That's my point, definition of full length rifle is getting shorter. What passes as full rifle today would be considered carbine decades ago and their carbine version might be considered rifle in the future.You can't compare across different rifle families. QBZ-191's carbine variant is called carbine because it has a shorter barrel than the full-length QBZ-191. M4 is called carbine because it has a shorter barrel compared to the regular M16. In other words, what makes a carbine a carbine isn't the absolute length of the barrel but its relative barrel length to that of another member of the same family.
WW1
Rifle : 740-800mm
Carbine: 590-640mm
WW2
Rifle : 600-660mm
Carbine : 460-500mm
Cold War
Rifle : 400-550mm
Carbine : 200-400mm
Today
Rifle : 350-460mm
Carbine 154-350mm
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