POTD: Model 50 Reising – The Submachine Gun That Couldn’t
Sam.S 07.11.25
Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! This Harrington & Richardson Model 50 Reising submachine gun is one of World War II’s biggest small arms disasters. Introduced in 1941 as a cheap Thompson alternative, it was supposed to give American forces a lighter, more economical automatic weapon with the same punch. Eugene Reising’s design had some interesting ideas: closed-bolt blowback system, selective fire, and those cooling fins on the barrel. The three-position selector gave you semi-auto, full-auto, or safe. The adjustable rear sight showed they were thinking about accuracy beyond typical submachine gun ranges.
What killed the Reising was complexity and field sensitivity. Built to peacetime manufacturing tolerances, the thing jammed constantly when it hit sand, mud, or marine environments. Pacific Theater Marines – already suspicious of anything that wasn’t a Thompson – gave up on Reisings that quit working in firefights. The rifle worked better stateside where maintenance was easier and conditions cleaner. Police departments picked them up for patrol work. Defense plants used them for security. That Federal Laboratories transport case with this example shows the domestic security role – these weapons moved between installations, not battlefields.
They only made about 100,000 Reisings before the military canceled contracts for more reliable weapons. This fully transferable example shows both American wartime innovation and the harsh truth that clever engineering means nothing if the weapon won’t work when lives are on the line. The Reising proves that in military firearms, reliability beats innovation every single time.
“H&R Model 50 Reising, Class III/NFA C&R Fully Transferable.” Rock Island Auction Company, https://www.rockislandauction.com/detail/5012/112/hr-model-50-reising-class-iiinfa-cr-fully-transferable. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
