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Reisings .30 Caliber:

ALIIST I IICIIIIIIEA forgotten WW2 prototype returns to bark once more.By Sgt. Gary Paul JohnstonI n 1940 the U.S. Ordnance Department decided to seek a new weapon for close support which wouldprovide more range than the Model1911 .45 cal iber pistol. Specificationswere provided for a semi-automatic(and later a full auto) carbine whichwould be a departure from tradition inthat it would not be a shorter version ofthe existing infantry rifle (the M1 Garand) . This new carbine was to be atotally new weapon weighing just 5.5pounds, and would fire a new intermediate range .30 caliber cartridge with a110 grain bullet at 2,000 fps.When the specifications were released, several manufacturing corpor-ations were invited to submit designs tomeet them. Among these companieswere Auto Ordnance, Hyde, Savage,Springfield Arsenal , Woodhill , Harring-ton & Richardson and Winchester. Weall know the end ing to the story . TheWinchester design won , largely because its action resembled that of theM1 Garand, and also because it was anefficient design . The M1 Carbine wenton to live a life of its own, seeing a halfAuthor found it hard to tell he wasn 'tshooting the real thing when shooting theH&R .30 Carbine. The little gun ran quitesmooth, and never malfunctioned despite15 degree temperatures.

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Sgt. Gene Pretzeus holds the H&R .30Carbine (left) along with the M1 Carbine.Though quite different mechanically, theH&R Carbine feels and handles much likethe M1.dozen military variations, and severalcommerc ial ones, and the weapon isstill in service in some countries .

Other Test RiflesBut what about those test weaponswhich were submitted for the M1 Carbine trials by the other companiescompeting for the original contract?Like so many other experimental weapons, they were either destroyed orforgotten about in a dark corner ofsome arms room , and if we're lucky we

might see a photo of one of them from

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The H&R prototype .30 Carbine we testedIs the only one known to survive aftermilitary testing In 1940, and It bears serialnumber X18. This weapon was also builtin a selective fire version. Our test piecewas finished and fitted nicely, and Itshowed obvious signs of much hand work.time to time. Th51t is why we recentlyfelt so fortunate, not only were we ableto examine one of the original testcarbine prototypes submitted to theGovernment, but we shot it too!The experimental U. S. Carbine wetested was that submitted by Harring-

ton & Richardson, of Worchester,Mass., and bore serial number "X18."H&R made a variety of weaponsthrough the years including militaryarms like the M1, M14 and M16 rifles.Prior to that, they manufactured theModel 50 series of .45 ACP calibersubmachinegun for the United StatesMarine Corps which had been designed by one of H&R's chief engineers, E.G. Reising. Many of these ReisingSMGs are still in service with policedepartments across the country, andthe gun was made in a semi-auto onlycarbine version as well. These .45

Reisings used a delayed blowback reartilting bolt mechanism, and were actuated by a cocking handle recessedunder the forend .

Basic Reising DesignNot surprisingly, the .30 CarbineH&R submitted for tests was built on asystem which evolved from the .45caliber Model 50 Reising . Instead ofbeing a delayed blo.wback, however,the action is positively locked by therear of the bolt being tilted up into a

The H&R Reising Model 50 .45 caliberSMG (top) Is compared with the receiverof the Reising .30 Carbine. The carbine,while noticeably different, evolved fromthe Model 50, but uses a locked breechInstead of the retarded blowback systemof the SMG.recess in the top of the forged steelreceiver. There it is locked and unlocked by the camming action of the slidejust as in some pump action shotguns,but the Reising Carbine is gas operated. The piston is mounted at the frontof the operating slide, and enters a gas(Continued on page 77)

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Almost An M 1 Carbine(Continued from page 25)cylinder not unlike that of the M1Garand, but much more shallow. Gaswhich is bled from a port in the barrelenters this cylinder, striking the piston,driving it to the rear. Remaining gasthen vents out the bottom of the openforend . The action is relatively closedoff from dirt, and the cocking handle,as with the .45 Reising , is in a recessunder the stock. Since this cockinghandle reciprocates, it could present ahazard if fingers of the support handentered during firing . A pivoting safetyswitch is located on the right rear of thelong receiver, and the weapons usesthe same heavy cylindrical striker mechanism as the Model 50 . The triggerpull , and lock time, is sluggish as iscommon with mechanisms of this type.

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Sgt. Gene Pretzeus Is caught an Instantafter touching off cr round_from the H&RCarbine (note brass casing In mid air bythe glove on his right hand). "Pre\Z" foundthe H&R to recoil even less than the M1Carbine. Accuracy was good, and emptieswere: lhrown 15 to 20 feet.

CHARACTERISTICS: H&R .30 CALIBER CARBINECALIBER:OPERATION:BARREL LENGTH:OVERALL LENGTH:WEIGHT:FEED:SIGHTS:MUZZLE VELOCITY:STOCK:

.30 U.S. CarbineGas, semi-automatic16 inches, four grooves37.75 inches5.6 pounds12 round detachable staggered row boxmagazineFront post with protective ears, rearadjustable for elevation and windage1900 fps (estimated)Black walnut

- - - - . , - ~ PRODUCED IN PROTOTYPE ONLYThe Reising .30 Carbine field strips fairlyeasily for cleaning, and does not have anexcess of parts. Still, it is easy to see whyit was not chosen by the Military, as itappears rather delicate in some areas.The magazine of our test piece held only12 rounds.

While built on the Reising system,the H&R .30 Carbine was designedaround a number of inflexible U.S.Military specifications, and so, resembles the M1 Carbine to a surprisingdegree. Similarities are seen in thestock, handguard, band and swivel,front sight and especially the cut in thebuttstock for the oiler. These similari-ties give one the overall impression thatthe weapon is more M1 Carbine thannot.

Delicate PartsWe must say that we consider the

M1 Carbine generally somewhat of aflimsy weapon, and the H&R prototypeshares this trait. The rear sight does notseem as if it would take a good bump,and the trigger guard is held to the

stock by wood screws as is the casewith the Model 50 SMG . The receivergroup is retained in the stock by onemaster screw along with the barrelband . The magazine catch, too, is inessense the same as that of the Model50. While the mechanism is fairly wellclosed to dirt, it would seem difficult toremove foreign matter should it enterthe action, and this would, no doubt,cause malfunctions. The magazine is adouble column type which tapers up toa single feet like that of the .45 caliberM3 and some other SMG's, as well asmany current 9mm pistols. The magazine of the prototype carbine shownhere holds 12 rounds.The receiver of the Reising .30Carbine is extremely long for the cartridge it uses, measuring 9.5 inchesagainst 6.5 inches for the standard M1Carbine. This unnecessary lengthtranslates to inefficiency , and to keepthe Reising's overall length reasonablethe barrel was made only 16 incheslong as compared to 18 inches for theM1 Carbine. The result is a loss of anestimated 75 fps in muzzle velocity .With all this, the Reising Carbine is still

37 .75 inches in overall length as com-pared with only 35 .6 inches for the M1 .

Test FireUnderstandably an xious to shootthis rarest. of .30 Carbines, we gladly

put up with 15 degrees and a 30 mphwind , with frequent tr ips to the truck tothaw out. The little Reising never missed a stroke, and th rew empty cases 15to 20 feet. Accuracy appeared to begood with offhand shooting at 50yards, and we all agreed that the overallimpression was that we were fir ing anM1 Carbine.The Reising .30 Carbine was alsolater made in a full auto vers ion whichfared no better than the semi-automodel we tested . While it is easy to seewhy Winchester's .30 Carb ine entrywas judged superior to the Reising , thelatter is still no slouch as far as thebreed goes. It is smoother in operationthan the Winchester, and with ref inement could have been much improved.All in all, it is an interesting part of oursmall arms history.

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