Pistol-caliber carbines are a common topic for discussion on this here back porch of mine, and I thought I’d make mention of this puppy, CZ’s latest incarnation of their excellent little Skorpion subby, the Scorpion EVO 3+ which comes with a 16″ barrel and folding stock.
Look, it’s come a long way from their original little full-auto sweetie, the SA vz.61:
…most notably in that the EVO’s chambering has been (marginally) upgraded from the original .32 ACP to the 9mm Europellet, and the new guy just looks better than the toy-sized original. (I also like the fake suppressor on the EVO carbine, guaranteed to give the gun nannies fits, but which is removable so one can add a real suppressor onto its threaded barrel for extra-added hysteria.)
The EVO 3+ also comes in a 4″ pistol configuration:
…but I think it’s butt-ugly and if you want CZ reliability in a pistol, then the CZ 75B will do just fine.
Getting back to the carbine: the nice thing about the new Scorpion is that it retails for well under a grand (compared to the HK MP5 at 3x), and its magazines are, at ~$30, likewise much cheaper than HK. The only bummer, as far as I can see, is that the Scorpion doesn’t accept the CZ 75’s mags but uses a proprietary one.
As I’ve said before, I’m somewhat dubious about the utility of a 9mm carbine, but I reckon that if you must have one, this new Scorpion seems to fit the bill. More about it here, and these guys sell it as well as the mags.
Afterthought: you know what I’d really like to see? A Scorpion chambered in .45 ACP. matched with their manly CZ 97 B pistol:
I used to own one of these (sold during the Great Poverty Episode), and I miss it terribly. What a beautiful gun it is, to be sure.
Hi Point 4595 carbine is the 45 carbine that is affordable and in 45. They also have 9, 10 and 40 among others.
I don’t own one myself but I have heard great things. They are affordable and offered in different colors too (camo , white camo etc)
I know. Not as sleek as the scorpion. But it works. And it’s not expensive.
I’ve looked into the 9mm carbines because i’d like my missus to have an alternative to an M1 Carbine. The Ruger PCC is much less expensive than the Henry Homesteader but the Ruger will only take Glock and Ruger magazines while the Homesteader will take Henry, Sig, S&W M&P, Glock mags. The Homesteader is around $800 and up from what I can find while the Ruger is in the $600-700 ball park.
The Scorpion looks very nice. I’d love to own a CZ 75B just can’t find the funds right now. What I really need is more trigger time with the gear I have rather than more gear
JQ
I still hold that the pistol caliber carbine is the right place to guide inexperienced shooters looking for the means of rapidly acquiring credible home defense. It’s simply easier to get the necessary hits at defensive ranges, especially if they’re not going to invest the time in acquiring and maintaining handgun skills. If they want to upgrade to handgun, that’s fine, but there’s less trouble for them to get into starting with long gun.
I am a big fan of PCCs. Got them in 9mm and 45 but AR style. A buddy has a CZ Scorpion and loves it – especially combined with Magpul’s 50 rnd drums.
Kim,
Look into a Tanfoglio. They used to be imported to the US by EAA and marketed as the Witness, but are now brought in by these folks https://www.italianfirearmsgroup.com//tanfoglio/detail/combat.
Conveniently for you, they appear to be based in Texas.
It’s a modified clone of the CZ-75, and with a slide/barrel/mag swap can run .22lr, .38 Super, 9mm, 40 S&W, .45ACP, and 10mm as well as some wildcats.
Ah, yes, the Vz 61. 20 rounds of .32ACP out the pipe before the recoil(what little there is starts). Could put all 20 rounds in a three inch circle at 25-30 feet. Almost as much fun as a FA .22. . .