Personally, I prefer a short carbine. My S&W M&P 15TS with the 14½-inch barrel and the pinned Vortex flash-hider is just perfect for my home defense use.
I mounted an Aimpoint H-1 red dot in LaRue mounts on my carbine and it really makes a compact, fast carbine.
The little cuss really shoots well, too.
Yeah, I know what you mean about loading the carbine up with enough junk to make it weigh as much as a Garand.
I DID add the Troy Squid Grip thingies to the Troy forend ... now the forend feels good and grippy ... rather than like a cheese shredder. That made a GREAT improvement. By the way, it takes two packages of Troy Squids to fit the holes in the forend
Troy Squid Grip ? 7 Pack | New
Oh, I have a long and heavy AR, a Noveske, that I never shoot. It's just too heavy and it's no fun. I do, however, shoot my Noveske Thunder Ranch Edition; it's short and light and I love it.
Count me as a light carbine lover.
God Bless,
Steve Timm