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Reising Blues...


DGinGA
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Last week, I finally got myM50, after 14 months; nonstockingdealer, etc. Was looking forward to FA fire on the pistol range and seeing heads pop out of lane dividers. Instead, 2 rounds, jam. 3, jam. The most that would dump. was 5 rounds. I was firing reloads, 230 jacketed round nose, 5 grains of Buulseye. After reading paulfs excellent post, I polished the bolt, filed the firing pin, and stretched the magazine springs. The gun would jam because a cartridge would angle up from the mag but not feed completely. Bolt closed on the side of the cartridge. With a Christie 30r mag, pushing up on the mag helped reliability, but only if 20 or fewer rounds were loaded in the 30 r mag. After 120 rounds, the gun would switch from semi to fa by itself.

Every NFA site warned that Reisings are unreliable. Thats a gross understatement. My hope was that since mine would only be fired

under perfect conditions, it would work properly. Factory ammo was better but srill has issues.

My plans are to polish the feedramp, replace mag and gun springs (Where can one get new springs.)

Maybe load hotter ammo.

Meanwhile my S & W 76 runs like a Swiss watch. The Reising was to have a cheap (by NFA standards) 45 acp shooter. Wish Id bought a Mac 10.

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I would not start polishing until you find out what the problem is. Better to diagnose than guess and check. Sometimes you cannot go back if you guess incorrectly.

 

Try to cycle dummy rounds and see where and when they are jamming up. If youre hitting the side of the case, Id not start with polishing. Try a few mags. Be sure mag housing is installed properly on the receiver. Maybe post some pics to see if anything looks out of place

 

Ron

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Polishing, springs, firing pins and cartridge energy have nothing to do with your problem as you describe it. From your description it is a mag issue. Make sure the mag well, which is removable and can be subject to being bent or deformed and then produce faulty feed is correct positioned. The mag lips should be evaluated to see that the cartridges are presented high enough, at the correct angle and centrally.

Reisings are not “hosers” and will not hold up well being treated like a MAC. For exmaple, compensators are fragile due to the top vent bars being too thin and subject to breaking. I’ve replaced half a dozen or so broken comps with vintage amd repro comps. Various small parts loosen up and need to be checked now and then for tightness.

Be patient with the old gun!

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Wolff makes a replacement spring pack. It took me a little time with my M-50 and 60 to get them running reliably, but both are now 100%. Springs and mags made a difference--most of the mags I bought worked 100%. And I had to replace the firing pin with a reproduction.

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The Reising is a hand fitted gun . The Marines did not want to spend the time to have it reengineered , they needed them ASAP . If anyone replaced a part and did not hand fit it , that alone could be the source of your problems . Once fixed , the seem to be as good as most others , but finding what needs to be fixed can be a hair pulling experience .

My last Reising I helped with would lock up solid when a round was tried to be loaded . It took me two hours and a dozen field strips before I realized that one of the little small spring inserts was in a spring that was not supposed to have one . This kept the spring from collapsing all the way and the part to be stopped short in it's movement . Removed the insert and the gun functioned perfectly.

I bet it's the same here , loose or poor fitted housing , bent mag lips , …………..oooooooooooo , do you have a one or two piece end cap ??? Does the hammer spring fit around a post that floats in the end cap or does it fit around a post that is part of the end cap ? That can cause a multitude of problems .

Chris

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  • 2 weeks later...

I've spent the past week working on my Reising mags, both factory and Christie. The post from Black River Militaria about my problem being mag-related made sense, after I remembered the factory 12 rounder worked perfectly. Comparing it with others showed a difference; the 20's and Christies hold the bullets almost flat, while the 12 rnd presents the bullets at an upward angle. Also, when the gun jams, the bolt pushes a round against the front of the mag well. Sometimes, pulling the mag bottom back while pushing up causes the gun to chamber. I've noticed that the mag well is large, so the mags fit loosely, compared to other M50's. Seems that the mags are not held high enough. To fix this or at least rule it out, I've ordered another original part.

As for mags, I'm working on adusting and cleaning to get an angles feed. Nothing I've done to the Christies had worked. Its follower has a folded raised edge that somehow pushes the round to one side, held at the rim. My plan is to make a new follower that is flat and angled. Possibly machined, or made from folded steel. Seems like a lot of trouble, but nothing I;ve tried makes the rounds present at a correct upward angle. Nobody else on this board seems to have so much magazine trouble - guess I'm just lucky.

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I've spent the past week working on my Reising mags, both factory and Christie. The post from Black River Militaria about my problem being mag-related made sense, after I remembered the factory 12 rounder worked perfectly. Comparing it with others showed a difference; the 20's and Christies hold the bullets almost flat, while the 12 rnd presents the bullets at an upward angle. Also, when the gun jams, the bolt pushes a round against the front of the mag well. Sometimes, pulling the mag bottom back while pushing up causes the gun to chamber. I've noticed that the mag well is large, so the mags fit loosely, compared to other M50's. Seems that the mags are not held high enough. To fix this or at least rule it out, I've ordered another original part.

As for mags, I'm working on adusting and cleaning to get an angles feed. Nothing I've done to the Christies had worked. Its follower has a folded raised edge that somehow pushes the round to one side, held at the rim. My plan is to make a new follower that is flat and angled. Possibly machined, or made from folded steel. Seems like a lot of trouble, but nothing I;ve tried makes the rounds present at a correct upward angle. Nobody else on this board seems to have so much magazine trouble - guess I'm just lucky.

Maybe post some pictures. My 20 and Christie are also flat. I doubt you need to make a new follower to fix your problem. Are you sure the mags are seating correctly? Are you sure the magwell is installed correctly? Sounds like mags are sitting too low if they are hitting the magwell. With a nearly flat cartridge presentation, my bolt grabs the case and slides it right in.

9AA517F4-CFF5-411E-A888-C6F60217AE2B.jpeg

34A2FFCF-4BBD-4104-A302-469AA9C3AB2B.jpeg

FA5DB7F5-4455-410A-B3B9-C3A6B3A39719.jpeg

6E09A9DE-CF23-41D3-9643-159E22917C1B.jpeg

 

Ron

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My mags look like yours when loaded, though the one on the left angles the rounds up more than the other. I'm amazed they work, given my problems. I think the mag well is too low and will look into installation - thought it can only go in one way. A new one is on order. Also, during the next week, I will acquire a marco lens and ring light, teach myself how to use same, and post some pics. Worth 1000 words. It does seem like overkill to re-engineer magazines.

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The mag on the left is a new Christy with stiff spring. The mag on right is an original 20. The original is weaker on first round retention. I can manipulate so the round is angled slightly, but the bolt grabs either.

 

I noticed in the other post about reloads. Are they reloads that are giving issues or also with new factory ammo?

 

Ron

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Tried my mags in another M50 with dummy ammo. Cycled perfectly with factory mags but the Christies seemed to seat too high. The mag lips presses against the bolt, slowing the action. This confirms my belief that the mag well is defective.

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