This is a Reising Model 50 .45 ACP sub- machine gun as was issued by the US Marine Corps early in World War II.
Duke owns a basic sample of every US military .45 ACP weapons except the Reising submachine gun but a friend owns a Model 50 that he can shoot.
These are two of Duke’s .45 ACP mili- tary pistols. At left is Colt US Model 1911A1 made in 1944 and at right is Colt US Model 1911 made in 1918.
Some of Duke’s favorite shoot- ing nowadays is done with a Colt US Model 1911 .45 ACP.
of developing a new submachine gun. However, those wanting a homespun design won out. Furthermore, some people in the decision making pro- cess also wanted the United States to adopt the 9mm Parabellum caliber with the M3. Those people did not win out either, with a minor excep- tion. That is, some 9mm conversion kits were made for M3s. M3s had an extendable wire butt-
stock with an 8-pound weight and 8" barrel. Magazines were stick-type only with capacity of 30 rounds. The select-fire feature was dropped because “grease guns” were given such a low cyclic rate that getting off single shots with them was no feat. They were rated at 450 rpm and mine does about that with the same 1960s ammo mentioned above. With a milder lead bullet handload mine clocked only 388 rpm. M3 submachine guns entered service in mid-1944 and saw their first combat
30
in paratrooper hands in the D-Day jumps into Normandy.
Made By Who? The Guide Lamp Company pro-
duced all World War II M3s to the tune of about 600,000 to 700,000. That Indiana based firm was a subsidiary of General Motors with experience in producing headlights for automo- biles, hence experience in stamping out parts. Cost to the US government was only about $20. There was one feature of the M3 that didn’t stand up to hard combat use. That was the bolt’s rotating cocking handle on the right side. After the war, that part was dropped and a simple hole in the bolt was added in which the shooter’s forefinger was inserted to pull the bolt back. This made the designa- tion M3A1 and mostly that version was made by Ithaca Gun Company in the 1950s. It’s a little known fact that M3A1 “grease guns” remained
in US Army tank turrets long after most military organizations con- sidered submachine guns either his- tory or special-ops weapons. Some US National Guard units went into Operation Desert Storm in 1991 with “grease guns” in their tanks. The third submachine gun carried
by American fighting men was the Re- ising Model 50 (standard wood stock) and Model 55 (folding wire stock for paratroopers). All were made by the Harrington & Richardson Company and were used only by the US Marine Corps early in World War II when nothing else was available. Specs for the Model 50 Reising list an 11" barrel and 6.75-pound weight. Magazines could be either 12- or 20-round ca- pacity. Mode of operation was select fire and uniquely, the Reising is one of the few submachine guns to fire from a closed bolt. Rate of fire is about 550 rpm, which is good for about one sec- ond with a 12-round magazine.
AMERICAN HANDGUNNER • 2011 SPECIAL EDITION
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