Category: carbine

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AK-V carbine pistol caliber carbine PSA

My PSA AK-V Has Crossed the 1000-round Threshold!

I bought the Palmetto State Armory AK-V, an AK pistol chambered in 9mm, back in October 2019. I’ve been shooting it sporadically over the past seven years, but we’ve finally crossed over 1000 rounds.

This particular gun doesn’t have a folding brace (it has the SBA3 brace). It has black Magpul furniture. I originally planned to order the red wood furniture, but I now prefer the Magpul furniture, as it has heat shielding.

This is the day I received the gun.

The gun has never had any ammo-related issues. It feeds and extracts without issue. The only issue I ever had with it was related to a Manticore CZ Scorpion mag – I’ve two of those and one of them has feed issues (I’ve marked it but have since not been shooting from those two mags).

I’ve not ever shot JHP from this gun (I’ve no plans to use it for self defense). I’ve only ever shot FMJ from it.

This gun has always been a nice gun to shoot. Although the AK-V uses a blow-back operation, it maintains manageable recoil. The trigger is not an ALG trigger, but it is very nice for a standard OEM trigger. The trigger is nice enough that the gun can accidentally be bump-fired. In fact, I had several unintentional bump-fires the last few range visits.

The mounted optic is satisfactory, as well. I’m using the Vortex Sparc II red dot, which is an older optic with sub-par battery longevity, but it works.

The gun’s internals are OK, as well. I also have a spare extractor and firing pin (with replacement roll pins) that I’ve stored in the Magpul grip storage compartment.

This gun is a dream to shoot and I’ll probably keep shooting it, as I’ve a need to compare it with my Springfield Armory Kuna. Although one uses a roller-delay system and the other uses a blow-back operating system, both are 9mm PCCs—so I know they’re very different, but they’re also similar.

I’ve a BUNCH of AK-V mags, as well (probably 12-15).

Again, this is a very fun gun to shoot. I’m extremely glad I bought it. It is one of my favorite guns!

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1911 2011 carbine Fusion Firearms pistol caliber carbine Springfield Armory

Springfield Armory Kuna and Fusion Firearms XP Comp Are Inbound!

Today, I bought a Springfield Armory Kuna. It is the folding brace version. I bought it online, from Gunprime. That’s the same dealer I bought my Prodigy DS from, so I’ve some history with that dealer My prior purchase and shipping experience was good.

I also bought a Fusion Firearms XP Comp. This time around, I went with their black version. I bought it online, as well, from White Birch Armory in New Hampshire. I also have bought from them in the past (I bought the Tisas Duty through them). The shipping and purchasing experience was good, as well.

I expect to have both in my hands by next Monday or Tuesday.

For some reason, the Kuna was hard to find. Most places don’t have them. In fact, I need to buy more mags and those are hard to find, as well.

I already have some G17 mags for the XP Comp. I’ve 4 KCI mags and the two that came with the XP Pro. I’ll have 8 when I get the XP Comp. I should probably order more, though, especially with those bad gun laws that are inbound to VA.

I’m not sure if I’ll buy another RMR optic specifically for the XP Comp or just use the Cyelee Chameleon that’s currently mounted on the XP Pro. I suppose I can look for a cheap Holosun 407C.

I’m not done with the purchases, either.

I’ve a Ruger Mark IV 22/45 on my list of things to obtain. I also have the Alpha Foxtrot Attila on my list – it’s not on the market yet, but I’ve heard through the grapevine that it should be available sometime in April.

I had two options for this year’s buying spree: to buy the above listed guns, or buy the Kuna, the Ruger Mark IV, and a Staccato HD P4. I flipped a coin – tails for the guns I listed up above, or heads for the group with the Staccato. The coin landed on it’s face, and here we are!

No worries, though…the Staccato is carrying over to next year’s list. And, since the Staccato is so expensive, it’ll be a short list.

UPDATE (3/31/2026): Both guns have shipped….wow! Both were picked up already and have estimated delivery dates of 2 April (Thursday)! I’m super surprised that they were both processed were out the door today! I’ll either have them in hand Thursday or Friday, then!

UPDATE (4/2/2026): Both guns arrived to the FFL, around noon-time. I’m just awaiting a call to pick them up. Would be nice to be able to shoot them after picking them up, but I’m not feeling well today, so I’ll have to visit the range this weekend to shoot them. I also bought 5 additional Kuna mags. I’ll probably also need to order more G17 mags (I’ve a few but between two 2011s that use Glock-pattern mags, I probably need more).

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.223 5.56mm Bushmaster carbine CM15 long gun M4 rifle

Looking for a good home defense long gun?

Looking for a good home defense long gun?  Some people swear by shotguns but a carbine can also be a good option.  Specifically an AR-15 variant (M4).

I was looking at a CETME-type gun earlier in the year, but I didn’t want to worry about quality and those aren’t exactly light guns (they’re certainly not carbines, either).  What I’m looking for is something like this:

Bushmaster CM15

You can get an instant quote at that site and the quote is going to depend on your location, meaning the price is going to vary between locations.  I can get that gun for between $530 and $640.  That’s for a 5.56mm/.223 long gun!  With a Red Dot sight.

More stats:

I don’t think I’ll be able to get this before the sale date ends (11/30).  I can always wait until the next sale.