M50 Reising

Model 50 Reising
The Reising Model 50 submachine gun
Type	Submachine gun
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	1941–1953
Used by	See Users
Wars	World War II Hukbalahap Rebellion Malaysian Emergency Costa Rican Civil War
Production history
Designer	Eugene Reising
Designed	1940
Manufacturer	Harrington & Richardson
Produced	1941–1945
Variants	M55, M60, M65
Specifications
Weight	3.1 kg (6.83 lb) (M50) 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) (M55)
Length	959 mm (37.8 in) 787 mm (31.0 in) stock retracted (M55)
Barrel length	279 mm (11.0 in) (M50)
Cartridge	.45 ACP (M50 and M55) .45 ACP (M60) .22 LR (M65)
Action	Delayed blowback, closed bolt
Rate of fire	550 rounds/min (M50) 500 rounds/min (M55)
Muzzle velocity	280 m/s (919 ft/s)
Maximum firing range	300 yards
Feed system	12- or 20-round detachable box magazine
Sights	Front blade, rear notch

The .45 Reising submachine gun was manufactured by Harrington & Richardson (H&R) Arms Company in Worcester, Massachusetts, and was designed and patented by Eugene Reising in 1940. The three versions of the weapon were the Model 50, the folding stock Model 55, and the semiautomatic Model 60 rifle. Over 100,000 Reisings were ordered during World War II, and were initially used by the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and the United States Coast Guard, though some were shipped to Canadian, Soviet, and other allied forces to fight the Axis powers.

The Reising submachine gun was a very innovative weapon for its time featuring firepower, accuracy, excellent balance, light weight and ease of manufacture compared to the Thompson Model 1928 submachine gun, the leading American competitor of the time. But poor combat performance and favorable law enforcement use of the Thompson forever mired the weapon in controversy.

Eugene Reising was an excellent marksman and ordnance engineer who believed engineering principles must match actual field needs. Reising practiced his creed by being an avid shooter and by serving in the early 1900s as an assistant to the firearm inventor, John M. Browning. In doing so, Reising contributed to the final design of the US .45 Colt M1911 pistol, one of the most reliable pistols in history. Reising then designed a number of commercial rifles and pistols on his own, when in 1938, he turned his attention to designing a submachine gun as threats of war rapidly grew in Europe.

Two years later he submitted his completed design to the Harrington & Richardson Arms Company (H&R) in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was accepted, and in March 1941, H&R started manufacturing the Model 50 full stocked submachine gun. Months later, production began on the Model 55 (identical to the Model 50 other than having a folding wire buttstock, no compensator, and a barrel half an inch shorter); and the Model 60 full stocked semiautomatic rifle that also resembled a Model 50, but had a 7.75 inch longer barrel without cooling fins or compensator.