i was torn between the Garand and carbine for years. I love the Garand as it's a (most commonly) .30-06 round, a bit longer and heavier than the carbine. And that ping sound when the clip is empty is just killer. Carbine is smaller, lighter, shoots a smaller shell, more like a .357, and can use up to a 30 round mag.
the Carbine was my must have before i got my AR15. now that i have it i'm rethinking this. I don't need 2 fun guns, but then again i already have 2 big game rifles for anything i want to hunt up to a buffalo. So maybe i do need 2 fun guns (fun guns = shooting range guns to just go out and have fun blasting things with) so maybe I will stick with the Carbine first.
damn, now i have to make a choice again lol