Jump to content

Looking for tips on buying first Reising


Recommended Posts

I’m seriously considering buying a Reising. I am looking for a military model. Is there anything else to add to my check list?

 

From Canfield’s book on WWII Infantry Weapons:

Parkerized finish (not commercial blued one parkerized) I read that early military one can be blued too.

Barrel with P proof mark just before receiver

Sling swivels

Knurled barrel action screw

 

I read somewhere that all military versions had 14 finned barrels? Is that correct?

 

What is the deal with the firing pins? I see many threads about this issue. Is this the reason why they are still reasonably priced?

 

I see the average price is around $6500 for a commercial one and military ones slightly higher. Autoweapons has some beautiful ones but way overpriced. He has a few mint ones and was asking $10800 I believe. I've been watching the prices for a few years and they don't seem to have risen much. I think its time to grab one. Maybe a member here is looking to sell theirs? Thanks for any tips to help make my purchase easier and correct.

Edited by Thompsonlover
Link to comment
Share on other sites

TL,

If you want the very best advise in its briefest form, here it is, don't buy a Reising.

Its no doubt an exaggeration but it seems like every other post here is someone with a broken bolt, firing pin, slide, comp etc.

The Reising was my first SMG. Seemed like the perfect gun for steel plate shoots. Carbine style stock, 450 RPM ROF (a lie).

Sadly ,just the opposite was true. Even tho the Reising is a very common SMG, only about two people use them at Knob Creek.

 

As far as the term military/commercial is concerned, I suspect these are collector words. I believe Reising began with blued guns with other early features

and gradually updated the gun. Theirs a good chance the US Marines used more blued guns in combat and rejected the gun before parked guns became available.

So, a military Reising is a gun owned by the military and a commercial Reising is a gun NOT owned by the military, regardless of finish.

 

Tomorrow I will attend a steel plate shoot. Accompanying me will be an M1 and M3 SMG. The Reising will stay home in the safe.

I doubt if I was much help.

Jim

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive seen nice ones sell as low as $4900 on a form 4 in the past year.

 

I chose one that looks barely shot and i believe thats what i got. To me it was the best chance of getting one with all original parts and may run better. I also chose from one of the national dealers to get a warranty.

 

I wouldn't be too choosy over police vs military...find a nice example for $5500-6000 and grab it.

 

Ive been buying lately from Mid West Tactical as they have given me the best warranty work. Others claim a warranty and do always offer me a return, but often they don't want to fix things...take the gun or the money...they don't want to repair things...MWT will and does. They have lots of crap(LOTS), but they also have the occasional gem and always good prices/service

 

Be fussy and take your time. There is no lack of reisings for sale and they don't sell fast.

 

the reising is very hard to control, very fast, different feeling than my other subguns. if I was in WW2 I would rather have a M1 garand.

 

At 15-25 yards you would hit 3 rounds on a target, which is what the gun was meant for I guess....anything over that and you may as well select semi auto

Edited by huggytree
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are not that bad, many problems are being solved with new parts becoming available in the future. The trouble areas are bolts and firing pins. (see the threads in the Reising boards)

I have had a number of Reisings over the years, all ran great, the only problem I ever had was broken firing pins.

 

Also

A correction; there was no such thing as a "commercial or military" Reising the early models were blued had 28 or 29 fin barrels, many early blued guns were bought by the U.S. Marines.

The Marines submitted a list of modifications that they wanted resulting in a 2nd Model. Some of the changes were a 14 fin barrel, parkerized finish, larger take-down screw, three-screw trigger guard, non-slip selector lever etc. Not one to waste parts, H&R made "transitional" guns that had a combination of late and early features.

 

There were four Marine contracts from 2/42 to 10/42 for a total of 66,500 Model 55, Model 50P (folding stock paratrooper model w/comp) and Model 50s.

A lot of Reisings were sold to police departments especially in PA where the distributor, Federal Labs, was located. The PA state police bought many early guns with 3-digit serial numbers.

Russia received 6,000 M50 Reisings, Great Britain 2,000 thru Lend Lease, I don't recall the total Reising made during WWII, but off the top of my head it was 110,000. Reisings were also popular in South America.

 

The 2nd design was also made after the war during the 1950s for police sales. The 4,611 post war guns have a letter prefix on their serial numbers, the last year was 1957 using the prefix letter S.

 

The Reising Machine Gun Story is a much more detailed account of the Reising with many Marine and H&R documents and US and British Ordnance testing, despite being a 6x9" soft cover "gunshow" book.

 

Also check out the Reising PICTURE section on this site http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9688

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to shoot it a lot, it will most likely be a PITA.

 

IMHO, there are A LOT of better options than a Reising.

The M2 carbine comes to mind...

WW2 - check

Reasonable price - check
Reliable - check

Parts/mags avail - check

 

But, if you have your heart set on a Reising, there is no substitute...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are other options out there for the same price or a bit more money; but I would not hesitate to purchase one. We have a late S prefix Reising one of the last years made and it runs like a champ, I made a spare firing pin years ago and haven't even installed it in the gun to try it out. The Reising is my wife's favorite because its light weigh, easy to handle, shoot and its accurate. I might be wrong but it seems most of the issues are with early guns concerning the bolts and firing pins.

 

If you get a chance find someone close to you or go to a MG shoot and see you if someone will let to try it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.uzitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?91221-WTS-Reising-model-50

 

 

This guy is well known and trustworthy. If he says it runs Id trust him

 

No idea what it looks like. But may be a way to get one that runs

 

The "complete' spare parts kit is worth a lot itself.

Back in the 1990s Armex was selling complete Reising part sets for $99.00

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I sold a barrel for $450 nos

Bolts are $150 x2 =$300

Compensators $150

3 extra mags = $250

Misc parts $300+

 

He is giving $1,000-1400 in parts with that deal

Edited by huggytree
Link to comment
Share on other sites

They are not that bad, many problems are being solved with new parts becoming available in the future. The trouble areas are bolts and firing pins. (see the threads in the Reising boards)

I have a number of Reisings over the years, all ran great, the only problem I ever had was broken firing pins.

 

Also

A correction; there was no such thing as a "commercial or military" Reising the early models were blued had 28 or 29 fin barrels, many early blued guns were bought by the U.S. Marines.

The Marines submitted a list of modifications that they wanted resulting in a 2nd Model. Some of the changes were a 14 fin barrel, parkerized finish, larger take-down screw, three-screw trigger guard, non-slip selector lever etc. Not one to waste parts, H&R made "transitional" guns that had a combination of late and early features.

 

There were four Marine contracts from 2/42 to 10/42 for a total of 66,500 Model 55, Model 50P (folding stock paratrooper model w/comp) and Model 50s.

A lot of Reisings were sold to police departments especially in PA where the distributor, Federal Labs, was located. The PA state police bought many early guns with 3-digit serial numbers.

Russia received 6,000 M50 Reisings, Great Britain 2,000 thru Lend Lease, I don't recall the total Reising made during WWII, but off the top of my head it was 110,000. Reisings were popular in South America too.

 

The 2nd design was also made after the war during the 1950s for police sales. The 4,611 post war guns have a letter prefix on their serial numbers, the last year was 1957 using the prefix letter S.

 

The Reising Machine Gun Story is a much more detailed account of the Reising with many Marine and H&R documents and US and British Ordnance testing, despite being a 6x9" soft cover "gunshow" book.

 

Also check out the Reising PICTURE section on this site http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=9688

Frank thanks for the info. Since first posting this thread, I found your article in SAR and it was very helpful!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to shoot it a lot, it will most likely be a PITA.

 

IMHO, there are A LOT of better options than a Reising.

The M2 carbine comes to mind...

WW2 - check

Reasonable price - check
Reliable - check

Parts/mags avail - check

 

But, if you have your heart set on a Reising, there is no substitute...

I want both! I believe the M2's are going for twice the money and the ammo is more expensive. I probably will shoot it a lot at first and then it will be a safe queen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.uzitalk.com/forums/showthread.php?91221-WTS-Reising-model-50

 

 

This guy is well known and trustworthy. If he says it runs Id trust him

 

No idea what it looks like. But may be a way to get one that runs

Thanks for the tip Huggy! I kind of have my heart set on a parked one but I did contact him for pictures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are other options out there for the same price or a bit more money; but I would not hesitate to purchase one. We have a late S prefix Reising one of the last years made and it runs like a champ, I made a spare firing pin years ago and haven't even installed it in the gun to try it out. The Reising is my wife's favorite because its light weigh, easy to handle, shoot and its accurate. I might be wrong but it seems most of the issues are with early guns concerning the bolts and firing pins.

 

If you get a chance find someone close to you or go to a MG shoot and see you if someone will let to try it out.

Thanks Orion. I'm going to try and find someone that has one. There is a machine gun rental in Miami and I'm going to check to see if they have one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why do you want the 2 least controllable subguns ?

 

Reising and m2 ??

 

Are these your first 2??

 

So many choices that are much nicer for the same $

 

A m2 trigger group isnt that much more than a reising.

 

I considered one but saw a few videos and there is little control

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Reising is a late-production S-numbered gun. It has never missed a beat except with one Keystone magazine. It runs with Stock 20s and with Christie 30s and with 2 of my 3 Keystone 30s. It hasn't eaten any parts....al least not yet. The only complaint I have is the rate of fire is WAY too high, closer to 900 than the advertised 550. It is extremely accurate in semi.

 

My bolt and op rod are currently at a fabricator who is evaluating re-popping new ones. If that happens, and it looks like it might, I would not hesitate to recommend one as an entry-level SMG. It's worlds better than a MAC and Stens can be "problematical"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you can stretch your budget a bit, you may also want to take a look at the S&W 76 clones that Jim Burgess is selling. They're newly built on pre-86 registered Stemple tubes He's getting $8500 for them. They use Suomi M31 mags at $18 apiece and shoot 9mm which costs a lot less than .45 does.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have always liked mine. Have 4 or 5 of them right now and another 10 incoming and probably been through 30+ guns. To date none have ever come back having problems. All in I think I have fixed maybe 2 or 3 of them compared to dozens of other guns out there people tote as being robust.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

$6500-8500 gets a Ingram M6 which is a very unique subgun, much more fun and interesting

$8500 can get you an older BRP which will shoot in the same hole and use suomi drums,coffins,mags

$9000-9500 can get you a real S&W 76 (i got mine for 9500 and a friend just grabbed one for $9 w/ a suppressed barrel)

Mac 10/45 $6500 gives you 5+ uppers to choose from and will change the gun into 9mm,45 and .223

 

endless good guns in the $6-8500 price range

 

but if you like the reising it is kinda cool for what it is. You just have to accept all of its history and how it got no love for a reason

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why do you want the 2 least controllable subguns ?

 

Reising and m2 ??

 

Are these your first 2??

 

So many choices that are much nicer for the same $

 

A m2 trigger group isnt that much more than a reising.

 

I considered one but saw a few videos and there is little control

I have an M1 Thompson already. I am only interested in WWII subguns. I had a MK760 for 25 years and had to sell it to fund a project I was working on.

I am not worried them being uncontrollable as I will not be entering any contests. I'm mainly a collector and occasional shooter. My dream gun is a BAR like my Uncle carried in Normandy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you want to shoot it a lot, it will most likely be a PITA.

 

IMHO, there are A LOT of better options than a Reising.

The M2 carbine comes to mind...

WW2 - check

Reasonable price - check
Reliable - check

Parts/mags avail - check

 

But, if you have your heart set on a Reising, there is no substitute...

 

I would respectfully disagree that an M2 Carbine is a lot better choice than a Reising. There are a multitude of different transferable arrangements when it comes to full auto M2's, most of which involve receivers that can fail over time. If I owned an M2 Carbine, I would probably not shoot it very much, unless it was a transferable trigger group that could be used on a Carbine of choice. The USMC recommended M2 receivers be inspected at 15,000 rounds, and replaced if they showed signs of stress. I have heard of receiver failures with USGI Carbines, and particularly with post war commercial M2's. I have not heard of Reising receiver failures, though Reising action bar and firing pin failures are certainly common.

 

I love Carbines, but having one in full auto would be a lot more expensive than any 9mm or .45 subgun.

 

For a first time subgun choice, I think that a MAC is hard to beat for the number of configurations available. I'm not trying to discourage purchasing a Reising, but the choice should be carefully considered. BTW, Ruben Mendiola has many Reisings in stock in the $6500 range.

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Reising is a late-production S-numbered gun. It has never missed a beat except with one Keystone magazine. It runs with Stock 20s and with Christie 30s and with 2 of my 3 Keystone 30s. It hasn't eaten any parts....al least not yet. The only complaint I have is the rate of fire is WAY too high, closer to 900 than the advertised 550. It is extremely accurate in semi.

 

My bolt and op rod are currently at a fabricator who is evaluating re-popping new ones. If that happens, and it looks like it might, I would not hesitate to recommend one as an entry-level SMG. It's worlds better than a MAC and Stens can be "problematical"

There are a bunch of youtube Reising video's and they seem to run pretty good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ingram M-6....but if you really want the Reising, go for it.

Thanks timkel. I really am only interested in WWII guns. I'd love to have a Grease gun, BAR, MP40 & 44 too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have always liked mine. Have 4 or 5 of them right now and another 10 incoming and probably been through 30+ guns. To date none have ever come back having problems. All in I think I have fixed maybe 2 or 3 of them compared to dozens of other guns out there people tote as being robust.

I take it your a dealer so maybe I should be talking to you. Any of the 10 incoming one's parkerized?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...