Editing Carbine (section)

===World Wars===

[[File:Chauchat-Ribeyrolles 1918 submachine gun.jpg|thumb|[[Chauchat-Ribeyrolles 1918 submachine gun|Chauchat-Ribeyrolles]]]]

In late 1918, France developed the [[Chauchat-Ribeyrolles 1918 submachine gun|Chauchat-Ribeyrolles]] for tank crews to defend themselves. Developed from the [[Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917]], the stock was replaced with a pistol grip, and the barrel is significantly shorter at {{convert|340|mm|in|abbr=on}} resulting in an overall length of {{convert|575|mm|in|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ribeyrolles shortened Model 1917 rifle |url=http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/3300/3354.htm |access-date=2023-08-23 |website=www.securityarms.com |archive-date=2023-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823022212/http://www.securityarms.com/20010315/galleryfiles/3300/3354.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Garandcar.jpg|thumb|M1 Garand and M1 carbine]]

In the decades following World War I, the standard battle rifle used by armies around the world had been growing shorter, either by redesign or by the general issue of carbine versions instead of full-length rifles. This move was initiated by the U.S. [[M1903 Springfield|Model 1903 Springfield]], which was originally produced in 1907 with a short {{convert|610|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel, providing a short rifle that was longer than a carbine but shorter than a typical rifle, so it could be issued to all troops without need for separate versions.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sheehan|first1=John|title=Battlefield tack driver: the model 1903 Springfield in WWI|journal=Guns Magazine|date=1 October 2006|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Battlefield+tack+driver%3a+the+model+1903+Springfield+in+WWI.-a0150451303|access-date=22 April 2015}}</ref> Other nations followed suit after World War I, when they learned that their traditional long-barreled rifles provided little benefit in the trenches and merely proved a hindrance to the soldiers. Examples include the Russian [[Mosin–Nagant|Model 1891 rifle]], originally with an {{convert|800|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel, later shortened to {{convert|730|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1930, and to {{convert|510|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1938, the German [[Mauser]] [[Gewehr 98]] rifles went from {{convert|740|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1898 to {{convert|600|mm|in|abbr=on}} in 1935 as the ''[[Karabiner 98k]]'' (K98k or Kar98k), or "short carbine".

The barrel lengths in rifles used by the United States did not change between the bolt-action M1903 rifle of World War I and the World War II [[M1 Garand]] rifle, because the {{convert|610|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel on the M1903 was still shorter than even the shortened versions of the Model 1891 and Gewehr 98. The U.S. [[M1 carbine]] was more of a traditional carbine in that it was significantly shorter and lighter, with a {{convert|450.9|mm|in|abbr=on}} barrel, than the M1 Garand rifle, and that it was intended for rear-area troops who could not be hindered with full-sized rifles but needed something more powerful and accurate than a [[M1911 pistol|Model 1911 pistol]] (although this did not stop soldiers from using them on the front line). Contrary to popular belief, and even what some books claim, in spite of both being designated "M1", the M1 carbine was ''not'' a shorter version of the [[.30-06 Springfield|.30-06]] M1 Garand, as is typical for most rifles and carbines, but it was a wholly different design, firing [[.30 carbine|a smaller, less-powerful cartridge]]. The "M1" designates each as the first model in the new U.S. designation system, which no longer used the year of introduction but a sequential series of numbers starting at "1": the M1 ''carbine'' and M1 ''rifle''.

The United Kingdom developed a "[[jungle carbine]]" version of their Lee–Enfield service rifle, featuring a shorter barrel, flash suppressor, and manufacturing modifications designed to decrease the rifle's weight<ref>Wilson, Royce (May 2006). Jungle Fever- The Lee-Enfield .303 Rifle. Australian Shooter Magazine</ref> Officially titled ''Rifle, No. 5 Mk I'', it was introduced in the closing months of World War II, but it did not see widespread service until the [[Korean War]], the [[Mau Mau Uprising]], and the [[Malayan Emergency]] as well as the [[Vietnam War]].