring exception to this is the M-1 Carbine, which is not a shortened version of the M-1 Garand.

I suspect most folks here would refer to an AR with a 16-inch (or thereabouts) barrel as a carbine, and an AR with a 20-inch barrel as a rifle.

Yes, I'm in Pennsylvania, pretty gun friendly. You can't do much of anything in California anymore. I lived in California for over 10 years, do you know if I can FFL transfer it if I ever move back?

Thanks for the answer on the carbine quesion everyone. The word carbine automatically made me think of my grandfather and WWII so I was a bit confused.

(Although grandad's M-1 served him just fine from the age of 17 [said he was 18] at the declaration of war all the way until the end of it. Still has his service 1911 which he fires half a box through twice a year -with very impressive groupings at age 81- to 'keep it in the pink', as he says. Don't mess with a kid who grew up in the Depression!)

I'll be going for the carbine length, now that I have the answer. I'm urban at the range and occasionally get to go out to the sticks to shoot outdoors with a friend on his family's land. So no need for 20", full stock.